Chapter 9

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 9

Chapter Title: Admit It?

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A title that just enough to catch people's eyes.

And content that made heads spin.

The impact this post had on the entire bulletin board was massive.

Genre fiction is such a niche in this world that readers are always starving for more.

They squeeze every last drop out of ongoing series until they're bone-dry, and when a new one drops, they spread the word across the board no matter what it's about.

And right in the middle of that, a fresh, hot-off-the-press new release.

Published by Warrenberg Publishing House, a veritable superstar in the genre fiction scene.

They put out wildly experimental, highly distinctive novels, so opinions are divided, but that's exactly why they have a dedicated fanbase.

Those fans charged in first as the vanguard. The other readers waited for their impressions.

Warrenberg Publishing's hallmark is that while the lows are rock-bottom, the highs are sky-high. So if the reviews are good, you read it yourself; if not, you just enjoy the board drama.

...Though sometimes people taste the absolute lowest of the lows, their brains shatter, and they can't settle for anything less afterward. Anyway.

And then the impressions poured in less than a day later.

"I don't get why it's a Warrenberg book, but it's readable."

Those watching from a step back with arms crossed jumped right in.

The reactions? "It's decent? Objectively fun, no comparison needed."

But the content's nothing special—why is it good?

People who had dismissed it as collective hallucination from that situation now wanted to check it out.

And they'd yell, "What the hell, why is this fun?" all over again.

It was largely because the genre was so unfamiliar to them.

Then came one post amid all that.

"You're just charmed by the protagonist's appearance."

"You've fallen for the Beastkin you've been trashing all day."

Whether that applied to everyone didn't matter.

The phrasing "fallen for a Beastkin" was just too violent for people in this world.

The earliest replies were firm denials.

Are you seriously pondering if people fell for it because of the "Beastkin" aspect?

Was there even anything worth falling for in the first place?

People—especially humans—reacted with disbelief at the idea of falling for Beastkin.

Isn't she basically just a Beastkin in appearance?

She lives an upright life despite all the crap thrown at her.

Good personality too.

At that point, she's like a fantasy creature that only exists in novels.

I find Senyora attractive, not Cat Beastkin in general.

...Thinking about it, it kinda makes sense.

If the protagonist wasn't charming, I probably wouldn't have kept reading.

Honestly, setting aside the Beastkin part, her character is super fresh and appealing.

No, even accounting for her being a Beastkin, it's fine.

She's not portrayed as unlikable, nor are humans bashed to prop up Beastkin.

No matter how much people in this world dislike Beastkin, it's hard to hate a girl getting pushed around left and right yet trying so hard to live pluckily and kindly.

And that image touched something deep in people's hearts.

I wanna snatch away the one meager meal Senyora barely gets after starving all day.

Watch her reaction, and right before she cries, buy her something expensive.

Am I weird?

I don't want to see the protagonist suffer.

Whatever her race, she's a good girl, so I hope things go well for her.

...But even so, I kinda wanna make her cry.

That's just how I feel. Just enough to see tears, without real emotional harm.

It subtly stirred sadistic impulses. And I wanted to tease her just that much, then treat her right.

Before long, the board's topic had shifted.

From "Why is this good?" to "Does falling for a Beastkin make sense?" to "Have I fallen for a Beastkin?"

The hero who defied the Demon King and saved the world.

The great mage who brought light to the world.

The saint who sacrificed herself to save all the suffering.

I read all those tales and just thought "cool," end of story.

And now you're saying I've fallen for a mere "hardworking Cat Beastkin"?

Me, who never even got attached to characters in acclaimed masterpieces, fell because a "Cat Beastkin" is "cute"?

You want me to admit that?

And eventually, half-joking, half-serious surrenders.

Yes.

And just like that, every reader on the board knew about the novel and was enjoying it.

Now they were straight-up gossiping about its content, waiting for the next volume.

The board wasn't just for genre fiction readers, either.

I don't get it.

Even people with zero interest in genre fiction couldn't ignore such a hot topic.

Readers already feeling the drought were hypersensitive to outside interest.

They jumped straight into sales mode, flexing their well-honed writing skills from all the reading.

And the reactions from newcomers were identical.

"Why is this fun?" to denial of reality, to "Guess it's just a good book," then recommending it to others.

Eventually, it spilled beyond the board's scope, slowly reaching the general public.

Demand exploded. And the explosion itself drew even more attention.

Aren and Warrenberg had printed a small run assuming it wouldn't sell well, so it sold out fast.

Letters flooded the publisher.

"What kind of book sells out like this? Print more."

That was the background for Aren hearing from the publisher that they needed to print more copies.