NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
The manga “Yumekoi” was created after my death.
It seems that this manga became popular during Seioji’s time in Japan. The genre is a classic romantic comedy, where the protagonist, a girl named Renka Katagiri, embarks on an adventure in a dream world, beginning with the defeat of the monster that caused it all.
The first half of the first volume of “Yumekoi” is about Renka’s adventures in the dream world. Various races appear, and key scenes at the turning points of the story, such as encounters and farewells, are shown in a digest format.
The full title of “Yumekoi” is “You Fall in Love in Your Dreams,” and as the name suggests, Renka falls in love with a man during her experiences in the dream world.
However, at that time, the protagonist is so focused on defeating the cause of being trapped in the dream world that she does not realize her feelings. She returns to the real world without confessing her love to the man of her first love.
And when she wakes up, she finds herself staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling.
Renka Katagiri had been unconscious for over a month due to a traffic accident that happened on the day of her high school entrance ceremony. After waking up from the dream world, she spends some time recovering in the hospital, lying on her bed.
Fortunately, she had no major injuries, so Renka attends high school for the first time after the summer break.
As she tries to enjoy her new high school life, even while feeling a lingering attachment to the memories and experiences from the dream world, she meets him.
“Renka?”
On the straight path leading from the school gate to the inside of the school, despite it being early September and still quite hot, there was a dense crowd of female students that just looking at it made her feel the heat.
At the center of that group of female students was a tall male student with an astonishingly handsome face that seemed almost unreal. With light blond hair and beautiful eyes like the ocean, it was clear that this boy was not Japanese. He looked at Renka, the protagonist, with surprise.
“No way, Kyle…?”
The male human Renka had adventured with in the dream world, and the great hero of that dream world, Orpheus, was somehow present in the real world.
And this Kyle was the person of Renka Katagiri’s first love…
With this prologue, “Yumekoi” introduces a school romantic comedy where Renka Katagiri interacts with various men she met in her dreams, including Kyle, a mysterious and seemingly aloof yet charmingly clumsy cool-looking guy influenced by the values of the other world.
(…Well, Seioji spoiled the whole thing while we were walking today, though.)
During the long hours of walking earlier, Seioji, a huge fan of “Yumekoi,” enthusiastically explained the plot, almost as if she were telling me every detail of the story.
Despite her cool appearance, Seioji spoke with such excitement that it made me feel guilty to interrupt. She even told me parts I hadn’t asked about.
Apparently, this manga was so well-known among other transmigrators from Seioji’s era that everyone knew it. It was not only made into an anime but also a stage play, and right before Seioji was transported to the world of Asphial, a TV drama adaptation of “Yumekoi” had also been announced.
“…So, what do you think?”
“……………………”
Amidst the distant laughter of other adventurer teams and the howling of beasts from the forest, the women who held the “Yumekoi” manga in their hands read silently without uttering a word.
Gathering around Camille, who held the manga volume, they huddled together, relying on the light from the campfire as they read.
Judging from the way they reacted, with excited “Wow” and “Kyah” sounds during some parts, it seemed that they were enjoying it.
If they were satisfied, then that was good enough for me. While they read through the first volume of “Yumekoi,” I gazed absentmindedly at the beautiful night sky of this other world.
The sound of a book being closed echoed.
“This is amazing. I’ve never read an entertainment book before, but I had no idea they could be this good.”
“Yes, it’s an extremely well-crafted story. I’m really curious about what happens next!”
“I’m glad to hear you liked it so much.”
The reception from the women on watch, including Camille, who had initially shown interest, was overwhelmingly positive.
Their enthusiasm matched, or even surpassed, Seioji’s passionate talk about “Yumekoi” earlier in the day.
For these women, it was their first experience reading such an entertainment book, and on top of that, it was a hugely popular manga that had taken another world by storm. No wonder they were so excited.
Even though the manga was aimed at a female audience, I found it entertaining myself, so it seemed to resonate well with them, even though they were otherworlders.
(…Maybe it’s a good thing it was received so well after all?)
As is typical in fantasy worlds, the lack of printing technology in this world makes books very expensive.
Most of the books in this world are practical ones, like academic texts for studying magic or technical manuals filled with specialized knowledge.
Entertainment books like “Yumekoi” are rare, with only a few nobles writing similar stories as a hobby.
In this world of Asphial, most such stories are turned into fairy tales or songs.
“Hey, hey, is there more of this book?”
“There is, but it’s pretty expensive, you know.”
While it’s not as bad as this world, in a situation where my income on Earth is limited, even a manga costing around 500 yen is a luxury item for me.
To be honest, rather than purchasing books and bringing them to this world, I think sweets like the chocolates I bought earlier have a much higher profit margin.
I only bought “Yumekoi” to pique the interest of Seioji, another transmigrator, and I hadn’t planned on stocking up more of it.
“Aw, how about for 500,000 gold?”
“No, I would pay 700,000 gold. This book is worth that much.”
Seeing Camille look at me with a disappointed expression, her eyebrows furrowing into a sad face, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
The common currency of Asphial, “gold,” holds a simple value of 1 gold = 1 yen, so a comic that costs around 480 yen in Japan somehow becomes worth 700,000 yen here.
That’s about the price of a decent used car.
“It’s a tough decision… Hmm…”
A single volume for 700,000 gold… Considering my relationship with them, it might be worth prioritizing stocking up, but it’s impossible to gather enough for everyone right now.
“…If you want it right away, you’ll have to ask the owner, Seioji, otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.”
It’s rather pathetic, but I used Seioji, who holds absolute power here, as a shield to escape this situation.
Although they were visibly disappointed, the women accepted that they would have to wait until more copies could be obtained.