However, the story cut off at a critical moment—just as the protagonist's childhood friend was about to confess her feelings.
Paimon was utterly speechless at the cliffhanger. "This is so frustrating! Even though I only skimmed it, this girl has loved the protagonist since childhood and devoted everything to him!"
Lumine said, "I hope the author gives her a happy ending."
[Yae Miko: Based on my experience, the author probably won't.]
[Paimon: Why not?!]
[Yae Miko: Because regret stirs the heart most deeply. Unresolved feelings are the hardest to forget.]
[Paimon: That's just cruel!]
[Ningguang: It's only a novel, not real life.]
[Paimon: But still... it feels so unresolved...]
[Furina: It's the immersion at work. While reading, our emotions become invested in the characters.]
[Yae Miko: That's what novels are all about—immersion.]
[Ei: Hmm. If it strays too far from reality, it becomes difficult to immerse oneself.]
[Yae Miko: Not at all! Just unconditionally accept the author's setting. It doesn't affect immersion one bit.]
[Paimon: Huh... I guess that's true.]
[Lumine: It really is.]
[Ei: Miko certainly has the experience.]
Paimon nodded. "Right, it's still just a novel."
"I hope the author is a good person. I hope the author is a good person. I hope the author is a good person." Paimon prayed anxiously.
"The plot is really engaging, but can Ei understand this kind of romance between ordinary mortals?"
[Ei: Romance is the mutual infatuation between boys and girls, correct? I can understand that.]
[Yae Miko: Romance isn't that simple! Romance is something sacred.]
[Lumine: There was once a swordsman who guarded a village his entire life because of a promise to his beloved.]
[Zhongli: Mortal love is an extremely precious emotion.]
Lumine then opened another book—a Liyue martial arts story titled: In the Jianghu, But All I Want Is to Write Novels.
This story took place in Liyue's martial world, focusing on the open and covert struggles between various factions.
The protagonist's dream was to become an ordinary light novelist, living peacefully, away from worldly affairs. However, due to possessing a unique physique perfect for martial arts, he was drawn into the conflicts of the jianghu. The story's selling point was that the protagonist never joined any faction yet was constantly mistaken for a hidden master belonging to one side or another.
Throughout this process, various experts who viewed him as their imagined rival repeatedly made fools of themselves, while the protagonist, caught in the middle, never forgot his original intention of becoming a novelist.
[Ei: Something that everyone seeks but cannot obtain, the protagonist disdains to acquire. Miko, is my understanding correct?]
[Yae Miko: That's exactly the trope! Various experts all strive to become number one in the martial world, while the protagonist, who is already number one, looks down on that title entirely—his only desire is to become a novelist. Similar books include: I Have a Chef System, But All I Want Is to Practice Martial Arts...]
[Paimon: Miko knows so many novels!]
[Lumine: She has been an editor for centuries, after all.]
[Furina: Story tropes? This differs from opera. Opera often pursues authenticity, mostly adapted from true stories. However, in terms of form, there are also relatively fixed elements.]
[Lumine: I imagine these fixed elements are meant to enhance the expressive effect.]
[Furina: Completely correct.]
Paimon was also puzzled after reading. "What a strange person! Why must he become a light novelist?"
"With skills like that, he could easily become number one in the martial world, right?"
Lumine commented, "The journey matters. The protagonist's resolve is quite admirable."
Paimon nodded. "That's true. Someone who sees their wish through to the end—that should resonate with Ei, right?"