"Sigh… I haven't even finalized my decision to join the Kendo Club, yet I've already spent 510,000 yen on a new laptop. At this point, if only for the sake of the new computer, I have to attend that one-month training camp."
After dinner, Kotomi sat in front of her computer, her small hands flying across the keyboard, typing out line after line of text.
As she typed, she muttered softly to herself.
Whenever she made a major purchase, her productivity would skyrocket. Was it her way of using frantic writing or drawing to ease the guilt of spending a large sum?
To be precise, it wasn't guilt—it was the heartache.
510,000 yen… A full 510,000 yen. Rounding it up, that was practically 520,000 yen.
Kotomi pursed her lips. After calming down, she suddenly felt like she had taken a huge loss.
Joining the Kendo Club had only earned her 350,000 yen from Tendou-senpai, but now she had just spent 510,000 yen on a gaming laptop.
Not only had she failed to profit—she had ended up 16,000 yen in the red.
A storm raged in her heart, and in frustration, Kotomi smacked her small hands against her desk. Why can't I ever control my hands when I buy things?!
"Sigh… whatever. I need to focus on writing. Once Sword Art Online Volume 1 is released next month, if sales go well, I'll send all five completed manuscripts to Haruno Yukinoshita and earn a big paycheck from the manuscript fees."
Even though Kotomi had been taking a rather laid-back approach to writing lately, she still maintained her daily habit of writing diligently.
Bit by bit, word by word—combined with her rapid typing speed—she had unknowingly accumulated five whole volumes' worth of manuscripts.
Compared to light novel authors who took six months or even a year to release a single volume, her efficiency was simply on another level.
Of course, the reason she had been speeding up the Sword Art Online series was that she didn't want to be tied down by it for too long.
She was already preparing to launch a new series.
For now, she was only drafting the outline. As for the actual content, she would wait for the publisher's approval and serialization before beginning the full manuscript.
Kotomi picked up her phone and glanced at the date. The day after tomorrow would be October.
The release of Sword Art Online Volume 1 was drawing closer.
Saying she wasn't nervous would be a lie, but at the same time, she was confident in herself.
"Without realizing it, this past month has been eventful."
Kotomi paused her furious typing and glanced at the computer screen, a faint, almost imperceptible smile forming at the corners of her lips—almost as if she was summarizing the month's events in her mind.
And if she had to name the most important change this month…
At the top of the list—
She got a girlfriend!
Thinking back to her second life, she had been single for seventeen straight years. Even until the moment of her death, she had never had a girlfriend.
Every time Kotomi realized she was no longer single—that she had a girlfriend—there was always a surreal feeling in her heart. She would silently tell herself: I have a girlfriend now!
And then, overwhelmed with excitement, she would roll around on her bed.
Glancing at her phone, she confirmed that no one had messaged her. She then planned to scroll through Twitter for a bit, save some ahem—tasteful art pieces—cough cough—appreciate some high-quality illustrations to refine her artistic sensibilities before turning off her phone and continuing to write.
But just as her finger was about to tap on the Twitter app, she noticed the 99+ notification badge in the top right corner.
A row of question marks seemed to float above Kotomi's head.
She hadn't been particularly active on Twitter recently. She wasn't out there making grand proclamations, dictating trends, or pulling a "one post shakes the world" kind of moment.
So why the sudden 99+ notifications?
Normally, when Kotomi used Twitter, she mostly just silently retweeted certain spicy artworks. If she came across an illustration that hit her XP just right, she might post a comment—one so unfiltered that even the most hardcore otaku would instinctively pinch their nose in secondhand embarrassment. Anyone else stumbling across it would probably be left speechless by her blatantly thirst-driven remarks.
Pressing her lips together, Kotomi hesitated for a moment but eventually tapped open Twitter. The first thing she saw was a direct message from Twitter's official team:
Dear Ms. Izumi Ki, Your application for Twitter verification has been successfully approved. If your follower engagement remains high, we will send you a carefully selected birthday and New Year's gift each year (please refer to the detailed rules for more information).
We hope you continue sharing the beauty you encounter in life on Twitter. Wishing you a wonderful day!
Kotomi blinked and rubbed her head in confusion.
She had planned to apply for official verification, but she and Haruno Yukinoshita had agreed to wait until next month—when Volume 1 of Sword Art Online officially launched—before submitting the request.
Her manga editor at Shueisha, Asuka Chizuru, had also recommended the same timeline.
So why had her verification suddenly been approved out of nowhere?
Curious, Kotomi tapped into her profile page.
Oh.
Ohhhhhh.
Last time she checked, she had one follower—Aimi, who had followed her back out of sibling duty.
But now… her follower count had exploded to 210,000!
Kotomi wasn't particularly excited about the sudden Twitter fame. Instead, she felt a quiet sense of relief—thankfully, she had set her follower list to private beforehand.
After all, before today, Aimi had been her only follower.
If her account had suddenly blown up and someone had gotten curious enough to dig through her follower history, they would've inevitably noticed the first and only follower of her previously unknown account.
Good thing I made my follower list private in advance.
She had always known that fame invites trouble.
From the moment she decided to submit Sword Art Online and Chainsaw Man for publication, she had mentally prepared herself for all the potential internet drama and attention that would follow.
But she didn't want any online nonsense affecting her family.
Setting her follower list to private ahead of time? That was some serious foresight.
However…
Kotomi's face slowly stiffened.
She suddenly realized something very, very serious.
This Twitter account was the one she frequently used to retweet all sorts of lewd illustrations and videos. Her following list was packed with artists dedicated to R18 and R18G content—creators who had fully embraced the depths of the abyss, with no intention of ever resurfacing.
A glance at the list of artists she followed would make anyone familiar with the scene exclaim:
"This is a true clash of titans—each one showcasing their divine skills!"
Kotomi had always treated this Twitter account as her personal spiritual sanctuary. Whenever she felt exhausted from writing, she would open Twitter and browse the stunning works uploaded by these artists, nourishing her soul and seeking mental and emotional solace.
Especially late at night—after indulging in such masterpieces, she would feel unbelievably awake.
But now, things were different.
With her account now officially verified, more and more people would discover that this was Izumi Ki's Twitter account.
And that meant everything she had retweeted before—all the lewd illustrations, videos, doujin release announcements, and even her past comments—would now be exposed to a growing audience.
Especially her readers.
Right this moment, they were probably gleefully scrolling through her history of retweets, or worse, their perception of her might have plummeted.
After all, before an author gets an officially verified social media account, they always carry an air of aloofness and mystery...
Kotomi clutched her face, overcome with the urge to delete her account on the spot.
She had always believed that disaster would stay one step behind her—but who could have guessed that social death would strike so soon?!
Panicking, Kotomi quickly dialed Haruno Yukinoshita's number, not caring that it was already 9 PM.
Right now, she just needed answers—where the hell did this official verification come from?!
They could have at least warned her beforehand! That way, she could've had time to create a new account, have Twitter verify that one instead, and at least pretend to be a respectable person—a cultured and elegant lady.
But no.
Now, thanks to this unexpected verification, all the lewd images she had shared before, along with nearly a thousand questionable comments exposing her eccentric tastes, had been completely revealed to her entire reader base!
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