Chapter 4
...Fer now, maybe it'd be a good idea t' calm down an' put our thoughts in order?
Lemme see, first of all, Mitsuru-kun has been followin' me around lately 'cause he needed material fer his book report?
So I didn't do anything t' hurt yer feelin's, right, Mitsuru-kun?
That's right. Why would you do anything I'd not like, Mika-nii~chan? I haven't done anything to you, have I?
Right away, even jus' knowin' that gives me some peace of mind...
But I found an even bigger problem. What's all this about a novel where I'm a god?!
...Tenma-kun might have known about that novel's existence but didn't finish reading it.
Yep! If Mika-nii~chan's the main character, I thought it'd be better to write by watching him directly!
I wanted to read about the real Mika-nii~chan, not about him in a book!
Don't say somethin' like that, Mitsuru-kun. Rather than a book report, ain't that more like an observation diary?
Huh~, even though I went through all the trouble to write it...
...Just in case, can I see what you wrote?
Sure! It'll definitely become a better report if Mika-nii~chan looks at it too!
Well then, sure. I can read it.
...(Silently continues reading.)
...(Gradually turns pale.)
Nna~h! Oh man, I can't look at this! There's way too many embarrassin' things written about me!
There's no need to be shy over something like that. Even if you slip and fall, you'll still be an elegant god, Mika-nii~chan!
Ya wrote everythin' down, even when I fell over...?
Mitsuru-kun, ya should prob'ly write a proper book report, shouldn't ya? If ya just write about me, it won't count as a book report.
Actually, Mitsuru-kun, ya might end up gettin' in trouble with yer teacher. Ya gotta do yer homework properly.
Huh~... I don't want my teacher to get mad. Is this report really no good at all?
Ya said it yerself, that ya wrote it without readin' the book. Since it's a book report, ya gotta read an' write about the book properly.
If you're saying as much, Mika-nii~chan, then I get it...
Thank ya kindly, Mitsuru-kun. Fer now, that's enough about the report. My question is...
...It's that Mika-kun is the protagonist of that novel. I did a bit of searching on my phone.
...Getting straight to the point, the novel with Mika-kun as the protagonist is real.
Th-that's gotta be a mistake. Is it really...
...Although I called it a novel, it's just an ordinary derivative work. It doesn't mean it's been published physically or anything like that.
A derivative work... Nnah~, so someone is writing a novel with me as the main character on their own accord?
...Yes. Rather than a specific individual, it seems that they're mainly being written by your fans, Mika-kun.
Why would my fans... start doin' that all'a sudden?
...Well. The story surrounding the circumstances is rather complex.
...First of all, it seems that it all began following an incident in a place called the "Test World." Do you happen to know anything about it?
...At th' moment, I got no clue except fer one thing.
...I'm having difficulty understanding what it means, but for the time being, I'll simply tell you what I've found from reading.
...The inciting incident was your behavior, Mika-kun, when you appeared in the "Test World" as "The Mechanical God."
...It then seems that you scattered around and gave away a large amount of money freely. That's the moment that it all began.
So it really was that! I knew it'd start a right awful flame war afterwards fer sure. I really got way too carried away, 'm such an idiot~!
Hu~h? But isn't a flame war a bad thing? You didn't start one, did you, Mika-nii~chan?
If anything, I'd say everyone was more like, "Mika-nii~chan is so cool!" I got the feeling that everyone was really excited.
...I would agree with that. It seems that this derivative novel has also grown to be a relay novel created as a result of fans talking about their thoughts together on social media.1
...And so that novel, which was only on social media, was summarized in a news article on the internet. As a result, it became somewhat of a hot topic.
A-ain't that a bit of a weird way fer a novel t' come about?
...It seems that creating relay novels on bulletin boards is not that unusual, after all.
...Fufu. Nevertheless, what all of those fans think about you is very interesting, Mika-kun.
...Mika-kun, who strewed about a large amount of money while saying, "Art is an explosion~☆" is said to transform into a dragon king called "Ougonten," who will bring forth a new world.2
I'm not even human anymore?! Not only that, but with such an exaggerated name like "Ougonten"...
Uu, I was all prepared fer people t' hate me, but on the other hand, there's no way I could'a been ready fer that kinda worship.
...It is natural that you, being put and deified into that position without expecting it, would be unprepared for it.
...A god exists on an absolute, elevated plane that is above what any one person is capable of attaining.
That sorta impressive existence ain't like me at all. 'S like I'm bein' asked t' do somethin' I can't live up to, so I feel a lil' awkward...
...If that's the case, I have a good plan in mind to bring this trend under control.
Fer real? 'S not gonna be underhanded or nothin', right?
...Don't worry. I promise that no one will be hurt with this method.
...Well then, shall we begin? I will now demonstrate myself usurping the authority of the imperious god.
A relay novel is essentially a story that's written collaboratively by multiple people. Someone continues writing for a few sentences where the previous person left off and then hands it to the next person.
The title "Ougonten," 「黄金天」, means "God of Gold." 黄金 is gold (and can also mean money). 天 usually means "heaven," but in this case, it's another way to refer to a god. The title itself is very extravagant-sounding.