Chapter 4
Chapter 4: My Precious Daughter Has Grown Up~
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The next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
The sound of birds chirping outside the window could still be heard, bringing a sense of calm and relaxation.
Izumi Kotomi, who had spent the entire night writing at her laptop, finally realized that she had unknowingly spent the whole night working on her novel.
"I didnāt sleep all night and spent the entire time writing. Iām really such a diligent and hardworking author. My readers must have saved the galaxy in their previous lives to deserve such a hardworking and cute author like me," Kotomi said with a smile, stretching lazily and finishing the last sip of her energy drink.
When she first started writing, she felt a little nervous, but the moment she opened Word and placed her hands on the keyboard, all her emotions and thoughts flowed seamlessly into her writing. The process felt incredibly smooth.
Kotomi rubbed her eyes and looked at the progress she had made throughout the night.
[The next morning, I put on my bright white coat and set off with Asuna toward the 55th floor, Granzam.]
[Starting today, Iāll be acting as a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Although originally, the rule was to form groups of five for the raids, Vice Commander Asuna used her special privileges to allow us to form a team of two, so the situation wasnāt much different from before.]
[However, an unexpected order awaited us at the guild headquarters.]
In one night, Kotomi had written up to the point where Kirito joins the Knights of the Blood Oath. She was quite satisfied with the pace.
The most important thing in writing a novel is quality. Although she had the talent of fast typing, Kotomi would still review each section after writing it, checking for mistakes or revising the wording to make it more fitting.
This naturally slowed down her progress.
However, Kotomi felt that it was better to refine the content rather than rush through it.
After all, this was her first light novel in this life, and she had chosen to participate in the Dengeki Novel Competition, which was known in the industry for its hellish difficulty.
Even many established authors couldnāt guarantee a top-three spot in the Dengeki Novel Grand Prize, and the slightest mistake could lead to elimination.
Kotomi was well aware that she was still a complete newcomer. Standing out in the Dengeki Novel Competition and winning the Grand Prize would not be easy. The only way to increase her chances of success was to ensure that the content of her novel was of the highest quality she could achieve.
"The title of the first volume of Sword Art Online should remain the same as in the previous life: Aincrad."
After finalizing this, Kotomi created a new folder in the Sword Art Online directory and renamed it: Volume 1 Aincrad.
After saving the manuscript she had written overnight, Kotomi finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Iāve already reached the point where Kirito joins the Knights of the Blood Oath. Give me two more nights, and I should be able to finish Volume 1 of Sword Art Online."
She calculated her writing speed and felt confident that she could finish Sword Art Online Volume 1: Aincrad before school started.
The time displayed on her computer was already six in the morning.
Kotomi yawned, feeling a bit sleepy. Although she had been full of energy just moments ago, as soon as she saved her manuscript, drowsiness washed over her.
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"I should catch some sleep first. I donāt want my pretty face to have dark circles."
With that, Kotomi shut down her computer, drew the curtains, and changed out of her sleepwear, revealing her soft, snow-white skin as she slipped into bed.
In no time, she was fast asleep.
For the past couple of days, Kotomi had been writing late into the night, often staying up until dawn.
Kotomi couldnāt help but wonder if she had somehow merged with an owl during her reincarnation.
Otherwise, why did she enjoy writing so much at night?
Every morning around six, she would stop typing, crawl back into bed, and start sleeping.
However, every time she slept in, she would wake up around eleven, still feeling a bit tired.
While serving breakfast, Akina noticed Kotomi yawning again and put down her bowl, asking with concern:
"Kotomi, have you not been getting enough sleep these past few days?"
Kotomi, who was asked this, simply shook her head. "No, itās just that Iāve been staying up a bit late lately."
"Just a bit late?" Akina smiled knowingly, her tone more of a statement than a question, as if she already knew Kotomi had been staying up until six every morning.
Akinaās gaze made Kotomi feel a bit embarrassed. She turned her face away and quietly said:
"Iāve been busy with something lately... Thatās why Iāve been staying up all night."
Kotomi wasnāt ready to tell Akina about her novel writing. It felt too embarrassing to let her family know she was writing a novel.
If she was going to tell them, she wanted to wait until she had earned her first payment from writing before revealing it to her family.
Only by earning money could she better convince her family to accept her pursuit of writing as a career.
"Itās something important?"
Akinaās tone grew more serious. She could tell that Kotomi wasnāt lying. If she had been staying up all night playing games, she would have tried to change the subject instead of looking embarrassed.
"Mom, can I not tell you for now?" Kotomi said softly. "But please donāt worry, Iām not doing anything bad. Iāve just decided on the career I want to pursue. Some might see it as a childish and immature hobby, but I want to turn this hobby into a way to make money. Iām working hard toward that goal right now!"
Seeing Kotomiās rare serious expression, Akina couldnāt help but feel a sense of pride, realizing that her precious daughter was growing up.
"Without realizing it, youāve already reached the age where you think about things on your own..." Akina said with a smile, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Alright then, Iāll wait until youāre ready to tell me."
Kotomi was a bit surprised by how readily Akina accepted her words, blurting out, "I thought you would insist on getting an answer today."
"Iām not that forceful," Akina replied with a smile.
"Thanks for understanding, Mom."
"Itās nothing. As long as youāre not doing anything bad, Iām happy to see you pursuing something you love. But I want to remind you that youāre about to start high school. While developing your hobby, you should also pay attention to your studies."
"Iāll do my best with my studies," Kotomi nodded.
She wasnāt too worried about her studies. With the knowledge she had from her previous life, she was confident in maintaining decent grades, except for math.
In extreme anger, one can do anything except solve math problems.
And physics and chemistry...
But she didnāt need to worry too much, as she had the God-Level Heroine System to help her breeze through her studies.
Akina smiled and nodded:
"Then Iāll look forward to when youāre ready to tell me. While itās true that studying hard for three years in high school and getting into a good university is a solid path, since you have a hobby youāre passionate about, I wonāt oppose it. In fact, Iāll support you. I think itās amazing if someone can turn their hobby into a profession that makes money!"
"You seem really happy, Mom..."
"Of course I am."
Akina stood up and gently patted Kotomiās head:
"Even though I donāt know what your hobby is that youāre so serious about, Iām proud of you for doing something so impressive. Iām sure your dad would say the same if he knew."
After that, Akina continued serving breakfast and then went upstairs to call Aimi, who was still busy with her homework, down for lunch.
Sitting at the table, Kotomi took small bites of her rice.
Her motherās understanding made her very happy, and the little bit of nervousness she had felt earlier dissipated.
"Tonight, I must finish Volume 1 and submit it!" Kotomi said, clenching her small fists in determination.
If she hadnāt been holding chopsticks, this moment of a young girl making a firm resolution would have been truly inspiring!
ā End of Chapter 4 ā