Side: Third-person perspective
Some time after Sue and her group returned from Skypiea, they were at their current base, Merveille.
"Hey, Mom's still locked in her room?"
"Yeah. She told us not to go in unless it's important. Just her usual writing."
"What, again...? I mean, she's still writing? She's been looking busy lately..."
"Busy... well, she's the one making herself busy, you know? That's just Mom."
Sue's three "daughters" were chatting amicably in the hideout's common room, snacking on sweets.
While at Merveille, Sue and her children lived in a private residential area within the hideout—space reserved just for them. With the Maid Squad and other subordinates and attendants constantly on hand to look after them, they lacked for nothing.
Thanks to that, we could immerse ourselves in our hobbies, or train to gain even greater power—spending our time in whatever way felt meaningful to each of us.
How we spent our days varied from person to person, and from moment to moment... but for the past few days, Sue had been holed up in her room almost nonstop, continuing her work as a writer.
As for the three daughters, we were genuinely glad our mother could indulge in her hobby to her heart's content. At the same time... we couldn't help feeling a little lonely, wishing she would pay us more attention too.
Still, it was an undeniable truth that our mother was the type of person she was—something we didn't need to reconfirm. And it wasn't like we wanted to interrupt her.
We accepted it quickly, then spent our time the way we always did—playing together, chatting, and keeping ourselves busy.
"Still, I thought she just finished a new manuscript the day before yesterday and sent it to that Bird President..."
"She said she's been overloaded with input, and there's a whole traffic jam of things she wants to write. Yesterday she was sighing and groaning, like, 'Why is there only 24 hours in a day?'"
"Yeah. She said she wanted, like, 120 hours in a day."
"That's way too many. Even if that were possible... you don't think Mother would actually spend the remaining 96 hours writing, do you?"
"...Am I the only one who thinks Mama would do exactly that?"
"...It's scary how I can't even deny it."
"Maybe Mom actually has some kind of disease where she'll die if she doesn't keep writing novels."
Click.
"Seriously, you guys can't just say whatever you want..."
"Ah, she's out!"
The three of us were a little surprised to see Sue—who we thought was still shut away in her room—step into the living room looking utterly drained.
Her complexion was slightly pale, and there were dark circles starting to form under her eyes.
"Mother... you need to sleep. How many all-nighters has it been? It's not like you're in the middle of a deadline crunch, right?"
"Mmm... I know, but... once I start thinking, I just can't seem to get it organized. Is this what they call a slump? Sigh... Maybe I should change things up. I'll take a bath."
"Oh, I'll join you!"
"Me too! ...Come to think of it, it's rare for you to hit a slump, Mama."
"That's true... Normally you finish with more than half the deadline left. You never hesitate once you start writing, so deadlines are never a problem for you. ...Or was it really just that your ideas were backed up and you ran out of time?"
"Ah... well, it's not exactly a slump..."
Just like that, we moved to the large communal bath, and the four of us—mother and three children—kept talking.
"So... it's not that you can't come up with the story or the developments. It's that you can't figure out how to express that scene with more vividness and impact."
"Exactly. It's a pretty serious, heavy scene, and I guess the downside of mostly writing lighthearted stories is catching up with me now...? It's the kind of situation I haven't really written before, and I don't have much experience researching it either, so it won't come together in my head as that perfect 'This is it!' expression."
"That is unusual... Most of Mom's novels are bright and cheerful. I thought you actually disliked writing stories with gloomy or heavy themes."
"No, it's not the main story itself. It's just a single scene within the larger plot."
"Even so, you still don't like developments like that, right?"
"I definitely don't like them... but I think scenes like that are necessary if you want the whole work to be more interesting, so I don't want to avoid them completely. And if I'm going to write it, then no matter how uncomfortable it is, I want to go all-out until I can put it into a form I'm satisfied with. I'm not going to hold back on the effort."
"Your professionalism is amazing."
"Your obsession with precise writing is incredible..."
As Leona and Alice stared, wearing expressions caught somewhere between astonishment and admiration, Suzu asked, "So what kind of situation are we talking about, exactly?"
"War... or rather, a defeated nation. They lose to an enemy nation with overwhelming power, and their freedom, dignity—everything—is taken. Even their names are stripped away as they're forced into subjugation, made to live under unbearable humiliation... and yet the people have grown used to it. That kind of country is the setting, and all sorts of things happen... But I can't come up with the right expressions to give each scene the depth it needs. Maybe my vocabulary in that area is still lacking."
"Yeah... that does feel different from what Mama usually writes."
"But you have written dark stories before, haven't you? Loan Shark Taurus-kun, Assassin... and more recently, Hell Note and Promised Wonderland."
"Those are close, but... this is different. I want to create a dramatic build-up, you know? A sense of waves—contrast and tension—so that when the ending comes, it really hits and feels satisfying."
"...That sounds more serious than I thought. I don't think a little advice from us is going to fix this."
Leona and Alice nodded, though they still looked a bit disgruntled at Suzu's conclusion.
Sue let out a single sigh, then sank into the bathwater until it reached her chin, sulking.
"Careful, Mother," Leo warned. "You're an Ability User. If you soak too deep, you'll lose your strength."
"I know, I know... just help me out if something happens, okay?"
"Sure, sure... But Mom, if you really want to solve this... you'll have to go do some firsthand research, won't you? You always say, 'You need input before you can output.'"
"True enough... So, I guess I'll have to find some country that's in the middle of a war, or somewhere dealing with conflict, or a place that's just lost a war, and go see it myself... I've been avoiding places like that on my travels because they're dangerous and I always end up getting dragged into a mess."
"That might be why your 'Experience' has been lacking. But if you're going, Mother, please be extra careful... Like we've always worried, places like that really are magnets for trouble."
"But Mama, even if some mercenaries or soldiers found you, you could handle them, right?"
"Even so, we might still get dragged into something. Like if someone recognized me as a bounty target and reported me to the Marines to collect the reward... In countries that lost wars, or are on the verge of losing, people's lives are often desperate."
"Yeah, that sounds likely... But that's exactly why we need to see the atmosphere of those countries and regions firsthand. Alright. I'll find time and go soon."
"Wait, you're not going right away?"
"Nope. I still have so many other things I want to write first. I'll write those before I go."
With that, Sue splashed out of the bath. Her face looked refreshed—like the break had done its job. Even the dark circles under her eyes seemed a little lighter...
"No, wait, Mother. I get it, but you need to sleep first. You're still not getting enough rest, are you?"
"...Ehh..."
"Rest properly before you burn yourself out. Right now you only feel awake because the hot bath made your head feel sharper... but if you don't actually rest, those dark circles are going to come right back."
"But if I don't write while the inspiration—the heat—is there..."
"You really think you can write something good with only 30% of your brain working? Don't come crying to me later when you regret it and go, 'I could've written this so much better in a totally different way...'"
"Ugh... you have a point. Fine. I'll sleep a bit... What about you three?"
"We'll sleep with you!" the three children chorused.
"Alright, alright. Anyone there?"
[ Yes, Lady Sue. What can I do for you? ]
A voice answered Sue's call from outside the bathing room, in the dressing area.
It was Yuri, one of the maids serving them at the mansion... the eldest of the Maid Squad.
"Yuri? Could you bring me some clothes to change into? Not my usual clothes—I'm going to lie down, so sleepwear. And bring enough for everyone too, including Suzu."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
A dozen or so minutes later...
Leona—who began softly snoring within seconds of hitting the pillow—and Suzu, who was also a quick sleeper and soon started breathing evenly, had Sue and Alice sandwiched right between them.
Then Alice, as if something had suddenly occurred to her, asked Sue, "By the way, Mom. That novel you're working on—the one with the serious developments... when are you planning to release it? For someone who usually writes and publishes right away when you get inspired, it's pretty rare for you to put one on hold, isn't it?"
"Hmm... well, yeah. You're right. It's just that... this story is really special to me. It's one I'm especially attached to, something I've been nurturing for a long time. So I want to make absolutely sure it's the best it can possibly be before I release it into the world. It'll probably still be a long way off, but I'm determined to finish it someday and let it see the light."
"I see... So you're not publishing it right away because you're being careful with the structure? Or is it something else... like the content is dangerous? Like publishing it would make the government glare at you?"
"...You've got a sharp instinct, Alice. As always."
"Well, it's not exactly hard to guess. A story set in a defeated nation, and it's the kind of setting Mom would love... it just screams revolutionary rebellion plotline."
"Bullseye. The protagonist is a prince from the country that won the war, but he's sent as a hostage to the enemy nation... then he's abandoned there, and when war breaks out again, he's on the verge of death. The little sister who came with him suffers terribly too. In that country, he makes only one true friend—a boy—and he swears to him, 'I will destroy this world!' Years later, after he's grown, he gains a certain power and declares war on the evil empire that rules the entire world... It's a story of rebellion."
"Whoa... Yeah, that would definitely get the government's attention. And Mom's already seen as dangerous."
"I know, right...? But I'm going to publish it someday no matter what. No one can stop my creative drive!"
'...It was one of my favorite anime in my past life. I'm determined to make it a hit in this world too.'
Without saying it out loud, Sue quietly solidified that resolve.
The day that... this still-untitled work would finally see the light of day... remained far off in the future.
To be continued...