After talking with my mother for a while, she said I could keep drawing and writing, but I shouldn't contact anyone I meet on the internet.
I told her I would never contact anyone and would just keep drawing and posting chapters of Overlord. Speaking of which, I published the first chapter, but so far it has fewer than 20 views and only one favorite.
The numbers were disappointing, but I had only posted it a few hours ago.
While we were having dinner, I also talked to my father and showed him my Twitter and the first chapter of Overlord. The only thing he said was, "If it makes you happy, there's no reason to stop. But like your mother said, never contact strangers on the internet."
I told him that was fine and went to bed.
I picked up my iPad and started working on a new drawing.
This time, I drew Entoma, whose design is a bit more complex and eye-catching. I finished the drawing in less than two hours and posted it on my Twitter along with a timelapse.
I thought it would be better to post a timelapse of all my drawings so no one would think they were made with AI.
My Twitter has already reached over 10,000 followers.
When I checked the quotes on my artwork, I saw many large accounts commenting on or praising it—some with over 200,000 followers. Many of them were accounts focused on anime culture and VTubers.
VTuber culture is quite popular even in this world. However, the famous VTubers from my previous world don't exist here, even though the existence of Cover Corp was confirmed with a quick Google search.
"A very popular VTuber quoted my art."
She has more than 300,000 followers on Twitter—that's a lot. And on top of that, she seems to be an indie VTuber, not part of any company.
It's much harder to grow as an indie VTuber—good for her.
With a smile on my face, I opened the page where I was publishing my web novel and noticed the favorites had increased by four—now there are five in total. The views had reached 100.
"Oh?"
Then I noticed someone had left a comment:
[Despite the cliché premise, I found this really interesting. I can't wait to see what happens next!]
I liked the comment but didn't reply.
'Well, I just have to keep posting and hope new readers find my novel.'
At that moment, I had no idea how fast and explosive the growth would be after I posted the fifth chapter.
####
A few weeks passed, and today is my birthday. I'm turning four years old today—April 29, 2026. It's also the day I'll post Chapter Five of Overlord on Shōsetsuka ni Narō.
The numbers aren't that great—I expected a better reception.
The views have passed one thousand, but there are just over one hundred favorites. Fortunately, I've been receiving comments on every chapter from three different people. I guess that's a good thing.
Many readers say it's better to build a loyal audience than to have a large one that will abandon you at the first opportunity.
Then again, I can't really say I have an audience—the numbers are still pretty small.
'Maybe it's because I'm only posting one chapter per week right now. I should probably post chapters every day, right?'
I sighed and went to the kitchen, where my mother was preparing ramen to celebrate my birthday. I told her I didn't want to go out. I want to celebrate my birthday here.
After spending so much time in that hospital, this place has become the best place in the world.
My mother didn't object and was preparing the ramen so we could eat as soon as my father got home from work. She also said he would bring me a cake.
I'm excited.
As for my present… I asked my mother for a laptop, but she said my iPad is good enough.
I won't deny that it's enough for now, but I still wanted a laptop.
After a while, my father came home carrying a small cake in a box so we could eat together. It would be nice if there were more people here, but I don't have any friends in this world.
Besides, I don't want to get involved with children—I feel like I wouldn't fit in.
My neighbor, who is my age, keeps trying to get close to me, and I've always pushed her away. Now that I can't speak, that's become even more difficult.
Children can be insensitive, and I have a fragile mind.
After they finished singing "Happy Birthday" and my mother cut the cake, she said:
"Kyo, shall we go to Akihabara tomorrow?"
I tilted my head, confused.
"We didn't give you a present, right? Let's go there together and choose one for you. Don't you want that?"
I picked up my iPad and wrote with my finger:
[I'd rather stay home]
"You can't stay home all day. Tomorrow, you're coming with me."
I nodded in agreement.
My father smiled and said, "I've been reading the story you're writing. It's really interesting. I always leave comments on the chapters."
"!" I was surprised.
I didn't know he was reading it.
So one of those three people is my father?
[Thank you] I wrote to him and smiled.
"It's very interesting—keep up the good work," my father said, giving me a thumbs-up while taking a bite of cake.
I really do have the best parents in the world, don't I?
####
The next day arrived. It was Saturday, and we went out in the morning to buy my present.
We left on foot and took a taxi since my father was using the car.
As soon as we arrived in Akihabara, we were suddenly stopped by a strange man.
'What is this?'
He was wearing a suit and had a somewhat intimidating appearance.
Without saying a word, the man pulled something out of his pocket, startling my mother.
'What…?'