Chapter 19 - 12 Years. - Entertainment Prodigy

My mother was very irritated. I looked at her and then grabbed her hand. Then I smiled and looked forward. The man in question looked at me and then smiled back—but it felt more like a sarcastic smile.

"So he can smile after all," he said.

My mother knelt down and placed her hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes. "Kyo, I don't think it's a good idea to continue with this. You can try again in the future, what do you think?"

She spoke quietly so the people behind us wouldn't hear.

I simply shook my head. Then I gave a thumbs up and smiled, showing that everything was fine.

"Are we going to continue or not!?" the man—the one the girl called the director—said. He was probably the person with the most authority there.

My mother stood up and said, "It's fine now. Kyo will do it." She held my hand and led me to the toys. They were miniature cars. Since my hands are small, they felt a bit big in them.

I sat on the floor and started laughing and smiling widely while playing with the toy cars.

With my acting skill at Rank S, it's easy to act like a child.

I glanced at my mother while playing, and she was looking at me in shock. It was the first time she had seen me smile and play like this since I was born. She definitely didn't expect it.

"Ohhh, his smile is beautiful."

"It's like he's alone in his bedroom playing, as if we're not even here."

"He's really beautiful, isn't he? He would definitely look great on camera."

I started hearing a lot of compliments. Then I stood up and held the toy car in my hand, handing it to my mother while smiling in a childish way. Then I turned around and looked forward.

My eyes met the older man's.

He was staring at me in silence.

My expression changed, as if nothing that had happened before was real.

"Kyo…" I heard my mother whisper my name.

"Contrary to what I thought, you really do know how to smile. It's a shame you can't speak," the man said, letting out a sigh. Before anyone else could say anything, he added, "You can leave now. We'll contact you in a few days with the result."

And just like that, the audition ended.

That man basically humiliated me, and in the end, I didn't hear any real feedback besides those brief compliments while I was playing with those stupid toys on the floor.

I'm really irritated.

As we left the room, I squeezed my mother's hand, and she said:

"Don't worry, Kyo. Mommy is very angry too."

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As soon as we got home, my mother and I didn't talk about the audition anymore. I went to my room without thinking much about it.

'I already know the result.'

Even though that man had warned the "judges" about my condition beforehand, they clearly weren't willing to pass me.

They might think about it a bit more because of my appearance and what I did in that room, but in the end, the answer is simple: I'm not going to pass this audition.

I opened my notebook and started typing chapters to publish on Shousetsuka ni Narou.

After finishing that, I continued writing Volume 2 of Overlord.

And so, the days passed.

All my days were the same.

I wrote Overlord chapters, worked on the light novel volumes, and drew.

In the end, the audition staff never contacted me, and I gave up on that idea for now. Until I recover my voice—or at least part of it—I won't try another audition.

So I started going to speech therapy four times a week, and I also tried to speak as much as possible at home.

Then, the first volume of Overlord was published by the publisher. As soon as I received the news, I went to a bookstore in Akihabara with my mother and saw it being sold.

It was on display!

And a few days later, I received news from the editor that Volume 1 was being reprinted because sales were booming.

I was very happy, and it motivated me to write even more.

After a few more months, I already had all 16 volumes ready and had sent Volume 2 to Mr. Kuroda.

After Volume 2 was released, sales improved even more.

Then Mr. Kuroda sent me an email with two incredible pieces of news.

Overlord would get a manga adaptation, and the novel would be translated into English, French, and Portuguese. Even with only two volumes, it had become an unprecedented success.

Because of that, the bank account my father created for me was filling up.

However, I didn't spend a single cent because it wasn't necessary. My fortune kept growing over time.

Before I knew it, all the volumes of Overlord I had written had been published, and the third season of the anime had just finished airing.

It only took 8 years to reach this point.

Those 8 years were incredible.

And just like that, I turned 12.

A handsome but very antisocial boy.

At school, I acted like a normal child, but in reality, I was the author of one of the most acclaimed works in Japan—and I started writing it when I was just four years old.

What would my classmates, who are fans of this work, think if they found out?

It's amazing that my identity has never been leaked.

The only person who knows my true identity—besides my parents—is Mr. Kuroda.

When he found out my real age, he almost died. He was shocked that a child was writing something as dark and visceral as Overlord.

It took him a while to get used to it.

Huff~~

Letting out a sigh while looking out the window, I thought:

'What should I do now?'

After finishing Overlord, I didn't write anything else. I spent my days taking care of my voice, drawing, and growing my popularity on the internet.

At least working on my voice paid off—I can speak quite well now. I just struggle with more difficult words, and tongue twisters are still out of the question.

"Kyo, could you come behind the gym during break?" A girl suddenly approached my desk with a flushed face.

This again...

"Sure." I smiled at her, resting my hand on my chin.

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Chapter 19 - Chapter 19 - 12 Years.