The Era of Otaku Culture

Upon hearing the System prompt sound, although it only increased the previous secret system plain noodles by five points, Tetsuya was pleasantly surprised. However, as he read the final introduction, an idea sparked in his mind. He reached out and placed the plate of golden fried rice on the table in front of Machiko.

"Class leader, give my prepared golden fried rice a try," Tetsuya said.

According to the System, since Machiko could taste one food and develop a liking for it, this was the perfect opportunity for her to confirm it.

Machiko's stomach growled upon seeing the plate of golden fried rice emitting an enticing aroma. Unable to resist her hunger any longer, she sat down, held her hands together, and said, "Let's begin." She scooped up a generous portion of the fried rice with the ladle and brought it to her mouth.

As soon as the fried rice entered her mouth, Machiko was astonished. The rich fragrance of egg yolk wrapped the soft rice, exploding on her taste buds. Contrary to her expectations, the fried rice wasn't greasy; instead, it carried an indescribable delicate rice fragrance. The fusion of rice fragrance and egg yolk created a perfect harmony, complemented by the light taste of soy-sautéed minced green onions. She couldn't stop eating, and her appetite overwhelmed her completely. Machiko devoured more than half of the plate in no time, exclaiming between bites, "It's truly delicious! I've never had such a perfectly integrated combination of rice and egg yolk in fried rice before. How did you achieve this, Tetsuya?"

"Making golden fried rice like this requires years of practice and the right recipe. I've been practicing every day since I was young," Tetsuya said, flickering with a nonchalant smile. In reality, he had no idea how many years of training were required to make such delicious golden fried rice. He was merely relying on the knowledge and understanding of cooking from his predecessor.

Machiko believed Tetsuya's words without any doubt. She continued to enjoy the fried rice, scooping another ladleful into her mouth.

After a while, Machiko had finished every last grain of the golden fried rice. After wiping her mouth with a napkin, she placed the ladle and dinner plate on the table. Leaning back in her chair, she said, "Thank you very much, Tetsuya! It was a delightful meal."

Tetsuya smiled, collected the tray and ladle from the table, and said with a smile, "You're welcome. So, can I join Food Department?"

"Sure!" Machiko nodded earnestly. "With you and Asuna as cooks, I believe Food Department will thrive."

"Thank you very much," Tetsuya replied with a smile as he walked back to the kitchen. With his enrollment in Food Department now complete, he could finally start implementing his plan.

"Since you prepared the food, Tetsuya, let me take care of washing the dishes," Machiko offered, standing up from her chair.

"Sure," Tetsuya nodded, appreciating Machiko's kind gesture. The two of them then cleaned up Food Department together.

After they finished tidying up, Machiko took the black plastic bag for trash from Tetsuya's hand and said, "Tetsuya, I'll take care of the trash. I have something to attend to, so when Asuna comes back, please let her know."

"Okay," Tetsuya nodded, understanding his role as a member of Food Department and his responsibility to keep an eye on it until Yuuki Asuna returned.

Once Machiko left, Tetsuya, with nothing else to do, sat back in the chair and took out his cellphone to search. Besides his cooking talent, he had another talent—the ability to write light novels.

As for the remaining Fantasy Points, he decided to save them for now and use them later to upgrade either his light novel or cooking talent. With his talent for writing light novels, he couldn't let it go to waste. Speaking of where he lived, it was close to a business street called "Akihabara."

When it came to Akihabara, it was a place that evoked a certain image in everyone's mind—governing clans, electronic stores, maids, light novels, manga, and more.

In reality, Akihabara originated as a downtown area specializing in selling radio components in the late 1940s. Over time, these shops began selling household appliances, eventually transforming into the world's largest electronics street. In the 1980s and 1990s, with the popularity and technological advancements of computers and video games, Akihabara became a hub for gamers. Cosplay cafes and server-based internet cafes started to appear, catering to the growing culture. Akihabara's influence continued to expand, particularly in the anime and manga industry.

Now, as a resident near Akihabara, Tetsuya had the opportunity to explore and engage with the thriving culture. In Japan, the top three best-selling categories were light novels, manga, and games, and he had talents in all three areas, particularly his talent for writing light novels.

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When it came to preparing the novel, Tetsuya wasn't worried. First, he searched online for the popular novel types at the moment. In the fantasy commercial city, there were many complete works of light novels that were popular with his predecessors. By spending Fantasy Points to exchange for a light novel, he could deepen the impressions in his mind and then write his own first-level light novel.

However, Tetsuya couldn't help but wonder why others who crossed over into this world were extremely deficient in ACG culture, simply copying a few trillion fans and claiming to have an innate dragon arrogant attribute, building the ACG world with their own abilities. But why was it that he had crossed over at a time when ACG culture was in vogue? (ACG ("Animation, Comics, and Games" Cultures)

Tetsuya cautiously searched for books, fearing that if he didn't write carefully, he would suddenly be accused and confirmed as a plagiarist. He certainly didn't want to end up in a prison for copyright infringement.

Plagiarism wasn't that simple!

After searching for a while, Tetsuya found that there were no complete works of light novels in the fantasy commercial city. Instead, there were other works such as "Love Metronome," "Fantasy Monster Blade Biography," and "Explodes Flame Dark Spirit"... works that Tetsuya's predecessor was not familiar with.

Truly, each generation produces talented individuals! How can I fit in?

Tetsuya couldn't help but be amazed when he saw the sales volumes of these three books. They didn't fall far behind the best-selling works of his predecessor. Luckily, he had his fantasy talent, otherwise, Tetsuya might have considered writing a picture book to become a best-selling author in Akihabara. After all, in the world of manga, the fewer words, the better.

But then...

Tetsuya's mouth twitched as he saw two names on his cellphone: "Kashiwagi Eri" and "Eromanga." These two were the best-selling book artists in Akihabara.

Damn it, Aqua! That's fine too!

Just let me fit in!

"Okay, you two can have 92 points for now, and the remaining 233 points are yours," Tetsuya said, thoroughly speechless about these two best-selling book artists. These two were 18+ manga artists, and he still had Fantasy Points remaining to exchange for their talents. He temporarily put aside thoughts of picture books and best-selling Akihabara.

Now, writing a light novel seemed like the safest option. Tetsuya did a general search and found that this world had three major publishing houses: Electric Shocks, Fujimi, and Tsunogawa. These three publishing houses were similar in general, with slightly different styles. Tetsuya worried about which one to choose.

Let's first see which website offers the best opportunities!

Tetsuya hesitated and started searching the official sites of the three publishers. The Japanese site, in particular, caught his attention. In Huaxia, for example, he had once participated in an article competition called "Simultaneous Point," where works and rookies were evaluated, and the selected winners received a cash reward.

After searching for a while, Tetsuya finally settled on the Dengeki Bunko website. Seeing the activities on Dengeki Bunko, he felt delighted. This year, they had a rookie king competition, and authors were required to submit their works to the Dengeki Bunko headquarters. By participating in the manuscript matching, Tetsuya could immediately earn a reward of 50,000 Japanese Yen, and at the end of the year, the true rookie king would be selected, with a direct reward of 1 million Japanese Yen.

50,000 Japanese Yen was equivalent to over 3,000 Heavenly Dynasty currency, and 1 million Japanese Yen was equivalent to more than 60,000.

Moreover, becoming the rookie king was not unrelated to sales funds, but the reward was given free. Dengeki Bunko was truly supportive of rookie authors.

Tetsuya felt happy in his heart. Since he was currently short on money, he naturally decided to choose Dengeki Bunko. By reviewing his draft, he could earn 50,000 Japanese Yen and solve a big crisis.

While thinking, Tetsuya remembered his good friend Aki whom he had met in the restaurant. Aki was a popular blogger and might know some editors at Dengeki Bunko. After collecting enough material, around 30,000 characters, Tetsuya planned to ask Aki for advice.

"Open Store System, search for light novels!"

Tetsuya searched in his mind and found the popular light novel genres of this time, such as games and youth romance.

"IS Infinite Stella Tos!"

The first novel that caught Tetsuya's attention in the commercial city was this work. It was a well-known best-seller in the previous generation, but Tetsuya didn't like it because, besides the harem aspect, he felt the plot was weak. It was popular because, during its time, the author started a trend of writing harem novels in the school setting with a male protagonist, resulting in a pile of harem light novels. The manga adaptation was well-received due to the proper art style and conscience-driven manufacturing.

Tetsuya had seen many novels during the peak of ACG culture that involved creating harems, but recreating the magnificence of the previous generation was still challenging.

Finally, Tetsuya found a light novel that he admired in the commercial city.

"Exchange for 'Accel World'!"

In Tetsuya's mind, he meditated for a moment as his Fantasy Points vanished. The Accel World novel that was placed in the commercial city instantly transformed into golden light and dissipated, flooding Tetsuya's memory with all the knowledge of the novel. Accel World had sold well in the previous generation. Although some people couldn't continue watching due to the protagonist being overweight, those who were familiar with the ACG world recognized it as a work from the famous wall. Tetsuya naturally felt the same way, and it also aligned with the game-themed novels that were popular on Dengeki Bunko. Perhaps he could create a miracle in this world's sales.

With no one coming to the Food Department, Tetsuya temporarily downloaded a character-writing software on his cellphone and started typing. Thanks to his memory and his first-level light novel talent, Tetsuya's writing speed was much faster than others. In no time, he had written over 3,000 characters.

"Excuse me, who are you?" a beautiful female voice suddenly interrupted Tetsuya's concentration.

Tetsuya looked up and was shocked by what he saw.

In front of him stood a stunning young girl in a white short-sleeved school uniform and a cream-colored skirt. Her petite figure was accentuated by white stockings. Her flaxen hair gently cascaded down her shoulders, and her beautiful face carried a gentle smile.

As Tetsuya gazed at her simple and elegant face, a name flashed through his mind.

Whether in terms of appearance or character, this girl was undoubtedly the epitome of perfection—a goddess in the eyes of male students at school.

Yuuki Asuna!