People in Tokyo, the world is clear

As the saying goes, it takes ten years to sharpen a sword.

The current sales of traditional novels are not the model of buying illustrations and giving away toilet paper for free in later generations.

Perhaps it is more likely that tags such as "＃积＃Thanks to the editor＃Life experience condensed＃185 days to complete" are more reliable than some fast-paced author who updates words a day.

It seems that the only characteristic that Lin Sen can think of does not seem to have any gimmick worth mentioning.

At least, outside the focused camera lens, one can see the embarrassment and confusion on the face of the new editor in front of Lin Sen, who is probably considering how to break into the unremarkable feature of "writing fast".

Looks like you're at your wit's end?

The young man picked up the tea in front of him and took a sip slowly.

However, the next second, the words that came out of his mouth shocked the other two women present.

"As for technique, I don't really have any. The reason I can write so quickly is actually very simple. It all stems from a failed suicide attempt. Right now, I might have two personalities living inside me."

"Ok?"

This is completely contrary to what was mentioned in the brief communication before the interview began.

So much so that the editor in front of him, who had been a little embarrassed just now, looked over in surprise.

Even Tetsuko Aida, who was operating the camera nearby, put down her hand briefly, blinked and looked over, as if she also wanted to get more information.

The epilogue is told in this strange atmosphere.

"Generally speaking, when my inspiration is temporarily exhausted, another hidden personality in my body will temporarily wake up and take over my body and the pen in my hand."

The young writer seemed to be stating ordinary facts of insignificant opinion, and not even his calm expression changed.

The new editor was intrigued by this somewhat magical description and became a little excited.

"Can you tell me more about it? Suicide, dual personality?"

At this moment, the young female editor's mentality underwent a subtle change.

My entire attention was focused on the seemingly ordinary writer in front of me, but after careful observation, I couldn't find any details or traces of lies.

This aroused great curiosity in my heart, and even the tone of my voice when asking questions became a little higher.

Then, as she stared with wide eyes, the man in front of her simply adjusted his sitting position to face her.

"There was a time when I felt hopeless about life. On a cold spring night, I felt a strange call from a trance. Ryunosuke, Eimitsu, Yukio. They seemed to be standing in the distant phantom of Rashomon, vaguely gazing towards me. At that moment, it felt as if I was not alone on the road to death. Looking back now, it was truly a wonderful experience."

The vivid description made the woman sitting opposite blink.

Before I knew it, the image of the young man in front of me suddenly became mysterious and fantastic.

My mind suddenly became tense.

"So, what happens next?"

"Then, in the icy water, I suddenly felt my entire being, including my soul, ripped apart, torn apart. The parts that should have been dead seemed to drift away with the waves. The remaining fragments were suddenly swept away by a desire to live, and pieced together again."

The young writer took another sip of tea, but there was no trace of falsehood in his tone.

"The dead me was my former self, Xiaolin Sen. And the new person who was put together is me today. Perhaps this is also the origin of the pen name Wu Mu."

"The forest is broken into pieces, forming five trees, is this a metaphor?"

The young magazine editor lowered his head and muttered a few words, then immediately reacted.

He quickly wrote down a draft on the notebook in front of him and quickly raised his head again.

"Since the former Mr. Itsuki is dead, why do you emphasize your dual personality?"

"That's probably what's strange about it. In truth, my death wasn't complete. It's like the separation of a deceased person's soul from their body. That dead me also left behind a corpse-like personality. It seemed capable of simple thought, retaining some past behavioral habits and some instincts. For example, writing. Therefore, I seem to have possessed creative energy and inspiration beyond the average person."

"I see."

The female magazine editor before him had a look of surprise, but judging by her expression, she didn't seem to be completely convinced.

Lin Sen didn't take it seriously. He simply pulled out another document from his bag and handed it to the interviewer, who once again showed a look of surprise.

"This is..."

"A few years ago. This is a certificate from the hospital. Although this strange phenomenon in my body seems to have no medical evidence, the description in this document may prove that there is a huge difference between me in the past and me now."

"Is this so!"

Unexpected, decisive blow!

Afterwards, with this special topic as an introduction, the direction of the subsequent interview was easy to control.

“Now I live for the sake of living itself, not for anything other than living.”

With this sentence as an introduction, the young writer began to introduce the content of his work.

“I record the content of the vivid lives outside of mine from the perspective of an observer.”

“In fact, the stories in my works have clear prototypes.”

"I simply write down what I see as a testimony. Everyone has their own struggles and efforts, just as every reed has its own resilience and vitality. I hope others can see this in my work..."

"Also, if you're careful, you might be able to find the prototype of my work somewhere around you."

Finally, the interview ended with the clicking sound of the camera.

There are also two completely different states of the same person captured on film.

First, it is the frozen state of calmness and indifference to fame and fortune shown in interviews with young writers.

As for the other one——

A completely different look in his eyes, empty and absent-minded, like a rotten person abandoned by the world.

She only appeared briefly during the interview due to a request. Her almost fleeting performance was captured and photographed with pinpoint accuracy by a skilled female photographer.

There is indeed a huge difference between the two images.

So when Lin Sen was sitting in the back seat of the old Beetle, waiting for the publishing driver to pull everyone back to the back seat, he discovered that Tetsuko Aida was staring at his profile.

"What advice do you have, Mr. Aida?"

"Incredible."

The woman smacked her lips.

"What do you mean?"

"All of them. Including the trick you set me up today, Xiaolin. Also, can you perform that trick again, that..."

"No. Awakening a dormant personality is a very complicated matter. To be honest, cutting and slicing is quite harmful to my body."

"Hmm~"

Tetsuko Aida hummed softly and patted the bag containing her equipment at her side.

He pondered for a moment and looked over with some suspicion.

"I always feel that what you said is a bit half-truthful."

"is it?"

"but..."

A conflicted expression appeared on the female photographer's face. "How should I put it? If what you were doing when you took the photo just now was truly a performance, then I can only say that writing has somewhat hindered your career as an actor."

As she spoke, Tetsuko Aida stared at the face of the young man next to her again.

But all he got was a noncommittal expression that showed no emotion at all.

"Sometimes I find it hard to tell what's true and what's not, so who knows? But, at the end of the day, it should have been a successful interview."

"I agree with that. It's rare to get a satisfactory photo taken for a business invitation. It's a very special experience."

"Good."

In the slowly receding silence, the only sound was the car engine.

Lin Sen turned his head and saw a young man's face reflected in the car window.

It was calm at first.

Later on, it slowly relaxed and gradually turned into another form of emptiness.

But in the next moment, it can be retracted and released freely and recovered immediately.

Then, the young man vaguely reflected in the car window had a frown on his face.

Probably because of inheriting a little bit of memory.

It’s not particularly difficult to completely recreate someone from the past.

I was reluctant at first, but since I wanted to do something for someone, I had no choice but to trouble this inherited body.

Chapter 78 Our story begins with curiosity and a desire to share

Lin Sen never likes suits.

To be honest, I don't like this kind of outfit that makes me look like a tight, long pole. I haven't worn it many times in my two lifetimes.

But in a society where people are sociable, it is necessary to have such clothing.

Therefore, Lin Sen has handled two sets of suits that are suitable for wearing in public.

A set of casual and simple style, light black, moderately priced, suitable for general social occasions. He bought it a few days after returning from Chiba and it belongs to him.

As for the other set, its origin and ownership are a bit strange.

One day, while roaming around shopping malls with a certain Sasakawa editor, a gift event was triggered.

It was a relatively expensive brand. Out of principle, Lin Sen did not choose to accept those gifts at the time and did not consider them his own.

But Sasagawa Rimei didn't choose to discard these things that day, but kept them at home. She even took them with her when she moved to her current rental house.

"How about this. I'll keep it for the Hypocritical Ghost King. When you need it, you can rent it from me. How about that?"

Ms. Flamingo, who had begun to crave money that day, made such a proposal.

Originally, he thought this plan was humorous. Lin Sen, who nearly laughed out loud at the time, never imagined that one day, the boomerang would come back and hit him, and he would become part of this humor.

There actually came a time when he needed this suit.

For example, now.

Lin Sen at the station door looked down at the neatly dressed suit, then looked up at the short-haired girl who had been covering her mouth and laughing for a long time.

"What should I do? I suddenly became a decent person."

"It seems like this is the first time I've seen a senior dressed so formally."

May has arrived.

Miss Ito was wearing one less coat, leaving only a simple light brown, wide-sleeved coat.

Xiujiao's arms were crossed under her sleeves, holding a black handbag in both hands, with the bag's strap wrapped around her right wrist.

And a dark blue long skirt with the upper part tucked into a loose coat, and white sneakers on the feet.

At this moment, the girl turned her head to the side, with a flash of curiosity in her beautiful eyes, and stared openly at the person walking next to her who was wearing the same light brown suit jacket.

He reached out a hand to pinch the corner of his clothes and tugged at it with a little force, but in the end his eyes widened when he recognized the trademark hidden in the cuff.

“I think I know this brand…”

"It's just for rent. Don't just stand there like an idiot, get in first."

Lin Sen calmly withdrew his hand, skipping over the topics of price and even source that might arise next.

It’s not that he deliberately wanted to wear this equipment.

However, the most formal and seasonal outfit that Ms. Ito has put together is probably this one.

For matching reasons, his black suit seemed a bit out of place.

Also, since this was the first time that Ms. Ito and I officially played a couple going back to see their grandmother, we had to be more serious, so we finally had to settle on this look.

Although I was wearing the kind of casual clothes I wore when I accompanied the girl home last time, the past is the past and the present is the present.

The purpose is different, so the clothing should also be changed.

However, if you think about it carefully, it is a bit magical to wear a suit rented from a woman to accompany another girl to meet her parents.

I unconsciously recalled the scene of receiving this suit from someone.