Ougonten / Chronicle of Dragon's Ascent Chapter 4
Characters: Mitsuru, Mika, Nagisa
Mika: ...Fer now, maybe it'd be a good idea t' calm down an' put our thoughts in order?
Mika: Lemme see, first of all, Mitsuru-kun has been followin' me around lately 'cause he needed material fer his book report?
Mika: So I didn't do anything t' hurt yer feelin's, right, Mitsuru-kun?
Mitsuru: That's right. Why would you do anything I'd not like, Mika-nii~chan? I haven't done anything to you, have I?
Mika: Right away, even jus' knowin' that gives me some peace of mind...
Mika: But I found an even bigger problem. What's all this about a novel where I'm a god?!
Nagisa: ...Tenma-kun might have known about that novel's existence but didn't finish reading it.
Mitsuru: Yep! If Mika-nii~chan's the main character, I thought it'd be better to write by watching him directly!
Mitsuru: I wanted to read about the real Mika-nii~chan, not about him in a book!
Mika: Don't say somethin' like that, Mitsuru-kun. Rather than a book report, ain't that more like an observation diary?
Mitsuru: Huh~, even though I went through all the trouble to write it...
Mika: ...Just in case, can I see what you wrote?
Mitsuru: Sure! It'll definitely become a better report if Mika-nii~chan looks at it too!
Mika: Well then, sure. I can read it.
Mika: ...(Silently continues reading.)
Mika: ...(Gradually turns pale.)
Mika: Nna~h! Oh man, I can't look at this! There's way too many embarrassin' things written about me!
Mitsuru: There's no need to be shy over something like that. Even if you slip and fall, you'll still be an elegant god, Mika-nii~chan!
Mika: Ya wrote everythin' down, even when I fell over...?
Mika: Mitsuru-kun, ya should prob'ly write a proper book report, shouldn't ya? If ya just write about me, it won't count as a book report.
Mika: Actually, Mitsuru-kun, ya might end up gettin' in trouble with yer teacher. Ya gotta do yer homework properly.
Mitsuru: Huh~... I don't want my teacher to get mad. Is this report really no good at all?
Mika: Ya said it yerself, that ya wrote it without readin' the book. Since it's a book report, ya gotta read an' write about the book properly.
Mitsuru: If you're saying as much, Mika-nii~chan, then I get it...
Mika: Thank ya kindly, Mitsuru-kun. Fer now, that's enough about the report. My question is...
Nagisa: ...It's that Mika-kun is the protagonist of that novel. I did a bit of searching on my phone.
Nagisa: ...Getting straight to the point, the novel with Mika-kun as the protagonist is real.
Mika: Th-that's gotta be a mistake. Is it really...
Nagisa: ...Although I called it a novel, it's just an ordinary derivative work. It doesn't mean it's been published physically or anything like that.
Mika: A derivative work... Nnah~, so someone is writing a novel with me as the main character on their own accord?
Nagisa: ...Yes. Rather than a specific individual, it seems that they're mainly being written by your fans, Mika-kun.
Mika: Why would my fans... start doin' that all'a sudden?
Nagisa: ...Well. The story surrounding the circumstances is rather complex.
Nagisa: ...First of all, it seems that it all began following an incident in a place called the "Test World." Do you happen to know anything about it?
Mika: ...At th' moment, I got no clue except fer one thing.
Nagisa: ...I'm having difficulty understanding what it means, but for the time being, I'll simply tell you what I've found from reading.
Nagisa: ...The inciting incident was your behavior, Mika-kun, when you appeared in the "Test World" as "The Mechanical God."
Nagisa: ...It then seems that you scattered around and gave away a large amount of money freely. That's the moment that it all began.
Mika: So it really was that! I knew it'd start a right awful flame war afterwards fer sure. I really got way too carried away, 'm such an idiot~!
Mitsuru: Hu~h? But isn't a flame war a bad thing? You didn't start one, did you, Mika-nii~chan?
Mitsuru: If anything, I'd say everyone was more like, "Mika-nii~chan is so cool!" I got the feeling that everyone was really excited.
Nagisa: ...I would agree with that. It seems that this derivative novel has also grown to be a relay novel created as a result of fans talking about their thoughts together on social media. [1]
Nagisa: ...And so that novel, which was only on social media, was summarized in a news article on the internet. As a result, it became somewhat of a hot topic.
Mika: A-ain't that a bit of a weird way fer a novel t' come about?
Nagisa: ...It seems that creating relay novels on bulletin boards is not that unusual, after all.
Nagisa: ...Fufu. Nevertheless, what all of those fans think about you is very interesting, Mika-kun.
Nagisa: ...Mika-kun, who strewed about a large amount of money while saying, "Art is an explosion~☆" is said to transform into a dragon king called "Ougonten," who will bring forth a new world. [2]
Mika: I'm not even human anymore?! Not only that, but with such an exaggerated name like "Ougonten"...
Mika: Uu, I was all prepared fer people t' hate me, but on the other hand, there's no way I could'a been ready fer that kinda worship.
Nagisa: ...It is natural that you, being put and deified into that position without expecting it, would be unprepared for it.
Nagisa: ...A god exists on an absolute, elevated plane that is above what any one person is capable of attaining.
Mika: That sorta impressive existence ain't like me at all. 'S like I'm bein' asked t' do somethin' I can't live up to, so I feel a lil' awkward...
Nagisa: ...If that's the case, I have a good plan in mind to bring this trend under control.
Mika: Fer real? 'S not gonna be underhanded or nothin', right?
Nagisa: ...Don't worry. I promise that no one will be hurt with this method.
Nagisa: ...Well then, shall we begin? I will now demonstrate myself usurping the authority of the imperious god.
- A relay novel is essentially a story that's written collaboratively by multiple people. Someone continues writing for a few sentences where the previous person left off and then hands it to the next person.
- The title "Ougonten," 「黄金天」, means "God of Gold." 黄金 is gold (and can also mean money). 天 usually means "heaven," but in this case, it's another way to refer to a god. The title itself is very extravagant-sounding.