[Conan-Style Blurb]
“I'm Oda ??, a half-high-school-detective. When I went to an amusement park with my childhood friend Kyoka, I witnessed a certain Russian rice ball acting suspiciously. I was so busy sneaking glances at him that I didn't notice...”
It would be impossible for me not to notice his accomplice, since my ability is related to tracking. But to keep in line with the classic opening, let's ignore that detail for now.
“His accomplice used an ability on me, and when I woke up...”
I hadn't gotten any smaller. I was still a genuine twelve-year-old.
“But I'd arrived in another world with no abilities!”
And I'd been bound to System 4869, which was useless apart from occasionally spoiling things.
The world had changed, but my ability still worked just fine. It was pure fake liquor, almost completely undiluted, and there was only one group of undercover agents!
So what's the goal in this other world?
4869 (shouting): Survive!
Anzu (echoing): Stay alive!
Years later, the Observer System codenamed 4869 looked back on those days and wept tears of regret.
It had been so naive. Truly.
How could it have believed that a second-generation Dazai had any will to survive?
[Bungo Stray Dogs-Style Blurb]
Abilities exist outside the laws of the world.
And ability users who are good at thinking, even more so.
To breathe is a sin. To think is a sin.
And so authority becomes a flimsy lie, rules turn into tools in one's hands, and social convention is nothing more than a thin veil of decency. The filth concealed in the darkness is laid bare, while the shadows beneath the light are all the more glaring.
So some people disdain surrendering themselves to the night, yet cannot entirely trust the day. The Black side sees them as indecisive, while the Red side considers them ruthless. Forever out of place, forever alone.
“You are neither Red nor Black, neither righteous nor evil.
“You scorn the rules and use underhanded methods, yet are weighed down by your kindness.
“To either side
“You are an outcast.”
[Sales Pitch Blurb (A Sudden Change in Style)]
Everyone knows cute and dark go perfectly together!
(Blasting through a megaphone on repeat) Free kittens for sale! Sweet, badass, and angst-inducing! They can purr, beg, and roll around, and they can bubble with dark thoughts and take on the liquor factory! Kick every tragic ending aside! Isn't big-brother-dad Hiro just the best, (Hiro: ?)
In short,
this is the story of Anzu and her useless System, setting out to survive but charging in the opposite direction and repeatedly courting disaster on their journey through the liquor factory.
Liquor Factory Survival Guide (No)
Liquor Factory Guide to Courting Disaster (Yes)
[Table of Contents]
Kick the Special Assault Unit's tragic ending to pieces [Complete]
Teach a certain man surnamed Midorikawa how to make liquor, step by step [Complete]
Match wits with a certain three-faced Public Security officer, fight for each other's attention (?), and make a glorious mess of things (??) [Complete]
Liquor factory mission: give away the answers while watching a certain top student rack his brains, only to get a zero for an alcohol concentration that's every bit as low as its name suggests [Loading, ]
Join forces to ostracize and reverse-PUA (sort of) the emotional con artist, Some Someone
Then dramatically vanish in a blaze of glory along with all the information on a major liquor factory experiment
Everyone gets a happy ending [Yes]
[Reader's Guide]
1. The main story is in third person and focuses on the liquor factory plot. The female lead has no love interest and no one-sided crushes. It's an ensemble cast, with Hiro playing the male lead in terms of plot significance.
2. The Shu-Akemi pairing is definitely broken up. Akai might become the female lead's nominal boyfriend in the story, but they'll just be playing games with each other, not falling in love. They're both career-minded, and this is a plot-focused story, so we're here to focus on the liquor factory.
3. Bungo Stray Dogs is featured in flashbacks during the early and middle portions. The worlds merge later, but the main plot is mostly unaffected. Dazai is the female lead's teacher.
4. There really is a lot of dark stuff (according to the comments). The Red side's darkness is currently shown mostly through flashbacks.
5. I aim to portray a more realistic life at the liquor factory (at least more realistic than in stories for young children).
6. I'll try to follow the official manga and anime character settings, but there are plenty of personal interpretations too.
7. OOC warning! Hiro has some dad-like behavior and personal feelings, but “first and foremost, he's a steadfast member of the Red side; only after that is he Hiromitsu Morofushi.”
8. School has started, I'm busy with classes and preparing for exams. I'll do my best to update weekly, but I won't abandon the story. Comments might even get me so excited that I leap out of bed in the middle of the night to write (a very deliberate hint).
9. Comments are welcome, but please keep things loving and peaceful. Insulting characters is strictly forbidden.
10. I won't put this behind a paywall. This is a self-indulgent passion project, my writing is average, and there are plenty of embarrassing old works, so please be kind (heart).
Finally, thanks to my friend Shuse for the beautiful cover! (Blows a kiss)
Theme: Even in the deepest darkness, light will emerge.
