Don’t Run, I’m Your Book!

My next novel is available to preorder: Run! I’m Your Book! [Historical Fiction Crossover]. The blurb is at the very bottom.

Blurb for this novel

Santu Yongdu is an ordinary Chinese teacher at Teitan High School. One morning, after getting up, he discovers that something is wrong with the textbooks he teaches. Many of the famous works previously included in them have changed. What’s going on?!

While he’s still baffled, a System shows up and tells him that, due to the resentment of works that never came into being in another world, their world has merged with a world of supernatural abilities. The books from that world had hoped the literary masters of this world would remember them, but something went wrong, and the works from this world disappeared too.

System: For the sake of high school students’ cultural literacy, Host, go get ’em!

And so…

Secret identity 1: “The Little White Dog”

Why is a black Shiba Inu publicly harassing a Port Mafia patrol squad leader?

Little White: Woof woof woof woof! (Please, write this down! I’m not asking you to write “I Am a Dog.” Don’t be so resistant!)

Akutagawa Ryunosuke: Rashomon!

Secret identity 2: “A Schoolgirl”

A sixteen-year-old girl with long, straight black hair smiles gently. Her sentimental nature makes her love the world even as she hates it.

“Mr. Dazai, how am I not as good as No Longer Human? Why did you choose him instead of me?”

The girl holds a book whose title, “Rashomon,” is just barely visible. With a sorrowful expression, she says, “I’m useful too…”

Dazai Osamu immediately takes her hand and pulls her into his arms, gazing deeply into her eyes. “No, you’re much better than him. If I could choose an ability, I’d pick you instead of him.”

A Schoolgirl: Eyes-shaking GIF, touched GIF

No Longer Human: ? Do you have some kind of problem with me?

…

Santu Yongdu: Wait, aside from these, why are there so many other weird things? What are “Unfinished Report” and “Criminal Investigation Notes”?

System: Hahaha… It’s normal because the merged worlds are in disarray… (guilty GIF)

Santu Yongdu: ?

After several failed attempts…

Santu Yongdu: No, the problem is that they can’t remember, and they couldn’t write these things anyway.

System: Then how about we try another way? Beat them up and let the books that didn’t become their abilities vent their anger. Also, I’m assigning you the task of splitting the worlds apart again, Host. Do your best!

Santu Yongdu: Maybe I should just find a way to get Akutagawa Ryunosuke to write a book called “I Am a Dog.”

System: ?

PS: For detailed secret identity designs, see the companion work “I’m Your Book (Setting Collection).”

PS: I know “I Am a Dog” wasn’t written by Akutagawa. The protagonist’s last line is just a joke.

Blurb for the upcoming novel Run! I’m Your Book! [Historical Fiction Crossover]

Ji Ling thought her new job was to be a librarian. Then she discovered that every book in the library was a role she herself had to play. She would transmigrate through time again and again, searching for each book’s original author and fulfilling the many wishes modern readers had attached to them.

1. The Collected Works of Li Taibai

In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out. As Li Bai and his wife, Zong, fled south to seek refuge, they encountered a woman with white hair and red eyes, dressed in extravagant finery.

She blocked their way and asked where they were headed. When Li Bai anxiously explained they were fleeing the war, she nodded slightly. With a wave of her sleeve, she not only killed the bandits but carried everyone a thousand li away.

Li Bai: ?!

The Collected Works of Li Taibai: “In ten paces, I can kill a man; in a thousand li, none can escape. You wrote it, and now I can do it.”

2. “The Great Wind Song”

“The great wind rises, the clouds take flight~”

As Liu Bang fled, he heard a melodious song. When he looked back, he saw a scene he would never forget: a great wind swept up clouds of dust, and wind blades killed the pursuing soldiers.

The swordswoman with blue-green hair smiled calmly. “I’m the Great Wind Song you wrote.”

With the group separated and a child traumatized, and the other adult repeatedly failing at the barbecue, Liu Bang had no choice but to wash his hands and personally cook a meal to thank the song that had saved his life.

The Great Wind Song gave a scathing review: “Even a dog would shake its head at your cooking.”

Liu Bang: Which one of us is whose father, anyway?

Due to the blurb’s character limit, the rest is abridged↓

3. Ban Zhao, Admonitions for Women, Book of Han

Admonitions for Women: I’m a book written by a woman. As you wrote me, I’m obedient and respectful, and listen only to my older brother.

Book of Han: I think Empress Deng did the right thing.

Admonitions for Women: Well said, Elder Brother. I support the Empress ruling from court.

(The actual heroine of this arc is Deng Sui.)

4. Zhuge Liang, Memorial on Sending Out the Troops, Waaah, Father Chancellor (crossed out), Father, what am I supposed to do now that you’re gone? Don’t leave me here all alone! (Since she wants to save Zhuge Liang, other secret identities will appear in this arc.)

5. Li Shimin, Ode to the Magnificent Phoenix, The phoenix you wrote about came true. You don’t like that it looks like me? What, you dare write it but won’t admit it? (Furiously pecking at Second Feng with a beak.)

6. Li Qingzhao, The Yi’an Lyrics, I’m here to save twenty thousand volumes of my kindred. What Jin? What dynasty? I wiped it out along the way. What’s there to talk about?

7. I originally wanted to use jokes from the annotations on Yongzheng’s memorials, like “I am simply this sort of man,” but I decided against it. I can’t write the Qing dynasty. Maybe next time. I’ll leave a spot here for a sponsor (not really).

The heroine’s name: Ling. The character describes a woman who is quick-witted, clever, and nimble [as in Ping Ling]. It was commonly used in women’s names in ancient times [“Ling, a woman’s name.”, Guangyun].

Content warnings:

1. The idea behind the secret identity Admonitions for Women in arcs 1–3 differs from the original Ban Zhao. I feel that the heroine, as a modern woman, couldn’t sincerely agree with a book written to uphold patriarchal rule. However, because of the book’s characterization, this identity is a shamelessly devoted little sister obsessed with her older brother. This arc’s secret identity is on Deng Sui’s side (she is the actual heroine of the arc).

I’m writing historical fan fiction. Surely everyone knows this isn’t accurate history, right? Just let me get away with it, okay? (GIF)

2. Li Bai is my favorite poet, so he comes first (shocking! There’s favoritism here). The rest are ordered by historical chronology.

3. I have other ideas too, but I wrote this blurb in the middle of the night and my brain wasn’t working properly. This is all for now; I might add or remove things later.

4. Each arc may have one or several secret identities, but the identities mentioned in the blurb will be the main ones used (though that could change).

Theme: Light never disappears. Strive to live toward the light.