Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C121 Part 1

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Chapter 121: A Grand Affair! Part 1

“What’s going on? Why aren’t the costumes ready yet?”

“Every time you get nervous, you run to the bathroom. Can you act your age for once?!”

“One more time—let me remind everyone of the gestures! Boys, right fist inside, left hand covering it. Girls, right fist over the left. Don’t mess up the order.”

“Teacher—did we make too few of those spicy lemon chicken claws? We’ve only got about four or five pounds total.”

And so it went. Each club had its own set of worries, but none of these emotions were shared across the board. For Gu Lu, however, there was nothing but —he didn’t have a single thing to do.

He wasn’t a core member of the basketball team, so even their shooting practice didn’t require his presence. Like any ordinary student, he wandered around as a “tourist,” taking in the sights.

The “tourists” included not just students and their parents but also members of the public invited by the school—reporters, figures from the cultural and educational sectors, and distinguished alumni. Among them was Wang, an assigned reporter from , accompanied by Miao, the photographer. Though Wang occasionally took photos himself, his real forte lay in writing and editing; photography wasn’t exactly his strong suit.

“ holds an annual celebration, but this year feels exceptionally grand—is that Chairman Mo over there?” Miao noticed someone important in the crowd.

To simplify things, let’s refer to the two reporters as Miao (the photographer) and Wang (the writer).

“Hey, Wang, what are you looking at? Over here!” Miao called out when he saw his partner distracted.

“What Chairman Mo?” Wang snapped back to attention. He thought he’d spotted a familiar face earlier, but with so many people milling about, he couldn’t be sure.

“, Vice Chairman of the ,” Miao clarified.

At the mention of the name, Wang’s memory clicked. Mo Huaiqi was one of Chongqing’s most prominent writers, especially well-known in southern China thanks to his essay , which had been included in textbooks published by Jiangsu and Shanghai education boards. The piece described a family of four deciding between walking along a wide road versus a narrow path, leading to some lighthearted debate.

One of its most iconic lines read: My mother is old; she has grown accustomed to listening to her strong son. My son is young; he still listens to his towering father. As for my wife, outside the home, she always defers to me.

“Schools like and are breathing down our necks. To maintain our lead, we need to showcase excellence in every aspect,” Miao analyzed confidently. “With the internet exposing parents to top international schools, they now care not only about academic performance but also about cultivating students’ interests and talents.”

It sounded convincing enough, but Wang wasn’t buying it. This conclusion came from a privileged perspective. Most average parents cared only about getting their kids into good high schools—they were already stretched thin trying to achieve that. Extracurricular achievements? Forget it.

But then again, Miao came from a comfortable background, so his worldview naturally aligned with his upbringing. Rather than argue, Wang let it slide. This year’s celebration felt bigger than even the decennial anniversary. With the Vice Chairman of the Chongqing Writers’ Association present and coverage from , it almost seemed like the school was showing off…

“Come try our baseball activity! Hit the pitcher’s throw, and you’ll win a prize!”

Whether indoors at the gymnasium or outdoors on the field, clubs had set up all sorts of activities.

“No thanks, no thanks,” Mr. Xiao quickly declined the baseball club’s invitation.

“The atmosphere at No. 8 High School is incredible, and the admission rates are high too,” Gu Lu's mother muttered.

“Yanfei, I never expected your child to be so accomplished. Getting into No. 8 High School is quite something!” Mr. Xiao remarked. “You used to complain all the time about how mischievous Gu Lu was and how he hated studying. Looks like he’s doing pretty well now, doesn’t he?”

“I only found out because the school called to invite me to the event,” Gu Lu's mother chuckled awkwardly. “Besides, his writing skills aside, who knows if he’ll even get into a decent university after graduation?”

“Jiayu could work hard and aim for this school in the future,” Mr. Xiao suggested.

“Yang couldn’t even get into Bashu High School, so Jiayu definitely won’t either. She’s clever, sure, but only in small ways,” Gu Lu's mother replied dismissively.

Xiao Yang was Xiao Yang, and Gu Jiayu was Gu Jiayu—it made no sense to compare them. Mr. Xiao changed the subject. “What class is Gu Lu in? Let’s go check.”

Gu Lu's mother hesitated. She honestly didn’t know. “The whole school is celebrating today. Even if we went to his classroom, we wouldn’t find him. Let’s explore other areas instead.”

Meanwhile, Gu Lu remained blissfully unaware of Principal Liu’s “good intentions gone awry.” More accurately, Gu Lu hadn’t yet reached a status where the principal would consult him before making decisions.

Gu Lu decided to check out the anime club first, as he had heard they had collaborated on creating an original manga.

When Gu Lu entered Class 2 of Grade 12, he was greeted by walls plastered with posters featuring popular anime titles like , , , , and . It was a veritable shrine to otaku culture.

Talk about concentrated anime energy!

Still, something felt missing. In this parallel world, there was no or . Without Tokyo’s two grim reapers, the manga scene felt oddly quiet.

Conan Edogawa and Kogoro Mouri owed their namesakes to , creator of Kogoro Akechi. Similarly, Kindaichi’s protagonist was inspired by Seishi Yokomizo’s Kosuke Kindaichi, though the series itself bore traces of Ranpo’s influence. The main villain, Takahashi, drew inspiration from the , while supporting character Kengo Akechi harked back to Kogoro Akechi.

As Gu Lu pondered, he wondered: If he accumulated enough works by Edogawa Ranpo and translated them into Japanese, might this world birth its own pair of Tokyo grim reapers? Then again, perhaps he was overthinking it. He hadn’t even left his hometown yet, let alone established overseas influence.

“Bro Gu Lu, you came here specifically to see me, didn’t you?” Tian Xiao greeted him enthusiastically. “Our club’s original manga is guaranteed to impress.”

Tian Xiao handed over a photocopied comic titled No. 8 High School Legends of the Jianghu, a martial arts story where teachers and notable figures were reimagined as characters in a fictional wuxia world.

Take Zhou Lin, for instance—the freshman representative was portrayed as a genius swordswoman from the famed Sword Manor. And who served as the ultimate antagonist? None other than Principal Liu himself.

“If Jiayu were written in as a female warrior, she’d probably love it,” Gu Lu mused as he flipped through the pages. The fight scenes clearly imitated ’s style but fell short. The plot offered little innovation.

“How does it stack up against ?” Tian Xiao asked confidently.

Thanks to Gu Lu’s relentless research into this new world’s butterfly effects, he knew the landscape fairly well.

Legend of the Dragon Blade was the hottest Hong Kong comic in this reality, adapted into a TV series and gaining traction both locally and internationally.

“It’s almost like Dragon Blade, except without the dragon,” Gu Lu joked before changing the topic. “Why isn’t there a character based on me? Am I not influential enough yet?”

Honestly, given Gu Lu’s track record in creative writing, shouldn’t he at least warrant a wise elder role in Legends of the Jianghu? But the rest of the manga club obviously hadn’t witnessed his prowess.

“Our Legends of the Jianghu focuses only on students interviewed by ,” a male voice chimed in.

“President Guan,” Tian Xiao greeted him warmly. “This is Gu Lu from our class. His essays are amazing, and he’s won awards.”

Guan Qianzhuo, the manga club president, radiated charisma rather than nerdiness. His sunny disposition screamed “popular kid,” like someone who could lure shut-ins out of their shells only to shatter their dreams with harsh truths.

“Oh,” Guan said nonchalantly. “We have plenty of excellent students, but the manga can’t feature everyone. There simply isn’t room.”

Fair point.

“This is just Part One of Legends of the Jianghu. Part Two is coming next year,” Guan added reassuringly. “If you’re interviewed by Time Radio Station, we’ll definitely give you a cool role.”

“Speaking of which, Zhang Liwan from the station tried interviewing him recently, but he refused,” Tian Xiao chimed in helpfully.

“Next time, accepting the interview would be best. It’s a rule we can’t break, even for me as president,” Guan smiled gently. “If you have any suggestions for the storyline, feel free to share. Take your time.”

Without outright doubting Gu Lu’s refusal, Guan instructed Tian Xiao to keep him entertained while he attended to other club matters.

Based on Guan’s demeanor, Gu Lu guessed his family likely dealt in business or politics.

“You should’ve agreed. President Guan was interviewed last year as a model student from Shapingba District,” Tian Xiao remarked, oblivious to the skepticism his president had about his claim earlier.

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