The Magic Cast Upon Words [Shirokuma Literature Club | Project "For Letters"] Participation Article

For letters, there is a certain magic cast upon them. Until you break the seal of the envelope and finish reading the contents of the letter, that magic will not be broken.

This was a sentence inscribed at the beginning of a novel I bought a week ago. The story chronicles the interactions between the protagonist and the people around them, and while it is neither a mystery nor a fantasy novel, I had a strange feeling, as if the beginning of it had caught on a corner of my heart and wouldn't come off.

"You've fallen into the author's trap. But you'll enjoy the story more if you keep reading while under that spell."

I'm not a literary thinker, you know.

Masaya often says that about himself, but I think such speculations are exactly what a literary scholar would make. It makes me want to believe that he is the author of that sentence from earlier (of course, Masaya is a researcher, and the person who wrote the text is a novelist).

"Hehe. Novelists are magicians, aren't they? A spell that won't break until you finish reading—I wonder if I'll fall under it. I'll try reading it, to the very end."

Saying that, I opened the pages of the book I had on my lap and began to follow the story.

A companion for literaturemust be coffee. It shouldn't be too strong or too weak, and while it shouldn't have an overpowering aroma, if it doesn't maintain its fragrance, it becomes much more troublesome than having none at all.

This is not part of the novel. These are words of unknown intent that Masaya, who brewed the coffee for me, suddenly started speaking.

"Masaya. You really are a literary scholar. Just don't let it soak into your bones."

When I whispered that, Masaya smiled and said, "I've made sure to leave a space for family."

Draft Title: The Magic Cast Upon Words
Total Character Count: 606 characters

Thank you for your consideration.

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<©2024 Mutsuki Harunaga. This text is protected by copyright. AI images are not free materials. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.>
(©2024 Mutsuki Harunaga. This text is protected by copyright.
AI images are not free materials; unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.)