The girl who wished to read lots of books, even after death,
began a new life in this world as Main, the daughter of a struggling family.
If only I had a book to read...
Yeah, as long as I have books,
I can deal with things no matter where I am.
However, books are extremely expensive in this world.
Hey, do you know a shop that sells books? Where is it?
A shop? There isn't one.
Books have to be copied by hand, you see.
They cost so much money that very few people can buy any.
And so, she came to a resolution...
If she couldn't get any books to read, she'd just have to make them herself.
I'm gonna make a book.
My very own book.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Two Life Improvements and Slates
Forget it. I don't care what it takes.
I'm gonna get my books, if it's the last thing I do!
I won't let this world beat me!
But where do I buy paper?
Oh, maybe I can find out by searching Main's memories.
Paper, paper, paper...
Nope! I don't have any memories pertaining to paper!
And my hair feels like sandpaper! It's so itchy!
I'm home.
Welcome back, Turi. Thank you.
This world doesn't have any books or schools.
Kids here either help out with housework or go to work.
Mom.
I got to pick a bunch of meryl fruit today.
Looks like an avocado.
Let's extract the oil from them while they're fresh.
Get things ready, Turi.
Okay.
Oil? You can extract oil from meryl fruit?
Yeah, why?
I can make shampoo!
Life improvement.
Yahoo!
I can wash my hair for the first time in a week!
When I was Urano, I made lots of homemade soaps and shampoos with my mother,
so I know how to do it.
If I extract the oil from a fruit,
use some herbs for fragrance, and add a pinch of salt...
I should have my very own shampoo!
Turi.
May I have some meryl fruit?
I'd like to extract oil for myself.
You want to try it, too?
Sure.
Listen up.
You have to wrap it in cloth so it doesn't splatter...
M-Main? What do you think you're doing?
I see. I should've wrapped it in cloth so it didn't splatter.
Main?
No playing with food!
All done!
Main, the water's all boiled now.
That smells amazing.
What are you doing?!
Washing my hair.
Wh-What?
Why does your hair look like the night sky now?
What did you just make?
Well, uh...
Simple All-In-One Shampoo, I guess?
When Mom steps out for work,
Turi and I have to watch the house.
Hey, Dad forgot to take this!
Isn't that what he was rushing Mom to make earlier?
Yeah. She'll get real mad if she finds out.
And he'll need it, too.
We should go deliver it to him.
Main, do you think you can walk to the gate?
Are you okay?
No wonder Mom insisted on the piggyback ride.
Maybe we shouldn't do this.
You can't handle it yet.
I'll be fine...
if we walk... nice and slowly...
Huh? Turi?
Ralph? Lutz and Fey, too.
Wow, check out this rainbow hair squad.
Are you going to the forest?
Yeah. What are you doing?
We were thinking of heading to the gate to deliver something Dad forgot to take.
Are they neighbors?
I knew it.
Ralph, the redhead, is the same age as Turi.
He's the third of four brothers.
Fey's the same age, too. He's Ralph's cousin.
Lutz, the blond, is Ralph's little brother.
He's five like I am now, huh?
Main! Are you okay?
Yeah. I just got a little dizzy.
I can't even get up after a fall.
This body really is frail.
Main, you okay?
You're going to the gate, right? I'll give you a ride.
Lutz.
You can't handle it yet.
I can, too.
I'll carry her.
Come on.
Thanks for offering, Lutz.
But Ralph's used to it, so let him carry her.
Fine.
Lutz, it made me happy to see you were so worried about me.
You're so nice. Thank you.
Ralph, how are you holding up?
All good. Main's tiny and light.
Thank you, really.
Sure.
Oh? Ralphy, my dear boy, dost thou have the hots for sister mine?
Turi.
What is it?
You smell really nice.
Do I?
Squee!
Did you hear that, Mrs. Rubbernecker? "You smell really nice," he says!
What is he, the hero in a shoujo manga?!
Well, I did wash Turi's hair for her.
She looks prettier now, right?
Even my hair's all silky now!
Yeah, it smells great.
Okay, time to dump this.
Yeah.
Hold it!
Mom?
I didn't expect Mom to be so conscious of her appearance, though.
Your hair smells nice, too.
And you look prettier now that your hair's tied up and doesn't cover your face.
What in the blue hell was that?!
I've never had anyone do that to me in all my years, so I don't know how to respond!
I'm a modest and shy wallflower!
This world is gonna give me a heart attack!
Main.
Look, we've made it to the south gate.
Dad.
Turi? What's the matter?
You forgot this.
Oh, thank you!
Lutz and the others split off and continued to the forest,
while we went inside the gate.
They brought you something you forgot? Your daughters are very nice.
Aren't they?
That's my daughters, the cutest and smartest girls in the world!
There goes the captain, bragging about his girls again.
I love you two so much!
Stop that!
Dad, did something happen?
A VIP must've showed up.
Like who?
Like a noble whose arrival we'd have to inform the lord about,
or something like that.
Captain.
Otto.
Is that the salute here?
Give me your report, Otto.
Count Lowenhardt asks that the gates be opened.
His seal?
It checked out.
All right. Let him through.
Dad's so cool when he's in work mode.
R-Right...
That's paper!
Actual writing!
Main, don't get in the way of work.
Dad, what's this?
Oh, it's parchment.
Paper made from goat and sheep skin.
Parchment...
I beg you, Dad.
Please buy some for me.
No.
I really need it!
It's not something for kids to play with.
Besides, you don't know how to read or write.
Well, yeah...
But, Captain, you aren't great at writing yourself.
What? You can't write?
A soldier's job is to maintain law and order in town!
As long as we know how to write people's names, that's enough.
I'll learn.
Will you buy it for me then?
Each one costs a whole month's salary. I can't spend that much on a kid.
A whole month?!
Also, they don't sell paper in shops commoners frequent.
Down with poverty!
If you want to learn how to read and write, why not use a slate?
If you don't mind using my old one, you can have it.
Slate
Are you sure?
Yeah. I'll bring it with me sometime.
Thank you, Mister Otto!
Please teach me how to read and write!
Sure thing, Main.
I'm counting on you!
You got it.
I love you, Mister Otto!
Hooray!
Otto!
Ascendance of a Bookworm
As fall nears its end,
people here start preparing for the long winter ahead.
Inundated with winter prep work, I had no time to spare for bookmaking.
And today is "Dona, Dona"—
I mean, pork stocking day.
It's like a festival. You'll have fun.
We all butcher pigs together,
then brine and smoke the meat, or make pot roast and sausages.
We won't last the winter otherwise.
Butchering pigs...
I hope Main doesn't develop a fever midway like last year.
I wish I had developed a fever again.
It's so different than being in town!
And the air is so fresh! I feel alive again!
Main, keep your mouth shut, or you'll bite your tongue.
You need asphalt roads!
We've only got sons, so...
I was told to watch from afar since they didn't want me bothering them.
Not that I mind. This gives me time to brainstorm.
Both books and paper are too expensive to buy.
Then I'll have to start by making my own paper!
But how am I supposed to?
There's no way I can chop down trees with my own hands.
Hold it!
Ugh, how primitive.
Oh, yeah. What did they do before all the machinery was invented?
Ancient civilizations... Ancient Egypt...
Papyrus!
Even if I can't make papyrus, I should be able to weave something out of grass fiber!
Yeah, I'll make pseudo-papyrus and make a book out of that!
Here I go.
Where am I?
I'm so glad you came to.
Mister Otto?
You remember me?
How could I forget?
How do you feel? Better now?
Uh...
Why am I here?
You fainted during pork stocking.
The captain brought you here in a panic.
He said they'll pick you up once they're done.
Is that so?
Are you lonely?
No. I was just wondering how I should kill time.
Right, he did say you were older than you looked.
Give me a minute.
Will this help you pass the time?
A slate!
I said I'd give you mine, didn't I?
Here.
That's your name.
So this is how my name's written.
I'll have to get back to work, so why don't you practice with that?
M... a... i... n...
I'm so excited!
Actual letters!
Fun!
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
This is so much fun!
Motosu Urano
Motosu Urano, huh?
But that's not my name anymore.
Eva, Mom
Eva, Mom.
Gunther, Dad
Gunther, Dad.
Turi
Turi.
Ralph.
Ralph
Fey.
Fey
Mister Otto
Mister Otto.
Lutz
Lutz.
Main
Main.
Eva, Mom Ralph Gunther Fey Dad Main Lutz Turi Mister Otto
Main, the captain's back for you.
So hot
B-Big trouble, Captain! It's Main!
You have a fever again, huh?
Sorry. I know we haven't finished preparing for winter yet.
That's some of the sausage we all made together.
This is good.
Turi, this sausage is really delicious!
Yeah? Well, you better sleep once you're done eating.
'Kay.
The soup does need improvement, though.
That was great.
Look at how happy I'm feeling just by being able to write.
I'd probably be on cloud nine if I could read an actual book.
Huh? Wait, didn't I hit upon a great idea before I fainted?
What was it?
Next Chapter The Events of Winter
Papyrus, damn it! Papyrus!
I'm such a klutz!
That's nothing new.
That aside, I didn't expect the AIO Shampoo to make an appearance this early.
Really?
But that's what leads to meeting the mercha—
Spoilers again?
Will you ever learn?
Illustration by Suzuka