~ As time passed, Kasumigaoka Utaha’s light novel signing event proceeded as scheduled in the lobby of the hotel next to the Fushikawa Bunko office building.
Organized by Machida Sonoko and the staff, Kasumigaoka Utaha sat at the center of the hall, a small, one-meter-long table placed before her to facilitate the signing.
With the release of the first volume of Koisuru Metronome, Kasumigaoka Utaha had already garnered a modest reputation among the youth of Japan.
Consequently, less than five minutes after she took her seat, someone who had just purchased the book from Fushikawa Bunko next door came running over.
The first fan was a middle school girl, appearing to be in her second or third year.
When she walked into the lobby and saw no queue, her eyes lit up.
She trotted over to Kasumigaoka Utaha’s table with light, quick steps.
“Kasumi-sensei, p-please sign this for me.” “Certainly.” A rare smile graced Kasumigaoka Utaha’s usually icy features.
She had absolutely no resistance to cute girls.
After signing the book’s cover, she spoke in a tone brimming with warmth.
“Since you are the very first customer to ask for my signature, I can write a little something extra for you.” “Is there anything specific you would like me to write, little sister?” “Ah!” The sudden surprise made the girl slightly nervous.
She clutched the hem of her skirt.
“Then…
please write ‘Wishing Mikan to always be happy,’ Kasumi-sensei.” Kasumigaoka Utaha quickly penned the words in her beautiful handwriting and handed the book back.
“Is Mikan your name?” “Yes.” The girl nodded.
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled faintly.
“It is a lovely name.” “N-no, not really.” The girl named Mikan felt a bit shy, a blush dusting her youthful face.
“Um, Kasumi-sensei, I will be going now.” Noticing people starting to line up behind her, the girl knew that staying longer would disturb others.
Coupled with her slight social anxiety, she prepared to take her leave.
“Be careful on your way home.” Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded, making no attempt to keep her.
The girl was cute, certainly, but Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn’t forget the most important task at hand.
After the girl left, seeing that the next fan was male, Kasumigaoka Utaha’s smile vanished instantly.
Her expression became emotionless and cold.
Yet, whenever a female fan approached, Kasumigaoka Utaha would offer a smile.
Watching from the backstage area, Yuen couldn’t help but smirk at her blatantly differential treatment.
However, his smile quickly faded as he turned his head to look at Machida Sonoko beside him, asking with slight confusion, “Machida-san, is there a reason you keep staring at me?” Machida Sonoko stood with her arms crossed, her expression no longer as friendly as when they first met.
Instead, she looked quite hostile.
“I am wondering just what method you used, Yuen-kun, to make Utaha-chan believe unconditionally that you are a god.” “Machida-san, I haven’t done anything.” Yuen’s smile was perfectly natural.
He had anticipated Machida Sonoko’s skepticism.
After all, in the modern era, he was the only god left.
The others had either died or been forced to return to Takamagahara, unable to interfere in the mortal world.
Since gods could no longer manifest their power, belief in their existence had gradually faded.
Nowadays, most people visited shrines merely for peace of mind.
Machida Sonoko found herself uncontrollably drawn to Yuen’s smile.
Startled, she shook her head vigorously, reminding herself not to be seduced by his good looks.
“You might be able to fool Utaha-chan, but you can’t fool me.
Although my grandmother also claimed she had seen a god, I think she was just getting old and a bit senile.” “Oh?
What is your grandmother’s name?” Yuen was slightly surprised.
Very few people had seen him in the last century because he rarely ever went down the mountain.
He’s acting the part well…
Machida Sonoko rolled her eyes.
“Machida Miyu.
Before she married my grandfather, her surname was Noguchi.” “So it was Noguchi Miyu.” Yuen recalled the young girl he had encountered over sixty years ago.
“If I recall correctly, she liked to wear her hair in braids and wore round-framed glasses, didn’t she?” “How…
how do you know?” Machida Sonoko had been preparing a sneer to expose Yuen, but hearing those words, her face froze.
She had accidentally seen a photo of her grandmother when she was young, and she looked exactly as Yuen described.
Yuen answered calmly, “Naturally, because I have met her before.” “Impossible!” Machida Sonoko felt like she was listening to a fantasy.
Her heart refused to believe Yuen’s words.
But that photo of her young grandmother was kept in the deepest drawer of the cabinet in her family home.
Her family didn’t have any relatives with the surname “Yuen” or “Yuuki.” so it should be impossible for Yuen to have seen it.
Seeing Machida Sonoko lower her head, seemingly questioning her knowledge, Yuen smiled faintly and said no more.
He turned his gaze back to the center of the hall, where Kasumigaoka Utaha was diligently signing books for her fans.
…..
Throughout the entire morning.
Kasumigaoka Utaha never stopped working.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to rest, but the fans came one after another, leaving her no free time.
Fortunately, the signing event only lasted half a day.
If she had to sign all day, her wrist would probably be ruined.
“Utaha-chan, thank you for your hard work.” Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha walking toward her, Machida Sonoko temporarily chose to forget her confusion about how Yuen knew her grandmother’s appearance.
Kasumigaoka Utaha rotated her wrist to relieve the soreness.
“A little hard work is fine.
Just don’t forget my extra bonus, Machida-san.” Inviting light novel authors for signing events involved an appearance fee.
Especially since Kasumigaoka Utaha was a high school student and a beautiful girl, Fushikawa Bunko used this as a promotional gimmick.
An appearance fee and an extra bonus were only natural.
“I won’t forget!” Machida Sonoko’s distressed expression vanished.
She pouted and muttered, “It’s not good to be so obsessed with money at such a young age.” Kasumigaoka Utaha scoffed nonchalantly.
“Don’t you like money, Machida-san?
If you don’t, why don’t you just give all your money to me?” Machida Sonoko glared at her.
“Keep dreaming.
I need to save it for my future children.” Kasumigaoka Utaha didn’t bother arguing with Machida Sonoko any further; her stomach was already rumbling in protest.
“Machida-san, since the signing event is over, I assume you don’t need me anymore?
I’ll leave the rest to you.
Yuen-kun and I are heading out first.” With those words, without waiting for Machida Sonoko to respond, Kasumigaoka Utaha grabbed Yuen and left through the hotel’s back door.
As for why they didn’t use the front door…
The signing event had just ended, and there was a high probability that the fans hadn’t dispersed yet.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, leaving through the back was the correct choice.
Watching the retreating figures of Kasumigaoka Utaha and Yuen, Machida Sonoko sighed helplessly.
“So willful…
I hadn’t even agreed yet.”