All that was left was to attend the event tomorrow at the right time.
Now, she needed to focus on Yukima Azuma's work.
She had to finish the game script quickly.
She couldn't let her work speed be surpassed by some blonde girl.
...
A quiet night passed.
The next day.
Toyosaki High School.
"Yesterday, I saw you carrying a guitar case, running off from Shimokitazawa!"
"Spill the beans, Kita-chan, what on earth have you been up to recently?"
Eriri cornered Kita Ikuyo against the wall, her tone fierce as she questioned her.
Yukima Azuma, observing Eriri's strong stance, nodded in approval.
Eriri was definitely doing better than she did in middle school.
When it's time to be strong, you have to be strong.
Otherwise, one day, her tsundere personality might cause a big problem.
Trapped in the corner with no room left to make excuses, Kita Ikuyo sighed and began to tell the whole truth.
She explained that one day, while strolling with friends in Shimokitazawa, she had heard a musical performance at an art gallery.
There, she became deeply impressed by a female bassist.
Coincidentally, that artist's band was looking for a guitarist and a lead vocalist.
Confident in her singing ability, Kita Ikuyo had boldly signed up.
After joining the band, she had lied to the two older members, claiming that she knew how to play the guitar.
In reality, Kita Ikuyo didn't know how to play at all.
Since then, she had rushed to a music store and spent two months' worth of her pocket money to buy a guitar.
Unfortunately, no matter how much she practiced, she couldn't play a single complete guitar song.
Every time she strummed the strings, the sound was always muffled and broken.
During the band's rehearsals, Kita Ikuyo began making excuses to avoid playing, only participating as the lead singer.
However, the more they practiced, the more helpless she felt, as the band kept pushing her to join in.
Under the pressure from both sides, Kita Ikuyo had been feeling stressed and weighed down.
Yesterday, when Yukima Azuma and the others saw Kita Ikuyo running away with her guitar case, it was because she couldn't bear the pressure anymore and had fled from the band.
After hearing Kita Ikuyo's story, Eriri immediately tried to comfort her.
As Yukima Azuma, who had been listening attentively, sat there, a strange realization suddenly hit him.
"Kita-san, the 'brrr brrrrr' sound you're talking about, isn't that the sound of a bass?"
Kita Ikuyo paused for a moment, then quickly waved her hand.
"Yukima-san, don't comfort me. I know the difference between a bass and a guitar."
As she spoke, Kita Ikuyo pulled out a photo from her phone.
"See, the bass has only four strings, and this one has six strings, so it must be a guitar!"
Yukima Azuma glanced at the photo.
"Kita-san, you know, there's actually a type of bass called a six-string bass."
Kita Ikuyo froze, the smile on her face instantly fading.
Yukima Azuma pointed to the photo.
"That's a six-string bass, or a multi-string bass."
"When you bought it, didn't you ask the store staff for advice, or did you just pick it out yourself?"
Kita Ikuyo was stunned, nodding slightly.
A small girl seemed to crumble in that moment.
That was the guitar she had spent two months' worth of pocket money on, along with her New Year's red envelope savings!
"Kita-chan! Kita-chan! Hang in there, don't let your soul fade away!"
Eriri shook her friend, who seemed like she soul was come out her mouth.
"Leave the bass to me, and you can borrow some money from me. With that, you could buy a new guitar. You can pay me back little by little later."
"I also have a friend who plays guitar really well. I could introduce you to her for lessons."
Yukima Azuma gently patted Kita Ikuyo's head.
Kita Ikuyo immediately snapped out of soul flies away.
Hearing Yukima Azuma's words, she was so moved that she almost burst into tears.
"But that wouldn't be right, Yukima-san, do you even play bass? Buying it and not being able to use it is a waste."
"Besides, introducing friends... that would take a lot of effort, and I feel like I would owe you too much!"
Kita Ikuyo wasn't the type to easily accept help from others.
Even from friends, she always maintained the principle of not taking advantage of others' kindness.
Yukima Azuma waved his hand.
"I'm doing this for Eriri. If you're grateful, thank Eriri instead."
At that moment, Eriri, who had been a bit envious, suddenly felt her heart touched upon hearing those words.
Just then, the two of them looked at her.
It was clear to see that Eriri's fair face gradually turned a soft pink.
Seeing Eriri's flushed face, Yukima Azuma smiled slightly.
In truth, he had his own thoughts.
Bocchi really needed to make more friends to improve her personality.
Kita Ikuyo, a kind and approachable girl, was definitely a great choice.
As for the bass, it would definitely be useful in the future. Buying one almost new at resale price wasn't really a loss.
Chapter 68: Senpai, I Like You
After school.
Yukima Azuma and Kasumigaoka Utaha took the train to Akihabara together.
"Now that you mention it, senpai, why didn't you just go directly to the book signing today instead of coming to school?"
Yukima Azuma exclaimed.
"I'm an excellent student, both academically and morally, unlike ex-boyfriend-kun, who's always skipping school."
Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a soft huff, then sharply responded.
"Even though you're an excellent student, you still sleep in class, huh?"
"I know everything the teachers are talking about, so what's wrong with sleeping?"
"Fair enough."
"What I said is, of course, reasonable. So, ex-boyfriend-kun, have you finished reading my light novel yet?"
After asking, Kasumigaoka Utaha stared intently at Yukima Azuma.
The inspiration for the fourth volume completely came from the person in front of her.
In the first two volumes, the female lead had no soul.
In this volume, she had regained her soul.
But how would he perceive that "soul"?
Would he still be rigid and unable to understand like before?
"I've read it, but... how should I say it? I'm not sure how to evaluate your novel, senpai."
Yukima Azuma looked thoughtful.
When Kasumigaoka Utaha heard Yukima Azuma's response, her brows furrowed slightly.
But Yukima Azuma didn't stop; he continued speaking.
"However, I can still describe my impression a little."
Yukima Azuma looked straight at Kasumigaoka Utaha.
He gazed into her wine-colored eyes.
Yukima Azuma pointed at his chest.
"When I read your novel, senpai, my heart couldn't help but beat faster, and the images described in the book came to mind."
"The image of the female lead, Sayaka, seemed so close to me, she was both beautiful and proud, and full of perfectionism."
"Sayaka's love was both intense and subtle, though she never spoke it, it moved people more than a thousand words could."
"Reading it once, you can only finish the story, but reading it a second time allows you to understand the motivation behind the female lead, Sayaka's actions."
"And only after reading it the third time can people begin to appreciate the perfection of you, senpai, the brilliant novelist who wrote this."
When Kasumigaoka Utaha heard Yukima Azuma say this...
Her brows slightly relaxed.
Her small mouth opened slightly.
Her eyes began to tremble a bit.
It was all correct.
Everything Yukima Azuma said was exactly what she had hoped for in her heart.
It even exceeded her expectations.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had only hoped Yukima Azuma would feel that the female lead in her work had charm.
Perhaps she had also hoped Yukima Azuma would understand the motivation behind the female lead.
Because the first character she wrote, Sayaka, was an extension of herself.
And Yukima Azuma not only understood everything.
Through the story, his gaze even turned towards her.
Looking into Yukima Azuma's eyes, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt like she was on the verge of tears.
"So... so... do you like Sayaka? Even though she... is a bit clumsy, and has... a few flaws."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's words were cut off before she could finish.
"Senpai, what are you saying?"
Yukima Azuma blinked.
"Since the first time I saw the manuscript for this book, I've already fallen in love with Sayaka, the female lead."
"Whether she was shining brightly in the first volume, or when she faced failure in the second, or even when she lived a normal life in the third volume."
"Or now, when she shines brightly again, I've loved her from the start to the end, and that hasn't changed even for a single day."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's words got stuck in her throat.
....
When they got off the train,
Kasumigaoka Utaha lightly kicked Yukima Azuma's calf.
Then she ran into the bookstore's restroom to fix her makeup.
Yukima Azuma smiled and looked at the long line of people waiting outside the store.
Clearly, the publicity campaign by Fujikawa Publishing had been very successful.
The signing event hadn't even started yet, and the line of people was already stretching to the other side of the street.
It was definitely impossible to line up from the beginning.
Yukima Azuma could only try to sneak in.
Fortunately, it seemed like Kasumigaoka Utaha had already informed the staff beforehand.
No one stopped Yukima Azuma.
Sitting behind the signing table, Machida Sonoko was watching Yukima Azuma carefully, as he appeared to be acting suspicious.
It must be him, right?
The male lead in Kasumi Utako-sensei heart.
'Umu... if we consider his looks, he does seem like a good match for Kasumi-sensei.'
Thinking this, Machida Sonoko immediately shook her head.
'No, no!'
'What am I thinking? This guy is the one who caused Kasumi-sensei to fall into a slump in the last two volumes. He could be a terrible man!'
'I need to be more careful, seriously, I'm the editor, I have to be responsible for the author!'
Machida Sonoko thought.
However... What kind of editor would care about the author's private matters like this!
And from this, it was clear that
In reality, Machida Sonoko and Kasumigaoka Utaha, while being editor and author in name,
Had a more friendly relationship in private.
Once Yukima Azuma had entered the store,
He quickly asked an employee for a protective vest.
At least he should disguise himself a little.
Otherwise, with such a striking appearance, standing near the signing event would make it way too easy for him to attract attention.
After putting on the vest,
Yukima Azuma saw Kasumigaoka Utaha walking out of the store.
The two of them locked eyes.
Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Yukima Azuma.
Her eyes were still slightly red.
It was all because of this guy.
Sitting down behind the signing table.
"Shi-chan, you finally made it, shall we begin? Wait, what's up with your eyes?"
Machida Sonoko noticed something was off.
Kasumigaoka Utaha waved her hand.
"It's fine, let's start the signing event."
Machida Sonoko suddenly turned around, glaring at Yukima Azuma.
Yukima Azuma: ???
Caught in a glare without understanding why, Yukima Azuma scratched his head, confused.
...
The signing event began.
The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
After all, this was the fourth volume of the light novel series.
Most of the people attending were loyal fans of Kasumi Utako-sensei.
Though The Metronome in Love had gone through a less successful period, the writing style still had no flaws.
Kasumigaoka Utaha truly deserved the title of a genius light novel author.
Only a few readers had sent letters of complaint.
Moreover, Kasumigaoka Utaha was a beautiful woman.
Naturally, everyone was cheerful and friendly.
Yukima Azuma stood beside, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
At first, when Kasumigaoka Utaha had not yet become a light novel author,
She had not been overly confident in herself.
It was simply her perfectionism that pushed her to be extremely strict with her work.
And it seemed that, in just a moment,
The girl who had never debuted before was now handling large signing events with ease.
This was the child he had seen grow day by day! (Chika: Umu umu!)
Just as Yukima Azuma was reflecting on this,
A faint, unpleasant smell began to spread.
Yukima Azuma immediately snapped out of his thoughts, frowning and looking toward the source of the smell.
Quickly, Yukima Azuma saw, in the crowd,
A person, head lowered, clutching a book, their eyes darting back and forth.
Summer had arrived, yet this person was still wearing a thick fabric mask.
Unless they had an allergy or some other special reason,
Wearing such a mask in weather like this, with short sleeves, clearly indicated that they were either a fool or had some ulterior motive.
Moreover, this person was also wearing a backpack on their chest.
While some people in the crowd wore backpacks like that to avoid disturbing others behind them,
This person was different.
Their backpack was slightly open, and one hand was inside it.
Yukima Azuma kept his expression neutral and quietly moved aside.
He signaled two staff members to prepare to maintain order.
Then, Yukima Azuma slowly approached one side of the signing table.
The protective vest he had been wearing had been discarded at some point.
Kasumigaoka Utaha naturally noticed Yukima Azuma approaching.
She shot him a questioning glance.
Yukima Azuma gestured for her to continue with the event.
Kasumigaoka Utaha resumed signing books for fans.
After each fan thanked her and left,
It was finally the turn of the suspicious individual.
"Kasumi-sensei, I really love your book."
The person stuttered as they handed the book over to her.
What was strange was that the person handed the book in a way that gripped the middle of it.
Just as Kasumigaoka Utaha was about to accept the book,
Yukima Azuma suddenly stepped forward to the signing table.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The loud clapping echoed, causing the entire event to fall into silence.
Yukima Azuma clapped as he spoke:
"Congratulations! You are the 100th reader to attend this signing event, and also the luckiest reader of today's event!"
His words stirred a bit of excitement in the crowd.
