Some people were envious of the luck of the person in front,
While others wondered why it was already the 100th reader and the line still hadn't reached their turn.
The person in question, suddenly put in the spotlight, appeared not joyful at all but instead panicked.
Yukima Azuma reached out and grabbed the book the person had offered.
The moment he touched it, Yukima Azuma felt the weight of the book was off.
"Next, just answer one very simple question, and you'll receive a special edition of the new book."
"So, may I ask, what is the title of the first chapter in The Metronome in Love by Kasumi-sensei?"
Yukima Azuma smiled and asked, while touching the middle of the book.
The sensation was definitely wrong.
There was a hollowed-out section.
He could feel something uneven inside the book.
It was clear that the book had been hollowed out in a spot,
And something was placed inside it.
The person's eyes were filled with an unmistakable panic, and they kept staring at the book in Yukima Azuma's hand.
"I don't know! Give the book back to me, I need to leave!"
Though the question was simple and not answering it wouldn't have affected the signing,
This person screamed like that.
Yukima Azuma sneered coldly, then gripped the book tightly and threw it forcefully at the wall next to him, where no one was standing.
The book hit the wall, and immediately, the sound of breaking glass was heard.
When it hit the floor, the pages of the book opened, and a sticky, milky-white liquid spilled out from between the pages. (t/n: ughhh, that's not what I think, is it?)
The crowd in line gasped in horror as the plot was revealed.
The criminal turned and immediately tried to flee.
Yukima Azuma quickly acted, using one hand to brace himself and swiftly jumping over the signing table.
The physical strength from his intense training not only provided him with superior strength and stamina but also agility.
To prevent the crowd from witnessing the horrifying scene, Yukima Azuma didn't use excessive force but simply delivered a swift kick to the criminal's thigh.
The person, who had only run a few steps, immediately collapsed to the ground.
Yukima Azuma stepped forward, preparing to twist the criminal's arm behind his back and pin him to the ground.
Perhaps feeling there was no way out, the criminal turned his back to Yukima Azuma and suddenly threw something towards him.
Yukima Azuma barely had time to tilt his head slightly.
The heavy object grazed across his forehead, causing his head to uncontrollably tilt back for a moment.
Without missing a beat, Yukima Azuma continued with his actions.
He kicked the criminal to the ground, twisted his arm behind his back, causing him to feel sharp pain with any movement.
At the same time, he pressed his knee into the criminal's neck.
Of course, Yukima Azuma didn't use too much force, knowing that applying too much could be life-threatening.
The whole event happened in the blink of an eye.
Those around them could only take a few steps back in shock.
The staff, who had been warned earlier, rushed over to assist.
They maintained order among the crowd while using nylon ropes to securely bind the criminal, fully subdued by Yukima Azuma.
"Azuma!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha cried out, rushing over.
Only then did Yukima Azuma turn and check what had hit him.
As he had suspected, it was a handheld camera.
His vision suddenly became blurry and tinted red.
Under Kasumigaoka Utaha's concerned gaze, Yukima Azuma realized he had been injured.
He touched his forehead.
The sticky sensation was evident.
Although he had tilted his head to avoid it, he hadn't been quick enough, and the camera still grazed his forehead.
However, it wasn't anything serious just a superficial scratch.
There was no dizziness or discomfort.
In fact, the camera hadn't hit him directly but merely scraped across his forehead.
Yukima Azuma held up his hand to stop Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was rushing towards him.
In a low voice, he said:
"It's fine, continue with the signing. We'll talk about it when it's over."
Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately shook her head, wanting to refuse.
He had been hurt!
How could she continue the signing as if nothing had happened?
"If the signing is interrupted, then everything I've done will have been in vain, won't it?"
"Senpai, I like you. I like Sayaka too. Neither of you can face any more setbacks."
Hearing Yukima Azuma's words, Kasumigaoka Utaha bit her lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
She wasn't sure how she managed to suppress her emotions.
Biting her lip, she tried to push her feelings down, sitting back behind the signing table.
Yukima Azuma pulled a few pieces of paper from his pocket and wiped the blood from his forehead hastily.
Afterward, he pressed one of the sheets to the wound.
Once he finished tending to it, he turned back to face the confused crowd.
"Please, everyone, don't panic. I apologize for the small incident," Yukima Azuma said, his voice steady and calm. "But the staff will handle the situation quickly, and the signing event will continue. I hope this doesn't disrupt your excitement."
"To make the signing process smoother, please turn to the page where you'd like the signature, and place the book on the table. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation."
Yukima Azuma's appearance once again worked its magic.
Seeing the handsome young man injured, the crowd didn't step back. Instead, they clapped in appreciation for his swift action.
Following the staff's instructions, they continued to line up and the signing event resumed.
Yukima Azuma moved to the back to attend to his wound.
Kasumigaoka Utaha watched him go, her gaze gradually drifting toward him.
"I'll go help and check on him," Machida Sonoko said, patting Kasumigaoka Utaha's shoulder before quickly moving to the back.
Kasumigaoka Utaha hurriedly turned back, her attention now focused on the book in front of her.
Though the situation was a bit difficult, the readers understood and sympathized after the incident.
As the others came forward, they didn't blame Kasumigaoka Utaha's demeanor. Instead, they offered words of comfort.
But as those words reached her ears, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt her heart ache even more.
The scattered books were collected.
The broken camera, discarded nearby, was also taken away.
If Kasumigaoka Utaha still didn't understand what had happened, she would not be a genius but rather foolish.
Had she opened the book as usual, and if that liquid had splashed out and stained her, and then the man pulled out the camera and filmed it, as a talented girl and a famous light novel author, she would have been bombarded on social media with filthy comments, which would destroy her writing career.
Her life would have been plunged into darkness.
That was the nature of the internetif there were no images, people would fabricate stories. If there were images, everything would turn into horrifying narratives.
Yukima Azuma had saved her.
Even injured, he prioritized her signing event over his own wound.
Kasumigaoka Utaha wished she could rush to him now, care for his injury, and hold him tightly.
But he had told her to continue.
Kasumigaoka Utaha could only stand still, completing the signing process.
No matter how much her heart hurt, she could only endure with patience now.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was experiencing the longest signing event of her life.
— — — — — — — — — — —
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Chapter 69: Kasumi-sensei, where are your tights?
Yukima Azuma sat down at the table in the store's office, holding his forehead with his hand.
The staff quickly ran off to get a mirror, medical supplies, and other necessary items.
Yukima Azuma took the mirror and glanced at himself briefly.
As expected.
The problem wasn't serious.
It was just a small scratch that had torn the skin.
All it needed was to be disinfected with some alcohol, and then a band-aid could fix it.
"Do you need to go to the hospital?"
A staff member asked.
Yukima Azuma shook his head.
"No need."
He then picked up the alcohol bottle beside him, poured some onto a cotton ball, and began wiping the blood and the wound on his forehead.
The sight made the nearby staff members grimace.
Machida Sonoko just happened to run in.
Upon seeing Yukima Azuma's actions, her face couldn't help but scrunch up.
She rushed over, snatched the items from Yukima Azuma's hands.
Then, she carefully began treating the wound for him.
Trying to be as gentle as possible with her movements.
After cleaning the wound, she applied medicine to stop the bleeding and aid in recovery.
Finally, she placed a large band-aid on it.
After everything was done,
Machida Sonoko, just like Yukima Azuma, sat on the table next to him.
"Thank you."
"But excuse me, who are you?"
Yukima Azuma had been somewhat curious about the identity of the grown woman in front of him.
"I am Machida Sonoko, the person in charge of Kasumi"
Before she could finish her sentence, Yukima Azuma cut in.
"You're the editor of senpai, right? I've often heard her mention you. Thank you so much for taking care of senpai all these years."
Machida Sonoko froze for a moment.
Then, she helplessly held her forehead.
Wasn't that her line?
"I should be the one thanking you. I've been with Kasumi-sensei for a long time."
"This signing event is very important for Kasumi-sensei. If anything goes wrong, it could all fall apart."
Fujikawa Publishing House had invested a lot of resources to promote Kasumigaoka and Volume 4 of The Metronome in Love.
Its famous had increased significantly.
If everything went smoothly, with the quality of Volume 4, it would definitely exceed expectations.
But if something went wrong...
That huge amount of attention could turn into a double-edged sword.
Yukima Azuma was not only Kasumigaoka's benefactor, but also the benefactor of Fujikawa Publishing House.
"To be honest, when I read the manuscript for The Metronome in Love, I once scolded you as a scumbag."
Leaning against the wall, Machida Sonoko looked up at the ceiling.
Yukima Azuma could only smile bitterly.
Volume 2 of The Metronome in Love was full of resentment that Kasumigaoka had poured into it.
Anyone who didn't know the background and read it would think they had come across a terrible man.
"At that time, I even felt sorry for Kasumi-sensei, as if you had deceived her."
"But now I understand, you really are someone worthy, someone good enough to make Kasumi-sensei always remember and never forget."
"So, after thanking you, I also need to apologize to you."
Machida Sonoko bowed her head and apologized to Yukima Azuma.
"Instead, did senpai ever badmouth me? Honestly answer, I'll let it go if that's the case."
Yukima Azuma said with a smile.
Machida Sonoko froze for a moment, then understood.
Yukima Azuma was offering her an out in this situation.
"I wouldn't go around tattling."
Machida Sonoko snorted lightly.
But after glancing at Yukima Azuma, she added:
"But in return, I'll keep an eye on Kasumi-sensei and make sure no one else gets too close to her."
This was an unexpected delight for Yukima Azuma.
Although Kasumigaoka Utaha always kept her distance from others,
Because of her beauty,
She inevitably attracted the attention of unscrupulous people, which, in fact, caused Kasumigaoka Utaha a lot of headaches.
Machida Sonoko's willingness to help was truly a good thing.
While they were talking, the office door suddenly swung open.
Kasumigaoka Utaha stormed in.
At some point, time had quietly passed, and the signing event had come to an end.
Seeing this, Machida Sonoko immediately made a decisive move to step outside.
She didn't want to become the "third wheel" for the two of them.
As Kasumigaoka's editor and close friend, she fully approved of this couple.
Lock him down!
....
The office door closed.
Kasumigaoka Utaha stormed in with an imposing presence.
Her wine-red eyes were misty with tears.
Her pale, slender hands were clenched tightly, not loosening.
Even her body was trembling slightly.
She clearly looked extremely angry.
Seeing this, Yukima Azuma immediately panicked.
"Senpai... I"
He was about to explain a few things.
But Kasumigaoka Utaha rushed forward.
She bit down hard on Yukima Azuma's lip.
Cutting off any words he was about to say.
Feeling the softness and moisture from her lips,
Yukima Azuma's eyes widened.
Was he being forcibly kissed!?
Not only that...
Kasumigaoka Utaha still pushed Yukima Azuma back strongly, causing him to fall onto the table.
Both of them lay down on the long table.
The kiss lasted for a long time.
The kiss lasted so long that Yukima Azuma had a "reaction" like a high school boy.
Something raising but not the shield hero.
Kasumigaoka Utaha only stopped when the oxygen in her lungs was completely gone.
She lifted her head, breathing heavily.
That sound... definitely had some lewd.
In the confined space of the office, the atmosphere became filled with a pink hue.
"Are you... okay?"
After barely being able to speak, Kasumigaoka Utaha softly asked.
"Shouldn't you ask that before forcing a kiss?"
Yukima Azuma said with a mix of helplessness and amusement.
If you were worried about me, why did you rush in and kiss me first?
"You clearly look fine, and on top of that, you're worried about the autograph session!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha gritted her teeth, speaking in a tone full of resentment.
Yukima Azuma wrapped his arm around Kasumigaoka's neck, pulling her closer.
This positionher on top and him belowseemed a little odd, but when the person on top was a strong senpai like Kasumigaoka, it felt entirely appropriate.
"Because I know, senpai loves literature and values her role as a light novel author."
