She looks rather ordinarysomeone you'd easily pass by on the street.
As she steps closer and sees Akifumi in person, her expression shifts to one of visible shock.
Then, as she stands before him, a soft blush creeps onto her face, and she nervously stammers, her voice filled with excitement,
"U-Um Are you the Warrior of Love and Hope-sensei!?"
Akifumi chuckles. "I doubt the staff would let an imposter take my seat, right?"
"Pfft" The girl, who had been nervous just moments ago, can't help but giggle.
Akifumi grins. "See? No need to be so tense. If anything, I should be the nervous oneyou guys are the reason I can do what I love!"
"No way!" The girl immediately refutes his words, her eyes shining.
"I've always been a really insecure person," she confesses.
"But when I read Madoka Magica, I saw myself in Homura Akemi. She helped me change so much. I even made friends at school because of her!"
"So I've always wanted to thank you in person. I'm so grateful for this opportunity!"
Akifumi listens, touched by her words.
"I never expected my work to have that kind of impact Hearing that it helped you means the world to me."
This isn't just polite talkit's his genuine feelings.
He smiles warmly and asks, "So, where would you like me to sign?"
"Here!" She eagerly hands him her collector's edition copy.
With practiced elegance, Akifumi writes four bold characters on the page: "Love & Hope."
"Huh? Not 'Warrior'?" she asks, surprised.
Akifumi shakes his head.
"Because Love & Hope is what I wish for my workand for all of you."
"For us?"
"No matter what happens, I hope you always hold on to love and hope."
The girl's eyes light up. "Yes! I've received your blessing loud and clear! Thank you so much!!"
"And thank you for coming today," Akifumi replies, handing her a small Madoka Magica merchandise giftan adorable figure of Mami Tomoe.
"Kawaii!" she exclaims in delight.
Watching her reaction, Akifumi feels a small pang of guilt. After all, he knows what happens to Mami
'I just hope you'll still find her cute after you learn the truth' he thinks to himself, but outwardly, he simply smiles and says,
"I'm glad you like it."
Not wanting to take up too much time, the girl steps back with a slight hint of reluctance.
"There are so many people waiting I shouldn't take up too much of your time."
She waves as she leaves.
"Goodbye, Sensei! I'll always support you!"
Akifumi nods and smiles.
"I'll do my best to meet your expectations."
As the girl walks away, he exhales in relief.
"For a socially anxious person like me, this is kind of exhausting" he muses.
But
"This book signing is actually more enjoyable than I expected."
His thoughts are interrupted as the next fan steps forward.
Then another.
And another.
The line keeps moving, filled with peopleboth men and womeneach carrying different emotions in their eyes: excitement, admiration jealousy?
Wait why jealousy?
Oh. It's a guy.
Are they jealous of my good looks and my talent?
Well, blame fate for that.
It's not my fault the goddess in charge of reincarnation was feeling generous!
With that thought, he puts on his best professional smile and greets the next fan.
Meanwhile, the first girl who got her book signed hasn't left yet.
She's been intercepted by the other fans waiting in line.
"So? Is Sensei handsome in person?"
"Is he really as kind as they say?"
"Waithe's actually a high schooler?!"
One skeptical fan scoffs.
"Yeah, right. There's no way someone can be both ridiculously good-looking and an amazing artist. I love Sensei's work, but let's be realfantasy and reality are totally different things."
Hearing those words, the girlwho had been nervous just minutes agosuddenly flares up in defense.
"You're wrong!" she snaps.
"Sensei is super handsome! He's way better looking than any guy at our school!"
"He's mature, charismatic, and incredibly kind!"
"I was shocked at first tooI couldn't believe he'd be that good-looking! But it was like he read my mind. He made a little joke to ease my nerves, and it worked perfectly!"
"He's even more amazing than I imaginedno, beyond my imagination!!"
Having said all that in one breath, she suddenly realizes how passionate she sounds.
Her face turns bright red, and before anyone can respond, she quickly scurries away.
The remaining fans exchange glances.
"Wait seriously?!"
"Weren't you the one who asked if he was handsome?"
"I was just asking casually! There's no way someone could be that perfect. But now I'm kind of curious."
"Same! That kind of reaction has to be genuine."
"Though, honestly, she might have exaggerated a bit."
"Well, we'll find out soon enough! It's almost our turn!"
"I can't wait!"
"Ehehe~"
The excited chatter continuescompletely oblivious to a certain someone standing nearby, watching with an expression of pure irritation.
"That idiot"
Eriri grumbles under her breath, arms crossed.
Why does he have to be so nice to some random girl he just met?!
Even though she wasn't there to see it firsthand, the way that girl had glowed while talking about him painted a pretty clear picture in her mind.
Beside her, Shiina Mahiru chuckles at Eriri's jealous pout.
"Well, she is his fan, isn't she?"
"Even so, he doesn't have to be that nice!"
"But at the end of the day, she's just a fan, right?"
"I guess." Eriri nods.
I'm his childhood friend! No way some random fan can compare to that
Just as she's about to reassure herself, Mahiru tilts her head and adds,
"If anything, shouldn't you be more worried about me?"
"Hah?! What kind of nonsense is that?!"
Eriri rolls her eyes. "You're beautiful, kind, and an amazing cookthe perfect Yamato Nadeshiko! There's no way you'd ever fall for a guy like him."
Mahiru sighs with a wry smile.
"So that's how you see me, huh?"
[105] Kasumigaoka Utaha Must Call Him Senpai! [200 PS]
But in the end, Shiina Mahiru is just an ordinary person.
Anyone else could easily do these things too.
'Compared to the dazzling Akifumi, no matter how I look at it, I'm still far behind.'
Her thoughts drifted back to that morning on the first day of school.
................
"I'm really happy!"
"Akifumi-kun actually called me by my name so naturally!"
"But... that's not really a good idea."
Shiina Mahiru's face showed a hint of sadness.
"If Eriri hears it, with her personality, she'll definitely overthink things."
....................
"Are you alright?"
Eriri's voice suddenly cut through Mahiru's thoughts.
Mahiru gave a wry smile.
"But I really think I'm just an ordinary person."
No maybe even less than ordinary.
Can I really stay true to myself, just like I did at the start of the school year?
Lost in thought, Mahiru's eyes showed a trace of confusion.
9:30 AM
"Huff huff"
Kasumigaoka Utaha panted slightly, looking at the endless line in front of her with a bitter smile.
"I'm late, huh?"
She had planned to arrive early, but after staying up late writing, she had overslept.
If not for the fifth alarm saving her, she might still be in bed right now.
But
"With a line this long, will I really get in by 3 PM?"
Utaha had no idea.
But since she was already here, she wasn't about to give up so easily.
So, she stepped to the end of the line.
Time passed quickly.
By 2 PM, the staff holding a "Line Closed" sign finally stopped right behind her.
Utaha, who had been nervous the whole time, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I I'm actually the last one in line!"
It was oddly satisfying.
The people behind her, however, weren't nearly as happy.
"Sorry, the signing event ends here."
"What?! No way!"
"Come on! We've been waiting for hours!"
The staff bowed apologetically.
"I'm truly sorry. But the author has been signing since almost 9 AM. They were supposed to take a 30-minute break at noon, but seeing how many people were still waiting, they voluntarily chose to continue."
"They've been working for over five hours straight now!"
"We know you've all traveled a long way and waited for hours, and we really appreciate your support. But the author is exhausted We hope you can understand."
Though disappointed, the crowd ultimately chose to accept it.
'Signing for over five hours straight? That means by 3 PM, it'll be six hours!'
'What kind of superhuman stamina is that?!'
Utaha couldn't help but complain in her head.
At the same time, she was moved.
If what the staff said was true, then if the author had taken even a small break, she wouldn't have made it.
'I wonder what kind of person this author is'
A surge of curiosity filled her.
From what she had heard from Machida Sonoko, the author was only a high school sophomoreone year younger than her.
But here, they weren't just students; they were both professionals in the ACG industry.
Given the author's success, if anything, she should be the one calling them "senpai."
As she stood there, bored, Utaha pulled out her phone and somehow ended up on the author's SNS page.
Their last post was from two weeks ago, but due to today's signing event, there were tons of new comments below it.
"Did anyone go to the signing event? What does the author look like? Tall? Short? Handsome?!"
"I had to work overtime last minute I'm crying in the bathroom."
"How do people not know by now? The author is super handsome!!"
"For real! The craziest thing is, he could totally make a living off their looks, but he choose to rely on their talent instead!"
"He have this way of seeing right through people's hearts. He noticed I was nervous and comforted me so gently."
"Even though I'm also a guy, I have to admithe's ridiculously good-looking!"
"But it's more than just his looks, right?"
"Exactly! Even though he's just a high schooler, he doesn't feel like one at all! Ugh, the gap is too much to handle!!"
"Why do people like this even exist in the world?!"
Utaha stared at the comments, a giant question mark forming above her head.
'Even with an idol filter, isn't this kind of praise a little excessive?'
'Do they not hear themselves?'
Besides, if we're talking about looks
'Can he really be more handsome than that guy?'
A familiar face flashed in her mind.
She didn't really know himthey had no personal connection.
But since they attended the same school, she had seen him around from time to time.
And honestly, he was the most good-looking person she had ever met.
Lately, though, his whole vibe seemed different.
Lost in thought, time passed quickly.
At exactly 3 PM, with the line moving forward one by one, Utaha found herself standing alone outside.
Seconds later, the staff signaled for her to enter.
She bought a collector's edition of Madoka Magica and walked towards the table where the author sat.
As she got closer, she finally saw his face.
Utaha froze in shock.
"The school's idol is actually my senpai?"
No, wait.
"The school's most popular underclassman is actually my idol?!"
Recalling all the SNS comments she had just read, Utaha suddenly understood why everyone was praising him so much.
Because they were all right.
On the other side
"Finally, the last one!"
When Akifumi heard that, he almost cheered out loud.
Keeping a friendly smile for this long had left his facial muscles sore.
His hands, however, weren't too badhis training had paid off.
Still, signing the same thing over and over was mind-numbing.
And after talking for so long, his throat was dry.
'The last fan should be coming up now, right?'
He lifted his head absentmindedly
Then his expression froze.
'Kasumigaoka-senpai?!'
She's my fan?!
Japan really is a small place.
He had lost track of how many autographs he had signed today, but he was certain that quite a few students from Toyogasaki Academy had come.
How did he know?
Simple.
Anyone who directly called him "Akifumi-senpai," "Akifumi-kun," or "Akifumi-san" was clearly from the same school.
Even though he wasn't particularly social, he was well-known on campus.
Utaha's reaction was one of shock and intriguelike she had just made a huge discovery.
Not that Akifumi minded.
It wasn't like he was trying to hide his identity.
Still, to avoid trouble, he casually asked her not to tell others.
How much she would actually keep that promise he wasn't sure.
His voice snapped Utaha out of her daze.
Being recognized didn't surprise her.
After all, she knew him just as well.
Composing herself, she confidently stepped forward and reached out a hand.
"Nice to meet you, Ko No, wait I should be calling you Senpai."
.......................
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally! Just a heads-up, there will be new advanced chapters every day in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[106] Bad Joke
Akifumi was momentarily stunned by Kasumigaoka Utaha's greeting but quickly recovered, smiling as he replied,
"I'm also reading your Love Metronome, Kasumigaoka-senpai. Volume 3 was fantastic."
Since she had shown him respect by addressing him as 'senpai,' Akifumi naturally returned the courtesy.
Kasumigaoka Utaha blinked in surprise, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
"I actually attended your book signing with a friend back then," he explained with a light chuckle.
"But, well I had spent too much on figurines and was too embarrassed to ask for an autograph."
Thinking back, it was probably because he was there that Tomoya wasn't the last to arrive that day.
Though he had offered words of encouragement back then, the presence of other fans meant there wasn't much time to talk.
After all, a single ray of light shining into someone's darkest moment can illuminate their entire world.
But when someone is already full of hope, even trying to stand out can be difficult.
That's why there hadn't been much interaction afterward.
It's fascinating how a seemingly insignificant detail can alter the course of events.
Perhaps that's the terrifying nature of the butterfly effect.
Hearing his explanation, Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes flickered with understanding.
It wasn't surprising that she had no idea he had been at the signing event.
