The autograph session at the convention... is actually for me?!
At that moment, Kotomi Izumi sat blankly in her chair, her mind completely empty except for that single thought.
She'd already given up any real hope of getting an autograph session. No matter how well her book sold, she was still a newcomer who had only published a single volume.
When Dengeki Bunko assigned autograph-session slots, veteran bestselling authors would naturally be given priority.
The fact that Volume One of Sword Art Online was receiving a convention-exclusive edition so long after the first-print limited edition had gone on sale was already an unprecedented exception by Dengeki Bunko's standards.
Kotomi Izumi had already convinced herself that simply securing a convention-exclusive edition this time around counted as a success. She would patiently build up her momentum, then seize an autograph-session slot in one fell swoop at next year's Dengeki Expo.
But sometimes fate really did come through for you. Before she'd even had the chance to patiently build up anything, she'd somehow managed to secure an autograph-session slot at this year's convention!
Kotomi Izumi was thrilled, but at the same time, she found the whole thing difficult to believe. She hurriedly checked the date displayed on her computer to make sure today wasn't April 1st.
After confirming that it wasn't April 1st, she pinched her own cheek. She used a little force, and only after feeling the faint sting did Kotomi Izumi finally realize that she wasn't dreaming and that today wasn't April Fools' Day!
Once she'd confirmed all of that, Kotomi Izumi finally spoke again to Haruno Yukinoshita on the other end of the call.
"Guess what I just did?"
"Spun around in circles because you were so happy?"
"Wrong! First, I checked the date on my computer. After confirming that today wasn't April Fools' Day, I pinched my cheek really hard. Only after realizing I wasn't dreaming did I finally start believing that the autograph session at this year's convention really is for me."
Kotomi Izumi slowly explained everything she'd just done.
"Pfft..."
After hearing that, Haruno Yukinoshita couldn't help bursting into laughter. Then she suddenly adopted an extremely serious tone.
"Ah... my dear Miss Izumi, the moment you said that, I suddenly realized there might be a slight lack of mutual trust between the two of us. More accurately, you don't trust me enough."
"Didn't you realize I was joking just now?"
"No!"
"Stop pretending. If you really hadn't realized it, you wouldn't be putting on that fake serious tone while talking to me. My hearing is really good. I can immediately tell whether someone is genuinely serious or only pretending to be."
Kotomi Izumi mercilessly exposed Haruno Yukinoshita's act.
"Ah—damn it, Kotomi. Sometimes I seriously wonder whether you're actually a normal sixteen-year-old high school girl. You clearly have the innocence of a high school girl, but sometimes you're as sharp as an adult."
Haruno Yukinoshita couldn't help sighing in amazement.
"I'll be eighteen in just two more years~" Kotomi Izumi said with a giggle.
"That's not the point!" Haruno Yukinoshita retorted.
After a while, Haruno Yukinoshita spoke again.
"So, Kotomi, do you have time to attend the autograph session at the Dengeki Expo tomorrow? I started trying to notify you on Monday, but I never expected LINE to fail at the worst possible moment and trap every message I sent you. I'm starting to wonder whether, if I hadn't called you today and told you about it, and you hadn't pressed Refresh, those messages would've stayed stuck there for years. Maybe even until Dengeki Bunko went bankrupt?"
"Hehehe. If I'd known you were going to say that, I would've started recording just now. Then I could've saved the part where you cursed Dengeki Bunko to go bankrupt and used it to blackmail you whenever I got bored."
Kotomi Izumi joked.
"It's not completely impossible. No matter how popular a light novel imprint is, it can still shut down for all sorts of reasons. Wasn't there a light novel imprint like that before?
"At its peak, it could even compete head-to-head with Dengeki Bunko and Kadokawa Bunko. Some of its light novels became the dominant anime of the spring and autumn seasons after receiving adaptations.
"But what happened in the end? After a few absolutely miraculous business decisions, the imprint destroyed an excellent hand and announced its closure a few years ago, shutting down its official servers too."
Haruno Yukinoshita didn't know much about light novels. Before Kotomi Izumi signed with Dengeki Bunko, she'd always been a small-time editor with no achievements to her name. If Kotomi hadn't signed with Dengeki Bunko, Haruno might still be a junior editor who didn't even qualify as an assigned editor.
Even so, Haruno remembered all sorts of gossip about the different light novel imprints very clearly. During lunch breaks, she'd often overheard coworkers discussing news about which imprint had just produced another breakout hit or which imprint was supposedly on the verge of bankruptcy.
"Oh, oh, I remember the imprint you're talking about really well. Before it shut down, I bought an annual membership on its official website. I never expected it to go bankrupt just a few months after I paid. They didn't even refund the membership fee."
Whenever Kotomi Izumi remembered that incident, her heart still ached. Back then, a single annual membership had cost the equivalent of half a month's allowance!
Half a month's allowance had vanished without a trace. Even now, remembering it made Kotomi Izumi's heart hurt enough to briefly enter a state of "rational consumption."
For example, spending a little less time browsing shopping websites.
"Aw, that's so sad. But you shouldn't have to feel bad about the cost of an annual membership anymore, right? Sword Art Online brings you so much in royalties every month."
"No. Money still hurts when you lose it, no matter how much you have. Something as wonderful as money only needs to be wasted once for me to regret it for half a year. That's just the kind of person I am. If I order something expensive and terrible at a restaurant, I can literally lie awake at night because of it."
Kotomi Izumi spoke her true feelings. Nothing about what she'd said sounded like something a wealthy heiress would say.
"My Kotomi really does know how to treasure money... All right, enough chatting. Hurry up and tell me whether you want to attend the autograph session."
"Of course I do. Ever since I found out there'd be autograph sessions at the Dengeki Expo, I've been itching to participate... Ah... Wait. Did you just slip something extra into that sentence?"
Kotomi Izumi answered without thinking, only to suddenly realize halfway through that Haruno had added the words 'my Kotomi.'
"Did I?"
Haruno Yukinoshita smiled faintly. Seeing how naturally Kotomi had responded, she'd assumed Kotomi hadn't noticed. Apparently Kotomi was a little slow, but not that slow. She'd realized what Haruno had said halfway through her answer.
"You did! Since when did I belong to you?!" Kotomi Izumi shot back, unwilling to concede.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. It just slipped out. Don't worry about it."
"Damn it—"
Kotomi Izumi was about to say something else when Haruno Yukinoshita cheerfully cut her off.
"All right. Since you've decided to attend the autograph session tomorrow, remember to go to bed early tonight. Don't sleep until you wake up naturally. I'll drive over and pick you up tomorrow morning. I should reach your house at around nine, so you can wake up an hour earlier and make yourself nice and pretty.
"After all, this will be the first time since your debut that you're meeting your readers in person. I'm sure they're all very curious about what Izumi Ki, the person who retweets all kinds of lewd pictures on Twitter, actually looks like in real life."
"I know~ Even without you telling me, I'll make sure I look gorgeous."
With how narcissistic Kotomi Izumi was, there was no way she'd allow herself to appear at an autograph session without making a dazzling entrance.
It wasn't even an exaggeration to say that from the moment Haruno told her she had an autograph session tomorrow, Kotomi Izumi had already started thinking about what clothes she should wear and what makeup she should put on.
"Okay. There's nothing else I really need to say. But after this whole LINE incident, we need to keep another communication channel open besides LINE. From now on, if I send you a LINE message and you don't reply within half a day, I'll text you directly. If you still haven't replied to the text by the next day, I'll call you. If you don't answer two calls, I'll drive straight to your house and look for you."
Haruno Yukinoshita spoke lazily, yet her words gave Kotomi the distinct impression that refusal was not an option.
Kotomi Izumi couldn't help thinking to herself, When did little Haruno get this bold? She actually dares talk to me like that now?
"I'm suddenly starting to regret letting you know my home address."
Kotomi Izumi sighed helplessly, though she was effectively agreeing.
"I can't help it. You didn't reply to me for an entire week this time. It practically gave me psychological trauma. I know it wasn't your fault and that LINE was to blame, but as the saying goes, a crab walks with several legs. When it comes to work, we should be like crabs and walk on several legs at once. Better safe than sorry~"
Kotomi Izumi thought about it and realized Haruno did have a point, so she verbally agreed once again.
"Fair enough. We'll do it your way. Likewise, if I can't get in touch with you, I'll just go straight to your house and look for you."
"Huh? You know where I live?"
Haruno Yukinoshita asked in surprise. As far as she remembered, she'd never told Kotomi her home address.
Whenever she and Kotomi had spoken before, they'd either discussed light novels or casually chatted about everyday things. Neither of them had ever deliberately brought up their home addresses. Haruno only knew Kotomi's because she'd seen the contact address Kotomi had written on her contract when they first signed together.
Haruno had an excellent memory. Sometimes a single glance was enough for something to remain deeply imprinted in her mind.
"Yukino told me before."
"Ah—my foolish little sister!"
Haruno Yukinoshita let out a helpless groan.
After chatting for a while longer, the two wished each other good night and ended the call.
After putting down her phone, Kotomi Izumi no longer had much attention left for her game. After remaining calm for only a moment, she suddenly shot to her feet, planted her bare feet on the tatami, and began spinning in circles with delight!
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I have an autograph session! I have an autograph session! And I even get to show off how beautiful I am in front of my readers! Yes!
"Tomorrow I'm definitely going to dress up beautifully, then stun everyone the instant I make my entrance!
"Oh my~ I originally planned to conquer my readers with my talent. I absolutely never thought about conquering them with my beauty too~ Hehehe. What should I wear tomorrow?
"A backless evening gown? I kind of want to wear one, but would that be too formal?
"And tomorrow's weather seems pretty cold too.
"Besides, Megumi and the others are going to the convention tomorrow. If Megumi sees me wearing a backless evening gown, she might get jealous because of it. If Megumi gets jealous..."
As Kotomi Izumi muttered to herself, she suddenly shuddered instinctively. A faint pain seemed to throb through her abdomen, as though a sharp blade had pierced it once again!
And this time...
It wasn't only her stomach that hurt. Kotomi even felt a phantom ache in her neck, as though her head were about to fall off.
Don't tell me this is predicting the way I'll die next time. If that's really the case, getting my head chopped off would be way too Mami Tomoe...
Kotomi Izumi silently thought to herself, then shook her head and forcibly expelled the idea from her mind.
However, once she calmed down and thought about it carefully, Kotomi Izumi finally remembered something.
Since she'd already decided to attend the autograph session at the Dengeki Expo tomorrow, didn't that mean she'd run into Megumi Kato and the others?
She'd clearly rejected their invitation, only to show up at the convention the very next day.
Just imagining the scene made Kotomi Izumi think...
That sounds exciting!
She knew there was a slight risk of triggering a romantic battlefield, but for some reason, a voice in Kotomi Izumi's heart kept telling her:
Don't tell Megumi and the others yet. Wait until the Dengeki Expo officially begins tomorrow. Let Megumi and the others discover you on their own and see you appear on the autograph-session stage dressed to the nines! Give them a huge surprise!
At first, Kotomi Izumi thought the idea sounded a little dangerous. But for some reason, she desperately wanted to try it!
Half a minute later, Kotomi Izumi lowered her phone. She'd originally intended to send a group message telling Megumi and the others that she'd be attending the autograph session tomorrow.
But now, she'd changed her mind.
She wasn't going to tell them. She'd give Megumi and the others a huge surprise when the time came!
Kotomi Izumi's personality was simply like this sometimes. Once she got carried away by an idea, she'd impulsively act on it, then gradually convince herself that the impulsive decision was completely sensible. Only after actually going through with it would she slowly begin to regret it.
Fortunately, most of the impulsive decisions Kotomi had made since childhood had never involved anything particularly serious.
Kotomi Izumi had originally planned to keep playing her game, but she'd completely lost interest now. After saving her progress and shutting down the computer, she opened her wardrobe, took out all her clothes, then stood in front of the mirror and began trying them on one outfit after another.
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