Chapter 288: An Unexpected Accident
Yokohama Airport, capital of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Early in the morning, a flight from Tokyo to the Kanto region landed.
Ren yawned, followed the instructions of the airport staff, and got off the plane in an orderly fashion.
Sakura followed him, and after collecting their luggage, they exited the terminal.
The terminal was also set up with staff from the local book signing, who were holding signs waiting for Ren.
However, Ren almost didn't see the "Manga Book Signing Leader" sign. If Sakura hadn't reminded him in time, he would have ignored the staff and walked straight out.
It was nothing, he was just too sleepy.
Ren wasn't used to sleeping on planes, and he ran into several fans, big and small, so he only got less than a two-hour nap all night.
"Amamiya-sensei."
The staff member hurried to greet him upon seeing him.
"Ah... hello everyone," Ren quickly greeted back, and then said: "Thanks for your hard work."
"Let's go out first," the staff member quickly said. "Amamiya-sensei, please get some rest first. We'll follow the schedule this afternoon."
Luckily, the Akatsuki Company book signing was in the afternoon and wasn't so inhumane.
So Ren could rest for a while.
"Well, just arrange the preparations," Ren said with a smile. "Well, after the book signing, Sakura, we'll have some fun!"
"Well, I came to relax," Sakura said with a smile. "I've worked so hard this time."
B Station has been neither busy nor free lately.
The initial stage of the website's establishment, the final financing, and the public listing were the busiest.
The middle period was a period of gradual stabilization and development.
"Great!"
Ren gave a thumbs-up and said: "This can be considered your graduation trip, Sakura! I just happened to be taking a break and traveling!"
Sakura was about to graduate in less than six months, but who would have thought that a university student who hadn't even graduated yet would be the founder of the popular B Station website.
"Sensei, let us help you with your luggage."
The staff member eagerly took Ren and Sakura's luggage and said with a smile: "After today's book signing, I wish you and your friends a happy time."
They had obviously misunderstood that Sakura was Ren's girlfriend.
However, they believed that Ren and Sakura were the perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and looked like a match made in heaven.
Although... Ren sensei's mental state really seemed a bit abnormal, just as the internet said.
As soon as these words were uttered, the two people who had been misunderstood were stunned. Sakura blushed, and Ren scratched his head.
He said with some shyness: "Ah, actually, you misunderstood..."
But just then...
"Amamiya-sensei! It really is Amamiya-sensei!"
"Excuse me, Amamiya-sensei, the mangaka of Chainsaw Man?"
"Amamiya-sensei! I'm a fan of your manga. Could you sign for me?"
Several fans approached with Ren's manga volumes, demanding his signature.
While they were fans of Ren, they weren't as fanatical as celebrity fans.
Of course, some incredibly popular mangakas, with so many followers, had fanatical fans.
But these, clearly, were not like that.
Ren simply dealt with these enthusiastic fans, taking photos with them and signing their manga volumes.
However, the situation had attracted other passersby.
Upon seeing this, the staff quickly escorted Ren and Sakura into the black limousine.
He hadn't heard what Ren had just said, but did it even matter?
It really didn't.
Soon they arrived at the hotel they had reserved, and the staff left.
Ren and Sakura received their room cards and went to rest in their respective rooms.
However, Ren was truly resting when he was resting. As soon as he entered the room, he took off his shoes, went to bed, and fell asleep.
Sakura took out the Yokohama travel guide she had prepared and planned their trip for the next two days.
...
In the afternoon.
At the venue where Ren's manga signing was held, Kenji Fujimoto arrived in Yokohama fully armed. He was carrying a small backpack, which included not only the Edgerunners manga but also a professional camera.
And for him, the first aid kit was indispensable.
"Brother Niu!"
The friends he had arranged to meet in Yokohama also saw Kenji Fujimoto in front of the manga exhibition at that time, and they greeted him with a big wave.
"Xiaoman, Aqing, Yunxuan!"
Kenji Fujimoto saw his friends and quickly joined them, saying happily: "Has the book signing started yet? I'm not late, am I?"
"Don't worry, there's still half an hour," Xiaoman said, patting his chest. "Old Thief Ren hasn't arrived yet either."
Old Thief is the nickname given to Ren by his fans. Although Ren looks young and has a good temperament, his elegant behavior and sudden change in plot attitude make fans quite uncomfortable.
That's why he's been given this nickname.
However, in face-to-face fan meetings, fans tend to be more respectful toward Ren, calling him "Sensei" instead of "Old Thief."
However, after some bold, self-proclaimed fans at previous manga conventions called him "Old Thief" in front of him, and he was indifferent, the fans became bolder and repeated the call.
"He should be gone."
Aqing took out his phone and said: "Look, someone took a picture with Old Thief Ren this morning and got his autograph. He arrived early this morning."
"They're so lucky," Kenji Fujimoto said enviously, looking at the morning photo of several fans with Ren.
"How can they be lucky?"
Xiaoman rolled his eyes and said: "Someone has been staking out the place, imitating the tactics of the fan circle. They started monitoring the place last night. After all, Old Thief Ren is very likely to be flying in this time. He must have arrived either last night or this morning."
This seemed a bit fanatical in the anime community.
Even if Ren were the most popular mangaka in recent years, it wouldn't be worth it.
But the saying that when a community is big, all kinds of people are there is true.
Just then, a black luxury car suddenly stopped at the entrance of the manga convention.
Kenji Fujimoto and the others saw a commotion at the entrance.
Someone shouted: "Old Thief Ren is here!"
Everyone immediately rushed over, eager to see him up close in person.
However, although everyone wanted to see him, they weren't that enthusiastic.
In other words, Ren is just a popular mangaka, not a star.
The ACG community had not yet reached the frenzy of Ren's previous life, where people were so caught up in a zombie-like chaos for a fast-food product that they even resorted to physical violence.
"Let's go, let's go! Brother Niu, let's get in line. The book signing is about to start," Yunxuan quickly said to Kenji Fujimoto and the others.
"Let's get in line first to see that old bastard Ren first and get his autograph," Aqing said excitedly, pulling out his copy of Chainsaw Man.
Kenji Fujimoto immediately nodded, and along with Xiaoman, Aqing, and Yunxuan, he joined the line.
...
The fans were incredibly enthusiastic, especially those in Yokohama. After all, it was their first time seeing Ren in person, so it was inevitable that they couldn't hide their excitement.
However, when they saw Ren get out of the car, he was accompanied by... a beautiful girl.
They seemed very affectionate with Ren, which set off a flurry of discussion.
"Who is that? Is she Old Thief Ren's assistant?"
"What kind of assistant does a mangaka have...? She looks like a girlfriend!"
"Their glasses are the same, so they're definitely a couple."
"Old Thief Ren has a girlfriend?! And she's so beautiful! How enviable!"
"Isn't Old Thief Ren an otaku? How can an otaku have a girlfriend? And such a beautiful one, at that?"
"Old Thief Ren! All beautiful women are villains! Stop obsessing over villains!"
...
The fans began to speculate about the identity of Sakura, who was next to Ren. However, due to the noise, Ren and Sakura's group did their best to make their way through.
"Make way, make way!"
In another place, Ren and Sakura were escorted by staff to the manga signing hall.
It wasn't particularly dangerous, and they met little resistance.
After all, the fans listened to their advice, and Ren and Sakura entered the signing without much embarrassment.
"Alright, sensei, the book signing is about to begin."
The staff member escorted Ren to the location and said: "Get ready. We're starting right away."
"No problem," Ren said with a thumbs-up. "Sakura, stay with me for a while. We'll go buy something delicious tonight!"
He turned to Sakura and said.
"Alright," Sakura said with a lighthearted smile.
But she was still looking forward to it very much. After all... this time, it was just her and Ren.
Her face blushed slightly. She rarely had alone time with Ren.
This time, it was a rare opportunity for her to be the only one who came with Ren to Kanto for the book signing.
Soon after, after more than ten minutes, the book signing officially began.
This time, there were no other complicated activities, just Ren signing autographs for the fans.
After the signing, Ren booked a table at a supposedly famous restaurant in Yokohama, intending to try his luck with Sakura.
As the signing began, a long line of Ren's fans formed, one by one, guided by the staff, to Ren's autograph.
"Hello, Amamiya-sensei... I really like the manga Chainsaw Man..."
First came an excited fan with glasses. He said he liked Chainsaw Man, but what he was holding was... the new Parasyte volume?
"Uh... Thank you..."
Although Ren felt a bit strange, he signed it anyway.
After all, they were all his works, so it was no big deal.
His biggest fear was that someone would say they liked Chainsaw Man and then bring up a The Gods volume.
Could he even sign under the pseudonym Yusuke Sato?
Then, one by one, fans came up to ask Ren for an autograph, and most of them only brought single volumes of Chainsaw Man.
However, some fans who were not as enthusiastic about Chainsaw Man and preferred Edgerunners, Fire Punch, Parasyte, and even Uzumaki came to Ren with their manga to get them signed.
Ren had slowly gotten used to it. After all, they were still fans of his manga, so signing any work was important.
Meanwhile, Kenji Fujimoto, standing in the book signing line, watched Ren, clutching his Edgerunners volume, with increasing excitement.
Soon... soon, he would get Amamiya-sensei's autograph. He had always believed he was a very calm person, but now he couldn't calm down at all.
As he slowly approached Ren, Kenji Fujimoto's nervousness reached its peak.
After waiting for half an hour...
Kenji Fujimoto finally met Ren. He stammered, a little excited: "Amamiya-sensei... Sensei, I'm a fan of your... your work, Edgerunners..."
Ren, seeing the excited Kenji Fujimoto, had gotten a little used to it.
It seemed that all the manga fans in Yokohama were excited to see him.
But Ren, wanting to express his gratitude, smiled and said: "Thank you for your support! Thank you very much!"
"You're... you're welcome!"
Kenji Fujimoto's face flushed, and he was about to hand his copy of the Edgerunners manga to Ren to have it signed.
But just then... he felt an electric shock in his heart...
"Uh oh!"... This thought crossed his mind.
He immediately wanted to take off his backpack and get out the first aid kit.
But...
Plop!
Kenji Fujimoto fell heavily in front of Ren, trembling uncontrollably.
"That's bad!"
Ren looked at the fallen Kenji Fujimoto. Kenji Fujimoto's face was very gloomy and he looked very uncomfortable.
"Hey! What happened?!" he suddenly shouted.
"Sir, I will now scan the status of the injured person in front of you!"
In the bone-conduction mode of the AI intelligent butler glasses, only Ren can hear the voice of the intelligent butler Ai.
As a technology of the future, the AI intelligent butler glasses also have the function of simply identifying the status of patients and the injured.
"A diagnosis of... a type of acute myocardial infarction. It is recommended to take emergency heart pills and then send to the hospital for treatment," the intelligent butler Ai said silently after the scan.
But before Ren could go to get the emergency heart pills, several people behind Kenji Fujimoto came up and took a bottle of pills out of his backpack.
- - - - - - - - -
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