Takasago Tomoe turned her head away, saying nothing more.
...
Komeda Coffee Shop wasn't a particularly famous place, but Izumi Masamune chose it because it was where he usually discussed manuscripts with Sonoko, so it became their regular spot.
Elmi checked the location and found it was only about a ten-minute train ride away, so she had no objections.
"Do you really need to take a bath before meeting him? Are you that fond of Izumi Masamune?" Yamada Elf asked Elmi, who was using a hairdryer.
"Fond? I've never even met Izumi-sensei, so I can't say that, but I do genuinely like his work."
As Elmi said this, her tone softened.
"More than my work?" Suddenly, Yamada Elf posed a soul-searching question.
"This..." Elmi hesitated.
One was someone she had never met, while the other was someone she could call 'wife,' yet this situation arose. The answer was already obvious.
"Alright, I get it! Elmi, you don't need to say another word!" Yamada Elf clenched her small fists.
Her personal illustrator liked someone else's light novels more than her own. Wasn't this a form of NTR?
"Um, Elf, please don't take it to heart..." Elmi tried to comfort her.
"Alright, alright, I know! My work's reputation isn't that great anyway. It's not surprising to lose to someone whose sales are much higher than mine!" Yamada Elf said, holding back her anger.
There was nothing she could do; it was a fact she had to accept.
A light novelist's combat power was sales. Those with higher sales were simply more powerful!
This was her only standard.
After getting ready, the two took the train and arrived at Komeda Coffee Shop as planned.
"Izumi is already here. They're at table three. Let's hurry," Elmi urged.
Upon entering the coffee shop, the two immediately spotted the three distinctive individuals.
Enemies meeting, their eyes burned with fury.
Yamada Elf walked straight to the table without a word, slamming her hand down and angrily asking, "Are you Izumi Masamune?"
"May I ask who you are...?" Izumi Chihiro narrowed his eyes and countered.
"Yamada Elf!" Yamada Elf declared confidently and loudly.
"Huh?" Izumi Chihiro feigned confusion.
"I said, I am Yamada Elf! Did you hear me?" She emphasized again.
"Have you heard of her?" Izumi Chihiro asked, turning his head with a puzzled look.
"Never heard of her."
"Probably a nobody."
Eriri and Takasago Tomoe chose to cooperate at this moment, intending to put this loudly shouting person in her place.
"My work has won first place on the Oricon charts! I'm not a nobody! Izumi, there's no way you haven't heard of me!" Yamada Elf's face turned red with urgency.
"A backwater chart, not worth looking at."
"Just a ranking with no real value."
They were met with more sarcasm from the two.
"Damn it! You two...!" Yamada Elf finally realized they were ganging up to trick her.
"Um, Izumi, I... I'm Elmi," Elmi spoke up.
"Please, have a seat," Izumi Chihiro nodded, gesturing for her to take the last empty chair.
"What about me?" Yamada Elf was stunned.
"Just a mere Yamada! We weren't even here for you. Go play somewhere else!" Eriri liked to speak her mind to those who thought highly of themselves.
"You, you, you...!" Yamada Elf's face was completely flushed.
"Elf, please! Go rest for a bit!"
Elmi could only put her hands together and plead.
"I, I understand."
Yamada Elf gritted her teeth.
She really needed to step aside and calm down, otherwise, she might just die of anger in the cafe today.
"This is our first official meeting, isn't it, Elmi?"
Izumi Chihiro looked directly at the red-haired girl with upturned eyes and slowly said.
"Yes, I've been busy with work before, so..."
Elmi made an excuse for both of them.
"The reason I asked to see you this time is actually because of a friend of mine; she's always been a fan of yours..."
Izumi Chihiro got straight to the point.
Elmi looked at the girl sitting next to her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Takasago Tomoe, and I've always been a fan of Elmi-sensei...!"
Takasago Tomoe extended her right hand.
"Uh... uh..."
Elmi was a bit unaccustomed to such enthusiasm, but she still extended her hand and shook hers.
The two of them were as awkward as a fan meeting for a socially anxious author.
However, after half an hour of slowly getting to know each other, the conversation gradually became more normal.
"Ha..."
Eriri yawned.
This wasn't an issue she cared about, so she just sucked on her straw, drawing the cola into her mouth.
By this point, both sides had learned pretty much all there was to know.
Although she hadn't said much to Elmi, she was already very happy.
Afterward, Eriri also expressed her interest in Elmi.
At this point, there was no need to pretend about her identity.
Elmi was also greatly surprised when she learned that Eriri was Kashiwagi Eri, never expecting that the famous doujin artist would look like this, even more like a beautiful young girl than she had imagined.
"Huh? What are you all talking about, Kashiwagi Eri? I don't think I've heard of her. Someone introduce her to me."
Yamada Elf's words were truly not a provocation; she genuinely didn't care about such trivial matters. All she paid attention to was sales.
"Elf, I'll tell you about this later."
Elmi looked behind her and whispered.
After this fan meeting.
"Just you wait, Old Thief, I am the savior of light novels! One day I will prove it!"
Before leaving, Yamada Elf still acted as rebellious as ever.
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter