"Please, everyone, stop persecuting Mami!"
His aura was strong, and his tone was sincere, making Izumi Chihiro feel a trance, imagining the scene of being'soul-locked' by numerous characters.
Was I wrong?
Did I really make a mistake?
"How could that be?!"
Izumi Chihiro grabbed her wrist, his gaze firm as he said, "An excellent creator should unwaveringly stick to his own ideas. As the saying goes, 'I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me.' No one can shake my resolve! I am right! There is nothing wrong with my creations. People should create whatever they want!"
"Clap, clap, clap…"
Kasumigaoka Utaha released her hands, then stood up, clapping and praising, "That sounds very nice! But we're not here to reason! Teacher, you just need to endure our interrogation!"
"That's not fair!"
Izumi Chihiro declared.
"Do the characters in Teacher's stories also feel it's unfair?!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha retorted with a playful wink.
The young man was speechless.
"Question: Teacher, when you created the Infinite Train Arc, why did you end it with the Flame Pillar's death? Did he offend you?"
Her gaze suddenly sharpened.
"How could that be? These are all plot arrangements. A big brother figure, a guide, dying at the appropriate time is a fairly common technique in creation, isn't it?"
Izumi Chihiro replied rationally.
"Wrong answer! Teacher thinks it's 'plot necessity,' right? Then the upcoming punishment is also plot necessity! Of course, if Teacher is willing to write a 'confession' and post it online, then the punishment can be waived."
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled sweetly.
"You… you're trying to extort a confession!"
Izumi Chihiro said through gritted teeth.
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled without speaking, as if saying: So what if it's an extorted confession? Everyone here is on my side! You have nowhere to run!
Of course, he was unwilling to write a 'confession,' otherwise, his lifetime of good reputation would be ruined!
The result was that he suffered a severe punishment… well, it was tickling.
The girls' hands moved all over him, inflicting cruel and inhuman torture.
After a while, his clothes looked very disheveled, and his face was flushed.
"Click."
Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed the shutter, looking at the new photo in the album, and said with satisfaction, "Got a good photo."
Afterward, everyone asked their own questions. Even though the answers were already clear to them, they still wanted to question him and release the dissatisfaction they felt when reading the story.
"Why was Mr. Yoriichi, such a good person, given such a painful life experience?"
"What were you thinking when you decapitated Mami back then?!"
"Is there really a chance for the red and blue pairing?"
"When will Rem wake up? It can't be that because she's popular and stole Emilia's thunder, she's been cast aside, right? This question is very important!"
What everyone wanted was not an explanation, but his 'reaction.' Finally, after seeing his bitter expression, everyone's mood instantly brightened considerably.
Once everything returned to normal, everyone started talking about Light Novels again, mainly focusing on Madoka and supplementing with other topics, as it was a work everyone was very familiar with and had common ground.
"By the way, which character do you like more?"
Izumi Chihiro patted his clothes and looked up, asking.
"Homura Akemi!"
"Madoka!"
"Sayaka!"
"Mami!"
"Kyoko!"
Excluding him, there were six people, and from those six people, five answers were given. This was probably because each character had her unique core, and everyone had her own reason for liking her.
Sagiri liked Mami because the presence of such an older sister made her feel very secure. She wanted to become such a reliable person in the future, belonging to the type who desires what she lacks.
Although Mami was carelessly decapitated in the story, before that, she did fit this description.
Yamada Elf liked Sakura Kyoko because her character design was somewhat similar to her own nature. Besides that, the inner thoughts of a magical girl transforming into a witch also deeply moved her.
Senju Muramasa liked Sayaka; the situation of unrequited love deeply resonated with her, and her righteous personality was also a reflection of her writing style, which was the reason she initially took a liking to Demon Slayer.
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Gokou Ruri liked Homura Akemi. Compared to the real-world theory of same-sex repulsion, virtual characters could create a significant resonance between the two. The long black hair and aloof demeanor reflected their past lives.
Kani Nayuta's favorite character was originally Homura Akemi because Homura's persistence was very touching and made her feel a strong sense of identification. However, she later realized that she herself was 'Homura Akemi,' and her senior was 'Madoka' to her—hope, the only light of salvation. So, after realizing this, she fell in love with a perfect person like Madoka, just like the senior in her heart!
"Since everyone is chatting so well, why don't I create a group chat? Then we can discuss things in the group later!"
After the topic ended, Yamada Elf suggested.
Everyone, of course, nodded in agreement to this beneficial and harmless idea.
Afterward, everyone returned to their rooms to prepare for washing up.
Upon entering the group chat, everyone was still a bit shy, greeting each other with emoticons.
Kani Nayuta sent emoticons from Madoka. Due to the anime's increased popularity, everyone was enthusiastic about it, and she had collected many.
"I want Mami emoticons."
Sagiri said in the group chat.
She rarely chatted with people before and didn't have such opportunities, so she wanted to save some to use.
"Wait a moment!"
Kani Nayuta answered very diligently, and then sent many Mami emoji stickers.
"Ah, I sent the wrong one! (Scratching her head cutely.jpg)"
Suddenly, a message from her appeared on the screen.
Everyone immediately noticed that among the many emojis, there was a multi-panel image, from 'There's nothing to be afraid of anymore,' and 'I feel so light,' to the famous scene of a decapitation.
You little black fan, your chicken feet are showing!
But honestly, this multi-panel image was truly hilarious, and anyone who understood it would surely smile knowingly!
"You have this picture too?"
"Looks good, saved it."
Suddenly, someone else in the group said.
So you're all black fans!
"I beg you all, stop persecuting Mami! It's been too many times, I'm tired of it."
At this moment, Izumi Chihiro spoke up righteously.
"The instigator, how dare he speak?"
"Senior, you sent it to me once when we were chatting before! Don't pretend anymore."
"Laughs."
He was quickly exposed.
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter