Page 39
For a light novel writer, it would be putting the cart before the horse to dress like an elite, and he wasn't even dressed yet.
"Forget it." Shiina Mahiru rubbed her forehead in despair, walked up to him and tried to break into the bedroom: "I remember you had a nice suit, it would be nice to wear that."
It seems that in Shiina's eyes, Natsume's closet has basically no privacy.
The suit she was talking about should be the high-end suit that she bought specially to help Yang Nai save face in front of those rich ladies.
Even though he later got twice the price of the suit, Natsume still felt a little unhappy. After all, it seemed that the suit didn't work at all that day. It was simply his good looks that crushed him.
"Shiina, there's no need for the suit. Help me get the windbreaker out from the corner."
"what?"
After seeing the clothes he was talking about, Shiina Mahiru was a little confused, but she still took it out.
Natsume Rin put on the windbreaker neatly and put on the huge black hood. Not to mention a stranger, even someone who is familiar with him like Shiina Mahiru couldn't tell who is inside.
"How is it?" Natsume Rin asked boastfully.
Mysterious hooded man!
"So ugly, and why are you dressed like this?" Shiina Mahiru circled around him, looking quite disgusted with the way he was dressed.
It was not as suitable as the suit she had chosen.
"After all, it's a book signing event, so it's better for me to maintain the mysterious image of the author." Natsume Rin shrugged.
There are many writers like him. This circle is already very broad, and the audience does not have much objection to such abstract behavior.
After all, Tokyo is not big, and to create a myth in an island country like this, threatening to send razor blades to the author is definitely not as simple as mailing it.
It's not impossible to kill with the door open!
As a semi-public figure, Natsume should pay more attention to his own safety.
"Didn't you say that the signing event wouldn't be large in scope?" said Shiina Mahiru.
"Yes, it's arranged in a small bookstore in Shinjuku. The number of people... shouldn't be too many." Natsume was not sure.
Yuanzi and the Fuzugawa Bookstore originally wanted to find a large venue and sign thousands of books to exploit Natsume's surplus labor, but due to his firm attitude of striking, the library that could accommodate thousands of people was finally replaced by an unknown small bookstore.
As for the number of people, he just didn't believe it. How many people could he cram into a study room of more than ten square meters?
Do you think this is curry country?
"Then why do you still have to be so vigilant?" Shiina Mahiru seemed to have grasped the clues of the matter.
"Shiina-san, it's always better to be careful." Natsume Rin said seriously, "Besides, there is no reason for you to follow them. I'd like to trouble the organizers to keep an eye on you."
"Hmph." Shiina Mahiru snorted coquettishly, and watched him lock the door. The two of them walked downstairs one after the other.
"I'm worried about your so-called job. If it really doesn't work out, I'll help you find a more suitable one."
She said this while waiting for the bus.
Natsume Rin looked up at the bright sky and suddenly felt her mood become gloomy.
If he could argue that cooking and trespassing into his own house were kind-hearted, then continuing to play the ostrich was simply a disservice to his intelligence.
What should I do? What should I do?
Without Yukinoshita Haruno, Shiina-san's kindness is simply too great...
"Where is the address of the bookstore?"
The taxi stopped in front of them. Shiina Mahiru patted Natsume Rin's shoulder and asked, looking at his conflicted eyes.
"...let's go."
No matter what, life must go on. Looking at the rapidly changing scenery outside the car window and listening to Shiina Mahiru's clever voice, Natsume Rin feels that the future may not be so dark.
Especially that crazy woman Yang No, maybe she proposed that condition just to torment him.
"Teacher Natsume, you are finally here."
After confirming many times on the chat software, Yuan Zi finally had the courage to walk up to the highly recognizable hooded man, and she was relieved to hear the other party's voice.
As long as they don't just find someone to change their clothes and fool them, it'll be fine.
"Who is this?" Yuan Zi felt a little regretful when he saw the blonde girl who was quite close to him.
She had originally planned to introduce Kasumi Shiko to him, and if conditions permitted, it would even be nice to help them develop a further relationship.
But now it seems unlikely.
"My friend, please arrange a less crowded seat for her."
After a few brief conversations, they did not dare to stay in front of the door for too long, and entered the bookstore through the back door before the book signing event began.
Chapter 58 You actually lied to me!
Shiina Mahiru was arranged to go to the backstage where there were not many people. She looked at a large group of staff members surrounding Natsume, and some people kept asking for autographs, and she thought about things quietly.
It seems that his achievements in this area are not as meager as he claims.
"Even if you want to hide yourself, there's no need to dress like this."
Yuanzi, who organized this book signing, was circling around Natsume in the narrow backstage. She felt that this black suit was not pleasing to the eye no matter how she looked at it.
After all, Natsume-sensei is so handsome. If he dresses up a little, I believe he will definitely attract more fans of female novels.
"Tokyo is big, but also small. If I were seen by my classmates, I'd be in a lot of trouble." Natsume Rin, who couldn't escape the makeup even so, smiled.
The makeup artist squatted in front of him and applied foundation on his face, but being so close and occasionally making eye contact with Natsume, the makeup artist's face quickly turned red.
Shiina Mahiru, who was keeping an eye on everything, quickly noticed that something was wrong with the makeup artist. Although she felt she had no reason to stop this behavior, she still pouted her lips.
Unfortunately, she and Natsume were facing away from each other, so the boy couldn't see Shiina's expression. Amidst the laughter, Yuanzi reminded them that the signing time was almost up.
Natsume, who was forced to work, sighed continuously, waved to Shiina Mahiru, then opened the backstage door and sat down in the seat in the middle of the bookstore.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would sit here for several hours, sign his name hundreds of times, and answer some strange questions.
Living in Tokyo is not easy!
As the bookstore opened its doors at normal hours, the book lovers who had gathered outside the door almost broke it down.
It’s not that I care about getting the newly released second volume, but the fact that Mr. Yan Shang, who is usually very quiet, would actually hold a signing event in this inconspicuous bookstore.
When Fuzugawa Bookstore released the news, many people complained online about the bookstore's laziness, asking if they couldn't find a bigger venue to hold the fan meeting?
The bookstore also has its own grievances, so are they trying to imply that Teacher Yan Shang is the lazy guy?
But judging by his updating speed, it seems understandable why he is too lazy to participate in such activities.
Because time is tight and places are limited, most of the people who rushed in are local book lovers in Tokyo.
The store manager and the staff were shouting at the top of their lungs to maintain order. Only when their voices became hoarse did the bookstore finally become a little quieter.
But this was not because their work had any effect, but because everyone was gathered to watch Teacher Yan Shang, who was dressed in black and had his face uncovered, in the center.
"Black Swordsman!"
Someone pointed at Natsume and shouted. Although it didn't look like him at all, the book lovers who got the point still laughed.
"Come on, can a black swordsman be as handsome as me? If you need an autograph, please line up." Natsume Rin said loudly.
These people just fell for this middle school student's trick. After laughing, they didn't continue to crowd in front of the table, but started to line up in order.
Shiina Mahiru listened to the gradual quieting down outside and came out from the backstage to see what was going on.
Yuanzi was standing next to her, looking at Natsume with admiration. She was just a high school student but could sit at this level. She felt that the future star of the island country's light novel industry was rising before her eyes.
In other words, the field of light novels is still too small for Mr. Natsume.
"Shiina-san is good friends with Natsume-sensei?" Noticing Shiina Mahiru coming out, Sonoko greeted her.
"Yes, we're still neighbors." Shiina Mahiru responded bluntly.
In fact, she thought she was ready to try to develop a relationship beyond friendship, but she was worried that being too proactive might scare Natsume.
"That's new information. I've asked Mr. Natsume many times, but he refused to tell me his home address. Is he worried that I'll find him when he's late with his manuscript?"
Yuanzi complained quietly, and Mahiru smiled faintly, neither taking the initiative nor being distant, maintaining proper etiquette.
"That." Amid Yuanzi's mumbling, she suddenly asked, "Is Natsume famous?"
She did have some desire to learn more about this little thing. She was so decisive when she refused to help at first, and now she made such a big fuss about it.
It seems like he has too many secrets.
This is not good.
"Of course, this is Mr. Yan Shang!"
Shiina Mahiru didn't quite understand what Sonoko boasted about later, but she knew that Natsume was indeed a rising star in this field.
Watching him interacting with those people who had arrived early in the morning, Shiina Mahiru stretched and felt a lot more relaxed.
"No wonder Natsume-san occasionally says some inexplicable words. So this is why."
……
"Teacher Enjo, how many volumes do you plan to serialize Sword Art Online to?"
Natsume, who was signing autographs and answering questions at the same time, finally heard something interesting and became much more energetic.
Natsume was too lazy to respond to those boring questions about who was more handsome, the black swordsman or him.
Need I say more? It must be him, the author!
“There is no fixed answer to how many volumes I should write, but I will stop when I have finished writing the story in my heart.”
It's easy to rehash old stuff for the sake of sales and performance, but since he's already a plagiarist, why should he just pick on this one?
There are still so many excellent works waiting for him to carry forward, and time is extremely precious.
Just like the April gifts he carefully prepared for the teenagers of the island country, although the submission time is not April, he is confident that the deadline can be extended to April next year.
Tsk tsk, he couldn't help laughing out loud when he thought of that scene.
"That Enjo-sensei!"
"Young man, please ask your questions." Natsume said, pointing at the man in black who was squeezed at the edge and waving his hand.
How come the book signing event feels like a press conference? And he has already secured all the signatures, so it’s time for him to run away.