I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

Aki Tomoya turned to Hashima Iori and whispered, "You really are the type who won't do anything without a reason, but, is there no one else?"

Iori Hashima chuckled and said, "Don't worry, it took me a lot of effort to invite Ms. Machida over. Those two teachers didn't give me any face at all."

As he spoke, he glanced at the people present. One of them was his younger sister. Needless to say, given time, her abilities would shine brightly.

A promising friend, then a band you could collaborate with, and finally the deputy editor-in-chief of Shinazugawa Bookstore.

We've gathered you all together on this special occasion of New Year's Day, for the sake of our friendship and for our future.

Seeing Iori Hashima's exquisite abacus made Tomoya Aki want to laugh but he couldn't.

"But to my surprise, is there some unpleasantness between you and Ms. Machida?"

At this moment, Iori Hashima also asked with a troubled expression.

Even though Aki Tomoya has retired from being an otaku, he still contributed to Shinazugawa Bookstore for free in the past.

However, the atmosphere between this collaborator and the deputy editor-in-chief was unexpectedly awkward.

"This kind of thing should be thoroughly investigated first, Iori."

Aki Tomoya's lips curled up slightly; the other party had almost made a mess of things.

Fortunately, neither Machida Sonoko nor Machida Sonoko had a falling out because of their past unpleasantness; they were just feeling awkward now.

Seeing the mockery in her friend's eyes, Iori Hashima chuckled and said, "Thanks for the reminder."

Footsteps echoed down the corridor through a door; there were many guests coming here during the New Year's Day holiday.

The people in this room had barely all arrived when the adjacent rooms on both sides were already full of people.

The door was opened again, and waitresses in kimonos came in carrying dishes.

Iori Hashima really suffered a major hemorrhage today.

"Long time no see, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Machida."

Aki Tomoya suddenly looked up and spoke to Machida Sonoko. The awkward atmosphere between the two was a bit out of place during the New Year, and he hoped to dispel the awkwardness if possible.

Besides, so much time has passed since the last unpleasant incident; the other party should have calmed down by now.

Machida Sonoko looked up at Aki Tomoya, but hesitated to speak.

I guess he remembered what Aki Tomoya said last year.

"Aki-kun, you don't need to be so formal."

Machida Sonoko's expression was somewhat complicated at that moment.

The last time they talked was last year, and since then Machida Sonoko has never thought of contacting Aki Tomoya again.

Indeed, if possible, she would like to take over the fan site, but after thinking about the huge blow she suffered on it, Machida Sonoko gave up.

Looking back now, it's amazing that that fandom could have lasted this long without Aki Tomoya's management and support.

"Aki-kun, are you selling that fan site for 'Love Metronome'?"

=

Chapter 117 Is it my fault? (4/4)

Two years ago, after meeting Kasumigaoka Utaha at a book signing event, Aki Tomoya created a fan website for her work "Love Metronome" and became active on it, pointing out many foreshadowing elements that she had planted but which were not noticed by most readers.

It was thanks to this fan site that they got a boost. Looking back now, Aki Tomoya thinks the Shinazugawa publicity department should really go eat shit.

After a year's absence, it was Machida Sonoko who brought up the topic, and Aki Tomoya finally remembered this fan website he had forgotten.

“Machida, this isn’t the time to talk about work. Today is New Year’s Day. Being so serious about work will make men worry.”

Aki Tomoya said it as if he were joking, but his expression was very serious.

Even at this moment, he's still thinking about the author; just how much does he care about his work?

A woman who prioritizes work above all else can be a deterrent to men.

"It's just that this opportunity has come along, and we can't miss it, can we?"

Machida Sonoko looked a little embarrassed, but she still insisted on behaving properly in front of Aki Tomoya.

It is indeed a bit inappropriate to talk about the ownership of fan sites at this time, but Machida Sonoko doesn't know if she will have the opportunity to contact Aki Tomoya again in the future.

Take advantage of the current momentum of Shizuka and Eri Kashiwagi and make the most of it to reap the greatest rewards.

"Well, I'm sorry, you shouldn't be asking me this. Right now, I'm just using TAKI as an administrator; the website has already been transferred to someone else."

The only evidence that Aki Tomoya exists on that fan website right now is his past posts and the fact that the administrator has saved his name.

As for the operation and maintenance of the website, it has nothing to do with Aki Tomokazu anymore.

Upon hearing this, Machida Sonoko asked in a trembling voice, "You sold it to someone else?"

At the same time, everyone else looked over curiously because of Machida Sonoko's excited reaction.

Iori Hashima silently observed all of this, showing no sign of making her appearance.

"Forward this, doesn't Deputy Editor-in-Chief Machida understand?"

Aki Tomoya looked helplessly at Machida Sonoko.

"That website is just a fan site. Although I registered it, it takes so much effort to maintain and operate, and there's also the cost of renting servers. Your official team hasn't sponsored me at all."

When he was working, he spent a lot of money on that website. After preparing for college entrance exams, Aki Tomo no longer had the energy for it, not to mention having to continue paying for the server rental.

"...This was indeed something we didn't consider carefully, but I think it can still be remedied now."

"If that's your opinion, then so be it. The person who took over is just willing to continue operating and maintaining the work out of love for it."

That happened so long ago, and Aki Tomoya has long forgotten the specific details.

Even after finally finding a willing fan and deciding on a price, I forgot why I suddenly transferred it out.

All he knows now is that the website no longer has much to do with him; its maintenance, operation, and server rental are all paid for by someone else.

"In short, please contact the person currently operating the website for this matter. Of course, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Machida can rest assured that the website is still operating well."

Aki Tomoya believed that this news would definitely put the other party at ease.

The loss of that website, which had amassed a large following, was a bad thing for them.

In a sense, that website no longer belongs to Aki Tomoya, but to most people.

“Aki-kun, I meant no harm.”

Machida Sonoko frowned. Although the other person's tone was very calm, it sounded extremely harsh to her ears.

This leaves her with no room to defend herself; she was only acting in the author's best interests.

Aki Tomoya noticed the change in Machida Sonoko's eyes and sighed, "Machida, the deputy editor-in-chief, is definitely a good editor."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Iori Hashima and gestured to him.

If this isn't stopped soon, it could escalate into a serious argument and become difficult to resolve.

"Ms. Machida, let's not talk about work today. It's a New Year's gathering, so let's all relax."

Iori Hashima understood that he had to step in now, otherwise, a nice New Year's party would turn into a tense atmosphere, which was not what he wanted.

What surprised him even more was that it was Machida Sonoko who was unable to remain calm.

This made him even more curious about the conflict between the two, but he also began to regret bringing them together here.

Machida Sonoko knew the occasion was inappropriate, and that even an argument shouldn't take place here. She was also somewhat troubled, wondering why she was acting so irrationally today.

Whether I'm overthinking it or the other person really meant something else, let's put this matter aside for now and not think about it. We can't let the New Year's Day gathering be ruined because of this.

Perhaps because she had a bellyful of anger that she couldn't vent, Machida Sonoko kept drinking glass after glass of shochu, unable to stop.

At a gathering of underage people, Machida Sonoko is not only concerned about the conflict with Aki Tomoya, but also about her own age.

In such a setting, her age should not be too obvious.

"What's up with this old lady?"

Hyodo Michiru leaned close to Aki Tomoya's ear and whispered something.

The conversation between the two of them had frightened her quite a bit. Although she had calmed down for the time being, Machida Sonoko's face, reddened by the smell of shochu, was still a cause for concern.

"Am I that old?!"

Machida Sonoko looked over, her sharp gaze startling Hyodo Michiru so much that she fell backward onto the tatami mat.

My ears suddenly became so sharp. Does something like shochu really have an effect?

Aki Tomoya thought to himself, and then casually replied, "He should have graduated from university by now, be the deputy editor-in-chief of Shinazugawa Shoten, be in his early thirties, the perfect age."

"truth?"

"fact."

So, does that mean Aki-kun looks down on people like me?

"Ms. Machida's impression of me is really quite bad, huh?"