My anime/manga fandom can't be that lazy.

After a year of fermentation, the name Yakumo Shiro was promoted again. Almost anyone who is even slightly involved in ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) knows the name 'Fate' and another book, 'Touhou Project'.

One of them, 'Fate', started a new trend in light novels, breaking away from the previously repetitive isekai harem trope, while another, 'Touhou Project', attracted fans with its novel theme and vast world view.

When people learned that both books were written by the same author, the name Yakumo Shiro became famous. Of course, "Yakumo the Old Thief" was more famous than the nickname "Yakumo the Typewriter".

"Enter in order."

The bodyguard in front of them made the crowd line up in an orderly fashion, and the otaku were quite united and orderly in this matter, and soon a long line was formed, with each person holding the latest volume of the light novel in their hands and their eyes shining.

The first one in line was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties. I don't know how she managed to snatch first place from that huge group of otaku. As soon as she came in, her eyes were fixed on Dongfang Bai.

"So handsome!!"

Of course, this time the queue wasn't made up of readers one by one. The readers at the back could also see Dongfang Bai's face, who always had a gentle smile. His smile was sunny, and he had a great figure, three-dimensional features, and a very high level of attractiveness.

This type is exactly what women in their twenties dream of; they're practically the prince charming of their dreams.

Indeed, a significant portion of the readers and fans queuing up this time are women. Many of them didn't become fans of Touhou Haku through 'Fate', but rather through Touhou Project.

"Wow, that old scoundrel Yakumo is actually so handsome! The rumors are true..."

"Holy crap, is this a high school student?"

"Even so, the heart is still black."

Many readers in the back rows excitedly started chatting. Even though they didn't know each other, they could talk about Dongfang Bai in such a unified way.

"Please! Please give me your autograph!"

"no problem."

Dongfang Bai put on a smile, then his smile suddenly froze, because the other party handed him three identical copies of Fate Volume 8.

Is this the legendary otaku who buys three light novels—one for preaching, one for proselytizing, and one for collecting?

"No way……"

Dongfang Bai suddenly realized that not everyone carried only one light novel; a large number of people carried two or even three, and a very small number carried more.

Yakumo Shiro's autographs are extremely rare. In the entire year since her debut, only about a thousand autographs have been issued, so very few people own Yakumo Shiro's autographs. Everyone wanted to take advantage of this autograph session.

Who knows when Yakumo will do his next book signing? I need to sign as many copies as possible.

"Oh my God……"

With a smile on his face, Dongfang Bai swiftly and smoothly completed an exquisite artistic signature with a pen in his hand in less than a second. He had learned this before; in the Dongfang family, one had to learn all sorts of things, and this was no exception.

"Even his autograph is so cool! Mr. Yakumo, are you a fan?"

"what?"

Before Dongfang Bai could react, the female fan coughed twice, realizing she had accidentally said something wrong. After signing the autograph, she didn't linger, as that would inconvenience the people behind her, and quickly left.

"Teacher Yakumo, please."

The next person to walk in was a young man with a strong otaku vibe. He placed five light novels in front of Dongfang Bai with an admiring look in his eyes, making Dongfang Bai's lips twitch.

Come to think of it, I don't even know how many guests there are. If there are really 20,000 people, I would have to sign at least 40,000 papers... My arm would definitely break.

The fans who came here for the autograph session all managed to snag tickets online; there were a genuine 20,000 people.

"There's a halftime break every hour, keep it up!"

Sento Isuzu, who was standing to the side, seemed to feel sorry for Dongfang Bai and gave him a little fist to cheer him on. This made Dongfang Bai laugh out loud.

"Come on then, it's just signing an autograph, right?"

In an instant, his arm moved like a whirlwind, signing five light novels in just five seconds. Even the readers opposite him were stunned; such signing speed was simply unbelievable.

But this makes everyone even more excited, as they want to get a closer look at Yakumo Haku himself. And doesn't the fact that Touhou Haku signs autographs quickly mean that the readers who come later will have to wait less time?

Whoosh whoosh!

The signing speed was as swift as lightning. Dongfang Bai 4.8's arm moved so fast that it created afterimages. Several autographed books were signed in a flash, and at this moment, many people took out their mobile phones to take pictures.

Although taking photos is allowed, getting too close when asking Dongfang Bai for an autograph is not permitted. This would not only affect other readers behind him but also increase the risk of him being exposed...

Although he has now been basically completely exposed, and his appearance should be all over the internet by now, he guessed right. Twitter is currently flooded with new posts, all about the news of 'Yakumo Shiro's' appearance.

Who is Yakumo Shiro? He debuted only a year ago and has already reached the same level as Senju Muramasa, the pillar of Dengeki Bunko and the titan of light novels, with one of his light novels selling a total of 20 million copies.

Chapter Twenty: The God of Light Novels [Please Subscribe Automatically]

His popularity might not be immediately apparent, but any message he posts on Twitter can generate a huge response. People online make all sorts of jokes and criticisms of him, but this love-hate relationship theoretically still makes him a die-hard fan.

These days, making light of Dongfang Bai online has become a meme, as if everyone can say "Yakumo is a heartless scoundrel." People just say it online, but of course, they wouldn't say it like that in real life.

"Yakumo the old scoundrel... Pshaw! Yakumo-sensei, I'm your fan! I've been reading Fate since the first volume!! Please sign this for me!"

The young man's words made Dongfang Bai's lips twitch. You were definitely going to call him "Old Thief Yakumo" just now, weren't you? You're so used to calling him that that you can't change it now, are you?

Despite being internally cursing, Dongfang Bai still smiled and signed the autograph for the other person. The other person bowed several times to Dongfang Bai after receiving the autograph, thanked him repeatedly, and said something before leaving.

04 "I will always love Artoria!!! Wherever the King's sword points! That is where our hearts follow!!!"

This shout was quite loud, and many readers probably heard it. However, everyone just smiled at each other because they were all like-minded. Almost no one here dislikes Artoria, and even those who are not fans of Fate know this character.

"..."

Dongfang Bai was a little embarrassed. You can say such cringeworthy lines online, but to actually say them in real life? Aren't you embarrassed?

But what happened next left Dongfang Bai even more bewildered.

"My King is the best!!"

"Aaaaaah, Rin Tohsaka is the best in the world!!"

"Ilya, Ilya, Ilya!!!"

"I wish I could be reborn in Gensokyo in my next life!"

The shout from that otaku seemed to have ignited the enthusiasm of many other otaku, and some couldn't help but shout along with him. It was like a chain reaction, with one voice influencing a large area.

Holy crap.

Aren't you guys embarrassed at all?

Everyone has idols, and otaku are no exception. In the months that have been brewing, in addition to the popularity of "Fate" becoming even more explosive, "Touhou Project" has also received better promotion, and more and more people have joined the fandom.

Although it only has a few volumes, Touhou Project's growth rate is no less than that of Fate at the time. In just a few volumes, it has already sold more than five million copies, and it is even more dazzling than Fate at the time.

For fans who love both books, the joy of discovering that the author is the same person is indescribable.

The author of these two books, 'Yakumo Shiro', is naturally regarded as a 'god' in the light novel world and has been worshipped by countless people, although he still deserves to be criticized...

"Ahem, Qian Dou, give me the microphone."

Dongfang Bai noticed that the readers were quite excited, but because they were shouting loudly, it was a bit noisy and he felt it was having a bad influence.

Sento Isuzu nodded and quickly grabbed a Bluetooth microphone from behind the table, handing it to Dongfang Bai. He coughed twice, tested the microphone, and said, "Everyone, calm down, please be quiet for a moment..."

For some reason, his casual remark inexplicably silenced the sea of ​​people. This eerie unity shocked Sento Isuzu once again. How could a single sentence silence tens of thousands of people?

What exactly is this allure?

"Thank you all so much for coming to my autograph session today. I'm also very happy with your enthusiastic response. But I hope everyone can be orderly and not make a fuss. I will sign autographs for everyone."

After Dongfang Bai finished speaking, many readers lowered their heads slightly, feeling a little ashamed. It was because the first person to shout had triggered a chain reaction, causing many people to follow suit in a moment of impulsiveness.

Then the remaining uninformed readers, not knowing what had happened, assumed it was at Yakumo-sensei's request and started shouting, which led to a chain reaction.

When you suddenly shout in a crowd, people will think you're weird. But if a large group of people are shouting and you're the only one who doesn't say anything, then you're the odd one out.

This is how atmosphere can influence a person's thinking.

"Phew, it's quiet now."

Dongfang Bai sat down abruptly. Fortunately, the chair was quite comfortable, otherwise he wouldn't know how he would have managed to sign tens of thousands of people. Sento Isuzu, standing next to him, looked at him with a shocked and peculiar gaze.

I originally thought that he had the ability to turn an amusement park into this place, which was already a genius-level skill. But to silence tens of thousands of people with just one sentence, his influence is something that even many big stars can't match.

That's right, Dongfang Bai's Twitter followers have now firmly entered the 20 million mark, including not only Japanese fans, but also fans from China who have bypassed the Great Firewall.

Moreover, unlike the zombie followers on Weibo in China, these are all real people, a genuine 20 million.

If this signing event hadn't been sold online via 7:30 ticket purchase, the number of attendees would definitely have been far more than 20,000. Moreover, to prevent scalpers from snatching tickets and reselling them at inflated prices, Dongfang Bai specifically had Dengeki Bunko lock the purchase IDs.

Once you buy a ticket, it cannot be used by anyone else, completely eliminating the possibility of scalping.

An hour passed, and finally it was time for the first break. Dongfang Bai slumped into a chair, feeling as if his right arm no longer belonged to him; it was almost numb.

There were still many customers who hadn't finished signing, but Dongfang Bai's arm was already too sore to move. Sendou Isuzu ran over to massage it and relieve his soreness.

"Hiss! Sento, you...don't know how to give a massage, do you?"

Dongfang Bai felt that the other party's strength was a bit too much. Sento Isuzu, who had been exposed, blushed, coughed twice, and remained silent. She really did not know how to massage at all.

"Then I'll do it~"

A gentle voice reached Dongfang Bai's ears. The adorable little princess Latifa walked over, holding up her princess dress, and sat down next to Dongfang Bai to massage his sore shoulders and arms.

Her hands were small and her strength was not great, but they felt very comfortable. Dongfang Bai originally wanted to refuse, but Latifa seemed to want to help as well, and it seemed that if he refused, she would insist that he help.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Whole Internet Knows in Ten Minutes [Please Subscribe Automatically]

"How was the pressure?"

The blushing princess used her delicate hands to massage Dongfang Bai's shoulders, making him feel incredibly good. This was the first time he had ever been massaged by a princess, and he couldn't express his feelings in words.

"Yes, it makes things much easier for me."

Dongfang Bai took a deep breath and looked ahead with some concern for the customers. There was still a large group of people queuing up. He worried that these readers might get tired, but he was completely overthinking it.

Many people were still chatting excitedly, but everyone was very well-mannered. Although they were happy to chat, they kept their voices down and there was no sense of noise at all.

"Qian Dou, how many people have entered?"

"Including this group of guests, there are now a total of 591,543 people."

"Still that much left?"