A newbie's anime life diary

Xuehui's face stiffened. To be honest, he had never discussed this topic with anyone before, and he had no experience with it, so what could he possibly say?

"It's just a discussion, anyway, I was bored watching TV." With that, Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned sideways and rested her head on the armrest of the sofa, looking at Yukiteru with her legs spread out on the sofa, unaware of how alluring her posture was.

"Okay, let's talk if you want. What kind of things would you like to talk about?"

Yukiteru was also going to give up, which was better than Kasumigaoka Utaha deliberately making up suggestive jokes at the beginning. He would send her back to sleep when the time was up.

“Then let’s start with something lighter.” Kasumigaoka Utaha thought for a moment and then asked, “I’ve read the first volume of your novel, and after you sent the second volume to the editor, you also agreed to let me read it first. The romance scenes you wrote in it are really good. In that world of death where you don’t know what tomorrow will bring, the changes in the feelings between the male protagonist and the girl, hey, Yukiteru-kun, how did you come up with that?”

"Um... how did you come up with that?" Xuehui thought for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed, and could only make up a reason. "I've never experienced that kind of situation, so I could only put myself in that situation and think about it, and then look at some movies or other materials."

"Sigh~ It's surprisingly ordinary." Kasumigaoka Utaha said disappointedly, but thinking about it, it makes sense. His novels aren't like hers, which are slice-of-life, so the development of the romance is naturally different.

"Then tell me, what kind of girl does Yukiteru-kun like?" After finishing one question, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't wait to ask the next one.

The hand holding the teacup wobbled, almost spilling the tea. Xuehui looked at the girl and said, "Such a shocking question right off the bat?"

"I'm curious. I'd really like to know if any of the characters in the book are your ideal role models." Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression remained unchanged, but in reality, her heart was beating faster than usual.

He bent his legs and curled up in the single sofa. Xuehui took a sip of tea and began to think about the question for the first time. To be honest, he hadn't thought about it carefully if Kasumigaoka Utaha hadn't asked him.

After thinking for a moment, Xuehui slowly said, "The ideal type? Actually, height and appearance aren't the most important factors, as long as they're above average."

Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled, realizing that she was not just passing, but near the perfect score.

"Also, don't let my talkative nature fool you; I actually get quite bored when I'm home alone. So, it would be best if you had a good personality, could tolerate loneliness, and could spend our time doing nothing together. Ideally, you'd also be able to cook. Although I can cook, and I'm better than most people, I still sometimes want to be lazy. It would be best if we could both cook, so that if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to cook, I can just pass the buck to the other person."

Of course, besides myself, family is also a factor. Although Shizuka-sensei... Ms. Hiratsuka is my guardian, I'm actually single. It would be good if the other person came from a good family with elders. Hmm... I've said a bit too much, but ultimately, an ideal type is just an ideal type; reality isn't that perfect. What's the point of saying my childhood crush was Sophie Marceau?

As he spoke, Xuehui chuckled to himself. He looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha and asked expectantly, "After saying so much, shouldn't you tell us about yourself, Utaha-senpai?"

"Huh? Ah, me?" Kasumigaoka Utaha snapped out of her daze and looked at Yukiteru, whose expression remained unchanged. The amount of information that Yukiteru had unintentionally revealed in his monologue had left her somewhat bewildered.

It seems I've unintentionally learned something incredible...

After a pause, Kasumigaoka Utaha smoothed the strands of hair that had fallen in front of her, her face slightly flushed, and said, "As for me, I don't really like working for those companies. I'll probably continue writing books in the future. Although I know a little about housework and cooking under my mother's tutelage, I can only say I'm a beginner. So as long as you can tolerate these things about me, that's fine. Of course, it would be even better if he's rich, handsome, and young. Hmm... now that I think about it, it's a very unoriginal ideal, especially since I'm a writer of light novels."

"After all, there's always a gap between ideals and reality, isn't there? At least in my opinion, Shiyu-senpai is more approachable now."

"And what about you? Do you think I'm a good fit?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, looking at Yukiteru.

The room fell silent for a moment.

I feel like I can't continue writing the Utaha route, it's going to explode if I do, I need to take a break...

PS: New Game Season 7 is coming out in July, Yuri Workshop is great.

Chapter 56: The Book Signing Event Begins

Yukiteru was taken aback when Kasumigaoka Utaha said something like that. After a moment of surprise, he smiled and said, "Well, Utaha-senpai, even if a great beauty like you has some flaws, I think anyone would be happy with that."

Being praised so directly by a boy she had a crush on made Kasumigaoka Utaha blush slightly. With a smile, she stood up and said, "Since I'm quite satisfied with your answer, I won't bother you any longer. Get some rest, don't be so excited that you can't sleep and end up meeting your fans with dark circles under your eyes tomorrow morning. Goodnight, Yukiteru-kun."

Goodnight, Shiyu-senpai.

After seeing the girl to the door and saying goodnight, Xuehui closed the door and prepared to rest. It was his first autograph session, so he needed to prepare well.

Meanwhile, in Kasumigaoka Utaha's room.

The girl pounced onto the bed, tangling herself with the blankets. She sighed softly, her previous smile gone: "We haven't known each other for very long, yet the second time turned into a date, and the third time I gave away my first kiss. I really don't understand myself. I should say less of these things in the future; saying them too often will just make me cry wolf."

Looking at the time, the girl felt a little sleepy after staying up all night for several days. She shook off the covers and crawled in. Then, with a rustling sound, a bathrobe was thrown out. Then, her fair arm reached out and accurately turned off the switch on the bedside table, plunging the room into darkness.

The next day, Yuki, having had enough sleep, got up early, exercised in the hotel gym, and had breakfast. Machida Sonoko finally arrived at the hotel at 8 a.m.

"I was worried you wouldn't sleep well, but it seems you're doing quite well."

Seeing that Yukiteru had changed into a black shirt and looked energetic, Machida Sonoko nodded in satisfaction. "So, where's Utaha? He's not up yet, is he?"

"Yuanzi-nee, I heard everything." Just then, Kasumigaoka Utaha's room opened, and a girl wearing a pure white dress walked out carrying a small bag.

"Oh, good morning, Shiyu~" Machida Sonoko greeted the other person as if she hadn't said anything at all, which shows that she is quite shameless.

After the three met, they prepared to head to the scene. According to Machida Sonoko, people had already started queuing up before 7 o'clock.

He took out his phone and opened Twitter, which was filled with messages from people queuing up for the autograph session. Xuehui was both touched and helpless: "It seems I won't be able to leave until I've signed autographs for 5 hours today."

The book signing event started at 9 a.m., lasted for three hours in the morning, continued at 1 p.m., and ended at 3 p.m. For those five hours, Xuehui was basically sitting there the whole time.

Arriving at the street corner, one could already see a long line forming outside the signing event venue.

It was impossible for the group to enter from the front; instead, they went through the back door of the bookstore to the preparation room.

With half an hour to go before the start, and everything prepared, Yukiteru simply waited to begin. At that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha approached Yukiteru with the first volume of Sword Art Online and handed him the book.

"Mr. Popular author, would you mind giving me your first autograph? Strictly speaking, I'm your first fan."

"Since you're my first fan, shouldn't you, Shiyu-senpai, be first in line to show your sincerity?" Even as she said this, Xuehui still took the novel, opened it to the first page, and wrote:

"A gift to my first fan, Shiyu—Kong"

Although the signing event required speed, Yukiteru still wrote down every single word of Kasumigaoka Utaha's autograph carefully. After finishing, he handed it to her and, seeing the smile on the girl's face, Yukiteru felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

Looking at herself on the cover, Kasumigaoka Utaha was very happy, but then handed the book back again. Seeing Yukiteru's puzzled look, Kasumigaoka Utaha said, "Just the title isn't enough, Yukiteru-kun, please write your real name too."

"So many requirements." Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xuehui had no choice but to pick up the pen again and write his name on it.

"This is a one-of-a-kind book in the whole world. Xuehui-kun, you're not allowed to use your real name in other novels in the future. Maybe in a few years this book will be worth a lot of money, enough to buy a sea-view house or something."

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded in satisfaction and then made a request to Yukiteru.

"It's not that exaggerated. Do you think it's a family heirloom?"

Ignoring Kasumigaoka Utaha's antics, Yukiteru picked up his phone and checked the time. It was almost time; there were only 5 minutes left.

At this moment, Machida Sonoko also came over and gestured for Yukiteru to get ready to go on stage.

After glancing at Kasumigaoka Utaha, who said she would wait there to read and rest, Yukiteru felt relieved and followed Machida Sonoko out.

The autograph session officially began at 9:00 AM.

When Xuehui appeared at the crowded scene, it caused quite a stir, mainly among women.

Although everyone knew that the author of Sword Art Online, Sora-sensei, was a male high school student, his appearance still surprised everyone. As for the girls... they had gone from being book fans to fangirls, all shouting that they wanted to have Sora-sensei's babies and so on.

"Tch, these little bitches, I was here first, I haven't even had a chance yet, and you want to go further?" Through the crack in the door, Kasumigaoka Utaha saw this scene in the venue, muttering to herself with a ferocious expression. She wondered if she should just go out and suppress them, letting them see the difference between her and herself. However, she suppressed the thought in the end, otherwise the signing event would turn into a battlefield of a hundred people.

Although there were quite a few people who knew about the dojo, Xuehui was still somewhat surprised that 30% of them were girls. Hearing the girls' shouts, the word "fuck fans" involuntarily came to mind.

'Well, I was just thinking. I'm a principled young man, I'm not an adult yet.'

Thinking this, Xuehui smiled and greeted the book fans before sitting down in his seat.

The first fan was a boy, who looked to be a high school student. He was wearing glasses and seemed very excited.

As the first person to arrive, Xuehui asked his name and thanked him a few words before letting the next person come up. This perk was given to the first ten book fans to arrive, which was arranged by Machida Sonoko. These fans can be said to be the best form of publicity.

Next came the usual autograph session. Since his pen name only has one character, the pace was quite fast. During the session, he encountered several pretty female fans. Once he relaxed, Xuehui would chat with them for a bit and then politely decline their requests for photos.

After signing continuously for three hours, the lunch break was over. However, seeing the still long queue, Yukiteru called over Machida Sonoko and said they could continue.

"Are you alright? Can your body handle it?" Machida Sonoko expressed some concern about Yukiteru's physical strength.

"Don't worry, I can handle this level. Besides, it wouldn't be good to keep them waiting, would it?" Xuehui shook his head, indicating that he would continue.

Having no other option, Machida Sonoko had to communicate with the staff on site and then notify all the book fans.

Everyone cheered when they heard that Xuehui had canceled his break and continued the autograph session, praising his dedication.

With a smile, Xuehui continued signing books one by one. He was somewhat glad that he had eaten a large breakfast, so he wasn't very hungry yet.

The book signing continued, with one group leaving and another arriving without stopping. Around 2 p.m., three people I had met once before appeared before me.

"Aki-kun, Sawamura-kun, and Kato-kun?" Yukiteru looked at the three people in front of him with great surprise.

He wasn't too surprised that Eriri Sawamura and Tomoya Aki came together, but he was quite surprised that Megumi Kato... had told Kasumigaoka Utaha that Tomoya Aki's plan hadn't taken shape yet, so Megumi Kato hadn't joined his club. So, seeing the three of them together today really surprised him.

Chapter 57 Arrival One After Another

Seemingly noticing the surprise in Yukiteru's eyes, Kato Megumi's unhurried voice came out: "Ah, I was dragged here by Aki-san after we met on the way. I also happened to see the reviews of your novel online, Hiratsuka-san, so I thought I'd come along. This is my first time at a book signing event, there are so many people."

After listening to Kato Megumi's explanation, Yukiteru glanced at Aki Tomoya. This hardcore otaku was really straightforward in recruiting people into the cult. Luckily, he met a girl like Kato Megumi who took everything lightly. If it were anyone else, he probably would have slapped them already.

Looking at the two people next to Aki Tomoya, Sawamura Eriri was eye-catching enough with her golden twin tails, short skirt, and black stockings. Kato Megumi, however, was a bit unexpected. She wore a vest, a pleated skirt, and white stockings, a stark contrast to her usual plain school uniform attire, making Yukiteru glance at her a few more times.

Coming to his senses, Yukiteru looked at Aki Tomoya, who was asking him to sign his book, and shook his head helplessly. This guy clearly didn't care much about the two beautiful girls beside him.

When it was Eriri Sawamura's turn, she placed the book in front of Yukiteru and said, "Um... I was just dragged here by chance, it's not that I like your novel."

Ignoring the girl's tsundere attitude, Yukiteru smiled and began signing autographs. Meanwhile, Aki Tomoya, standing nearby, complained, "Eri, you said you desperately needed illustrations of characters from the novel and limited-edition autograph posters for the next exhibition's doujinshi! You're not even taking advantage of this great opportunity to interact with the original author... Waaah..."

Before she could finish speaking, Eriri, her face flushed, rushed over and covered her mouth. But it was too late; Yukiteru had already heard everything she should and shouldn't have said.

"Hmm~ doujinshi? So Sawamura-kun is a doujinshi artist? That's amazing!" Yukiteru didn't show much disdain after hearing what she said, and looked at Eriri calmly.

Honestly, scripts are better than live-action films. The character designs alone are miles ahead of the live-action ones. Thinking back to my past experiences of being tortured by those photoshopped covers, Yukiteru would never touch that area again.

So notebooks are the best!

Maybe next time at CM, I can try publishing a doujinshi featuring the protagonist of my own novel?

Kiriko-chan, before the novel reaches the Death Gun arc, let's get a copy out of it first. When the novel comes out, this copy will definitely appreciate in value!

But that's just a thought; not many people would actually draw their own characters in comics. However, looking at other people's work is quite interesting.

"Ahhh, don't say that!" Eriri's already fragile heart was nearly broken when Aki Tomoya unintentionally revealed her identity as a doujinshi artist, especially in front of the original author of the character in her next doujinshi.

"Does Sawamura-kun really not want others to know about this identity?" After signing his name, Yuki asked as he wrote, gesturing for Kato Megumi to come over. There was no one else around, so Yuki didn't mind chatting for a while.

However, Eriri was still in a daze, so the culprit, Aki Tomoya, had to explain: "Sora-sensei, I forgot to introduce you before. Eriri is a very famous doujinshi artist, Kashiwagi Eri!"

"Oh, it's Ms. Kashiwagi Eri! My apologies for not recognizing you! It's a pity I didn't bring any of your works with me, otherwise I would definitely ask you for an autograph!"

Of course, this was just a casual remark. Xuehui's family didn't have any doujinshi in their collection, and he had only seen fan art of Kashiwagi Eri's works uploaded online, which did have a very exquisite art style.

Unfortunately, the other party only draws yuri doujinshi and doesn't involve mainstream content, so Yukiteru had no intention of collecting them.

"Right, right! So, Ms. Sora, please join my club! With you and Ms. Kasumi Utako as scriptwriters and Eri Kashiwagi as character designer, our game will definitely be a sensation at the convention!"

As they talked, Aki Tomoya started encouraging Yukiteru to join his game club again.

Without even thinking, Xuehui refused again: "I still mean it. When you come up with a proposal that I can accept, then come back to talk to me about this."

He signed his name, casually drew a chibi version of Asuna next to it, and handed the book to Kato Megumi. He had given this perk to all three of them. He definitely wouldn't be satisfied with just an autograph from Aki Tomoya, but since the other two were girls, he never minded spending a little more time on them.