A super great writer in the second dimension

　The book signing, which was originally thought to be finished in the morning, ended up lasting until almost evening because there were so many readers.

　With only one person left in the queue, Sanzenin Arashi breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to grab the book in front of him to sign his name. However, when the signing event ended, he saw the other person's face and froze.

　He wore a sharp tailcoat, white gloves, and his handsome face was spotless and impeccably groomed.

　His height of around 1.8 meters is absolutely unique in Japan, and with those red eyes, he's a man of great charisma.

　It gives people a sense of eeriness, like a crow.

　Most importantly, this man's identity—the acting manager of the Sanzenin family, a monster in human skin, the head butler: Sebastian Michaelis.

　..

61. The Man Named Sebastian

　"Oh, what brings you here?" Sanzenin Arashi rubbed her temples. "Shiyu, could you go downstairs for a moment?"

　Kasumigaoka Utaha was also exhausted. She had already moved nearly 10,000 books today. She had personally witnessed some readers queuing up all day just to get an autograph.

　After hearing what Sanzenin Arashi said, the girl walked to the side and sat down.

　"Hmm? Can't I come, young master?" The handsome man sat down in front of Sanzenin Arashi with a smile, picked up a book, and said, "Personally, I am also very interested in your book. As the head butler of the Sanzenin family, it is my duty to do so."

　“Sebastian Michaelis.” Sanzenin Arashi covered his forehead. “What, did Grandpa send you? Don’t tell me it’s because he’s worried about his grandson, such a ridiculous idea.”

　“No, no, no, I will only follow the choices of the times. Before it was the Emperor, now it’s you, young master.” Sebastian picked up the book and turned a couple of pages: “Isn’t this a very forward-thinking idea? I can say with certainty that no one who has ever shown loyalty to anyone before could compare to even a tenth of you, young master.”

　"Whether it's the pharaohs of Egypt, the great nobles of the Middle Ages, or the Sanzenin who rose from the ashes of war, it's the winds of time blowing, and I'm just appearing beside them."

　"Ugh, you chuunibyou butler, that's enough... What a waste of all your abilities!" Sanzenin Arashi was unusually agitated and slammed his hand on the table again.

　"You're such a chuunibyou? That's right." Sebastian still had a smile on his face. "How heartless you are, young master. I thought you would at least take me with you when you came to Japan, but I didn't expect you to not even contact me once."

　Sanzenin Arashi snatched the novel from Sebastian's hand, wrote his name on it, then took another copy of Sword Art Online from the side, signed both copies, and gave them to Sebastian.

　"Take your books and get out of here, you bastard! I'll never forget what you did to me when I was a kid!" Sanzenin Arashi said in a low, fierce voice, "The first thing I'll do when I inherit the Sanzenin family is fire you, you crazy, chuunibyou, perverted butler who likes to dress people up as women!"

　Sebastian touched his shoulder-length hair: "Oh dear, young master has learned to be independent now, I have to get started too."

　Sanzenin Arashi felt a chill from that smile.

　Sanzenin Arashi said, "What are you planning? Tell me, I'm very curious."

　When she said this, Sanzenin Arashi's tone was very cold.

　Based on past experience, Sebastian Michaelis is definitely up to no good.

　The outcome may be positive, but the process is definitely not what Sanzenin Arashi wanted to see.

　“Well, I’ve already taken action,” Sebastian said, his expression a constant smile. “Look, young master, can you guess what my purpose is? What are my thoughts on coming here? What will I do?”

　"Let me guess?" Sanzenin Arashi rubbed his temples. "So that I can go back and inherit the family business, follow your wishes, and ultimately control everything?"

　“That’s not right.” Sebastian shook his head. “Now, this is what I’m going to do.”

　Sanzenin Arashi became alert.

　When I was a child, I played chess and games with this butler, from international chess to hide-and-seek, and I never won against him once.

　In Sanzenin Arashi's heart, this butler is invincible. He didn't stay in the Sanzenin family for personal gain. He was celebrating life and doing what he wanted. As long as he was happy, he was capable of sending you to hell or giving you a hundred million dollars as pocket money for no reason.

　This is Sebastian Michaelis, a man who does whatever he wants, and a man who is bound to succeed.

　A man controlled by himself, a... terrifying man.

　"Ah, that girl over there, is her name Kasumigaoka Utaha? A second-year student at Toyonosaki Academy, top of her class. Her father is a designer, her mother is a lawyer, her weight is XX, her height is XX, and her measurements are XXX. Last night she ate a fruit salad, and her sixth birthday present was a book. Since then, she has loved words and wants to become a writer." Sebastian narrowed his eyes: "Let me think... Hmm... She doesn't have many friends. Young Master is number one. If you ask whether their relationship is like or love, it's undoubtedly like. A rather nice woman."

　As Sebastian said this, an unprecedented surge of anger welled up in his mind.

　boom!

　After slamming her hand on the table, Sanzenin Arashi pointed to the door and said, "Now get out of here."

　"No, no, no, I think you've misunderstood something, popular author Aoyama-sensei." Sebastian adjusted his glasses: "I am the butler of the Sanzenin family, a world-class family. In my eyes, someone who has just debuted as a rising star in the literary world is nothing more than an ant. Hmm, and Shinazugawa Bunko, and the conglomerate above it, are all just ants to me, just different sizes. Now, can we sit down and talk properly, Aoyama-sensei?"

　Sanzenin Arashi asked, "You came here just to tell me these things?"

　“No, the things I came here for are only just beginning to be done.” Sebastian gave a subtle smile: “Miss Kasumigaoka Utaha over there, this Aoyama Arashi is a fraud, a bastard who deceives women. Interested? Come over and listen to him.”

　..

62. Come on, Kasumigaoka Utaha, let's be honest with each other.

　Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, her bright smile turning into a dark cloud. A cold snort, like an outburst of anger, escaped her lips as she uttered a few words: "Who are you? What business is it of yours?"

　I don't know why, but I just don't have a good feeling about this smiling man.

　"I know what you're going to do..."

　Sanzenin Arashi raised an eyebrow, her expression relaxed: "On the contrary, I should thank you for making me make up my mind so easily."

　Sebastian smiled slightly: "Huh? Has my target been exposed?"

　He continued, "Young Master is indeed not the same as before. He always seemed unable to let go of many things since he was a child, but now he can actually show this kind of expression."

　"Stop talking so much nonsense." Sanzenin Arashi said simply and casually, "Shiyu, come here for a moment, I'm going to tell you the story of the big liar Aoyama Arashi."

　Undoubtedly, Sanzenin Arashi wants to create his own ACG empire, and now he needs a company. To establish this company, he published the book Sword Art Online and is sitting here holding a book signing event. But none of this is a reason to hide it.

　Sanzenin Arashi understood somewhat: since someone was willing to treat him with sincerity, he himself had to reciprocate with the same sincerity.

　“I’ve decided to lay this all out on the table. I know you’ve always been curious about who I am, so I’m going to tell you now.”

　Sanzenin Arashi tapped the table, her gaze sharp and astonishingly detailed. "It's very unfair if you don't know these things."

　Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned. She had been wondering who this man in the black tuxedo was since earlier. Her impression of Sanzenin Arashi was simple: fearless. So she looked at Sebastian hesitantly. "Before this, who was this man? Arashi-kun, although I don't like it when you hide things from me, I have no right to demand that you tell me everything, even though I've been curious since that night."

　She pointed at Sebastian and said, "But my dislike for him now trumps everything else."

　"That's quite rare," Sanzenin Arashi thought to herself. "He is Sebastian, full name: Sebastian Michaelis. He is the butler of my family. He served as my teacher and guard when I was young, and he is still my guard now, as well as a CEO of the family."

　"Family?" Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned. As perceptive as she was, quick-witted and exceptionally sensitive, she sensed a troublesome atmosphere. Her intuition told her that trouble was far beyond her perception.

　Arashi Sanzenin paused for a moment, then said, “That’s right. It’s a family, a family of families. Suppose a young person succeeds in business and has a considerable amount of money. After getting married and having children, he maintains the company’s operation. Then his children grow up and become successful, and the business flourishes. When their parents die, they inherit and consolidate the business into a group. The seeds of this generation then flourish again, forming a prestigious family. This prestigious family continues to develop and eventually becomes a clan. This clan grows and expands again, and thus becomes a zaibatsu (financial conglomerate).”

　He spoke of everything, big and small.

　Kasumigaoka Utaha looked thoughtful upon hearing this, as if she had grasped a bit of the clue.

　They're chaebols.

　Sanzenin Arashi's explanation was incredibly detailed and astonishing: "The zaibatsu generally wield tremendous influence in their own countries. Even if a member were to kill someone in the street, as long as it doesn't have a major impact, he could appear in front of you the next day as if nothing had happened. There are many well-known zaibatsu in the world now. The most famous one in Japan is Totsuki, and the Nakiri family leads the zaibatsu. The zaibatsu have formed an alliance and are divided into two factions, one of which is steady and the other is aggressive."

　At this point, Sanzenin Arashi paused, glancing at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

　He noticed that the girl seemed a little distracted, and that she was starting to daydream while listening to what he was saying.

　"So, Lan-kun is a member of which conglomerate?" the girl tried to answer the most exaggerated idea.

　Being able to stay here and write books at will, enjoying a free life, combined with her past experiences from the media, and after a moment of reflection, she realized the matter was simple and she believed she was close to finding the answer.

　“That’s not right, Shiyu.” Sanzenin Arashi waved his hand. “The radical zaibatsu are relatively young, and in terms of capital, they are not as good as the steady ones. If the steady ones wanted to, they could even do something like ‘Currency Wars’, and they could do it very easily. You know, Shiyu, this world is actually much simpler than you think. It’s just that there are superiors and subordinates. We’re getting a bit off-topic.”

　Sanzenin Arashi changed his tone: "You see, we said that the Steady Faction is the most powerful, and the leader of the Steady Faction is the Sanzenin Zaibatsu. And I am not called Aoyama Arashi, but Sanzenin Arashi. I am not some peripheral figure as you think, but the first heir who will definitely inherit the fate of the whole world if I don't die in the future."

　Although Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression was one of disbelief, Sanzenin Arashi continued, "Besides, I'm not exactly a moderate person, but rather a radical one, just like my parents."

　..

63. I'm just asking you.

　After nodding to Sebastian to indicate his agreement, Sanzenin Arashi looked at his somewhat bewildered fake girlfriend, Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Speaking like this definitely won't give you any sense of reality. Let's do something that will make it feel real for you."

　Without waiting for Kasumigaoka Utaha's reply, Sanzenin Arashi gave Sebastian a look: "Let's begin. Let this lady figure out the current situation within a minute."

　“Yes, sir.” Sebastian picked up his phone, made a call, whispered something, turned off the phone, and placed a tablet on the table.

　He checked the time: "It's already seven o'clock, which is exactly the time for the live broadcast of the Prime Minister's meeting, which is broadcast nationwide."

　Kasumigaoka Utaha saw a portly middle-aged man on the screen, giving a passionate explanation of the bill, presumably trying to make the nation aware of its importance. Suddenly, an official walked past this nationally renowned prime minister, and then…

　"..." Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, already having a guess in her mind.

　next second.

　The official raised his hand high, then swung it down, and with a loud "smack," the prime minister, who was giving a speech, was slapped across the face.

　As can be seen from the footage, the Capitol Building, which was originally bustling with people, suddenly became silent, as if a switch had been flipped.

　then……

　Surprise, panic, anger, and pain coalesced into a bewildered expression on the Prime Minister's face.

　The Prime Minister's expression was quite remarkable.

　Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression was also quite remarkable; you could almost see the words "How is this possible?" written on the girl's face.

　Sanzenin Arashi tapped the table, and Sebastian put the PAD away.

　“As the leader of the moderate faction, the Sanzenin family would naturally not allow this new bill to appear. However, this prime minister ignored our advice and wanted to force its way through. He has already bribed all officials except the moderates to hold a direct vote. We are just giving him a heads-up here.” Sanzenin Arashi said calmly, “This matter was decided before I left the family. The plan was conceived by Sanzenin Arashi, which is me, and the proposer is Sebastian Michaelis standing here.”

　Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha deep in thought, Sanzenin Arashi continued speaking with ease.

　"So I hid it from you at first. Everyone around me since I was little, except for a few, has looked at me with awe."

　Arashi Sanzenin paused, then looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha's somewhat dazed expression and continued, "Whether they are older or around my age, even my grandfathers have to keep smiling in front of me. They have to carry out every word I say, but I can never get used to that expression. So the first thing I did after leaving the family was to take away the name Sanzenin and change my name to Aoyama when I interacted with others."

　"Then why are you telling me this now?" Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled bitterly. Although she was curious before, the truth was too shocking—it was as if she were being told right now that the person who controlled half the world was standing in front of her, and in some ways even greater than the head of a country. Facing such a person, she really couldn't muster any feelings other than awe.

　Kasumigaoka Utaha believed she could maintain a humble and respectful demeanor in front of teachers, parents, editors, and elders, but now the gap was no longer a simple superior-subordinate one, but the difference between a mortal and a god.

　Even the most arrogant human would never consider lifting the Earth with their bare hands.

　"You're really strict with me." The girl pursed her lips. "Is there anything else you want me to hear?"

　Sanzenin Arashi shook his head: "No, now I want to hear your explanation."

　Sebastian smiled and said, "Then I shall take my leave."

　The dashing butler flicked the hem of his tuxedo and strode confidently out the door. When only the two of them remained at the signing event, Kasumigaoka Utaha coughed.

　"So, may I speak now, Lan-kun?"

　Sanzenin Arashi nodded. "Please speak."

　"Hehehehe..."

　Suddenly, Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a very calm laugh.

　After smiling, the girl said, "Then first I need to clarify a few points."

　She paused, then held up one finger: "First, forget what I'm about to say tomorrow."

　"Second, you are not allowed to interrupt me while I am speaking."

　"Third, you must answer my questions truthfully."

　"Nod if you can do the above three things, otherwise shake your head."

　After Kasumigaoka Utaha finished speaking, she shook three fingers and stared straight at Sanzenin Arashi, her gaze as heavy as a weight.

　Sanzenin Arashi nodded. "Of course, go ahead and speak."

　Kasumigaoka Utaha took a deep breath. "Then I'll ask you, what exactly is this so-called scammer referring to? Answer that question now."

　..

64. Poetry Feather, Put Your Feet Back (Up for Sale, Please Subscribe)

　Looking at Kasumigaoka Utaha in front of him, what are Sanzenin Arashi's feelings for her? Is it like or love? Of course, it's love.

　Men can easily fall for a woman, not to mention how much she does for them, running around taking care of them. Just looking at her back gives them an indescribable feeling.

　Although he has a fiancée named Erina Nakiri, how could he possibly compare a woman he'd never even met to Utaha Kasumigaoka?

　To put it bluntly, a mere rich girl is nothing more than a cabbage on the roadside in his eyes. As long as he proposes, no rich girl in the world would refuse. This is not an exaggeration; it is simply stating a fact.

　If you want to walk with someone and create your own dream in the world of ACG, then if you had to choose someone, Sanzenin Arashi would only say one name: Kasumigaoka Utaha.

　“I’m afraid I can’t answer your question…” Sanzenin Arashi frowned and thought for a while, a chill running down her spine, before she said succinctly, “Because I don’t think I did anything wrong before. Even if the name was a lie and concealed a lot of things, it was right in my eyes. This lie was meaningful and right to me. Even if it was wrong to others, it was still right to me.”