[107] "WorldEnd" !

Akifumi was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and nodded,

"I'm glad you like it, senpai."

"Since you've been working all day, I can't just take up your time as the last person today..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha held the signed book in her hands, gently placing it against her stomach, then bowed respectfully to Akifumi.

With a face full of youthful vibrance, she smiled warmly, "Goodbye, Senpai."

"Ah, goodbye," Akifumi replied, watching her disappear from sight.

He sighed deeply, stretching his shoulders which were starting to ache.

"This event was great, but it's a bit exhausting."

"You didn't have to work this hard," Mihari said, walking out from the rest area inside the bookstore with a look of disbelief.

"You started an hour early, and then you gave up your only break of the day."

"Well, I was just a little tired, but I made the fans happy, didn't I?"

Mihari smiled wryly, shaking her head.

"I knew you'd say that. But honestly, it's that kind of attitude that makes the fans respect you so much."

Akifumi shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe I'm just gifted?"

Mihari raised an eyebrow.

"Gifted, huh? You don't look even a little tired after all this time. What's your secret?"

"I don't know, really. I just stick to my usual workout routine, about an hour a day. Somehow, my physical strength has improved drastically. At least three times better than before, in terms of strength... and it's been improving in other areas too."

He chuckled a bit.

"The benefits are clear — experience in a lot of things means I don't need reminders to know what to do. But it's important to take care of your body. Especially in this field — long hours of sitting, intense focus... if you don't care for your body, you'll start feeling the toll as you age."

Mihari looked at him with a nod of approval.

"I guess you really are some kind of monster."

"So, are we heading to dinner now?" Mihari asked.

"Why not do both? Surely you wouldn't suggest that I'm busy working this long while you're going off to meet someone at a café?"

Mihari sighed. "I don't have the connections to get a meeting with a chief editor."

Akifumi smiled.

"But Machida-san, the chief editor of Fujimi, did arrange a dinner."

"Then let's go straight there."

Akifumi grabbed his things, stood up, and headed for the door.

Mihari muttered under his breath, "How is this guy not hungry after all that time?"

After a brief 10-minute walk, they arrived at the restaurant.

"Table 12, please follow me," the waiter said as they were led to a table where a woman dressed in professional attire was already seated.

"Her?" Akifumi said, a little surprised but not too much.

They sat down opposite her, and just as Akifumi was about to speak, she smiled and said, "Let's skip the formalities, shall we? You must be hungry after all this, right?"

"Thank you," Akifumi replied, not wasting time as he was indeed starving.

Mihari asked the editor, "Won't you eat?"

"No, not hungry," Mihari responded.

Akifumi didn't hold back and dug into the meal, eating quickly.

Twenty minutes later, he sighed contentedly, "Thank you for the meal."

The table, once full of food, was now mostly empty, except for some sauce and soup.

Machida Sonoko, the woman across from him, looked at the remnants of the meal in shock, then smiled wryly, "That's not my treat; it's on the company."

"Good to have a big company backing you up," Akifumi said, feeling grateful.

"Ah, right," he added, reaching across the table to introduce himself.

"I'm Akifumi Mugiho, fighting in the manga world with love and hope."

"Machida Sonoko, chief editor of Fujimi Bunko."

They shook hands lightly in mutual recognition.

"By the way, Akifumi-sensei, you asked to meet me today for...?"

"I've written a light novel, and I'd like you to take a look at it."

Machida Sonoko blinked in surprise, but before she could say anything, Mihari looked at Akifumi with a completely stunned expression.

"What did you say?"

"I wrote a light novel, calm down."

"Calm down?!" Mihari's voice rose incredulously.

"Why would you stop drawing manga to write a light novel?"

Machida Sonoko nodded quietly, her face unreadable.

Akifumi was completely innocent.

"Look, if I finish drawing, can I get a serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump? But Madoka Magica is almost done."

"It's not like there isn't some time left for that," Mihari said.

"But it's not like you can't try something else in the meantime."

"Exactly! Everyone does multiple things, like writing light novels, doing illustrations, even being an anime director. Why can't I try writing a light novel?"

Mihari was speechless.

Machida Sonoko, after considering her words carefully, said, "Akifumi-sensei, writing a light novel is not as simple as you think, you know..."

"Well, I know that," Akifumi interrupted.

"But I've written a volume already. Maybe you can give it a look and then decide."

Machida Sonoko was momentarily speechless, then asked, "When did you start writing this?"

"Last month."

"Wait... what?" Both Mihari and Machida stared at him in disbelief.

"A whole volume in one month?" Machida's eyes widened.

"Well, I don't have the time to sit around waiting to release a new volume. I might as well try something different in the meantime."

Mihari looked at him like he was crazy, but Machida's curiosity was piqued.

She was intrigued enough to say, "Alright, I'll take a look at it. But don't expect too much."

..................

[TL Note]

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