Chapter 28: Premonition of Exposure
Less than two minutes after Kaede sat down in the classroom, Takasu Ryuji entered, put down his bag, and walked straight over.
Seeing Takasu Ryuji's amused expression, Kaede felt a chill and said, "Please, can you make your face look normal?"
"...My expression is perfectly normal. You're the abnormal one, alright?"
Takasu Ryuji didn't get angry; he just smiled and said, "I saw you on the way to school. You and Sawamura from Class A were laughing and chatting."
"Are you stalking me, kid?"
"No, no, no. How can you call it stalking?" Takasu Ryuji shook his finger and said, "I just happened to see you on my way to school, that's all. I didn't mean anything by it."
After speaking, he patted Kaede's shoulder with an emotional look, "As expected of you, Asakura. I just found out that girl's name, and you're already flirting with the school's famous beauty."
Kaede irritably swatted his hand away and said, "Although I know your Japanese Literature grades are good, please use more accurate terminology? That word shouldn't be thrown around; it's not good if someone overhears and misunderstands."
"So, you haven't won her over yet?"
"I haven't even made a move, understand?"
"Really? It doesn't look that way. From my perspective, your relationship is already much better than that of ordinary male and female classmates."
"You're overthinking it. We just share some common topics."
"Emmm~~~"
Seeing that Kaede didn't seem to be lying, Takasu Ryuji hesitated, then a smile reappeared on his face: "That's good. It looks like you're not much better off than I am!"
Where does this guy get the confidence to say something like that?
Kaede gave Takasu Ryuji a helpless look but didn't continue to tease him. After all, this guy had finally managed to cheer up in high school and had met a girl he liked. As a friend, he wouldn't make fun of him at a time like this.
He should at least wait until he fails his confession, right?
But speaking of which, what would this guy's final outcome be?
Looking at Takasu Ryuji, who had returned to his seat, Kaede rubbed his chin, unable to predict the direction things would go.
Well, forget it. Let nature take its course. After all, this is youth... Just like that, three days passed, and it was Thursday.
In the afternoon, Kaede received a message from Editor Nakajima, asking him to come to the Bunko after school, saying that Kashiwagi Eri-sensei would be coming today to discuss collaborating with Utako Kasumi. He asked if he could bring one more person, and after the editor heard it was Kurenai Momiji-sensei, the author of konosuba, he readily agreed and expressed hope that he could get an autograph.
When he saw this message, especially the latter half, Kaede almost burst out laughing.
He had known for a long time that Eriri read konosuba and loved the explosive chuunibyou mage Megumin, but he hadn't expected the editor to agree to let him come over and even ask for an autograph.
No, he couldn't keep thinking about it; he really was going to laugh out loud.
Quickly putting his phone away, Kaede adjusted his mindset, preparing for the final class of the afternoon, which was about to begin.
After class, it was Kaede's turn for cleaning duty, which conveniently allowed him to stagger his departure time from Eriri's trip to the Bunko, preventing them from running into each other too early.
After cleaning the classroom and throwing away the trash, Kaede put on his school bag and went to the Art Club.
Pushing open the clubroom door, he saw that the three club members were already there: Uchimaki Subaru and Usami Mizuki were drawing, while the president was, as usual, lying on the sofa reading manga.
Upon entering, Kaede immediately said, "President, I need to take a leave of absence today. I have something I need to take care of."
"A leave of absence? No problem."
The president shifted his attention from the manga, looked at Kaede, and said, "What a coincidence, you and Sawamura both took leave today."
Kaede shrugged, saying, "Sometimes things just happen to align this way. Well, I just came to let you know. I need to hurry and leave now. See you tomorrow."
After greeting the three club members, Kaede left school and headed toward the Bunko.
After getting off the train, Kaede, who still had some distance to walk, felt a little hungry. So, he first stopped at a nearby croquette shop, bought some croquettes, and ate them while walking to the Bunko.
Fried food always lifted his mood, and coupled with the fact that he was about to see Eriri's identity exposed, Kaede felt double the enjoyment.
After entering the Bunko, he went straight to the editorial department, but as soon as he walked in, he noticed a heavy atmosphere inside.
"Crunch!"
After finishing the last bite of his croquette, Kaede approached a male editor and asked, "Editor Kimura, what's going on with you guys?"
Seeing Kaede approach and offer him a croquette, the editor named Kimura took it, thanked him, pointed to the reception room over there, and whispered, "Asakura, they're here! Utako Kasumi-sensei and Kashiwagi Eri-sensei have met. We just didn't expect Kashiwagi Eri-sensei to be a beautiful girl, and she knows Utako Kasumi-sensei, and they even go to the same school as you."
They've arrived already, and they went into the reception room?
Kaede nodded and said, "I see. But do you guys need to look so serious?"
"Ahem, we didn't want to, but who knew those two senseis' relationship seems... not great? They started clashing the moment they met. Utako Kasumi-sensei clearly has the upper hand, overwhelming Kashiwagi Eri-sensei. Two editors are inside mediating right now. Asakura, are you going in now?"
"Of course. I was called here specifically for this." Kaede said with a smile, "Editor Nakajima mentioned that Kashiwagi Eri-sensei is also my reader, so I figured my presence might help. Watch me work."
Of course, he might also just make things worse.
"We're counting on you! It's rare to have another genuine beautiful girl illustrator in the industry. If their relationship is harmonious, having her visit us more often in the future would be a treat for the eyes!"
Hearing this, Kaede also offered a wry smile.
That was true. In the light novel industry, there weren't many women, whether authors or editors, let alone highly attractive ones.
Wait a minute, Editor Machida isn't bad-looking either, so why hasn't anyone claimed her?
He couldn't figure it out. He should go check the situation first.
After placing his school bag on Editor Nakajima's chair, Kaede first sent Editor Nakajima a message, and only after the editor came out did he follow him inside.
Inside the reception room, Eriri, who knew Kurenai Momiji-sensei had arrived, was full of excitement.
Only Utaha, after seeing Eriri, understood a few things, and looked at the girl she often clashed with, ready to enjoy the show.