Getting closer to the manga and anime club room, Rina sees a familiar figure in front of the door.
"Kou-kun!"
The boy is startled, taken by surprise by Rina's carrying voice.
"Shimi- ! Um… Rina-senpai?"
"As promised, here we are again."
"You're just in time. I was in the process of taking down the postings for the line."
"For the line?"
"Yes, right after you left earlier, even more people came to line up to meet the artists. We had to set up a few facilities to structure the line."
"That much? I didn't expect artists from our school to be so popular."
"Non non non, you don't get it, Aya. They're not just artists 'from our school'. Most of them are so popular that they are already undoubtedly making a very good living."
"Really?"
"Rina-senpai is right, Meguri-sensei and PekkoMekko-sensei are already established mangakas who have already won awards, their works even appear in Shounen Bump."
"Exactly, "Green Boy" for Meguri-sensei and "Cyborgs in Hell" for PekkoMekko-sensei. And regarding Nonoro-sensei, he is still a newcomer among the great mangakas but his work "I was reincarnated as an otter in a world of swords and magic" is exploding on the net right now."
"As an otter…"
"Yeah I know, it sounds weird based on the title alone but it was super addictive actually."
"You know your stuff when it comes to manga, Rina-senpai"
"Hehe~"
But there is still a question to ask, right?
"So would these authors by any chance still be around?"
"Unfortunately you just missed them."
"Hey… What a shame. I thought I'd have a chance to meet them."
"Don't worry senpai, I still thought of you. Look."
Kou-kun retrieves a card from the table behind him and presents it to Rina.
"I haven't forgotten the promise I made to you. I asked the sensei to make a personalized dedication to you."
"This is…"
"Their signatures of a small drawing from their works of the moment."
"Priceless…"
"We get to see stars in your eyes, Rina."
"I'm glad for you, Rina-chan."
"For you too, Sophie-senpai."
"Hey? For me?"
"Yes, you said you were reading the works of Shiranui-sensei didn't you?"
"Well, yes, that's what I said."
"I asked him to make a dedication to you also on your behalf."
"I didn't expect it. Thank you very much Sugawara-san."
"You're not leaving empty-handed either, Sophie."
"Excuse me Aya-senpai, as I did not know if you were following the work of the senseis who came today, I did not plan anything for you."
"No problem, I didn't even know their names until now. Thank you all the same for having a thought for me."
"What a brave boy, I almost want to hug you…"
"Calm down Rina, it's not done at first and besides you might disturb Sugawara-kun."
"…"
Or maybe he would have let her do it?
"You still want to visit the club even though the senseis have already left?"
"Sure."
"The rest of the activities still go on until 6 pm, you still have time."
Kou-kun slowly opens the door of the club room, keeping the suspense a little.
"Welcome to the temple of the manga and anime universe."
Shelves full of mangas and DVDs/Blu-rays, drawing desks, figurines, and goodies in all directions.
As Kou-kun says so well, a real temple for all manga fans.
*Sniff sniff*
"Rina-chan?"
"It's so beautiful…"
"If not beautiful, I must admit that it is impressive."
"The pride of our club is its extraordinary collection of research materials."
"There must be a real fortune in this room, the club has such a big budget?"
"We don't talk about money when we talk about passion, Aya."
"We have to talk about it at some point though right?"
"Haha, you are right Aya-senpai. But on the other hand, the club doesn't have that big of a budget compared to others. I would say that easily 90% of the collection comes from donations from members since the club was founded."
"That much? You're personally investing your money in the club?"
"Let's just say it's never really lost since the club is open even to non-members, it's more of a legacy that grows year after year."
"The sharing and generosity of a community sharing the same passion."
"On that note, I'll leave you to do your tour, I need to take care of clearing the hallway and putting the furniture away."
"Thanks again Kou-kun."