The time reached early morning.
The manga book signing event had not yet ended. Although there were fewer people, this day was still considered a holiday, so there were still quite a few night owls gathered.
The online platform was still buzzing...
"This is incredible! Minamiya-sensei's signing event hasn't ended yet!"
"It seems like as long as there are people lining up, Minamiya-sensei has no intention of stopping, right?"
"A truly admirable and dedicated mangaka."
Homura's hand had become sore. He hadn't expected that there would be so many fans who could persist until this late hour.
After signing another person's book, he couldn't help but shake his hand and went to the toilet for a while. However, when he returned to the venue and wanted to return to his seat, a young man wearing glasses stopped him. The person blocking his way was a fan standing right in front of him.
"Please don't continue, Minamiya-sensei. We've witnessed your perseverance, and since you've done so much for us, we can't just bear it without feeling guilty."
Homura looked at him in surprise and then smiled, saying, "It's alright. I'm glad that everyone loves my work so much, and I'm happy to do what I can for all of you."
"Please wait..." As the young man continued to block his path, he eventually turned around. "Hey, guys! Look at Minamiya-sensei. He seems very tired! After seeing how much effort Minamiya-sensei is putting in for our sake, can't we make a small sacrifice for him?"
He picked up his yet-to-be-signed copy of the manga book and said, "I truly admire Minamiya-sensei's ability to persist until now. And I know that Minamiya-sensei intends to continue persevering even when no one else does! However, anyone would find it unbearable to carry on like this!"
"I'll take the lead! I'll give up the chance to get my book signed! What about the rest of you?"
People looked at each other, and finally, someone spoke up, "Then I'll give up too!"
Homura inwardly thought this wasn't good. Although this person's intentions were good, it seemed like a form of moral blackmail!
He took out the loudspeaker once again. "Don't worry, my friends! Just as this person said, I am indeed a bit tired, and I understand your concern for me!"
"But if you all came here in vain, wouldn't that be unfair to you? So... I've decided for those who are still in line right now, please wait a moment. We will have the staff give each of you a voucher! With the voucher, after the Golden Week, you can go to the nearest Manke Bunko Store and collect a personally signed book!"
He added, "What do you all think about this proposal?"
After a moment of silence, most people spoke up, saying, "Agreed!"
The staff had already been sent by Ayano to arrange the vouchers and even implemented anti-counterfeiting measures to prevent forgery.
"Please wait a moment!"
Homura stopped the young man to thank him for earlier and chatted with him. Soon, the vouchers were ready.
After receiving their vouchers and carefully keeping them, the fans left the venue with satisfied expressions.
There were hundreds of fans who got the vouchers in total, and it was useless for anyone else to come after this.
As for the fans who had already purchased the books...
Homura stated that the signed copies afterward would serve as compensation for them, so essentially they would have two copies. He didn't mind those few hundred books being distributed freely.
While the staff tidied up the venue, he took the opportunity to stretch his body.
He took out his phone and glanced at it. There were several unread messages.
11:12 PM - Homura-kun, did you have a good meal? - From Kato Megumi
02:35 PM - Homura-shi! Congratulations! Unfortunately, I have to go to school today and can't be there to support you in person. Keep up the good work! - From Makishima Saori
06:19 PM - Hey, hey, hey! What's the deal with that girl?! - From Sawamura S. Eriri
10:10 PM - Megumi and Nanami made dinner for us. - From Kasumigaoka Utaha
12:52 AM - Is it over? If it's over, hurry back home! - From Minamiya Kosuke
Homura had a smile on his face as he finished reading these messages and replied to each one.
"It's almost over. Shall I take you home?" Ayano approached.
Homura looked at the busy staff members and turned to her, asking, "We've been busy until this late today. Shouldn't the publisher offer some compensation or rewards?"
She looked speechless. "That is something you shouldn't worry about, right?"
He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's true, but how about I personally present each of the staff with a signed copy of the manga book?"
"That's up to you. Many authors occasionally do it that way."
He nodded and walked with her toward the staff vicinity. "Everyone! You've all worked hard today! As a personal gesture, I'll prepare a small gift for everyone, and it will be distributed by the publisher later! Then, I'll take my leave for today! Thank you for the hard work!"
After exchanging greetings, he finally set foot on his way back home...
===
At the doorstep, Homura noticed that the lights in his house were still on when he got off the car.
"Are they still waiting for me?" he wondered.
As soon as he entered the house, he spotted the little one lying on the floor not far from the doorstep. The little one always had a way of touching people's hearts. Even when waiting for his return, she could find a comfortable spot to lie down.
"I'm back," Homura whispered softly, afraid that someone was already asleep.
Haru's ears twitched, and the squint in her eyes opened.
"You came back so late," the little one yawned, stretching lazily.
Homura tossed his bag aside and lifted her up. "There's no other way. Everyone's enthusiasm is high, so I can only try my best to do better."
"By the way, have you eaten?" Haru said. As expected, she was always concerned about food.
With one hand holding her, he rubbed his stomach with the other.
"I did eat, but at this hour, I'm still a bit hungry."
"Then let's eat! Those two girls made something delicious!"
Homura nodded, and from the sounds coming from inside, it seemed like nobody had gone to sleep yet.
Entering the room, sure enough, everyone was in the living room, and his sudden appearance startled them.
"Why didn't you make any noise when you came back?" Eriri exclaimed.
"I thought everyone was already asleep, so I didn't want to wake you all up," Homura replied.
Nanami and Megumi stood up and headed towards the kitchen, saying, "Now that Homura-kun is back, let's all have something to eat. I'm sure everyone is hungry!"
Hearing this, everyone stood up as well.
"Let's eat and chat then. Besides, we shouldn't go to bed immediately after eating," Homura said. "By the way, Haru should join us too. We can't just leave the little one watching us eat, right?"
Elf covered her mouth and giggled, while Megumi had a knowing expression and said, "As expected, Homura-kun will bring it up. Don't worry, we've prepared a meal for Haru-chan too."
All the girls burst into laughter.
===
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