At this moment, the book signing event was still ongoing.
However, many online images have sparked numerous discussions online.
...
[Comment 1: Is this meme any good? (A confused-looking Minamiya-sensei.jpg)]
[Comment 2: What the heck could've happened to make Minamiya-sensei look like that?]
After some explanation...
[Comment 3: LMAO! Good work!]
[Comment 4: Hey, who's this? (Attached image)]
[Comment 5: What? Why does this person look so familiar? Why's their face hidden?]
[Comment 6: Wait a sec... isn't this Yamada Elf?!]
[Comment 7: You're right, was this pic just taken?]
...
As a result, quite a few people who saw the online discussion in the signing queue started looking for Elf's presence.
"Ah! It's Yamada Elf!"
As Elf strolling around, someone suddenly shouted.
Elf swiftly took a few steps back, looking in the direction the voice came from with a wary expression.
"It really is Yamada Elf!"
Everyone seemed thrilled upon seeing Elf, but no one moved closer. After all, they didn't want to lose their queue spots.
"Yamada-sensei! Can you tell us a bit about the game?"
"Yeah, tell us!"
"Why did Yamada-sensei come to Minamiya-sensei's signing event? Is the game progress on hold, or is it already finished?"
"Could it be that Yamada-sensei and Minamiya-sensei have a special relationship?"
At this moment, Elf was bombarded with questions, akin to being hounded by paparazzi.
"Nope, it's a secret!" Elf exclaimed, then dashed away.
Since no one was willing to forfeit their spot in the queue, no one pursued her.
However, someone called out.
"What secret?! Is it related to the game or your relationship with Minamiya-sensei?!"
Elf, who was running, nearly tripped.
"What the heck?! Of course it's about the game!" Elf yelled with frustration before disappearing.
===
Meanwhile, behind the signing event venue.
Elf was catching her breath, clearly tired from running.
'How did they recognize me?'
Elf looked puzzled, thinking she had hidden her face well under her sun hat.
Shortly after, she snuck in from the back door, out of sight of the others, and beckoned Ayano who was nearby.
"Ayano, I've been exposed."
"Eh?" Ayano opened her mouth in surprise. "So what if you've been exposed? Your fans should be rational, right? There shouldn't be any danger since your fans aren't extremists."
"No... I mean, I can't get out..." Elf said with a pout. "In any case, as soon as those people see me, they'll ask for game details and gossip about my relationship with Homura."
Ayano: "..."
"Gossip about you and Homura? They don't even know you're still fourteen... you've been keeping your age secret, right?" Ayano rolled her eyes inwardly, then spoke up. "Can't leave? Well, just make the most of it here then. You snuck out from home because you were bored, right?"
"Yeah, I'll hang out here for a while." Elf sighed with resignation.
"Alright, you head to the lounge, and I'm heading back to the venue. Who knows if there'll be some sudden incident like last time."
Ayano recalled with a chuckle, thinking about the time when Homura had been vomited on by Nayuta.
Elf made her way to the lounge, lay down on a bench, and started scrolling through the internet with her phone.
After a while, Elf gritted her teeth in anger.
"What the heck?! These guys even managed to record the earlier incident!"
Undoubtedly, the video she watched right now was precisely the moment when she had fled the scene.
After a while, Elf finally realized how she got exposed—it was a side profile shot when she was chatting with Saori.
With this photo alone, those who had met her before would instantly identify her.
"Huh?"
As Elf kept scrolling, she suddenly noticed an acquaintance.
[Kashiwagi Eri: You guys are overthinking it! They don't have any special relationship, okay!]
...
"You're trying to clear things up pretty quickly, aren't you?" Elf rolled her eyes as she read Eriri's statement on the blog.
...
[Comment 1: @Kashiwagi Eri, didn't Minamiya-sensei invite Yamada-sensei along with Senju-sensei for a trip before? Why does Kashiwagi-sensei say they don't have any special relationship?]
[Kashiwagi Eri: Duh, Elf and Muramasa are friends! Of course, she was invited. Minamiya-sensei is the leader of the circle so he had to be there! Understood?]
[Comment 2: @Kashiwagi Eri, forget it! If there's no special relationship, then so be it. Kashiwagi-sensei, do you have any game-related info?]
[Kashiwagi Eri: Minamiya-sensei won't allow me to do this, but oh well, I'll treat you all with a little extra.]
[Kashiwagi Eri: Just info, these were original illustrations by Shiina-sensei! (Attached Images ×2)]
...
Elf scrolled through them and found two CG images Eriri shared—one was an illustration of Gilgamesh standing on the battlefield inside Emiya Shirou's Reality Marble and another one was Tohsaka Rin summoning Archer, both with stunning lighting effects.
Even though there was actually no real info, these CG images were pretty enticing for the fans!
...
[Comment 1: Damn, these are gorgeous! Shiina-sensei nails it again!]
[Comment 2: Now I'm even more hyped for what's next.]
[Comment 3: Ugh, I'll die if Another Dimension doesn't drop something new...]
[Comment 4: Alright, folks! Let's switch it up! What do y'all think of this? (Attached Image)]
...
"Isn't this Muse?!"
Elf's eyes widened as she saw the image of Muse's girls.
Upon closer examination, she realized it was a poster—a long, scrolling one, depicting all nine members of Muse.
...
[Comment 5: Oh, right, I forgot! Here, no need to thank me! (Attached Image)]
...
What the commenter showed was Homura's signature on the poster.
Seeing the signature that said 'Minamiya Hand-Drawn, Presented to Muse' on the poster, Elf pouted.
"He drew this yesterday, right? And he didn't say anything about it."
...
[Comment 6: Minamiya-sensei is so dope! That artwork he drew by hand is just amazing!]
[Comment 7: Yo, why are there so many pics today? They just keep flooding in.]
===
Time flew by and lunchtime had passed.
Homura had no idea how lively the internet had become at this moment.
Once again, the signing process had turned into a mechanical routine.
Not only Homura had lost his desire to converse much with his fans, but his mouth also felt dry, making him drink constantly and frequently go to the bathroom.
However, by eight in the evening, the signing event unexpectedly ended.
Perhaps due to the previous incident, the people who knew that Homura would persist until the end decided not to seek his signature as the sky started to darken.
"Yare, yare, my fans are truly a sweet bunch."
Homura put his phone away, stretched his body, and spoke with a smile.
"That's why, you should be happy to have fans like them." Ayano chimed in.
"Yeah, I'm quite lucky..." Homura nodded, then asked her. "Did Elf go back already?"
"She headed back in the afternoon." Ayano nodded.
Looking up at the night sky, Homura sighed.
'Nayu's novel debut was also a big success... With this, today marks the completion of another task while more things are ahead of us. Next up is the school open day, huh...'