As the signing event drew near, Shiyu's editor, Sonoko Machida, dressed in a black business suit, and Elf's brother/editor, Chris Yamada, took the stage.
"Good morning, everyone. I am Sonoko Machida, the editor-in-charge for Kasumi Utako-sensei of Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Thank you all for coming. Please welcome, Kasumi Utako-sensei~"
"Kasumi Utako! Kasumi Utako! Kasumi Utako! Kasumi Utako!!!!"
Below the stage, Shiyu's fans waved their light sticks and screamed her pen name. Even the fans still queuing outside joined in the thunderous roar.
The sound of a thousand people shouting at once made Rin Ito feel like his eardrums were about to burst, yet the fans around him seemed to be in a state of religious frenzy, screaming louder and louder.
Rin waved Shiyu's light stick along with them. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Tomoya Aki.
Though Tomoya clearly hadn't recovered from the mental blow earlier, he was still being a "professional" fan, waving his stick and chanting Shiyu's name.
Shiyu, dressed in a wine-red dress that radiated mature elegance, stepped out from backstage. She waved to the fans before taking her seat behind a literal mountain of light novels. After Shiyu, it was Elf's turn.
"Hello everyone, I am Chris Yamada, editor for Yamada Elf of Full Drive Bunko. Please welcome, Yamada Elf!"
"Elf! Elf!! Elf!!!"
Amidst equally loud cheers, Elf stepped onto the stage dressed in a pink and white Lolita outfit, looking as petite and ethereal as a fairy from a storybook. She snatched the microphone from her brother Chris and raised her hand high.
"Rejoice, citizens of the Elf Empire!"
"OHHHH!!!!!" The cheers were even louder than those for Shiyu.
"Today is the day we witness the great Elf Empire defeat the Breast Monster! You are all heroes of the Empire!"
"OHHH-OHHH-OHHH-OHHHH!!!!!!!"
"Elf... Ouch!"
Before Elf could finish her proclamation, her brother gave her a sharp chop to the head.
"Don't say things that weren't in the rehearsal script."
"Blehh~~~~" Elf stuck her tongue out and made a cute face before sitting behind her own mountain of novels, her signing pen spinning elegantly between her fingers.
As editors, Sonoko and Chris stepped down and handed the microphones to the authors. It was time for their "Manzai" routine.
"Heh heh heh... Utako-sensei, it seems the citizens of my Empire are much more passionate and numerous than your believers~" The live stream screens perfectly captured Elf's bratty, mocking expression. The more people watched, the more energized she became. "What to do, what to do? The person you like is about to be stolen by me~"
"Heh... so what if you win? With that barren chest of yours, do you really think you can keep him? In the end, you have to rely on yourself, not sales, to attract him... Relying on sales numbers to win a man is as childish as a primary schooler showing off her test scores. Why don't we invite a fan up to hear his opinion?"
"Fine with me... Speaking of which, why is there someone sitting right in the middle?" Elf stared wickedly at Rin Ito, who was sitting on his stool in the center aisle.
The fans burst into laughter. Bringing two girls—one an Elf fan and one a Shiyu fan—and being forced to sit in "no man's land" was a hilarious sight.
Amidst the laughter, Tomoya Aki's face was deathly pale. Megumi Kato said she was a "fuck buddy." What about Eriri, who came with her?
Tomoya hadn't read Eriri's doujins, but he knew her pen name and the general "nasty" reputation of her content. Maybe Eriri wasn't just a fuck buddy... was she a literal "fleshlight" for him?
And Eriri, Megumi, and Utaha-senpai were all making an 18+ galgame together... The mere thought of it made him break into a cold sweat.
Wait, when they went to that training camp to make the game... did they...? No, impossible! Utaha-senpai and Eriri aren't those kinds of girls!
No normal girl could accept such a depraved relationship, let alone them! Impossible, absolutely impossible!
In his state of shock, he remembered the day Shiyu offered to let him read the ending of her novel early. If he hadn't refused back then...
"Between me and this midget, who are you supporting?"
Shiyu's voice snapped Tomoya back to reality. Utaha-senpai knew him from the game project, so she couldn't not recognize him. Yet, she was asking Rin this in public... Does that mean the person they both love is HIM!?
For a moment, Tomoya was so shocked he forgot how to breathe. Shiyu, however, ignored him and kept her target fixed on Rin. Rin looked on helplessly; they really loved causing a scene.
A staff member thoughtfully handed Rin a microphone. Just like at the last press conference, they were putting him on the spot.
He wondered if Kaede was watching the stream.
"Ahem... test, test." Rin tapped the mic gently. "Since Utako-sensei asked, I'll give a brief answer. The key to this key question is to identify the key issues. One must grasp the primary and secondary contradictions, and these contradictions must be determined based on the actual situation..."
As he spoke, laughter began to ripple through the crowd.
"Stop, stop, stop~~~~" Elf cut him off. "If you were the Prime Minister of Japan, that answer would be fine. But this is a battle between the Elf Empire and the Fat Utako! You must give a clear answer! If you had to choose, who would it be?"
"That's right. Give us an answer as a man."
"As a man... well, the answer is obviously that I want them all!" Rin paused. "So, can both of you give me a signed copy of your novels?"
Shiyu: "Of course."
Elf: "No problem."
The two pulled a book from their respective mountains, signed their names, and had the staff hand them to Rin. Under the gaze of the cameras, Rin handed the book signed by Shiyu to Megumi Kato and the one signed by Elf to Eriri.
They weren't actually picking on Rin; they quickly moved on to other activities like lucky draws for both the VIP fans and those waiting in the heat outside.
Finally, the signing began in earnest.
"Utako-sensei, I've read Aizura Metronome so many times. I didn't hesitate for a second when I saw you were having a signing..."
"Elf-sama, if the Elf Empire is short on slaves, please consider me!"
The two signed books while chatting briefly with the fans. For the fans, these short exchanges were the highlight of the event.
For the fans, it was two sentences. For Elf and Shiyu, it was tens of thousands.
The formal signing started around 10:00 AM.
One, two, three, four... it wasn't until 3:00 PM that the end of the line was finally in sight. The signing officially stopped at 4:00 PM.
After five hours, both their hands were shaking, and their voices were hoarse.
They had originally planned for only the first 1,000 fans, but they didn't want to disappoint the people who had traveled so far, so they ended up signing for everyone.
In the beginning, they could chat freely, but by the end, even whispering was a struggle.
They had done signings before, but never on this scale.
And thanks to Rin's "Adults take everything" comment, many fans actually queued for one side and then immediately went to the other. The event was a massive success.
However, they would rather have been fucked by Rin for five hours straight until they passed out than do another signing like this. Seeing them practically melted into their chairs, Rin sent them a message.
Rin: [Tired? I have a way to eliminate your fatigue.]
Elf: [?]
Shiyu: [??]
They didn't even know how to respond. Their fingers barely had the strength to type, so they just sent question marks. Eliminate fatigue? He's just trying to trick us into an orgy! We're half-dead, and he wants to party?
Rin wasn't lying. With the System's reinforcement, mucosal contact with his fluids would significantly boost their endurance and recovery. Their fatigue would vanish in about ten minutes.
As for what happened after they recovered... well, just like last time, they needed to be taught a lesson for their behavior on stage.
Rin: [I'm heading to Elf's house now. Shiyu, come if you want.]
Elf and Shiyu looked at each other... We're going! Who's afraid of who!?