Several days flew by.
The skies were clear and the ocean stretched wide.
A gentle breeze brushed across Narukami Island, driving off the mist that had clung to Ritou through the night.
It was early morning.
The sun hadn't risen yet, and there was a slight chill in the air, but Ritou was bustling all the same.
In the square before the Outlander Affairs Agency, novel lovers had formed several long snaking lines.
At the Inspectorate's entrance stood a huge standing signboard.
Novel Signing Event.
Beneath the big heading were listed the works taking part in the signing.
"I'm so excited! The signing day is finally here! I can't wait to see what Old Thief Fang Qiu looks like."
"Me too! I want to see what kind of cold hands could write such cold words."
"Damn it! I got here so early, and I'm still this far back! What if I can't get Old Thief Fang Qiu's new book this time?"
"Relax. Ever since Fang Qiu's books blew up in Inazuma, Yae Publishing House has opened a new printing plant and boosted output. There'll be plenty of books."
"I'm talking about Old Thief Fang Qiu's signed collector's edition! Didn't you read the notice board? Only two hundred copies, and it's The Legend of Sword and Fairy series! My favorite series! The first two volumes were incredible. Sure, they tore my heart out, but it was worth it!"
"Pfft, I thought it was something serious. What's an old geezer's signed collector's edition worth? At worst you buy one off someone else later at two or three times the price. If you ask me, line up over here with me, at Teacher Zhenyu's. They say Teacher Zhenyu is a genuine beauty. Someone saw her chatting with the editors."
"Uh... I wanted to argue, but you actually make a lot of sense. Old Thief Fang Qiu writes well, but Teacher Zhenyu isn't bad either. They both have art by Teacher Calx, but Fang Qiu's books only get a cover, while Teacher Zhenyu's have interior illustrations too. Add the difference between a beauty and an old geezer, and Teacher Zhenyu's collector's edition is bound to sell for more. So I could buy Fang Qiu's signed copy for less... Wait. Where did the story that Fang Qiu is an old man even come from? It's spread like it's the truth."
"Apparently someone picked up the gossip at Yae Publishing House."
"I see. Then I'd better switch lines, quick."
Hearing their conversation, quite a few people in the crowd suddenly saw the light and hurried to switch lines.
That drew snorts of disdain from the young girls who loved Fang Qiu's books. They were thoroughly disgusted.
Shallow!
"I never expected I, the Twelfth Fatui Harbinger to get a new volume too. It's written so realistically, like the author really is one of the Fatui."
"Damn it, why isn't the author of Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister's Hurting holding a signing?!"
"Brother, I read that one too, but asking for a signing for that book is just absurd. Still, it sounds like there's a new volume this time."
"Well, it's the Irodori Festival. The Yae Publishing House authors have been writing at full throttle. There's a short-haired beauty of an author living next door to me, and she got so wrapped up in her deadline she forgot to eat. If her editor hadn't come to hound her for pages, she'd have starved to death at home."
"Novelists really have it rough, working overtime to make deadlines."
"It's not that rough. I passed by and heard them talking. That short-haired beauty had gone off to play and only realized she was out of time when her editor showed up and gave her a final ultimatum... It's completely her own fault. She doesn't deserve any sympathy."
"Ha, true. Authors who miss deadlines should be locked in a dark little room... Come to think of it, there are so many people at this signing. Way more than on a normal release day."
"Of course there are. This time novel lovers from three nations have gathered in one place."
"Speaking of which, who's that green-hatted woman at the front of Old Thief Fang Qiu's line?"
"No idea. Judging by her outfit, she looks a bit like a Mondstadter. She probably started queuing yesterday..."
"That's brutal. Is she even human? Still, one look and you can tell she hasn't heard that Old Thief Fang Qiu is an old man. I can't wait to see her face when she finds out."
"Speaking of which, how much longer until it's time? I'm getting impatient."
The crowd chattered on, noisy and restless. Venti, feeling plenty of eyes on him, didn't mind in the slightest. He yawned and stretched.
Luckily he hadn't drunk too much yesterday, so there was no hangover headache.
Today he could enjoy his books properly.
He looked toward Yae Miko, Editor-in-Chief of Yae Publishing House, who stood not far off among her editors. She answered with a smile.
Yesterday, they had drunk their fill at the tavern and even held a long discussion about the best snacks to go with wine.
The Fried Tofu had tasted wonderful.
Of course, his wallet had taken a head-on beating for it. After all his days of drifting around Inazuma, it had been dealt another heavy blow.
He really shouldn't drink out in town...
The wine at the inn was free, after all.
Still, he'd saved money for buying books, and not just one set's worth. He planned to buy extra copies, resell them for a markup, and earn back every Mora he'd spent last night.
Thinking of that, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.
He could keep roaming a while longer.
"Mm... Not bad, really not bad. The signing seems to be quite popular. It was worth rearranging the Irodori Festival schedule to put the signing at the festival's opening."
Yae Miko surveyed the novel lovers filling the square in their many long lines and nodded with satisfaction.
"Editor-in-Chief, I still don't quite understand. Why did you have me find someone to spread the word that Fang Qiu is an old geezer? Is there some deeper meaning?"
Murata, standing behind Yae Miko, asked softly as she watched plenty of people in Fang Qiu's line move to other queues.
She was the one in charge of contacting Fang Qiu, and Fang Qiu was strikingly beautiful.
There was no way anyone could connect her to an old man, not even by half a Mora's worth.
She didn't get it.
Sure, those who switched lines would end up buying Fang Qiu's new book anyway, but she didn't understand the Editor-in-Chief's intention.
"I got the idea one night, when I was talking novels with Fang Qiu. She mentioned a storytelling theory called the suppress-then-elevate technique."
Yae Miko narrowed her eyes, a smile rising to her lips unbidden. "I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone who switched lines reacts when they see Fang Qiu."
In an instant, Murata understood everything.
She also understood what the suppress-then-elevate technique meant.
At that moment, she looked at the novel lovers who had switched lines and still wore smug looks, pleased with their own cleverness, and her eyes filled with pity.
So this... was the price of disliking an old man's signature?
"Murata, how are things at the picture studio for tomorrow?"
Yae Miko asked.
"Editor-in-Chief, the people from the Yashiro Commission already did one test run yesterday. We'll go and run another today."
Murata replied.
"Good."
The corners of Yae Miko's mouth lifted even higher. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces once they've read Fang Qiu's books."
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