chapter 336: Early Preparation
Sitting on a cushion in the bedroom, Utaha, who had changed into casual clothes after returning, said, "No matter what, I understand etiquette. I always tidy my room before guests arrive."
"Oh? Really? I remember the last two times I came over, you didn't really tidy up."
Holding her cup, Eriri said with a smile, "Clothes, stockings, and all sorts of things were strewn everywhere."
"How can you even say that?" Utaha glared directly at Eriri after hearing that. "We clearly agreed on ten in the morning, but you arrived at nine, so I had no time to tidy up!"
"Isn't that still your fault for not tidying up in advance? If you had tidied up a day earlier, nothing would have happened."
"...It's absolutely impossible for me to tidy up a day in advance."
Listening to their conversation, Kaede, who hadn't interjected at all, was filled with helplessness.
Sure enough, girls were all pretty much the same. Even Eriri, who had changed a lot, would definitely be very lazy when it came to cleaning and tidying if he wasn't there to do it with her.
Utaha forcefully stopped the topic of tidying. She wanted to know other things now.
"So, tell me, what's the situation in my classroom now?"
At the mention of this, Eriri's expression became even more animated. She wiggled on the cushion and said, "Hehe, I'm telling you, a lot of people did come to your classroom during the afternoon break! Even when Kaede-kun and I went to get your school bag after school, we still saw some people hoping to catch you if you unexpectedly came back. But they didn't realize the school bag was entrusted to us, and they were all very disappointed."
Kaede also nodded, "I always feel like your fans are a bit too enthusiastic, and they're all girls. Are they fanatics?"
"Uh... fanatics? It shouldn't be that serious, right?"
Utaha's expression was a little stiff. If she were to hold another signing event, she could calmly face each fan, especially since there was a table between them and many staff members nearby.
But the current situation was happening at school, a place she had to go every day, and no one was there to help her.
Resting her chin on her hand, Eriri said, "Actually, girl fans are fine. Even if they're fanatics, it's not a big deal. But what I'm afraid of are boys with ill intentions; those are the scariest. Ugh~~~ Just thinking about it is a bit frightening."
Listening to Eriri's narration, Utaha also got a little scared, and then quickly said, "Yes, those are the scariest. And when I was home this afternoon, I found that my information had already spread online. Even though I've already notified Sonoko's side to have the Bunko find a way to deal with it, I feel like it's a bit late. From now on, I'll have to use my real name online."
"One or two is fine, but in this situation, the source of the spread is simply unstoppable."
Kaede also scratched his head, feeling a bit of a headache.
With Utaha's identity exposed, Kaede's previous concerns about his and Eriri's identities would very likely, probably seventy to eighty percent, also be dug up. This was certain.
After all, whether it was Utako Kasumi's previous signing events or their usual time at school, they were the closest to Utaha.
And not to mention in reality, they often interacted online through their work Twitter accounts. If someone with intentions were to investigate, many things wouldn't even need much thought and could be discovered directly.
But Kaede hadn't told Eriri about these conjectures yet; he would only be able to confirm them in a couple of days.
"However, I should contact Editor Nakajima after I go back tonight. It's good to prepare in advance; better safe than sorry. Also, I need to remind Sayuri."
"Kaede-kun, what are you thinking about?"
Eriri's voice brought Kaede's attention back. He smiled and shook his head, "Just thought of a small thing, nothing important."
"Hmm~~~ Is that so?" Eriri narrowed her eyes, watching Kaede's expression as she spoke, "I always feel like you're hiding something from me."
"Don't worry, I'm not."
Utaha, on the other hand, smiled and said, "Oh my, is it because you came to my room that your heart is racing?"
Before Kaede could answer, Eriri interjected, "That's absolutely impossible! It might be possible if you laid out your underwear or something."
"..."
Kaede looked at Eriri speechlessly, then gently chopped her head with his hand, "What kind of talk is that? I just thought of something unimportant, really. I'll tell you when I have a clearer idea later."
"Really?"
"Really."
Now it was Utaha's turn to feel depressed. She, a single person, invited these two over as guests, only to be fed their lovey-dovey antics.
Forget it, she was used to it anyway; she'd just consider it an appetizer before the meal.
It was just a bit too sweet.
After a delicious dinner prepared by Mrs. Kasumigaoka, Kaede and Eriri said their goodbyes and returned home.
After telling Eriri to take a bath first, Kaede took out his phone and first reported the situation to Editor Nakajima.
"Although Eriri and I haven't been exposed yet, I feel that given how close we are to Utaha, it's probably only a matter of time, and the subsequent situation might even be more exaggerated than hers. Editor Nakajima, how are the preparations on the Bunko's side?"
"Oh dear~~~ It truly is a bit unexpected."
Editor Nakajima, on the other end of the phone, had just returned home and said with a smile, "But don't worry, we already had some plans for similar situations when we signed the contract with you. I think Sonoko has already notified Utako Kasumi's side, and we will also send someone to contact the school. There won't be any problems. It's just that for the first two days, both she and you, Kaede-kun, who might be discovered later, might have to stay at home."
"Haha, if that's really the case, then it's good news for me."
After finishing his call with Editor Nakajima and sending a message to Eriri's editor, Kaede called Sawamura Sayuri.
After learning about what happened at school today, Sawamura Sayuri naturally understood Kaede's concerns and calmly said, "Don't worry, just as you learned when you contacted the editor, we've already considered similar situations, especially since Eriri has always been a doujin artist. I'll first see how your Bunko handles it. If it's not thorough enough, I'll also contact people and help handle things for Utaha too. You two, you don't need too much media exposure right now; just focus on your own work."
"Understood, thank you, Sayuri."
After finishing all his calls, Kaede also breathed a sigh of relief and began to consider another matter.
"Should I find a good place to relax this spring? After this, the environment I might face will be completely different."