— — — — — —
After seeing Yukino off, Oikawa let out a long sigh.
Running into someone he actually knew at a signing event was about as awkward as he'd feared.
He honestly hadn't expected it. For someone like Yukino, he'd assumed she'd only been joking when she said she'd come.
"So she really meant it..."
Shaking his head, he went back to signing books.
Judging by the line stretching out the door, there were still several hundred people waiting. Just looking at it gave him a headache.
There were simply too many.
Some people had even decided to take advantage of the situation, bringing copies of Your Lie in April for him to sign instead.
He couldn't help laughing.
Your Lie in April was published by Dengeki Bunko. Clannad was published by Full-Drive Bunko.
The fact that these people had the nerve to mix them up was almost admirable.
Standing nearby, Chris Yamada wore an unusually "kind" smile at the sight. Even so, he never once told Oikawa not to sign copies of Your Lie in April.
If anyone embodied the phrase having class, it was Chris Yamada.
...
Oikawa barely had a moment to breathe. He signed one book after another without pause, so busy he didn't even have time to take a sip of water.
"Oikawa-sensei," Chris said, unable to watch any longer, "would you like to take a break? It's nearly lunchtime. We can pause for lunch and resume afterward."
Oikawa glanced at the endless queue outside and shook his head without hesitation. "Let's keep going. I'll eat tonight."
Then he remembered something. "By the way, did you finish arranging that lottery thing? Wasn't I supposed to have dinner with one lucky fan tonight? Is it a guy or a girl?"
Chris checked his phone. "A girl. Her name's Ruri Gokou. Looks like she's a light novel author too."
"Really? That's quite a coincidence." Oikawa frowned slightly.
The name sounded familiar, as though he'd heard it somewhere before.
'Ruri... Ruri...'
He thought about it for a while but couldn't place it. Eventually he gave up and returned his full attention to the signing.
...
Another hour flew by.
Then two girls walked through the door. Girls Oikawa knew very well.
The instant they saw him sitting behind the signing table, both of them froze with their mouths hanging open.
"Oikawa Toru... what are you doing here? W-Wait... don't tell me... You're Copycat-sensei? No way. That's impossible!" Miura Yumiko stared at him as if she'd just seen a ghost.
Hina Ebina looked no less stunned.
It was simply too unbelievable.
Then she suddenly remembered the signed copy of Your Lie in April she'd seen at Yui's house. Suddenly, everything started making sense.
"Uh... I guess I am." Oikawa took an awkward sip of water before smiling. "I never imagined you two were fans of Your Lie in April, too. So, what would you like me to write in your copies?"
He felt utterly helpless. Why had so many of his classmates decided to come today?
This was basically roasting him alive.
"Oikawa-kun, that's so unfair. When we were talking about Your Lie in April at the community center, you should've told us you were Copycat-sensei!" Hina puffed out her cheeks as she complained.
Oikawa rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "I don't know... That identity always felt kind of dangerous. What if I told everyone and some fan decided to stab me? I'd hate to lose my youth like that."
A smile tugged at the corner of Hina's lips as she quietly looked at him.
Meanwhile, Miura still wore the same expression of utter disbelief. She simply couldn't accept that Oikawa Toru was actually Copycat-sensei.
It was too absurd. Who would've guessed that the lazy boy who always looked half-asleep at school was the famously hardworking author known as Copycat-sensei?
Even after leaving Tsutaya Bookstore with her signed copy, Miura still looked dazed.
She turned to Hina blankly, "Hina... this is real, right? Oikawa Toru really is Copycat-sensei?"
Hina reached over and pinched her hard at the waist.
"Ow! That hurt!"
"So now you know it's real." Hina shook her head. Even she still found it hard to believe that Oikawa was Copycat.
Yet somehow, learning the truth filled her heart with an unexpected happiness.
Perhaps, to Hina, the more extraordinary Oikawa turned out to be... the more it proved that she'd been right to admire him all along.
But no matter how much she liked him, those feelings had to remain hidden.
A secret crush was like a star shining in broad daylight. It burned just as brightly, yet no one would ever see its light.
Watching the person you love shine was a feeling full of contradictions. Joy, mixed with quiet loneliness.
_ _ _
"Copycat-sensei! I'm your biggest fan! My name is Elf Yamada!"
The door to the signing room burst open.
A petite girl dressed in Lolita fashion, with a bright red bow clipped into her hair, rushed inside and planted both hands on the table.
Elf stared straight at Oikawa, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Oikawa blinked in surprise before turning toward Chris Yamada.
Chris scratched the back of his head and gave a helpless nod.
So this girl really was Chris Yamada's little sister.
Oikawa actually remembered her. If he wasn't mistaken, she'd once posted a tweet absolutely gushing over Clannad.
"Hello. I'm Oikawa Toru. It's nice to meet you." He smiled and offered his hand like a gentleman.
Elf Yamada immediately grabbed it with both of hers. Her hands were soft, and she radiated so much youthful energy that it was hard not to like her.
"Oikawa-sensei, keep up the great work! I really, really love Your Lie in April! Could we add each other on LINE? If I run into problems with my writing in the future, can I ask you for advice?" She looked at him with pleading eyes, her expression pitiful enough to melt anyone's heart.
"Elf, you're going too far!"
"Baka, Onii-chan! I'm talking to Oikawa-sensei. What's it got to do with you?"
The siblings glared at each other without giving an inch.
Apparently, not every little sister adored her brother. And not every brother-sister relationship was destined to become one of those weird manga fantasies. Most of those stories were nothing more than wish fulfillment anyway.
"It's fine, Editor Yamada." Oikawa smiled as he pulled out his phone and added Elf Yamada on LINE. "If you ever have questions, feel free to ask. I'm always happy to help."
After signing her book, Elf finally left the signing room, though she looked reluctant to go.
As soon as she was gone, Chris said apologetically. "I'm very sorry, Oikawa-sensei. My sister can be... rather mischievous. You don't have to reply if she messages you. If she ends up bothering you, please don't hesitate to delete her."
Oikawa waved dismissively, "It's really not a big deal."
After taking another sip of water, he resumed signing books.
...
By five-thirty that evening, the sun had begun to sink below the horizon.
Oikawa collapsed into his chair, completely drained.
"Finally..." He let out a long, exhausted breath.
Even after the event ended, there had still been three or four hundred people waiting outside. When the announcement was made, it caused quite a commotion.
It wasn't until Chris promised that everyone would receive a limited Clannad character card that things finally settled down.
There was no helping it.
Oikawa wanted to keep signing. But he simply couldn't.
His arm had reached its absolute limit.
This hurts. It hurts so damn much.
After nearly ten straight hours of signing books, his arm didn't even feel like it belonged to him anymore. This was worse than being an overworked salaryman.
If he hadn't been deliberately training his arm these past few weeks, his wrist probably would've been out of commission for at least three days.
Outside, Chris was still addressing the disappointed fans. "We sincerely apologize. Copycat-sensei is simply too exhausted to continue today's signing event. For everyone who didn't get their books signed, you'll not only receive a limited character card, but you'll also be able to enter a raffle before you leave."
"Some of the prizes include signed copies of Clannad personally autographed by Copycat-sensei. We're truly sorry, and we hope you'll understand."
As Oikawa walked away, Chris Yamada remained outside, patiently negotiating with the fans who still refused to leave.
Watching him, Oikawa couldn't help giving him a sympathetic look.
'Being an editor isn't easy...'
And Zaimokuza, of all people, probably understood that better than anyone now.
Ever since spending three days and two nights working at Full-Drive Bunko, he'd never dared look down on editors again. He'd even given up his dream of marrying a voice actress.
According to Chris, he'd taken Zaimokuza to meet several voice actresses. Whatever happened during those meetings had completely cured him of that particular fantasy.
...
After arriving at the hotel Full-Drive Bunko had booked for him, Oikawa flopped onto the bed.
He needed to recover his strength. After all, he still had to meet the lucky fan, Ruri Gokou, later that evening.
『Oikawa Toru』: I'm so exhausted... Saki, hurry up and comfort me.
He picked up his phone and sent Kawasaki a pitiful message.
『Saki Kawasaki』: Come home, and I'll cook you something delicious.
The moment he saw her reply, a smile returned to his face.
He quickly typed back.
『Oikawa Toru』: Can I have you instead? I like you a lot more than your cooking. There were still a few positions we didn't get to try last time. We've got plenty of time this time, so I'll teach you.
The instant Kawasaki read the message, her cheeks turned bright red.
She gently bit her lip.
"What a shameless jerk... Where does he even learn all this embarrassing stuff?"
After a long while, she finally replied.
『Saki Kawasaki』: Pervert.
Seeing her response only made Oikawa grin wider.
Somehow, chatting with Kawasaki made him forget all the exhaustion weighing down his body.
So he lay comfortably on the bed, happily messaging her back and forth.
...
..
It wasn't just Oikawa who'd been run ragged that day. Bookstores across the country were just as overwhelmed.
From early that morning, long lines had formed outside shops everywhere.
The moment the doors opened, people poured inside like refugees scrambling for food, all because of a single book: Clannad.
_ _ _
Osaka—
At a bookstore called Yuseido, owner Ozawa Yoji had boldly ordered three thousand copies of Clannad.
He'd been one of the first booksellers to realize that someone had been deliberately smearing the novel online. That was why he'd dared to sink every bit of his available cash into stocking Clannad.
From the moment the store opened that morning, he'd been a nervous wreck.
What if sales fell short of his expectations? What if all those books sat unsold and dragged his business under?
As it turned out, he'd worried for nothing.
From eight in the morning until six in the evening, a full ten hours, he'd been so busy he hadn't even had time to eat.
Customers streamed in and out nonstop. Nearly every one of them came for Clannad.
That alone spoke volumes about how wildly popular it had become.
At six that evening, Ozawa immediately picked up the phone and called Full-Drive Bunko. "I'd like to order another one thousand copies of Clannad. Please ship them as soon as possible."
The staff member on the other end quickly replied, "I'm very sorry, but Clannad is currently out of stock. The earliest we'll be able to ship more copies is about five days from now."
Ozawa froze.
Out of stock? In just a few hours?
Full-Drive Bunko had already sold through all of its inventory?
He slapped his thigh in frustration. "Why didn't I preorder even more? I'm such an idiot! What was I thinking?!"
_ _ _
At Full-Drive Bunko—
Since the company's founding, the sales department had never experienced a day this chaotic.
"Sir, Clannad really is out of stock."
"Shiratori Bookstore in Chiba? Yes, your order for five hundred copies has already been shipped. It should arrive in Kyoto by tomorrow at the latest. Don't worry, we won't give your reserved stock to anyone else."
"..."
The department manager turned to his staff. "We need another print run immediately. I don't think another hundred thousand copies will be enough. We should print at least two hundred thousand more, or demand is going to overwhelm us."
Without another thought, he grabbed the phone and called the editorial department, "I'd like to speak with Editor Yamada."
"What? He's not there? Then please tell him to come back immediately and submit a reprint request."
_ _ _
"A call from Sales?"
"I understand. I'll head back to the office right away and submit the reprint request to the editor-in-chief."
Chris Yamada hung up the phone. The excitement on his face was impossible to hide.
The first printing had been two hundred thousand copies. Then another two hundred thousand had been added.
Now they were asking for yet another one hundred thousand.
Could Clannad really sell over half a million copies in its very first month?
If it did, then reaching a million copies no longer sounded like a dream. It would only be a matter of time.
"Full-Drive Bunko is finally going to have its first million-selling light novel!"
Chris Yamada's eyes welled with tears.
A dream he'd chased for years was finally becoming reality. He could hardly contain his joy.
On social media, "Copycat-sensei Signing Event" quickly climbed the trending charts.
Fans who had attended the event flooded the internet with posts about their experiences.
["I'm so jealous of Copycat. Why does he have to be that handsome?"]
["Damn it, I thought Copycat-sensei would be some overweight shut-in. Turns out he's tall, rich, and ridiculously handsome!"]
["This sucks. I stood in line for hours and all I got was one lousy character card."]
["Same here. I'm so annoyed."]
...
Oikawa, of course, never saw any of those comments.
Meanwhile, Oikawa was having dinner at the hotel arranged by Full-Drive Bunko with the lucky fan who had won the drawing.
Ruri Gokou...
Oikawa looked at the girl sitting across from him.
She wore a black-and-white dress, gray stockings covering her slender legs, and carried an almost gloomy, doll-like air that gave her a faintly yandere-esque impression.
She gave him a polite nod, "Hello, Copycat-sensei. My name is Ruri Gokou."
"On the light novel forums, I also go by another name... Kuroneko."
.
.
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