I took my position alongside Eiri. At first, we took photos together in various poses, but we weren't that close. However, as time went on, the photographer asked us to be a little bolder.
Even though I didn't want to get too close to Eiri, I had to. And Eiri took full advantage of the situation. She gradually moved closer and closer to me, eventually pressing her breasts against me.
I thought I would feel something, but surprisingly, I didn't even feel my heart race.
If it had been Miu, my heart would probably have been on the verge of exploding.
I simply let out a sigh and continued posing for the photos with a smile on my face as if nothing had happened.
Time passed.
We changed outfits several times and switched poses as well. The photographer seemed to be having a lot of fun. Not just the photographer—everyone was enjoying themselves. Morika watched the entire photoshoot with a smile on her face.
I also noticed that my fans were incredibly excited.
They were everywhere, holding their phones and taking pictures of the two of us.
I'm sure countless photos of us are already circulating online.
Eventually, the photoshoot finally came to an end. By the time we finished, it was already past three in the afternoon. I went to my dressing room and changed out of my clothes. As soon as I stepped out, I noticed Rina talking to Morika.
I quickened my pace toward the car, but along the way, some people managed to break through security and approach me. Most of them were women, though there were some men as well.
Many of them were holding copies of my novels, hoping to get an autograph.
With a smile on my face, I signed a few autographs and took some pictures. Many of the women took the opportunity to touch me in inappropriate ways, even knowing how young I was.
I started feeling very uncomfortable, and then Rina came over.
Finally, the security guards stepped in. They began pushing the fans back and helped me get into the car. I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to Eiri before leaving. Honestly, that's for the best.
With a smile, I said to Rina,
"Let's head straight to the studio so I can meet with the director."
"We still have enough time to stop by your house so you can take a shower."
"It's fine. I didn't even sweat. I still smell great." I laughed.
"Idiot," Rina said, laughing as well.
The car quickly headed toward CloverWorks Studio.
I had visited the studio before, so I was already familiar with the building. I walked over to the receptionist, and as soon as she noticed me, she picked up the phone and called someone. After hanging up, she said,
"Mr. Hiroto is waiting for you on the third floor."
"Thank you."
Rina seemed surprised by how quickly everything went.
She followed me into the elevator.
"That was fast."
"Well, they already know me, and they knew I was coming."
"Even so, I'm surprised."
The elevator soon arrived on the third floor. As soon as the doors opened, I saw Asuna and a man I had never met before. I knew his name, but not what he looked like.
Hiroto Minamoto, a director who had been working at CloverWorks in this world for over fifteen years.
He wore orange-framed glasses and looked remarkably young despite being over forty years old.
'I'm satisfied with the decision to have him direct *A Silent Voice*.'
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Author Aoi Haruki. My name is Hiroto Minamoto."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Director." I smiled and shook his hand.
"This way, please. We have a lot to discuss."
Without wasting any time, he led me into an empty meeting room. Spread across the table were numerous storyboards created for the series. He had personally worked on them.
As soon as I saw the papers, I asked,
"Are these the storyboards for the first episode?"
"Yes. The storyboards, along with the script you wrote. I put everything here."
Hiroto sat down, and I took a seat as well. Rina and Asuna sat beside each other.
Rina didn't know much about this kind of thing, but she seemed genuinely interested.
The meeting finally began.
####
The meeting was less important than I had expected. The director showed me the storyboards and shared some of his ideas. He asked for my honest opinion, and I gave him a few suggestions that seemed to satisfy him greatly.
Since it was an original story created by me, it was only natural that he would take all of my suggestions into consideration.
We only talked about the anime for about an hour. After that, the director started asking questions about my works and my personal life, clearly trying to get to know me better.
Honestly, it was a lot of fun talking with him.
He seemed genuinely interested in learning more about me and building a relationship. He wanted to establish the same kind of rapport I had with Asuna. I only found out the real reason why once the meeting was over.
I left the room together with Asuna and Rina, and once we were inside the elevator, Asuna said,
"He's very interested in directing *That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime*. That's why he asked so many questions."
"Hm? But only one volume has been published so far."
"But he's completely in love with the series."
"I see. So that meeting was really just because of *Tensura*."
"No, of course not. He genuinely liked the script for *A Silent Voice* and wanted to hear your thoughts."
"I see. If he does a good job with *A Silent Voice*, maybe I'll recommend him to direct *Tensura*. He's directed a lot of fantasy anime, hasn't he? I think he'd be a good choice."
"Yes, he's very good at that," Asuna replied with a smile.
As soon as we left the studio building, several people began approaching me.
They were reporters.
They surrounded us and immediately started asking why I had come to visit the studio.
After all, the *A Silent Voice* movie hadn't even been announced yet. Yes, even after all this time, it still hadn't been officially revealed.
They assumed I was visiting the studio because one of my works was getting an anime adaptation.
I looked at Rina, and she immediately stepped in front of me.
"I'm sorry, but Kyo won't be giving any interviews right now."
As soon as we got into the car, Rina asked,
"When will the movie be announced?"
"As soon as it's finished. Probably sometime next month."
I don't think it's a good idea to announce the movie only shortly before its release, but I have to follow the investors' decision.
'I'm curious to see how many people will go to the theaters.'
####
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