The weekend comic convention was surging with people. Due to well-known reasons, when Kanzaki Saku looked around, there wasn't a single other male besides himself.
Fortunately, Kanzaki Saku had his superpower shielding; otherwise, it would feel like one of those scenarios where someone secretly goes to a convention behind their partner's back, only to end up harvesting a lot of horny fans.
"Our booth is Number 23 in Area B!" Sagiri checked the guide on her phone, pulling Kanzaki Saku toward the depths of the exhibition hall. "Kasumi Utako-sensei is next door at Number 24! She said she's already arrived!"
The two passed through the crowded tide of people and arrived at Area B, which was relatively quieter. Most here were individual or small club booths. Many had already finished setting up, so Kanzaki Saku and Sagiri were considered part of the slower batch.
Booth Number 23 was empty, while the neighboring Number 24 was already packed full. Various posters, hanging scrolls, and postcards were displayed neatly, and in the most conspicuous spot lay several doujinshi with rather explosive covers.
A person wearing a large hooded jacket, a mask, and sunglasses was looking down, organizing items on the table. A few strands of long hair spilled out from under the hood's brim.
"Kasumi Utako-sensei!" Sagiri let go of Kanzaki Saku and trotted over to say hello.
That person raised their head upon hearing the voice. Although the sunglasses and mask covered most of the face, that iconic long straight black hair, and that impressive figure that couldn't be hidden even by a loose jacket...
Kanzaki Saku was absolutely certain. It really is you, Kasumigaoka-san. Instead of writing novels, you ran off to draw manga.
"Eromanga Sensei, you've come." Kasumi Utako, or rather Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice, came through the mask. It was softer than what was usually heard at school, but that cool, detached quality hadn't changed.
Her gaze fell upon Kanzaki Saku behind Sagiri, and the eyes behind the sunglasses seemed to narrow slightly. "And this is?"
"This is my brother!" Sagiri introduced him happily. "Brother, this is the Kasumi Utako-sensei I told you about!"
"Hello, Kasumi Utako-sensei." Kanzaki Saku stepped forward and extended his hand, a gentle and polite smile hanging on his face. "Sagiri has been in your care."
Kasumigaoka stared at his hand for two seconds before slowly reaching out to shake it. Her hand was very hot, probably because setting up the booth just now had consumed quite a bit of physical energy.
"Hello," she responded briefly, then quickly withdrew her hand and turned to Sagiri. "You haven't set up your booth yet, right? Do you need my help? It'll be too busy to handle once the crowd grows."
"Ah! Right!" Sagiri finally remembered the business at hand and hurriedly pulled Kanzaki Saku back to the front of Booth 23. "Brother, help me set it up together!"
Kanzaki Saku gave an affirmative grunt and began helping Sagiri take the thin books out of the suitcase to arrange them. His movements were unhurried but very efficient, and soon the display stand was set up looking quite presentable.
During this time, he could feel a gaze from next door, seemingly there yet not, projected through those sunglasses.
Kasumigaoka must be very confused right now, Kanzaki Saku thought as he arranged the books. She had definitely recognized him; after all, they did bump into each other occasionally at school.
But a frail, sickly male who needed protection suddenly appearing at a doujinshi convention, and even helping his manga-drawing sister run a booth—this scene was impactful no matter how one thought about it.
"Brother, is it okay to hang this scroll here?" Sagiri's voice pulled him back to reality.
"A little more to the left. Yes, just right." Kanzaki Saku helped her adjust the position of the hanging scroll, then took a step back to assess it. "Not bad, it's very eye-catching."
"Hehe, this is the color illustration I'm most satisfied with!" Sagiri said proudly.
In fact, Sagiri felt quite fortunate that what she drew were pure love books, which focused more on emotions. That way, when discovered by her own brother, it was still acceptable.
If she were like Kasumi Utako-sensei next door, drawing that kind of messy stuff, and it became known to acquaintances, her life would probably be over.
The interaction between the siblings while setting up the booth was naturally intimate. Although Kasumigaoka next door had her back to them while organizing things, her attention was obviously placed on Kanzaki Saku's side.
The booth was just about ready, and there was still half an hour before the opening. Sagiri ran off to the restroom, leaving Kanzaki Saku alone to watch the booth.
The faint sound of pages turning came from next door. Kanzaki Saku turned his head and saw Kasumigaoka looking down, flipping through a sample book, but her page-turning movements were a bit absentminded.
"Kasumi Utako-sensei," he took the initiative to speak. "I heard from Sagiri that your recent book, The Student Council President's Secret Lessons, is very popular?"
Kasumigaoka's hand froze. A few seconds later, she raised her head, her sunglasses facing Kanzaki Saku's direction. Her voice came through the mask, devoid of emotion: "...How did you know? You like reading this kind of thing too?"
Kanzaki Saku shook his head. "I never read them. It's mainly because most of what's displayed on your booth, Sensei, is this book. The cover is also very explosive; it's impossible not to notice it."
Kasumigaoka lowered her head and stopped speaking, resuming her page-turning, but Kanzaki Saku noticed that the tips of her ears were a little red.
"Although I never read them, because of Sagiri, I took a slight look at this book you drew." Kanzaki Saku proactively continued the topic.
He paused, and only when Kasumigaoka looked up again did he slowly say:
"To be able to portray the contrast between the Student Council President's lofty, high-and-mighty temperament and her fall into depravity so accurately... you must need a very deep understanding of this type of character, right?"
"..."
Kasumigaoka fell silent.
The mask covered her expression, but Kanzaki Saku could imagine that her face definitely didn't look good right now.
In fact, that was indeed the case. Ever since seeing Kanzaki Saku, Kasumigaoka Utaha had been constantly uneasy.
However, she still held onto a fluke mentality. Firstly, she played the role of the Disciplinary Committee member so well that ordinary people wouldn't associate the doujin artist Kasumi Utako with the Disciplinary Committee's Kasumigaoka.
Added to that was her cautious, full disguise, revealing not a single flaw. How could Kanzaki Saku, a boy who relied entirely on the President's backdoor connections and was completely 'all cock and no brain', possibly recognize her?
Yet, Kanzaki Saku's commentary on the portrayal of the Student Council President seemed to be hinting at something, making Kasumigaoka become less confident.
"Brother! I'm back!" Sagiri's voice came from far to near, breaking the subtle atmosphere.
Kasumigaoka visibly sighed in relief and immediately turned around to put her back to them, pretending to focus on organizing posters.
"Sensei, I brought water. Do you want some?" Sagiri first gave a bottle of mineral water to her brother, then handed another one to the neighbor.
"...Thank you." Kasumigaoka accepted it, her movements a bit stiff.
At nine o'clock sharp, the exhibition officially began. The stream of people instantly flooded into the hall, and Area B soon became lively as well.
Sagiri also put on a mask and gave one to Kanzaki Saku.
A crowd gradually gathered in front of Sagiri's booth. Most were girls still in school. Seeing the books on her booth, then looking at Kanzaki Saku standing beside her—who was obviously a boy—their expressions were all somewhat subtle.
At the neighboring booth, Kasumigaoka's business was obviously better. More people gathered in front of her booth, mostly browsing silently, paying, and leaving. The atmosphere had a weird solemnity, with people occasionally discussing in low voices.
"Kasumi Utako-sensei's new work is too strong..." "That storyboard, that expression portrayal..." "I heard there's a sequel with a Student Council theme this time, seemingly related to the Vice President..."
Kasumigaoka kept her head down the whole time, collecting money and giving change. Fully armed with mask and sunglasses, she didn't say a word, cold and aloof like a ruthless book-selling machine.
But Kanzaki Saku noticed that whenever someone mentioned the three words "Student Council", her movements would subtly distort.
Interesting.
Around noon, the flow of people decreased slightly. Sagiri collapsed onto her chair, exhausted. "Phew—it's much more tiring than I imagined!"
"Drink some water." Kanzaki Saku handed her the opened mineral water.
"Sensei hasn't rested since this morning, right?" Sagiri, having taken the water, said with concern. "At least drink some water."
Kasumigaoka hesitated for a moment, but still picked up the water bottle from before, opened it, pulled her mask down a tiny bit, and took small sips.
Having worked all morning, she was truly thirsty!
Here comes the chance.
"Speaking of which," Kanzaki Saku began in a conversational tone, as if suddenly thinking of something, "the pen name 'Kasumi Utako' sounds a bit familiar."
Sagiri turned her head curiously. "Familiar? Have you heard it somewhere, Brother?"
"Hmm..." Kanzaki Saku pretended to think, his fingertip tapping his chin lightly. "It seems our school also has a student whose name contains 'Kasumi' and 'Uta'? She's a very excellent student cadre, handles matters meticulously, and is very principled."
Cough, cough—!
A violent coughing fit came from next door. Kasumigaoka Utaha jerked forward, bending at the waist. She didn't hold the mineral water bottle steadily, and water sprayed directly out.
Not only did it wet the few sample books in front of her, but worse, the water seeped in along the edge of her mask. The mask was instantly soaked through in a large patch, and a dark water stain bloomed on the chest area of her hoodie.
"Sensei! Are you okay?" Sagiri was startled and asked with concern.
Kanzaki Saku, who was closer, also stood up immediately, a pack of tissues appearing in his hand unbeknownst to anyone. "Did you choke? Quickly, wipe it."
"N-No need!" Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her hand to stop him while coughing, her voice becoming somewhat shrill due to the coughing and panic.
Refusing the beautiful boy's wiping service wasn't due to shyness; it was entirely out of fear that physical contact would expose her identity.
She turned her body sideways almost as a conditioned reflex, putting her back to the direction Kanzaki Saku was coming from, and fumbled frantically to find tissues in her own bag.
Kanzaki Saku didn't force his approach. He simply placed the full pack of tissues gently on the corner of her booth. "I put the tissues here. Wearing a wet mask is very uncomfortable, isn't it? Do you want to change into a new one?"
His proposal sounded considerate and reasonable, yet Kasumigaoka Utaha reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shaking her head incessantly, causing a few strands of hair to fling out from under the hood's brim.
"N-No need! I have a spare mask myself!" As she spoke, she quickly fished out a brand-new black mask from her carry-on satchel. With rapid movements, she tore off the soaked old mask.
In the instant she tore it off, she covered her nose and mouth with a tissue extremely fast, then turned her back and completed the mask change with astonishing hand speed.
After putting on the new mask and pulling the hood's brim down further, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally turned around stiffly and said in a muffled voice, "...Thank you. No need to trouble yourself."
"You're welcome." Kanzaki Saku smiled, his gaze sweeping over the water stain on her chest. "Your clothes are a little wet too. Although the weather isn't cold, it's uncomfortable to be wet. Did Sensei bring a change of clothes?"
"...It doesn't matter, it'll dry in a while." Kasumigaoka Utaha's mood was as terrible as discovering on the first day of the New Year that all her panties were washed but not dry, leaving her to wear yesterday's dirty pair.
Sagiri helped wipe dry the few wet sample books and arranged them, still somewhat worried. "Sensei, are you really okay? Are you too tired? Do you want to rest a bit? I can watch the booth for you for a while."
"No need." Kasumigaoka Utaha rejected immediately, her voice having recovered its usual calm. "I'm fine."
She sat back down on the chair behind the booth, picked up the mineral water bottle that had caused the disaster, screwed the cap tight, and placed it far away from herself, as if it were some dangerous item.
Then, she assumed a posture of 'I want to focus on business', lowering her head to organize those books that were actually already very neat.
Kanzaki Saku continued to make conversation out of nothing. "Is this the first time Kasumi Utako-sensei has participated in such a large-scale exhibition? You look very popular, and your handling of things is very composed."
"...Been here a few times," Kasumigaoka Utaha answered in a muffled voice, refusing eye contact.
"Oh? Then does Sensei have another profession or studies usually? Maintaining such a high standard of creation must require investing a massive amount of time and energy, right?" Kanzaki Saku's question sounded like ordinary concern.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, however, felt that every word was digging a pit for her.
"...I draw for fun in my spare time," she perfunctorily equivocated.
"Is that so? But some scenes don't look like they could be drawn just by casually looking up materials in one's spare time."
"For example, in that book The Student Council President's Secret Lessons, the way the President forces others in the Student Council... it's drawn especially realistically. Has Sensei been to a similar place?"
"..."
Kasumigaoka didn't know how to answer for a moment. Could she say, "Yes, because I am the Disciplinary Committee Chair, so I go in and out of the Student Council Office often and am very familiar with it"?!
"All school Student Council offices look about the same." She squeezed out a catch-all answer, feeling like a student who had been spot-checked by a teacher without previewing the lesson.
"I see." Kanzaki Saku nodded as if suddenly enlightened, then immediately threw out a new question.
"Then how does Kasumi Utako-sensei view the character type of 'Disciplinary Committee member'? I see Sensei seems to have a new work recently about a Vice President, and it seems to involve the Disciplinary Committee's scenes too?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "..."
This guy definitely discovered it, right? Right? He's just deliberately teasing me!
"Brother, you're so interested in Sensei's works!" Sagiri blinked her eyes at the side, a bit surprised.
In the end, it was Sagiri who helped Kasumigaoka out of the predicament.
"After all, she is Sagiri's senior; it's only right to know a bit more." Kanzaki Saku said with smiling eyes, his gaze still resting on that tense back next door.
"Moreover, Kasumi Utako-sensei's creations truly have depth, making one unable to resist wanting to explore the thinking behind the creation."
____
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