Kasumigaoka's Autograph Session

Jiang Yu nodded blankly, looking at Tomoya Aki with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Then, Tomoya Aki spoke in a tone akin to a sigh, "Anyway, I've noticed she never wears the same casual clothes twice. But from a two-dimensional perspective, constantly changing clothes dilutes the character's identity. And..."

"...there will also be an increase in character standing poses used for differentiation." Pausing for a moment, he continued, "That's why in situations like this, she should wear her uniform instead, and with a deadpan earnest expression ask, 'Eh? Isn't wearing a uniform common sense even when going out far on a holiday?' I believe a super serious girl like that scores high points in the hearts of both players and game creators. Am I right or wrong?"

Looking at Tomoya Aki with a speechless expression, Jiang Yu curled his lip and retorted, "Don't just arbitrarily stand from the perspective of an illustrator and voice concerns that others should be having... Besides, so you actually prefer characters who are super serious yet possess that gap moe, Tomoya?"

Tomoya Aki pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, shook his head with a serious expression, and said, "No! To be precise, as long as it's a mainstream archetype, I'm into it!"

Jiang Yu's expression turned subtle, seeming somewhat at a loss for words. After a moment of thought, he finally said, "...In a sense, you're really amazing, Tomoya."

Tomoya Aki glanced at Jiang Yu and said nonchalantly, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Thus, time slowly drifted away amidst the casual banter between the two. When the train arrived at the station, the two of them, having finished taking care of personal matters, returned right on schedule.

On the train, Jiang Yu quietly gazed at the scenery outside the window for a while, then nudged Tomoya Aki sitting beside him and asked with a bored expression, "So, Tomoya, you don't need to keep us in suspense anymore, right? What are we doing going to Wagou City this time?"

Hearing Jiang Yu say this, Megumi Kato and Doma Umaru, who were sitting opposite them, also cast curious gazes toward Tomoya Aki.

Tomoya Aki didn't offer any immediate explanation; instead, from his carried bag, he pulled out a light novel...

He waved the book in his hand and said with a smile, "I assume all of you have read this, right? *Literature Girl's Melody*—no, *Falling in Love*." (Note: *Meguru* is the title, translated as *Rebound Route* / *Love Measurement* etc., but standardly *Koi no Metronome* translates to *Love Metronome*).

Let's use *Love Metronome*.

Wait, retranslating properly:

Megumi Kato nodded, glanced at Jiang Yu, and said, "Jiang-kun lent it to me to read before. Previously, I thought light novels were written entirely for boys, but even girls will shed tears reading this work. It seems wrong to reject something without even experiencing it first... However, it would be even better if the cover design made it easier for people to reach for it."

Doma Umaru also nodded and said, "I took it from my brother's bedroom to read."

Jiang Yu reached out and took the book from Tomoya Aki's hand, flipped it back and forth, and said in some surprise, "In other words, the place we're going to this time is related to *Love Metronome*, or rather, related to Senior Kasumigaoka?"

Tomoya Aki wore an expression that said "you guessed it," but didn't elaborate much, only muttering something like "You'll know when we get there," and continued to keep them in suspense.

...

"So it's here..."

Looking at the scenery visible upon looking up after passing through the exit of Wagou City Station, Megumi Kato said with a sigh of admiration.

The rest of them also began to survey what, to a first-time visitor, would seem like an ordinary, unassuming bustling street in front of the station.

However, to readers of *Love Metronome*, it was a place filled with deep emotions.

Tomoya Aki said excitedly, "Right?! After all, the place we're visiting can, in a sense, be considered a sacred pilgrimage site!"

Jiang Yu took everything around him into his field of vision, and this slightly familiar scene began to automatically match the memories deep within his mind.

Then, he nodded in sudden realization. The scene appearing before his eyes right now was precisely the front-page color illustration scenery one would see upon opening the first volume of *Love Metronome*.

"Look at this bench in the station-front park; isn't it the exact setting of the kissing scene in the final chapter?"

Tomoya Aki held up the opened book, showing a page of illustrations to the three of them, while speaking with heightened emotion.

"Ah! Really, the composition is precisely the angle looking over from here."

Doma Umaru looked at the book in Tomoya Aki's hand and then at the real-life scenery, speaking in an amazed tone.

"Right? Right? And then look, at that burger joint over there, isn't that where the two heroines first met in the second volume?"

Seeing someone chime in, Tomoya Aki seemed even more excited.

Seeing this, Jiang Yu made a subtle expression and retorted, "Well... I feel like you wouldn't recognize it just by looking at the pictures."

Tomoya Aki retracted the book, adjusted his glasses with his free hand, and said earnestly, "Indeed. But clues aren't just hidden in the illustrations. After this scene, didn't the two of them cross the crosswalk and immediately reach the station? That means only this shop, located across the street from the station, can meet the conditions!"

"...I really have to hand it to you for noticing such minute details, Tomoya."

Similarly, Megumi Kato muttered with a subtle expression.

Tomoya Aki ignored their banter, swung his arm of his own accord, completely unbothered by how embarrassing the gesture was, put one hand on his hip, pointed the other across the street, and said, "And now, the main event... Look at that bookstore across the street."

A silence fell over the scene; this time, no one took over Tomoya Aki's cue.

Tomoya Aki didn't feel awkward either, continuing his explanation on his own, "That's right, the Tsutsumitendo Bookstore where the protagonist and the main heroine had their fateful encounter... Today's destination is right there!"

"...Please stop doing things that simultaneously showcase the traits of an otaku and a hardcore fan of Kasutilla, Tomoya."

Jiang Yu covered his face with one hand, unable to bear looking directly at him, his words filled with utter helplessness.

Afterwards, the group arrived on the third floor of the bookstore, lining up for the event while scrutinizing the queue tickets Tomoya Aki had handed to each of them.

On it were today's date and the text, "Love Metronome Final Volume Release Commemoration: Sensei Kasumigaoka's Autograph Session." It felt like a simple design hastily put together and printed with a typewriter in an hour.

It was the exact kind of thing only a small-to-medium bookstore unaccustomed to hosting events would produce.

At the same time, Tomoya Aki said with a sense of relief, "Good thing I had extras on hand. You didn't mention early on that Umaru would be coming along, Jiang."

"Regarding that, please allow me to offer a sincere apology." Jiang Yu's tone then shifted, "But wouldn't it have been better if you had told us from the beginning that we were attending Senior Kasumigaoka's autograph session? You actually kept us in suspense..."

Hearing Jiang Yu say this, Megumi Kato and Doma Umaru beside him also nodded in deep agreement toward Tomoya Aki.

Tomoya Aki, who instantly became the target of everyone's collective fire, scratched his head in awkwardness and, avoiding everyone's gaze, said, "If I said we were coming here from the start, I was worried you guys would refuse..."

Jiang Yu sighed, looking quite helpless as he said, "If you had said from the beginning that it was Kasumigaoka's autograph session, leaving Umaru aside for a moment, Kato and I wouldn't have refused, you know?"

"Eh~~ I wouldn't have refused either, okay!" In response, Doma Umaru raised her hand to indicate her objection.

Alright, please stop playing with reverse-trial tropes, okay? I'm begging you!

Soon after, amidst the casual chatter of the crowd, the scheduled start time of the event gradually arrived.