At the entrance, rows of flower baskets were lined up, and various banners were posted, making both of them curious.
There were even many fans of individual manga artists around, waiting to see if they could get an autograph.
Haruki noticed many fans of Rurouni Kenshin holding signs and shouting slogans.
"Mizushiro-sensei, please give me an autograph!"
"I love Tomoe and Kenshin..."
"Tomoe is my goddess..."
"Kenshin is my husband..."
Both Haruki and Kotone blushed in response...
After all, this was the annual meeting of Kurokawa Publishing. In addition to the manga artists who had worked on numerous serials with Kurokawa, there were also distributors from various cities and counties, as well as other partners from the industry.
Everyone had gathered at this time, and the scene outside the venue felt crowded. People were lined up with their invitations, ready to enter.
Haruki paid the fare, got out of the car, and was immediately hit by a gust of cold wind, giving him goosebumps.
He adjusted his position to shield Kotone from the wind.
"Let's go! Let's line up to get inside."
"What about them?" Kotone pointed to the fans of Rurouni Kenshin who seemed to be hoping to get lucky by meeting the manga artists at the door.
"I can't worry about that now."
Normally, Haruki might have gone over to speak with the fans of his own works. After all, anyone who braved the cold to come here had to be a true fan.
But in this cold weather, he knew he wouldn't be able to paint outside the venue, and he certainly didn't want Kotone to catch a cold either. Who would be his assistant then?
"That doesn't seem right!" Kotone said as she watched the fans.
"Though they came here hoping for a chance to meet Mizushiro-sensei and get an autograph, you're not obliged to meet their requests. But still, leaving them like this..."
As Kotone spoke, Haruki understood her point.
"I understand. You go ahead and enter first. I'll follow right away." Haruki sighed.
With that, he ran toward the group of his comic fans who had gathered outside.
---
"Did you bring paper and a pen?"
Haruki approached the girl who was holding a sign asking for an autograph from Mizushiro-sensei.
"Yes!" The girl was bundled up in warm clothes, but her face was still visible.
"Let me borrow them," Haruki said, not explaining much further.
"Wait, are you also a fan of Mizushiro-sensei?" the girl asked, surprised.
Although the girl wasn't sure what Haruki needed the paper and pen for, she readily handed them over.
Haruki didn't say much, just glancing around at the number of people who might recognize his work.
After squatting down, Haruki swiftly wrote his name on the signature papers.
The girl who had lent him the pen watched, and something seemed to click in her mind. She took a moment to study Haruki's appearance, growing a bit suspicious.
Wasn't Mizushiro-sensei supposed to be a woman?
But Haruki looked like a high school boy!
Then again, no one could be entirely sure that Mizushiro-sensei was a woman...
What if... could he be...?
Excited, she pulled out her phone and secretly took a few photos while Haruki wasn't looking.
A few minutes later, Haruki stood up.
He tore off the signature papers and returned the pen and paper to the girl.
After handing her one of the signed sheets, he slipped a few 1,000 yen bills into her hand.
"Use it well. This is a little extra for you."
Haruki then turned around and, like someone handing out flyers, ran all the way to the group of fans.
The fans were puzzled.
"What's going on?"
"What's this?"
"Is this guy just messing around? He didn't even say a word when he gave me the paper. I thought it was a love letter?"
"Why would a guy think another guy would send him a love letter? I think I get it..."
There were around thirty people in total. After a few of them had taken the signed papers, the rest looked at Haruki with curiosity.
"Uh... what's going on?" Haruki addressed the group.
"Mizushiro's autograph."
Haruki didn't go into further explanation.
Even if he told them he was Mizushiro-sensei, they would still doubt it.
That would only make things more complicated.
So instead, he handed out the autographs, leaving it up to the fans whether they kept them or tossed them.
Haruki wasn't going to waste any more time on it. He ran back to join the line for entry, leaving a confused group behind.
"Is this for real?"
"A guy?"
Some were still questioning it, but when they looked at the signed paper in their hands, they didn't throw it away.
Maybe he was just playing a prank... but what if...?
---
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