Chapter 390: Commotion Over Mashiro
Chapter 390: Commotion Over Mashiro
“Teacher, why are you in my house?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just get over here!”
Faced with Himekoji’s question, the Female Teacher showed great impatience and couldn’t be bothered to answer. She waved her hand, signaling him to hurry.
“Alright, alright. I get it.”
Himekoji could only roll his eyes and reply helplessly.
“Sprint here!”
“Do I really have to go that far?!”
Even though he complained, Himekoji reluctantly quickened his steps.
“Oh, Akiko, could you make us some tea?”
Seeing Akiko following behind Himekoji into the study, the Female Teacher stepped sideways and blocked Akiko at the door.
Though phrased politely, the underlying intention was clearly to brush Akiko aside.
“Wha-at?! Why?! I’m family! Brother’s business is my business! Why can’t I listen?!”
Reading the hidden message, Akiko immediately pouted, extremely displeased.
“Well… Akiko, I kind of want barley tea. Please?”
Finally, it was Himekoji who spoke up. After a lot of gentle coaxing, he managed to persuade his clingy little sister to go to the kitchen.
But because of that, Himekoji’s confusion over why the Female Teacher was at his place grew even stronger.
What was this about?
So secretive…
The Female Teacher casually closed the study door. At the same time, Himekoji, turning around, finally saw the other guest in the study.
Iida Ayano?
The owner of the other pair of High Heels in the Genkan turned out to be someone Himekoji knew.
It was Miss Iida, Mashiro’s editor-in-charge.
“Hello, Teacher Himekoji.”
“Ah… Hello.”
Meeting in this situation felt a bit awkward for both of them.
However, Iida Ayano was the first to greet Himekoji.
It could be seen as a gesture of goodwill.
They had previously had a public argument over “One-Punch Man” in the editorial office. Though a lot of time had passed, it wasn’t something they could just pretend never happened.
“Um… Regarding ‘One-Punch Man,’ I deeply regret my actions.”
Miss Iida saying this basically admitted she had misjudged things back then.
Of course, the facts made it impossible for her not to admit it.
The “One-Punch Man” serialized online had long since stirred up its own unique storm. Being an industry insider, Iida Ayano couldn’t possibly ignore it.
The female editor lowered her eyes and posture, clearly adopting a humble attitude towards Himekoji.
“Please don’t dwell on it.”
Himekoji wasn’t the petty type to hold onto grudges over something like that. He had already put it behind him. He waved his hand politely.
“If I put myself in your shoes back then, as the editor in that position, that argument happening wasn’t exactly unreasonable.”
“A lot of the responsibility for that lies with me too, actually.”
Most of the time, when not being a Pervert, Himekoji was quite easygoing.
He didn’t want to dwell on the topic further.
“Miss Iida, did you come to see me today? Surely not just for this, right?”
Himekoji had thought Hiratsuka-sensei was the one who needed him, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Mm, there are indeed other matters I need to discuss with Miss Hiratsuka and you, Himekoji-kun.”
“With Sensei and me?”
Is it about Mashiro?
That was the first thing that came to mind.
Hadn’t Akiko said Mashiro had been taken out by Miss Iida?
And now she’d even found Hiratsuka-sensei.
Hiratsuka-sensei was a good friend of Mashiro’s parents and her nominal guardian in Japan.
Although the actual responsibilities of guardianship seemed to have consistently fallen to Himekoji…
Last time, after just one phone call, this person dumped Mashiro on Himekoji to handle.
Perhaps the Female Teacher was self-aware?
Knowing she couldn’t even take care of herself properly, let alone someone else.
Unable to organize things, unable to clean up trash, with the plumbing somehow clogged almost daily. Because of this, Himekoji had to go to the Female Teacher’s place every few days to work as a cleaning help. It was torturous.
“Take a look at this first.”
Miss Iida pushed the laptop she had brought towards Himekoji.
Probably Hiratsuka-sensei had already seen it earlier, so she didn’t crowd in to look.
Himekoji glanced over; the laptop screen displayed a website – a subculture site collecting various news and information about light novels, manga, anime, etc.
The homepage featured many news items and updates.
One of the headlines was:
“ShiMashiro CP Support Association Sign-in! Pro Veteran Applicants Welcome!”
The font was large, bold, and an extremely vivid red. Naturally, Himekoji’s eyes locked onto it first.
He instantly froze.
While shocked by the efficiency of the “ShiMashiro CP Support Association,” he was also confused about Iida Ayano’s intent.
Could this be the reason Iida Ayano was here to see him???
That was absurd!
No matter how ridiculous he felt it was internally, Himekoji’s hand still instinctively clicked on it.
“Eh? Wait, not that one. Please click the link below.”
Iida Ayano pointed her finger towards another headline –
“The New Face in Manga! Genius of the Art World! The Super Cute High School Girl Mangaka Only Seen Once Every 100,000 Years!”
“Is this… talking about Shiina?”
He seemed to have mistakenly clicked the wrong link just now…
Himekoji quickly rectified it, switching from the ShiMashiro CP page to the Super Cute High School Girl Mangaka page.
He found it overflowing with collected information about Mashiro.
Scrolling down revealed detailed records of Mashiro’s past experiences, matching what Himekoji had learned online.
Several photos were attached. Most were pictures of Mashiro receiving awards on stage at famous art competitions. There were also photos of her in formal gowns shaking hands and taking pictures with notable foreign figures.
The comment section was packed full with remarks like:
“Sooo cute!” “Like a spirit!”, “This face value would make idols cry!”, “Aren’t there any other photos?”
It was like a chaotic festival boiling over.
“The second volume, released last week, got great reviews. Even though the first print run was huge, we still have to do additional printings… Now, not only are bookstores sold out, even our main office has zero copies left of Volume 1 and 2…”
Ms. Iida gave a bitter smile and shook her head at this point, feeling both pleased and troubled.
“Initially, online discussions were just about the manga selling out… But as of yesterday, the focus suddenly shifted entirely to Mashiro herself…”
Was that why this thread appeared?
“Starting yesterday, the editorial department’s inbox has been flooded with countless emails from readers, all expressing interest in Mashiro…”
“It’s truly amazing…”
Himekoji sighed sincerely, genuinely happy for Mashiro.
However, Miss Iida’s expression grew complicated at this moment.
“But… we’ve seen situations like this before. Among fans, there are always those obsessed with the private lives of mangaka. This is especially prevalent when the mangaka is extremely young or exceptionally beautiful.”
Iida Ayano’s voice carried a hint of worry.
“In such cases, things like stalking and sneak photography aren’t unheard of. Some mangaka have even had their lives disrupted to the point where they had to go on hiatus…”
Similar to obsessive celebrity chasing?
It wasn’t hard to understand.
“Especially in Mashiro’s case. I’m sure you understand, Himekoji-kun. Mashiro is super cute and beautiful, isn’t she? And her art background is also extraordinary… So, after discussing it with the Chief Editor, we think it’s better to be cautious.”
“So… what do you suggest?”
“Could you entrust Mashiro to us for protection for the time being?”
Miss Iida revealed her purpose all at once.
“Huh?”
Although he’d vaguely guessed something like this earlier, hearing it spoken plainly still made Himekoji’s expression stiffen slightly.
“Well… um… just in case some fans become obsessive enough to track down Mashiro or even stalk her… her address being exposed, or people discovering she’s living with you, Himekoji-kun… How should I put this… it doesn’t seem very appropriate…”
Iida Ayano lightly furrowed her brows, seemingly struggling to find a tactful way to express the issue.
“So, we thought of renting a room in a hotel near the company and having her stay there until things calm down.”
“Mmm… What does Mashiro think of this?”
He figured Miss Iida must have already discussed this with Mashiro beforehand?
Himekoji wanted to know Mashiro’s opinion.
“She said she’ll do whatever you say.”
…
…