Like a flood opening, a surging crowd of people suddenly poured in from outside.

It was a spectacular scene hundreds of times greater than during peak hours on the tram.

It was almost like "Wow", and the venue that seemed empty just now was instantly overwhelmed by the dense flow of people.

What happened in an instant was even more unreal than the 38-degree temperature outside, like a mirage in the heat wave, illusory and misty.

"Please give me three, no, five copies of each of Kashiwagi Eiri-sensei's new works!"

“Excuse me, are there any gifts for this event!?”

"Um, is egoistic Lily's team here??"

…

"Wha, what!?"

"Uh-huh, what's going on with these people??"

"At least come one by one!"

Facing the swarming crowd, the Santo group, who had never seen such a scene before, swallowed unconsciously and instinctively took two steps back, obviously at a loss.

Even Shiyu, who was sitting on the seat, widened his eyes in astonishment, his brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously grabbed the hem of the boy's clothes next to him.

Just when everyone was wondering what to do, Kato Yusuke stood up from his seat without hesitation, then raised his arms and shouted.

“The end of egoistic lily’s queue is not here! If you want to queue, please go out and go to the left!

The gift of this event is a club brochure designed by teacher Eri Kashiwagi. In addition, if you purchase the "Love Metronome Special Pack", you will receive a limited full-color paper card by another artist. Thank you for your cooperation -!"

After saying that, he turned his attention to the three people who were forced to huddle together.

"Sato, Ito, please keep order in the team and be careful about congestion. Saito, you just need to be responsible for unpacking, and come behind me."

"Yes, yes——!" x3

The three of them took action immediately.

"Customers who want to queue up for Brother Kato, please come with me. The end of the queue is here——!!"

"Egoistic Lily, right? Idiot Sato!!"

"Yes, I'm sorry...!!"

Like loaches burrowing in the mud, the two people waving signs struggled to squeeze outside.

"I'll leave it to you to collect the money, Senior Shiyu. Each person is limited to one copy of the flyer, and the full-color paper card comes with the bonus."

"...Yeah! I understand."

The steady and powerful voice continued to echo among the crowd.

Under Yusuke Kato's loud command, the situation was barely brought under control, and the people who were originally crowded in front of the booth gradually took the shape of a team.

In view of his shouting so loudly.

For a time, no matter whether they were lining up for "egoistic Lily" or not, everyone around them couldn't help but focus on him.

"...Huh? Is that person a model invited for the event?" A man at the next stall murmured.

"No, no. That guy is Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's new partner, the "Eromanga-sensei" who went viral on Twitter some time ago. He's really handsome, isn't he?" The long-haired woman in charge of the reception touched her hand.

Cheek said with a gentle smile on his face.

"Eh...that's it. Sorry, I don't do Twitter much."

The man shook his head in confusion, and then immediately reacted, "——Ah! No! If you can, please sign the clothes for me, Mrs. Ibuki Ena!!"

As he spoke, he handed out a pen and stretched out his belly. It was a short-sleeved T-shirt with a cute character printed on it.

"Hey, but this is an oil-based pen, right? Is it really okay?" A woman who seemed to be an author tilted her head and said.

"Yes! It's no problem at all!! Rather, please do this——!!"

"Is this...? Then I would be rude~"

"Oh hoo~! Oh hoo~!"

Squeak, squeak.

The subtle scraping sound of the pen tip was mixed with bursts of cries that made people blush inexplicably.

So the people at the back couldn't help but speak.

"Damn it, I'm going to do it later too—!"

"And I!"

"I'm in trouble too!"

"Okay~ everyone please line up one by one."

…

On Shiyu's side, it was a different scene.

"Five copies of each of Eri Kashiwagi's works, twenty copies in total... I will charge you 25,000 yen, and I will ask you for 2,000 yen. Thank you for your patronage."

"Thank you, um, could you please sign here..."

"Shut up. The painter you are looking for is not here. I'm just here to help. Next one!"

…

"Three copies of each of Eri Kashiwagi's works, twelve copies in total... I'll charge you fifteen thousand yen, I'll give you one thousand two hundred yen for the next one."

"Thank you, thank you...!"

"Saito-san, restock."

"Yes Yes!"

…

Just as Kato Yusuke said before, the number of people queuing up easily exceeded three digits at the beginning. Looking at it, the long queue of people has reached tens of meters, and is still being followed by new entrants.

And keep growing.

Until I don’t know which or dozens of people it is...

"——Please give me two copies of each of Kashiwagi Eiri-sensei's works."

"..."

Faced with the request made by the man in line, Shiyu did not prepare the goods as before, but raised her head and asked.

"I remember you were among the group of people who entered early, right?"

"Uh...? Do you have any questions?"

"No, it's just that compared to authors with stable painting styles, don't you want to see truly excellent works? For example, these works by Mr. Eromanga here."

"Even if you say so..."

The man rubbed the back of his head in distress and said, "But compared to the short-lived Eromanga, Eri Kashiwagi's works are more valuable on the Internet. Everyone thinks so."

"I see. It seems that the so-called doujin speculators are just a group of guys who blindly follow the trend and have no vision." - Just when Shiyu couldn't help but want to say this, a voice immediately interrupted.

Come in.

"You want two copies of each of Mr. Eri Kashiwagi's works, right? The total is 9,200 yen. I charge you 10,000 yen and give you 800 yen. Thank you for your patronage!"

Having said this, Yusuke Kato handed over what the other party wanted in a serious manner, without any emotion on his face because his work could not be sold.

You must know that by now, Saito is almost ready to open the third box of Eiri's works, but none of his works have yet been sold.

Even with the temptation of full-color paper cards, the people in front still showed a lack of interest, so much so that Shiyu couldn't help but secretly become anxious.

After the man who had snatched the product left with a satisfied look on his face, she reached out and pulled the boy next to her who was bowing slightly to watch him off.

"Is this really okay? Kato-kun."

Kato Yusuke then turned around and said: "It's okay. What the other party said is actually true. Even if it were me, I would probably do the same thing, so don't worry about it. Let's continue."

After saying that, he returned to the reception work.

So Shiyu didn't feel like saying anything more, so he just quietly cooperated with the other party.

And in a certain conference room on the second floor, this scene was also seen by someone without reservation.

"...The psychological quality is quite good. Are you the type that won't be overwhelmed by pressure? It seems that with a little training, you can grow into a monster."

The woman with her hands on the railing said this, looking at the young man below as if looking at a piece of jade that could not hide its brilliance without being carved, with an enthusiastic smile on her face.

Probably because of the hot weather, the black suit he was originally wearing was now draped over his body, revealing his slim curves underneath.

Paired with a dark vest, it naturally exudes a strong ladylike temperament.

It makes people feel as if they are a head shorter than the other person.

The man standing nearby couldn't help but pull the tie around his neck uncomfortably, and then said thoughtfully: "Excuse me, why did you come to see me? Miss Akane Kurisaka."

"Ah, that's right. There is indeed something I want to discuss with you."
To be continued...