I headed to the cafeteria and then went to the shop inside it. They sold melon bread, chocolate bread, and even pasta. There were also soda and juice machines for anyone who wanted to buy drinks.
The line is really long.
I got in line, and everyone looked at me. Many of them were from other classes. This school is quite big, with several classes. However, it only has middle school students.
"Excuse me, you're Kyo, right?"
A girl asked.
"Yes, that's me."
"I knew it! Why did you reject Karane's invitation?" she asked.
Karane… Karane… Oh, that senpai.
"I just wasn't interested, that's all."
"That's a shame. Do you have an Instagram so I can follow you?" The girl, who was very outgoing, asked. Her friend looked embarrassed.
"I do, but I just created it recently. I only have one photo." I opened Instagram on my phone and showed it to her.
"Wow, you only have one photo and already almost a thousand followers!? How is that possible?" Her eyes sparkled.
"Is that really that impressive?" I asked.
In my previous life, I knew people with many followers, but it never meant much. They said they did advertising for some brands but didn't earn much.
Well, the person with the most followers I knew had 60,000 followers—not that much…
"Yes, it is impressive since you only have one photo." Then I got a notification of a new follower. I clicked on the profile—it was hers. She had more than 5,000 followers.
How old is she? 13 or 14? Should kids that age care so much about followers?
She seemed quite proud of it, smiling smugly at me.
I gave a bitter smile and turned off my phone.
"What? Aren't you going to follow me back?"
"Huh?" I was surprised by her question.
"I followed you, so you should follow me back."
????
I didn't really understand, but to avoid making her upset, I opened Instagram and followed her back.
Well, I can unfollow her later.
Then it was my turn to buy food, and I did it quickly. I left as fast as possible because that girl might try to talk to me again. I don't want to talk—I just want to eat.
With my food in hand, I went to my secret spot near the gym.
It was a bench, and no one was ever around.
However, when I arrived, someone was already sitting there.
A girl with black hair and empty-looking eyes. She had a gloomy appearance and wore glasses. Even so, I found her very beautiful.
I sat down beside her. She stopped reading what she was reading and turned to me.
"What is this? Are you paying off a bet?"
"Hm?" I was surprised by her question.
"Did you sit next to me because of a bet? No one ever sits near me. And you… it's you." Her face turned red. She was surprisingly… cute?
"I always come here when I want to be alone." I started eating my melon bread and then asked, "What are you reading?"
"The latest volume of Overlord. I only just got the chance to read it."
"Hmmm…"
"You're probably not into this kind of thing, right? Otaku stuff."
Hearing her question, I almost burst out laughing.
"Of course I like 'otaku' stuff. I've read all the volumes of Overlord. It's amazing, isn't it? The author is incredible."
The girl looked at me with wide eyes. "You're not making fun of me, are you?"
"Hm? Of course not. Why would I do that?"
"Well…"
"Do I not look like someone who would like this kind of thing?"
"..."
"A lot of people say that. Don't worry." I laughed.
"..." The girl stayed silent and continued reading.
I didn't say anything else and kept eating.
After I finished, I stood up to leave. But before going, I asked, "What's your name?"
"My name? Why?"
"Because I liked you," I said without thinking much about it.
"You liked me?" The girl dropped her volume of Overlord on the ground and stared at me, shocked.
"You're interesting, and you like Overlord. I like you." I smiled at her and asked her name again.
She answered, stuttering, "My name is Miu Kageyama."
"I see. See you later, Miu."
"Ah, yes." She quickly picked up the volume from the ground as I walked away.
I hope she didn't misunderstand. I think I said that in a very strange way.
Well, whatever.
I went back to my classroom and sat down.
Mirai looked at me and waved with a smile.
I smiled back at her and went back to sleep.
I slept until the end of class.
As soon as I left school, my father was waiting for me outside in his car. We went straight to a café because today we had a meeting with Mr. Kuroda about publishing Oregairu.
He agreed to let me do the illustrations, of course.
Now my father just needs to sign the contract for me.
I also want to take the opportunity to talk about Overlord. I think I'll try to finish the story soon.
It's better to wrap it up quickly so I can focus on another novel.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the café.
Kuroda was already waiting for us with the contract on the table.
As soon as he saw us, he said again,
"I still can't believe you wrote a story like that."
"You should be used to me by now," I said with a smile.
"I just can't… hahaha."
Hearing Kuroda's words, my father laughed and said, "Even I can't get used to it—imagine Mr. Kuroda!"
####
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Next Chapters: Chapter 29 - You should make friends. Photo shoot approaching. / Chapter 30 - Photoshoot. / Chapter 31 - I'm going to write the final volume of Overlord. / Chapter 32 - Volume 17. Photos. / Chapter 33 - First step. Fame.