Leading the two into the living room, Haruno Kyoko and Ishigami Naoya also saw Sajuna waiting for Akira on the sofa.
"This is my girlfriend, Sajuna."
"Editor Haruno Kyoko, Ishigami Naoya."
The three greeted each other and were officially acquainted.
Akira went into his room, found a cardboard box, put the signed books into it, and then walked out of the bedroom with the box.
Ishigami Naoya saw Akira's movements and quickly ran over to take the box. "Pillow-sensei, let me carry the box."
"Thank you for your hard work, Ishigami-sensei."
"It's nothing."
Akira handed the cardboard box he was holding to Ishigami Naoya, then took Sajuna's hand and looked at Haruno Kyoko, who was standing beside him.
"Haruno-san, which anime festival are we going to today?"
"You didn't even bother to find out yourself?"
Haruno Kyoko looked at Akira in surprise; he still seemed so nonchalant even when it was time for the signing event.
"It's in Chiba Prefecture. There's quite a large audience there, so I expect a lot of fans will show up to support us."
Haruno Kyoko replied, but sensing that Akira wasn't very concerned about such matters, she simply gave a brief overview.
The three walked out of the house together. Ishigami Naoya, who had been carrying the boxes, had already put the books in the trunk and was waiting for them by the car.
It was a plain black Honda car, without any markings, looking just like a private vehicle.
"No brand markings?"
Akira asked curiously.
After all, cars with advertising decals could serve as good advertisements and be quite convenient in certain situations.
Haruno Kyoko shook her head. "Originally, the car had the bunko's (light novel imprint's) logo, but after some incidents, the bunko gave up on that practice."
Haruno Kyoko hesitated for a moment, then explained, "Some fans found an author's real address through the bunko's vehicle, causing that author a great deal of trouble."
Akira nodded in understanding, realizing that it indeed sounded quite troublesome.
"Please get in."
Ishigami Naoya stood beside the car, opening the door for Akira and Sajuna.
"Ishigami-sensei, what time will we arrive?"
Akira got into the car and asked Ishigami Naoya, who was acting as the driver.
"Less than an hour."
Ishigami Naoya smiled easily.
"When does the signing event start?"
"Ten in the morning, but the anime festival venue opens very early."
Akira nodded upon hearing the information he wanted, then stopped asking questions.
The car slowly started. Haruno Kyoko, sitting in the front passenger seat, closed her eyes as if very tired and began to rest.
The car instantly grew quiet. Sajuna slowly leaned on Akira's shoulder, enjoying the warmth between them.
This was Akira's first time going to an anime festival, both in his past and present life, and he cherished this opportunity greatly.
He wanted to create beautiful memories with Sajuna.
Akira gently stroked Sajuna's hair, then couldn't help but kiss her forehead, successfully making Sajuna open her eyes.
"Aki-Kun."
A muddled voice came from Sajuna's mouth.
"Mm."
Akira looked gently at Sajuna's drowsy face, softly stroking her hair.
"Rest for a bit."
Hearing these words, Sajuna closed her eyes again.
Only Akira, looking at Sajuna's sleeping face with a gentle expression, and Ishigami Naoya, concentrating on driving, remained in the car.
After about half an hour, Akira noticed that the buildings on both sides of the road were gradually becoming taller, indicating they had arrived from the rural areas of Saitama Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture to the central area of Chiba Prefecture.
"We should arrive in about ten more minutes. Please be patient, Pillow-sensei."
Ishigami Naoya slightly tilted his head to remind Akira.
"Understood, Ishigami-sensei, just focus on driving."
"Thank you for your understanding, Pillow-sensei."
Within a few minutes, Akira could feel the surrounding anime elements slowly increasing.
Vehicles came and went, constantly appearing in Akira's line of sight. Occasionally, he could even spot cars completely covered in anime images, not to mention the posters and exhibition art for various anime that flashed by on the walls outside.
"This really is the first time I've seen something like this."
Akira couldn't help but exclaim.
"Huh?"
Sajuna's voice came from beside him. Akira turned his head and found that Sajuna had woken up at some point and was looking out, following his gaze.
"What is Aki-Kun saying he's seeing for the first time?"
Akira pointed to a passing 'itasha' (decorated car) not far away. "A car like that, I definitely wouldn't have the courage to drive it out."
"Although I've seen such cars online more than once, this is the first time I've seen one this close in real life."
Akira complained.
"Aki-Kun is right."
Sajuna agreed, as she wasn't the type to be particularly outgoing...
After the car arrived at the anime exhibition center, Haruno Kyoko in the passenger seat finally opened her eyes and said to Akira and Sajuna, "You two get off first. I'll go coordinate with the publisher's staff."
"As for the books in the trunk, let Ishigami help you with them."
"Okay."
Akira and Sajuna got out of the car together, then Ishigami Naoya also got out, ran to the back of the vehicle, and took the boxes out of the trunk.
"Pillow-sensei, let's go."
Ishigami Naoya walked up to Akira and said.
The three walked into the center of the venue, and upon entering, they saw it was packed with cosplayers and booths.
"It feels incredibly chaotic."
Akira said subconsciously.
Unlike the exhibition he and Sajuna went to last time, this anime festival clearly had more variety and was much more crowded.
Akira felt that he and Sajuna probably wouldn't like this atmosphere. He glanced at Sajuna and, sure enough, she was already leaning closer to him.
"Are you nervous, Sajuna?"
Sajuna shook her head. "No, it just feels like there are too many people."
"Pillow-sensei, you don't need to worry about such things. This venue has hosted anime festivals for over ten years, and the security at the center of the venue is all professionally trained."
"There will definitely be no incidents of harassment."
Akira nodded in understanding. "Where is our booth?"
"Haruno-san said it's number 10. Let me check the venue map."
Ishigami took out his phone, looked at it for a few moments, then pointed into the distance.
"It's right there. We'll be there in a few more steps!"