Following the conclusion of the signing session, Aoyama, Akane, and Ayumi headed to a premium restaurant near the downtown core for a celebratory dinner.
The meal sat on the borders of luxury, with a single pan-seared chicken breast retailing at an eye-watering 1,299 credits.
It forced Aoyama to marvel at the magic of Metropolis pricing metrics.
Then again, he was technically a second-generation rich kid now, and a successful entrepreneur to boot.
Splurging slightly wasn't going to break the bank.
Money was made to be spent; you couldn't take it into the grave with you.
A famous skit from his previous life carried a line: "The most depressing thing in the world is dying with money left in the bank."
So Aoyama didn't nurse a single ounce of hesitation about spending.
Saving where necessary and spending where justified was the correct attitude toward living.
---
When night descended, they naturally boarded the subway back. Since their destinations sat in different directions, riding together for the initial stretch was convenient.
Inside the car, Aoyama was quickly recognized by several readers also commuting home.
Prior to the signing session, fans had zero frame of reference for what Aoyama actually looked like.
Naturally, his morning commute had gone completely unnoticed.
Now, things were different.
But Aoyama wasn't a pop idol; his fanbase wasn't dense enough to trigger a dangerous stampede or corner him in a panic.
Being recognized simply meant receiving brief, curious glances.
"Aoyama, you signed books for hours today. Are you feeling exhausted?"
After securing seats, Akane looked over at Aoyama with care in her eyes. "Remember to soak your hands in warm water when you get back."
"I'm fine! My wrists aren't even sore. Besides, this is the least I can do for the fans who traveled all this way just to support me," Aoyama replied with a wide grin.
The Endurance Overlord [Gold] trait had inflated his stamina bars significantly.
Signing for an afternoon felt comfortable; he felt like he could keep going for another full day without breaking a sweat.
"Watching Aoyama-sensei right now, he really doesn't look tired at all."
Ayumi commented with curiosity. "This is completely different from how other authors usually look after sessions!"
"This is called talent. Inherited gifts from the sky above; you can't learn this in a classroom," Aoyama chuckled.
"Speaking of that, I saw several cosplayers today who looked incredibly professional. Replicating David, Lucy, and Rebecca that accurately takes insane effort..." Akane muttered.
"I saw that too! That David cosplayer actually had an eight-pack!" Ayumi added.
"An eight-pack? Please..." Aoyama scoffed playfully.
He used to carry a set himself back when he was starving, though right now, his stomach was flat and bordering on the soft side.
Generally, Aoyama's frame leaned toward the lean and tall build. It was likely a biological gift from the original host: eating everything without gaining weight, maximum a slight belly push if overstuffed.
---
While Aoyama, Akane, and Ayumi chatted comfortably amongst themselves...
Suddenly, a loud argument broke out from the neighboring carriage ahead.
It sounded like two older women screaming at the top of their lungs, accompanied by the booming voice of an older man joining the fray to support one of them.
The noise was deafening, traveling clearly across the dividers into Aoyama's cabin.
Filled with curiosity, Aoyama stood up, sizing up a route to go spectate the drama.
"Aoyama... where are you heading?" Akane also stood up, questioning him.
"Just going to see what's cooking up ahead," Aoyama chirped.
He immediately walked toward the connecting door leading into the next car. Akane and Ayumi exchanged glances, scrambling up to follow him.
As Aoyama stepped into the adjacent carriage, the dialogue became crisp and intelligible.
Two older women sat addressing each other with high-decibel barks.
Standing before one of them,a woman dressed in purple,was an older man in a blue jacket.
They appeared to be a married couple, locking horns with another woman wearing a plaid shirt.
Aoyama stood silently off to the side, piece by piece absorbing the details to figure out the cause of the conflict.
"You there! Why are you occupying two seats by yourself?"
The plaid-shirt woman's voice cut through the air, vibrating against Aoyama's eardrums.
"Who taught you to talk like that? Speak with some manners!" the blue-jacket uncle barked back.
The high-intensity dispute continued down the grid.
"What does this have to do with you?!"
"I'm telling you, if I see something wrong, I'm saying it!"
"There is plenty of stuff locking up wrong folders in this world!"
"The moral compass of society is getting dragged down into the mud because of people like you!"
"Occupying two seats all for yourself..."
Listening down to this point, Aoyama understood the core issue.
The purple-dressed aunt had spread her items across more room than allowed, and the plaid-shirt aunt asked her to shift over.
The purple aunt refused, triggering the argument.
And that blue-jacket uncle... claiming "I'm saying it because it's wrong"?
Looking into his eyes, they clearly belonged to a married couple standing as a single front.
But right now, there wasn't a clean opening to intervene.
Just then...
The blue-jacket uncle let out a smug, arrogant laugh.
"I'm telling you right now: if there's no one else here, I can occupy ten seats if I want to, and you can't do a damn thing about it!"
Aoyama's eyes went wide. Ten seats?!
Under the startled gazes of general passengers and the dumbfounded stares of Akane and Ayumi behind him, Aoyama immediately stepped forward.
He raised his open palm in front of the uncle.
His original plan was to swing a backhand slap, but fearing optimal reaction speeds or counter-strikes...
He followed his instincts and swung a direct, forwards slap instead.
SLAP,!
A crisp, deafening smack rang across the metal carriage, freezing the air solid.
"Beat it! You think occupying two seats is a matter of pride?!"
Aoyama, having delivered the strike, maintained a face packed with righteous fury.
His eyes were wide, presenting the exact image of an incorruptible judge holding court on the spot.
Every passenger in the car froze in place, dumbfounded.
Even Akane and Ayumi stood paralyzed on the connecting deck.
Leaving aside outside spectators, even the blue-jacket uncle stood completely paralyzed.
A random stranger charging from the side to deliver a slap into his cheek out of nowhere? Anyone in his shoes would be locked in shock.
"Hey, you punk..."
The uncle and his wife snapped back into reality, anger overriding their common sense.
Abandoning the plaid-shirt aunt, they lunged directly toward Aoyama.
Aoyama skipped backward effortlessly, dodging the uncle's initial, fury-fueled swipe.
But dealing with maximum rage trigger values, the uncle chased after Aoyama down the carriage grid.
"Wait! Don't do anything stupid!" Akane and Ayumi panicked, rushing forward to block the chase.
"Nice! Well said!"
Suddenly, laughter and applause erupted from the surrounding passengers.
"Exactly! Occupying seats sets a disgusting template; would shifting over kill you?"
"Claiming society's morals are going down? You are the one dragging it down!"
"That brother did amazing! Insane that he just hit him across the jaw for that!"
Amidst the cheers from the crowd, sitting on the corner of the deck, a few Edgerunners fans recognized the culprit.
They exchanged glances, their minds locked in a loop.
"Isn't that... Aoyama-sensei?!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]