"Maybe your sister never planned to invite you at all~"
Ai Kagami seized the opportunity to strike, landing a perfect critical hit with her teasing words.
Haruno Yukinoshita wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. There was nothing there, of course—but after hearing Ai's jab, she felt as if she'd just taken a blow hard enough to make her bleed.
Truly, only a long-time friend could roast her so mercilessly without holding back.
"For the first time, I'm realizing just how plastic our friendship is..." Haruno said with a helpless sigh. She wanted to argue, but she didn't have a single solid point to refute with. So, she simply doubled down with bravado.
"My foolish little sister has such a stubborn personality. I bet the moment her school announced the cultural festival, she started agonizing over whether or not to invite me. Deep down, she probably wants to—but she just can't bring herself to pick up the phone. She's probably been struggling with it all this time and still hasn't decided. What an immature little girl. They say younger sisters grow up watching their elder sister's back, but why can't she learn from my honest and open personality? Looks like it's up to me, as the older sister, to show her some generosity and grace by going to her school's cultural festival myself~"
"Oh~ I see, I see. Then, our gentle, elegant, and kind-hearted big sister—go forth to Sobu High and spend the day with your adorable little sister at her cultural festival~! Ah, high school festivals... so nostalgic. If I didn't have a mountain of work to finish before the weekend, I'd totally take the day off and go with you," Ai said wistfully.
"Why are you so busy, anyway?" Haruno asked, genuinely puzzled. "Workload at Dengeki Bunko has dropped a lot lately."
That was thanks to Kotomi Izumi. Her Sword Art Online had skyrocketed Dengeki Bunko's status in the light novel industry, making the label stand tall once again.
They had long been cornered by Kadokawa Bunko—caught in a deadlock over both sales and marketing. For a while, Dengeki had been like a wounded diver in the deep sea, bleeding and surrounded by sharks.
Experience alone had kept them from being devoured, but unless they found a way to surface, it was only a matter of time before they were swallowed whole.
And indeed, Kadokawa Bunko—backed by the mighty Kadokawa Group—had been eyeing Dengeki for acquisition for quite some time.
Technically speaking, Kadokawa Group was Dengeki Group's "big brother." Many of Dengeki's current board members had once worked under Kadokawa.
Fortunately, Sword Art Online had arrived like a miracle—completely turning the tide. Not only had it allowed Dengeki Bunko to escape Kadokawa's pursuit, but it had also widened the gap between them.
More and more industry insiders now believed Sword Art Online was a near-certain winner for this year's Dengeki Bunko Grand Prize.
The series wasn't just a sensation within Dengeki—it had taken over the entire light novel scene. Even the manga industry had started paying attention.
Several manga publishers had already reached out through official business channels, asking whether Dengeki Bunko would be willing to sell the rights to adapt Sword Art Online into a manga.
For a manga company to proactively contact a light novel publisher like that was rare. Normally, adaptations—manga, drama CDs, anime—were initiated and funded by the light novel publisher.
This time, however, the dynamic was reversed. The manga companies wanted to buy the rights themselves.
Dengeki Bunko had originally planned to approach manga publishers after Volume 3's release to discuss adaptation possibilities—but with this sudden offer landing in their lap, how could they refuse?
And so, Sword Art Online's manga adaptation was officially greenlit.
However, no official announcement had been made yet—not even Kotomi Izumi herself knew the exact timing. She only knew that Dengeki Bunko intended to turn Sword Art Online into a manga at some point, but the details remained a mystery.
The Dengeki Bunko official Twitter account had also kept completely silent, with no hints or leaks. Everything was under wraps.
The reason was simple—it was all part of the buildup for the signing event at the end of the month.
Dengeki Bunko planned to unveil the Sword Art Online manga adaptation announcement during Kotomi Izumi's signing session later that month.
It was sure to send the entire venue into an uproar.
"My main editorial work's been light lately, but I've got to prepare for the Dengeki Expo at the end of the month," Ai Kagami said lazily, stretching as she spoke. "I also have to secure booth spots for a few of my assigned authors. The banners, posters, merchandise, books, and cosplayers featured at the event aren't picked randomly—they're carefully selected for popular or promising works.
"Oh, right. Did you tell Izumi-sensei that this signing event at the Dengeki Expo is actually being prepared for her?"
Haruno Yukinoshita shook her head. "Not yet. It was supposed to be a surprise, but then I thought it'd be better to tell her a few days early so she can prepare. I was planning to call her last weekend, but I ended up working overtime—designing the bonus goods for Sword Art Online Volume 4—and completely forgot about it until now..."
She laughed awkwardly, a little embarrassed. When Haruno got serious about something, she was completely absorbed.
Being focused was a good trait, of course—it boosted efficiency whether in work or study. But Haruno's focus tended to be single-threaded. If she was absorbed in Task A, she often forgot Task B entirely.
When she'd remember Task B... well, that was anyone's guess.
"Then you'd better tell Izumi-sensei soon," Ai said. "First, to make sure she's free that day, and second, to confirm what she'll wear. I've heard Izumi-sensei is quite the beauty, right? Just imagine—a gorgeous girl like her appearing as the author at her own signing event. Readers will go wild! Even people who haven't read Sword Art Online, visitors who just happen to pass by the expo, will probably be drawn in to buy a copy and join the line.
"Then the promo team can take some stunning photos of Izumi-sensei at the event, post them on Dengeki Bunko's Twitter... heh, the comment section will blow up easily past a thousand replies—maybe even ten thousand! We could even get her trending as some 'once-in-a-decade beautiful author.'
"Dengeki Bunko's putting so much effort into this event and giving Izumi-sensei the headline signing slot precisely to make a huge splash—and slap Kadokawa Bunko right across the face!"
Ai Kagami spoke excitedly. Sure, Dengeki's victory mattered—but what she really wanted was to finally see Izumi-sensei in person.
Haruno thought for a moment. It did sound like a good plan, so she nodded. "Then I'll find a chance to tell Izumi-sensei about the signing later today. She doesn't even know who the featured author is yet. When I mentioned the signing event before, she sounded a little envious. Hehe... I wonder how she'll react when she finds out the signing's actually for her? Maybe she'll be so touched she cries!"
She pictured Kotomi's overjoyed expression—maybe even jumping with excitement and hugging her out of gratitude. The thought made Haruno suddenly want to teleport straight to Sobu High to tell her in person.
"For some reason, I suddenly feel a strong urge to head to Sobu High right now and join my foolish little sister's cultural festival. No more chatting—I'm going! Close my computer for me, okay?"
"Got it~ Take care on your way. See you Monday," Ai Kagami said, waving as she watched Haruno leave.
...
Sobu High.
By the time Yui Yuigahama woke up, Kotomi Izumi—already dressed in her school uniform—was still lying on her bed, scrolling through her phone and replying to messages.
Yukino Yukinoshita sat beside Kotomi Izumi, not trying to peek at who Kotomi was messaging. Though curiosity tugged at her, she kept reminding herself that it wasn't right to read someone else's messages.
Curious yet restraining herself, Yukino found it agonizingly conflicting. She forced herself to focus on the e-book app she'd downloaded earlier—but despite her efforts, her attention kept drifting back to Kotomi. Her eyes might have been on the screen, but her mind was completely elsewhere.
Every soft tap of Kotomi's fingers on the phone screen, every quiet chuckle she made, felt like dandelion seeds brushing gently across Yukino's heart.
Meanwhile, Yui Yuigahama had just woken up, still looking half-dazed. If she remembered correctly, today was the first day of the cultural festival, right? It was already morning—so why were Kotomi and Yukino acting so leisurely? She'd expected to wake up to find them already tidying the room, waiting for her to get up.
And now that she was so late, would Kotomi be mad at her? Even ten minutes earlier, while she was half-asleep, Yui had already been worrying about that.
That was just like the Dumpling—always imagining things. Even before she was fully awake, she was already picturing a scenario in which Kotomi, annoyed by her tardiness, would coldly step on her head and scold her in a low, intimidating tone:
"Don't you know today's the first day of the cultural festival? How dare you wake up this late? If your delay ruins the performance, how will you make it up to me? Speak, little puppy."
If Kotomi even kicked her a few times while saying that, Yui would probably feel embarrassed—but also strangely happy and fulfilled. Ever since she'd read a few manga with that kind of scene, Yui had been secretly yearning for something like that to happen between her and Kotomi.
At that moment, Kotomi, who had been chatting with Utaha Kasumigaoka, Mai Sakurajima, and Kisara Tendo all at once, finally set down her phone. Managing three separate conversations simultaneously without mixing them up had been exhausting.
She needed a break. Juggling chats with three upperclasswomen—and keeping them from realizing she was talking to the others—was mentally draining.
As she stretched her neck, she glanced at Yui, who sat dreamily on her bedding, still not quite awake, a blissful expression on her face. Seeing that, Kotomi sighed softly. She sometimes wished she could read minds—then she'd finally know what went through Yui's head when she stared blankly like that.
Pinch—
Kotomi reached over and pinched the Dumpling's cheek. "My precious one, stop spacing out and get dressed already," she said with amused exasperation.
"Ah... eheh~"
Realizing what was happening, Yui giggled shyly. She had been right at the best part of her fantasy when Kotomi interrupted it—but getting her cheek pinched like this wasn't bad either.
After dressing in her school uniform, Yui quietly went back to her bed to fold her blanket. As for why she'd ended up in Kotomi's bed the night before—well, since Kotomi hadn't asked, she wouldn't bring it up. Not while Yukino was still there, at least.
If Yukino hadn't been present, Yui's first words upon waking would've been:
"Kotomi, do you know why I crawled into your bed last night? Because I wanted to sleep next to you."
She didn't plan to make up excuses. She'd simply tell Kotomi the truth—that she liked her and wanted to sleep beside her.
But though Yui was brave in her heart, she hadn't quite figured out how to confess properly in front of Yukino.
It wasn't that she was scared—just that all her fantasies about confessing to Kotomi had taken place when they were alone. She didn't know how to handle it otherwise.
If she did, she probably would've confessed already.
"Kotomi, aren't you going to fold up your bedding? Don't we have to go for breakfast soon?" Yui asked softly. After waking, she'd noticed that both Kotomi and Yukino seemed completely unhurried—Kotomi lounging with her phone and Yukino scrolling through her e-books.
"No rush, no rush. It's the cultural festival, after all. Why not have breakfast at the festival?" Kotomi said casually, having just sent a message to Mai Sakurajima.
And she wasn't exaggerating. A few days ago, Kotomi had already gathered intel on every single food stall—where they were, what they sold—memorizing the entire layout of the festival like the back of her hand.
—
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