Although the event officially started on March 25th, Hachiman arrived at Sakuraba Publishing House on the afternoon of the 24th to avoid any unexpected issues. He stayed overnight in the staff dormitory to be ready for an early start.
The signing was scheduled to begin at nine o'clock. When Hachiman arrived at the venue in the company car at seven in the morning, a long line of readers was already snaking down the street. It was the end of March, and the morning air was still cold. Many people in the queue were shivering.
"Can't we let them come inside and wait?" Hachiman asked with concern. He had emphasized on Twitter multiple times that there was no need to line up early, but he couldn't fight his readers' enthusiasm.
"No, Mr. Hachiman," a bookstore staff member said, shaking his head helplessly. "The hall is already at capacity, and there's no waiting area. We sent out a notice telling everyone not to line up in advance, but there's really nothing we can do."
Inside, attendees had to walk through a long, one-way passage to reach the signing table. After getting their book signed, they were required to leave the venue promptly, though they were welcome to browse the rest of Sanseido Bookstore. At 5:00 PM, after the signing concluded, there would be a major announcement session where information about The Clockwork Museum Incident would be revealed, broadcast live on Twitter and YouTube. Throughout the day, a "Writer Hachiman Fan Forum" would be held, though this event was exclusive to members who had spent a certain amount at the bookstore, keeping the number of participants small.
The lounge was located behind the signing booth, furnished with soft sofas and juicers providing fresh drinks. The environment was comfortable, but Hachiman would only be able to enjoy it briefly. Most of the day, it would be occupied by his guests.
"Okay, I think I understand everything," Hachiman said, feeling an eagerness to begin. "I'm looking forward to starting."
"Mr. Hachiman, there is one last thing," Minister Tomino reminded him. The matter was makeup. Appearing in public required it, and due to Hachiman's long-term rough facial care, his face wasn't completely flawless. The makeup artist had already given her evaluation.
"Mr. Hachiman, I must say, your skin is naturally beautiful. Considering all the late nights and rough maintenance, your face has held up remarkably well. Please be sure to treat it more seriously in the future. It truly is excellent."
As a writer, not an entertainer, Hachiman's work, rest, and diet were hardly regular or healthy. He was currently squandering the infinite resilience of youth, a fact the makeup artist's words brought into sharp focus.
At eight o'clock, his guests began to arrive at the lounge. Komachi, the Yukinoshita sisters, and Hayama Hayato came together, while Kasumigaoka and Eriri arrived as a pair.
"Signing two thousand books? I can't even imagine it," Kasumigaoka Utaha remarked. "I was completely exhausted after signing just six hundred." She had a very visceral understanding of the number.
"Don't compare yourself to Mr. Hachiman with your meager abilities. You two aren't even on the same track," Eriri quipped, continuing their tradition of bickering wherever they went. Having attended the banquet in Chiba, she knew everyone present and was more relaxed.
Utaha originally wanted to retort with something about being "poor," but a quick observation revealed that Eriri wasn't the only one in the room to whom that might apply. To be considerate of others' feelings, she swallowed her rebuttal.
"It's going to be a hard day for you, Hikigaya-kun, but I believe you can do it," Yukinoshita Haruno encouraged him gently, her address naturally shifting to the more intimate "-kun." Then, in front of everyone, she adjusted the waist and collar of his kimono, her eyes full of gentle warmth.
Today, Hikigaya Hachiman was wearing his most representative kimono, the image he wanted to present to his readers.
"Hikigaya-san, you probably won't have much time for a break at noon, so I prepared a lunch box for you," Yukinoshita Yukino said, presenting an exquisite, sizable thermal box filled with food she had carefully prepared that morning.
"Thank you, Yukinoshita-san. You're so thoughtful." Hachiman was genuinely happy. Who would eat a standard work lunch when they had this?
"You're welcome. In any case, I'll be preparing lunch boxes for you regularly in the future. Just consider this practice," Yukino said calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. At her words, the other four people in the room exchanged glances, each feeling a little redundant.
"Well, everyone, enjoy yourselves here for now," Hachiman said at five minutes to 8:30. "I'm going out to work. If possible, try not to leave the lounge. See you at noon."
He said his goodbyes and, accompanied by staff, returned to the signing table to take his seat. Outside, security personnel began guiding the line of fans into the hall. Sakuraba Publishing was taking no chances with the event's order, having hired about twenty security personnel to nip any potential disturbances in the bud.
At that moment, across the country, countless readers unable to attend were frantically refreshing their Twitter feeds, hoping to see photos from the scene. But so far, nothing.
"Damn, the network is so congested... forget it. I'll post after I get out."
Because of the sheer number of people inside and outside the venue, everyone's mobile phone signal was practically non-existent. Even if someone had taken a photo, they couldn't upload it immediately.
It wasn't until more than ten minutes into the signing that the first photo finally made its way onto Twitter.
"Ah! It's the boy in the kimono! I'm dead," the fan from Osaka posted, his thoughts succinct.
"Writer Hachiman really is a handsome young man. This is exactly how I imagined him."
More and more photos flooded onto Twitter, from every possible angle. There was even a frontal shot of Hachiman smiling at the camera.
"Wow, how can someone so perfect exist? He's only sixteen, good-looking, and can write books. God is so unfair!"
"#WriterHachimanAppearance #WriterHachimanGodsGift"
In short, his public appearance did not disappoint. It only made those who couldn't be there even more jealous.
"Damn it, this is all the fault of the people in Tokyo! I can't see Mr. Hachiman!"
________________________________________________________________