The air around the table shifted, almost like preparation for battle.
Machida placed a slim folder on the table and flipped it open with professional calm. Beside her, Utaha crossed her legs elegantly and slid a leather-bound notebook from her bag. A pen clicked.
Across from them, Akira sat straight.
Erika sat beside him.
If someone squinted, it almost looked like two factions facing off before negotiations.
"Alright," Machida said lightly. "This is just a mock interview. Nothing formal. Think of it as rehearsal."
Utaha tilted her head slightly, her scarlet eyes narrowing with interest. "Yes," she said softly. "A rehearsal."
Akira felt it.
"This is a battlefield. And my opponent won't take it easy on me."
He straightened instinctively, preparing himself for combat.
Erika glanced between them.
"Why does this feel like a boss fight? Is it that serious?"
Utaha didn't look at her notes yet.
She looked directly at Akira.
And like bullets from an automatic machine gun, she attacked.
"Let's begin with yesterday's situation first," she said smoothly. "Are you officially in a relationship now with the Vice President?"
Akira answered just as fast. "Yes. She is my girlfriend."
Utaha continued without pause, her tone casual but sharp.
"Who confessed first?"
"I did."
"Who fell in love first?"
Akira paused for half a second.
"Probably her."
Erika's eyebrow twitched.
Utaha's pen scratched across the page.
"I see." She didn't look up. "And how far has your relationship progressed?"
Akira thought for a moment, then answered instantly.
"She bites me every day."
Silence.
Machida froze mid-note.
Utaha blinked once.
Erika processed.
Then she went completely red.
Erika slapped her hand over Akira's mouth. "WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SAYING?!"
Utaha's lips curved slightly. "Vice President… how bold."
Erika turned toward her. "It's not like that!"
Akira muffled, "But you do—"
Erika pushed his face away. "JUST SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!"
Machida finally placed her pen down and pressed her fingers lightly against her temple.
"Sirius-kun." Her tone was calm. Professional. Firm. "Please refrain from turning tomorrow's magazine interview into a tabloid headline."
Akira tilted his head. "But I told the truth—"
Erika lunged to cover his mouth again.
Utaha's lips curved faintly.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
Machida clapped her hands once, light but decisive.
"Kasumigaoka-sensei. Personal questions are fine in moderation, but please stick to something that can actually be printed."
Utaha tapped her pen thoughtfully. "Very well."
She finally opened her notebook properly.
"Let's move to more important questions."
Akira relaxed slightly.
Erika did not.
As only the first round had ended.
Utaha adjusted her posture slightly, flipping to a clean page in her notebook.
Her tone changed.
No more playing around.
"Let's move to the novel."
Akira straightened a little.
"Round two has begun?"
Machida watched quietly.
Utaha began.
"In the most recent volume, Orion is finally returning to his home planet. The promise he made in Volume One is about to be fulfilled. Structurally, it feels like an ending."
She looked up.
"Is the story ending?"
Akira didn't hesitate.
"It's an ending," he said calmly. "But not the end."
Utaha's pen paused mid-air. "Please elaborate."
"Orion's childhood journey is ending," Akira continued evenly. "The promise made in Volume One will be fulfilled. But that doesn't mean the journey ends. It just means the boy who left has changed."
He folded his hands loosely on the table.
"Volume One began with a departure. A boy leaving home because he had no choice. That journey, his childhood journey, is concluding."
He met her gaze steadily.
"But Orion isn't the same person who left. Returning doesn't mean stopping. It means the next stage begins."
Utaha's eyes sharpened slightly.
"So you're dividing the story into parts?"
Akira nodded. "If I had to name it… Part One is ending. The boyhood arc. The wandering child who follows his parents."
Utaha tilted her head. "So what's next?"
"Next is his teenage arc," Akira said. "Let's say the tone will shift a lot in the next part."
Utaha and Machida both wrote that down before moving on.
Utaha tapped her pen lightly.
"So, Sirius-sensei, your fans have been asking repeatedly about an anime adaptation. Especially with Part One reaching its climax. Any comment?"
Akira leaned back slightly.
"As I've always said," he answered evenly, "one day."
"That's vague," Utaha replied immediately. "You've declined multiple adaptation offers. Are you still refusing animation studios?"
"I'm not refusing," Akira said calmly. "I'm waiting. I don't want an adaptation. I want the right one."
He paused, then added,
"If Orion is animated, it must feel like standing in front of the stars. Not a slideshow. Anime adaptation is important, you know."
Machida internally screamed.
"Please don't say studio names. Please don't say studio names."
Good thing Akira didn't say anything else.
Utaha flipped the page.
"In several planetary arcs, Orion leaves while major conflicts remain unresolved. Readers have commented that some worlds feel unfinished. Is that intentional?"
Akira gave a small shrug.
"Orion is a traveler, not a hero. He's just a boy who wanted to go on an adventure. But he's still just a little boy. When the time comes, he has to follow his parents to leave for the next world. He is just a kid traveling with his parents. He had to leave when he had to."
Utaha wrote something down, then continued.
"Speaking of his parents, in the last volume, Orion's parents disappear under mysterious circumstances. What happened to them?"
Machida didn't even look up. "That question will definitely appear tomorrow."
Akira's expression didn't change.
"If you want that answer," he said calmly, "read the next volume."
Utaha stared at him for a few seconds.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Oh. Professional."
Akira pushed his glasses up slightly. "I try."
Beside him, Erika looked at him quietly.
"He's… really good at this."
She had known Akira for a long time.
But even for her, there were moments when she saw a new version of him… like right now.
This was not the usual idiot Akira.
Not the dramatic Akira.
This was a professional, serious Akira.
But every Akira felt different.
"So which one is the real Akira…?"
Maybe all of them were.
Machida closed her folder halfway.
"That will translate well into print."
Utaha tapped her pen lightly against the page.
"Yes," she said, almost lazily. "You handle structured questions well."
She paused.
Then her eyes sharpened again.
"Which makes the next question more interesting."
Akira felt it instinctively.
"Round three has begun."
Utaha didn't flip the page this time.
She tapped her pen lightly against the notebook.
"Now then, Sirius-sensei."
Her voice was smooth. Casual.
"Let's talk about Orion."
Akira nodded cautiously.
Utaha tilted her head.
"You've stated multiple times that Orion: At the End of Stars is not a romance novel."
"Yes," Akira answered confidently. "It isn't."
Utaha's pen stopped tapping.
"Then why," she continued calmly, "does Orion have so many romantic scenes?"
Silence.
Erika blinked.
"What?"
Akira frowned.
"…He does?"
Utaha's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Oh."
A small smile curved on her lips.
"Oh, this is interesting."
She flipped a page.
"In Volume One," she began lightly, "Lyra kneels over Orion's unconscious body and declares she would abandon her humanity to stay with him."
Erika froze.
Utaha continued without mercy.
"In Volume Two, in the Devil Planet arc, there are two heroines. The red-haired heiress tells him, 'No matter what happens, I will always be by your side.'"
Akira stiffened slightly.
"And not just her. The black-haired heiress also tells him, 'You are the only one I consider my equal. I hope you one day stand by my side.'"
Utaha didn't miss a beat.
"And in the outlaw arc, the black-haired cat girl explicitly states she prefers men who can survive her claws, and he will always be her prey."
She closed her notebook softly.
"And those are just a few examples."
She looked at him directly.
"Would you still like to insist there is no romance?"
Erika didn't say anything.
But under the table, she tightly held his hand.
Her grip was… firm.
Akira panicked slightly.
"W-Wait, he's just a kid. He's just a kid. Believe me, he is innocent."
Utaha raised a brow.
"Why are you panicking?"
"I'm not panicking," Akira replied immediately. "No. I am not panicking. Believe me."
Only then did Erika slowly release his hand.
Akira cleared his throat, forcing composure.
"He is a kid. He doesn't know anything about love."
Utaha's smile sharpened.
"Oh?"
She leaned back slightly.
"Then what about the next part? In his teenage arc… are we heading toward a harem structure?"
Machida finally looked up.
Yes.
This was the real question.
Akira's brain stalled.
"No," he said immediately. "Orion is a good kid. Please believe him."
At this point, both Utaha and Machida were wondering exactly what was going on.
Under the table, Erika lightly kicked his leg.
Act normal.
Akira straightened instantly.
"Let's just say," he said with a charming smile, "there will be romance in the story. If you want more, you'll have to read the next part."
He held the smile.
Trying very hard to make them forget the last few seconds.
Utaha and Machida exchanged a look.
Then, silently, they decided to ignore it.
For now.
The battle continued.
The mock interview dragged on for another forty minutes.
Not explosive.
Not chaotic.
Just steady, sharp exchanges.
By the time Utaha finally closed her notebook, the battlefield atmosphere had completely shifted.
Silence settled over the table.
Machida capped her pen.
Utaha leaned back in her chair.
Akira slowly exhaled.
"It's finally over. Victory is mine."
Erika glanced at him.
"You call that victory?"
Akira replied calmly, "I am still alive. That is victory."
Machida gave him a level look.
"You nearly created a headline I cannot legally approve."
Akira blinked. "I did not fabricate any information."
Erika kicked him under the table.
Machida slowly exhaled.
"Tomorrow," she said professionally, "please avoid mentioning anything that cannot be printed in a general audience magazine."
Akira nodded seriously. "Understood."
Utaha added lazily, "Try to answer like you did in round two. Not round one."
Akira adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry. I won't make the same mistakes twice."
Machida flipped to the final page in her folder.
"Tomorrow's schedule: interview at eleven. Signing event at one. You'll wear the mask, as discussed. No face reveal."
Akira nodded again.
Erika listened carefully this time.
"Security will be light but controlled. Don't wander off mid-event."
Utaha smirked slightly.
"Yes, Sirius-kun. Try not to start a debate about other anime with your readers."
"I make no promises," Akira replied.
Machida ignored that.
"After the signing, we'll debrief briefly. Then you're free."
She closed the folder.
"That concludes today."
There was a collective release of tension at the table.
Utaha slid her notebook back into her bag and stood.
"Well, today was enjoyable."
Akira looked up. "So are you coming tomorrow for the event?"
Utaha shook her head slightly. "I wish I could, but I'll be busy. The next time we meet is probably at school. We'll see you then, Sirius-kun."
Akira frowned slightly. "Huh? Just call me Akira. You can't just call me Sirius at school, right? I'll call you Kasumigo—" He paused. "It's too long. I'll call you Utaha-senpai. What do you say?"
Utaha looked momentarily stunned.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Very well… Akira-kun. Vice President, see you then."
She turned and walked away.
Machida stood as well.
"Well, don't be late tomorrow, okay?"
Then she left too.
Akira and Erika finally exited the café.
Outside, the air felt lighter.
Erika exhaled.
"…That was intense."
Akira stretched his shoulders like he had just stepped out of a tournament arena.
"I underestimated her."
Erika glanced at him. "Well, she is strong. But Akira… we're going to talk when we get home."
She said it with a smile.
Akira looked away.
Then his stomach growled.
Very audibly.
Erika blinked.
Akira blinked.
"…We've been in that café for two hours and didn't order anything. Now I'm hungry."
Erika looked at him as if asking, "Are you trying to run away?"
Akira shook his head. "I am really hungry. Besides, I won't really leave you. You can ask me anything anytime. Let's go eat first."
Erika sighed. "Fine. Where are we going?"
Akira smiled slightly.
"Where else? The usual place."