At nine in the morning, the automatic shutters of Chiyo Bookstore began to rise.
No one knew who shouted, "They're opening!" but the enormous line occupying the street immediately erupted into commotion.
Many of the customers had arrived as early as six in the morning and had long since grown impatient.
Complaints and excited shouts rang out everywhere through the crowd.
"Really? Ahh, we've been waiting forever. I was starting to think they weren't going to open today."
"They're finally open! Hey, why aren't the people in front moving?"
"What am I supposed to do? The people in front of me haven't gone in yet."
"Hurry up up there! What if the novels sell out? I specifically took the day off just so I could buy Volume Three of 'Fate/Zero' as soon as possible!"
The line slowly advanced.
The customers near the front were the first to enter the bookstore. Looking down from the rooftop, one would have seen the crowds on both sides of the street surging into the building like a tide.
Yet even after quite some time, the line showed no sign of shrinking.
The security staff was run ragged, shouting at the top of their lungs without pause.
"Please be patient! Do not push! Maintain order and proceed slowly!"
"There must be at least several thousand people in line, right?"
A patrol officer directed the crowd, then stepped back and stared at the vast queue with a bitter smile. He couldn't even see where it ended.
At this rate, the number of people probably wouldn't decrease even if he shouted himself hoarse.
The security guard beside him sighed.
"Yeah. It's practically like Shibuya at Christmas. There are people everywhere."
"Did all of these people really come to buy books? You never see this many people interested in reading on ordinary days. Honestly..."
"It is a new work by Gogyo Ruri, after all."
"Hey! You over there, don't cut in line!"
Before they could exchange more than a few words, the patrol officer hurried to the other side of the queue to stop someone attempting to cross the street and slip into the line.
The moment customers entered the bookstore, they hurried to locate the counters selling the novels.
After making their purchases, they found good positions in front of the temporary stage that had been constructed inside and waited.
This was where Amamiya Kae's abilities as host would be tested. Before the formal presentation began, she was responsible for keeping the atmosphere lively and smoothly leading into the joint book launch.
"We're almost ready, Miss Amamiya. Please go onstage now."
"This is the headset we'll use to contact you. Follow the schedule. If we need anything else, we'll notify you immediately through the earpiece."
A staff member watched the venue steadily fill and informed Amamiya Kae to prepare.
"All right. Thank you."
Amamiya Kae put on the headset and walked onto the stage from one side.
The crowd below continued to grow, and it wasn't long before the entire area was nearly packed.
Amamiya Kae had originally been able to remain composed, but facing hundreds of bright, expectant eyes below still left her momentarily flustered.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she bowed to the audience.
"Thank you all very much for attending today's joint book launch for Mr. Kamiyā Yuu and Miss Gogyo Ruri."
"I am your host for today's event, Amamiya Kae. I look forward to your cooperation."
Her voice was calm and dignified, carrying the elegant charm of a mature woman.
The moment she spoke, however, quite a few otaku in the audience recognized her.
A man carrying a backpack stared with shining eyes.
"She's Irisviel's voice actress!"
"Huh? Seriously? I didn't expect her to be this cute in person!"
"It's over. I'm converting into a voice-actor otaku. Kae-chan is way too adorable!"
"Oh-ho! Kae is life! Kae is life!"
In one corner below the stage, several members of Amamiya Kae's dedicated fan club wore pink happi coats emblazoned with the words "Kae is life" and raised their arms as they shouted excitedly.
Their fanatical energy caused the people around them to discreetly move farther away.
It would be troublesome if anyone mistook them for members of the same group.
Even the phrase "otaku are disgusting" had different levels.
In the overall view of Japanese society, idol otaku were regarded more favorably than anime otaku, while voice-actor otaku were an even more marginalized subgroup within anime fandom.
Irisviel was the only leading anime role Amamiya Kae had played in her voice-acting career so far.
No one had expected her to gain a dedicated fan club so quickly.
"Yes~ Thank you very much for your support."
"But this is Mr. Kamiyā Yuu's launch event, so shouting that loudly may disturb the other guests. It would be best if you lowered your voices a little."
Amamiya Kae smiled at her fervent fan club in the corner.
It was clearly a professional smile, yet for some reason it appeared exceptionally gentle and graceful on her face.
The moment she spoke, the shouting fans became more solemn than soldiers ordered to march to their deaths and immediately fell silent.
"I apologize for the disturbance."
"Now then, everyone may ask me any questions you have about today's event."
"As an apology for the commotion just now, I don't mind revealing a little secret information~!"
"For example, the major announcement Mr. Kamiyā Yuu is about to make, or what genre Miss Gogyo Ruri's preview novel belongs to."
Amamiya Kae playfully stuck out her tongue at the audience.
—It's only at moments like this that I clearly feel voice acting really is part of the service industry.
Amamiya Kae sighed inwardly with mixed emotions.
Below the stage, Andō Shū, who had already become a devoted fan of Kamiyā Yuu, was the first to speak.
"Then please tell us what major announcement Mr. Kamiyā Yuu is going to make!"
"Yeah!"
"Is another side-story novel being adapted into an anime?"
"Or are they launching another anime project?"
The customers who had come for Kamiyā Yuu began discussing it among themselves.
Onstage, Amamiya Kae furrowed her brows and thought for a moment before speaking.
"Everyone really is enthusiastic."
"Originally, Mr. Kamiyā Yuu was supposed to announce this himself, so for now, I should probably apologize to him first."
She gripped the microphone and lowered her voice mysteriously.
"Actually, some of you may already have guessed part of the major project Mr. Kamiyā Yuu is about to announce."
"His collaboration with novelist Gogyo Ruri, as well as his collaborations with the three manga artists Matsumoto Kura, Irie Naoki, and Yoshitomi Akihito, were all intended to help everyone better understand the fantasy world conceived by Mr. Kamiyā Yuu."
"And now, Mr. Kamiyā Yuu intends to present this fantasy world to everyone in a more direct form..."
Amamiya Kae deliberately paused, waiting for the audience to guess.
Someone shouted from below.
"Could it be a game project?"
"Huh... that's possible. A collectible card game would be pretty good."
"Come to think of it, 'Warship Girls Collection' was planned by Yosuganosora Animation Studio!"
"Quite a few of the ship girls in the game were personally designed by Director Kamiyā."
"Ahhh~~ I really want Wales!"
"Oh, you play too? I already have Wales, but I still don't have Akagi!"
"I've been farming the Abyssal Seas for half a month. I'm planning to exchange for her directly."
"I think it should be an anime project for another side-story novel."
"'Twilight of the Knights' is airing in October, so its companion work, 'Elegy of the Knights,' should also be adapted—as a second season or something like that."