"Heehee, this is great!"
"It's the real Hayashi 'Innocent' hubby—alive and in person… heehee, I'm so happy!"
Sitting together in a private booth, Hayashi Maki wore a look of helplessness.
Right beside him, Ako Tamaki kept fussing over him—touching his hair and cheeks, pressing close, looping her arm through his and radiating shameless affection.
Honestly, he was surprised that, aside from himself, every member of his online guild turned out to be a beautiful girl.
"Alright, let's introduce ourselves and get to know one another. I'll start."
The purple-haired beauty who was their guildmaster stood with a smile:
"I'm Kyoh Goshoin. In real life I'm a Second-year at Zenkyo High, and the Student Council President."
"In-game, I'm Apricot, Guildmaster of Alley Cats."
"Since I came straight from school, I'm dressed like this—please excuse me."
"We've known each other online for a while, but this is our first time meeting IRL. Let's speak freely and have fun!"
When she finished, the other three applauded politely.
Kyoh sat back down with a smile. "Next."
Her gaze fell on the blonde twin-tail girl seated beside her.
"Eh—my turn?"
The girl looked nervous, but stood quickly. She glanced at the other three and spoke, embarrassed:
"Um… I'm Akane Segawa, first-year at Zenkyo High and, uh, I…"
Her face turned bright red; she seemed at a loss for how to continue.
Kyoh folded her arms, still smiling. "I know, Schwein—saying your game name out loud feels mortifying, doesn't it?"
"After all, in German Schwein means… pig."
"Introducing yourself as 'I am a pig'—it's only natural to feel shy."
"Eh?"
Akane froze. "No way—seriously?"
"Schwein means… pig?"
She trembled; the light left her eyes. So she'd been running around under the name "Pig" this whole time?
Seeing her face, Kyoh was genuinely surprised. "Wait—did you pick that name without knowing what it meant?"
Akane stomped in frustration. "Of course! I just thought it sounded cool—if I'd known it meant pig, I'd never have picked it!"
"Pfft—"
Hayashi Maki couldn't help laughing, and earned a fierce glare for it. Ako gave her a pitying look. "Poor Schwi-chan…"
Akane clenched her fists, unhappy—but she adapted quickly. Shutting her eyes, she braced herself. "As you can see, I'm Schwein—I'm a pig. Nice to meet you."
Well, she owned it—self-deprecating and all. Good attitude.
When Akane sat down, the other three clapped in unison.
"My turn, then."
Hayashi Maki stood and grinned at his three beautiful guildmates.
"I'm Hayashi Maki. Sadly, I don't go to your school—I'm a first-year at Hakuo Academy."
"I like light novels, manga, games, anime. I'm also a light-novel author in real life—somewhat known in the industry."
"In-game I'm Hayashi Innocent. Nice to meet you, ladies."
He didn't bother hiding his appreciation for the trio of beauties and sat back down. Beside him, Ako listened intently—nodding seriously at each point, as if committing it to memory.
Akane, taking in his good looks and strong masculine presence, snapped her head away. "Gross! Don't just radiate 'charm' at me for no reason! You're a geek—why are you so handsome?"
"Hey now, that's harsh. Can't a geek be handsome? Aren't the three of you geeky beauties too?"
Hayashi Maki shrugged. Akane peeked at him with a red face, huffed, and said no more.
Kyoh eyed Hayashi Maki curiously. "So you're a light-novel author, Innocent-kun? May I ask your pen name?"
"Kurosora Twilight."
Akane couldn't help springing to her feet, stunned. "You're that genius high-school author?!"
"Haha—unless you've met another 'Kurosora Twilight,' that would be me. What is it—Schwein, are you a fan? Want my autograph?"
"Don't call me that!" She nearly flipped—then sat and muttered, embarrassed, "I have a friend who's a fan. Um… please sign something for me later."
"No problem," Hayashi Maki said with a smile.
Kyoh looked amazed as well—who'd have thought their guild would include a well-known author?
"Alright, Ako—your turn," Hayashi Maki said, looking at the girl at his side.
Ako nodded hard. "Yes!"
She stood and introduced herself seriously:
"Hello, I'm Ako Tamaki, also a first-year at Zenkyo High."
"Eh? Your real name? You use your real name online?" Akane stared.
"Yup—why?" Ako tilted her head.
"Why—? Internet safety—ah, forget it." Akane waved it off with a sigh.
Kyoh smiled, studying her. "So Ako is just… Ako. Interesting."
Ako nodded with a smile. "My in-game name is also Ako—just call me Ako."
She looked down and added, "I'm not in any clubs. I don't have friends at school or people I know. On the rare days I go, everyone stares at me."
Seeing her downcast look, Kyoh jumped in: "It's okay, Ako. I'm student council president and I don't have friends either."
Hayashi Maki chimed in, "Look—we're your friends now, aren't we?"
"Exactly!" Akane echoed.
Kyoh and Akane—both very kind girls. Hearing that, Ako smiled. "Thank you."
"I'm really happy to have friends who'll talk to me like this. From now on, please take care of me!"
She bowed deeply; the ahoge on her head bobbed cutely. The others applauded in perfect sync.
And with that, the four of them had properly introduced themselves.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!