Looking at the book thrown aside and hearing his words, Kasumigaoka Utaha was somewhat annoyed.
The book she wrote was a very orthodox romance novel, as proper and pure as could be.
How did it become a lewd book in his mouth?
Also, while she shouldn't have put her book in that position, wasn't it a bit too much to just discard it so casually?
Kasumigaoka Utaha was about to step forward and ask him why he was treating her...
...novel so roughly. Couldn't he be a little gentler, handling it with care?
What if it got torn, or wrinkled, and couldn't be restored to its original state? What then?
But as she took two steps, she saw the boy suddenly discover something, pick up the 'love metronome' that had been tossed aside, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
This made Kasumigaoka Utaha's steps halt abruptly, and the words she wanted to say were swallowed back.
She frowned, a little confused as to how he changed his expression faster than flipping a book, but soon an idea popped into her mind.
"He wouldn't actually think this is a lewd book and be getting aroused, would he?"
This thought made Kasumigaoka Utaha a bit speechless, but she didn't plan to interfere. At the same time, she felt a little anticipation.
"Let my pure love cleanse your filthy thoughts."
She really hoped to see him cleansed.
...
On the other side, Tanaka Masao picked up the novel titled 'love metronome'.
At first glance, he did indeed mistake it for a popular, delightful book, as 'metronome' easily made one think of the 'pa-pa-pa~' sound made when clapping.
With 'love' prefixed to it, wasn't it just like those action movies, merely a euphemism?
He was a proper person; how could he read such a book?
Most importantly, he came with Fujiwara Chika. If he were discovered, wouldn't his lifelong reputation be ruined?
So he decided to wait until he was browsing the bookstore alone to appreciate it with a critical eye.
However, as he tossed the book aside, he suddenly felt that the title seemed a bit familiar.
A forgotten memory from the depths of his soul suddenly attacked him, reminding him that the famous senior, Kasumigaoka Utaha, had written a novel, and it seemed to be called that.
He had already met Eriri, so Kasumigaoka Utaha must also exist. So he quickly picked the book back up.
The way to capture Kasumigaoka Utaha was simple: as long as he met her and showed how much he liked her book, he could quickly close the distance.
Then, he would discuss the novel's plot with her, casually share his thoughts, and then inadvertently reveal his identity as a famous writer.
This would surely pique her interest and lead to a deep literary exchange with him.
And if he remembered correctly, Kasumigaoka Utaha's subsequent works would face a Waterloo, only to be resurrected by Aki Tomoya's help in promotion.
It was precisely because of this incident that Kasumigaoka Utaha developed feelings for Aki Tomoya.
After all, she regarded her novel as important as her child, and in her subsequent creations, she even cast herself and Aki Tomoya as the male and female protagonists.
She even gave the final draft to Aki Tomoya, making a subtle confession, but was rejected.
However, all of this would change, because Tanaka Masao decided to preemptively replicate this path.
Moreover, he completely had the conditions and ability, and could even do it better.
Indeed, if he followed the usual script, he could easily succeed.
However, reality was somewhat different from what he imagined, because Kasumigaoka Utaha, not far away, had witnessed the entire scene.
"Alas, the only regret now is that the autograph session seems to have already taken place, and I missed it.
Otherwise, going as the first fan would surely leave a deep impression on Kasumigaoka Utaha.
I should have paid more attention. It's all my fault for being too busy and unable to spare any time."
Tanaka Masao completely underestimated himself. Even though he didn't attend the autograph session, he had already left a deep impression on Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Because at this moment, holding 'love metronome' and lost in fantasy with a 'hehehe' smile, he made Kasumigaoka Utaha feel that perhaps her novel wasn't necessarily meant for everyone to read.
The thought of her novel being seen by all sorts of strange people suddenly made her feel that keeping her novel pure was not a bad idea.
Thinking this, Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped forward and spoke.
"Excuse me, could you move aside?"
Tanaka Masao, lost in his fantasy, suddenly heard a sweet voice. He turned his head and saw her.
"Wow! It's black pantyhose."
He was quite fond of them, but unfortunately, the few girls he had met didn't seem to like wearing them.
Only Yukinoshita Yukino would wear over-the-knee socks, but her figure was quite slender, which didn't look very interesting.
And the pair that appeared before Tanaka Masao could be described as exquisite.
However, Tanaka Masao was a very proper person. After just one glance, he averted his gaze.
Staring at someone's legs in front of them was truly impolite, and it might lead to being disliked.
So, he decided to find an opportunity to follow her and look without being noticed.
"She's so beautiful, is she another anime heroine? She feels a little familiar."
There was no helping it; although the attributes of long black hair, a good figure, and wearing black pantyhose were very distinctive, there were quite a few such characters in the anime Tanaka Masao had watched.
So he couldn't immediately identify who she was and could only try to leave a good impression first.
He tried to show a gentle smile and asked,
"Is there something I can help you with?"
Looking at Tanaka Masao's fake smile, Kasumigaoka Utaha sneered inwardly.
"Hmph, if I hadn't seen what you did from the shadows just now, I might have actually been fooled by you.
I'm not some little girl who is easily deceived by a scumbag."
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't say much, but pointed to the books behind him.
"I came to buy books. You're blocking my way."
"Oh, oh, I see. Please."
Hearing this, Tanaka Masao quickly moved a step to the side, making space for her.
However, he didn't leave immediately, but intended to chat with her a bit more to find out her identity.
And Kasumigaoka Utaha also had ulterior motives; she didn't just approach him to buy books. She wanted to know what Tanaka Masao was thinking while looking at her book.
This was a situation where both had hidden agendas.
As Kasumigaoka Utaha passed Tanaka Masao, she casually asked,
"That novel in your hand, it doesn't seem to be the one sold here, does it?"