"Thank you for your support, you've worked hard."
A very gentle, clear voice.
Even with eyes closed, you could tell it was a handsome guy!
Clutching the newly bought book, seeing the queue in front getting shorter and shorter, Sonoko Suzuki's heart pounded.
It would be her turn soon!
Sonoko Suzuki was incredibly excited.
Finally, after the person in front got their signature and left, Sonoko Suzuki stood before the signing table.
"Hello."
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled.
So handsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sonoko Suzuki screamed madly in her heart.
She had never even seen a boy like this—
Unusually exquisite.
Warm-toned black hair, a sweet, gentle smile, and a stunningly beautiful face!
It wasn't that his face looked feminine; it was purely and astonishingly beautiful, like when one sees a magnificent landscape and can't help but blurt out adjectives like "beautiful."
Is he a fairy?
Is he an elf!
If he weren't wearing a shirt and suit, Sonoko Suzuki would have already substituted him with characters from the novels she usually read.
"Please, please sign for me!"
"Certainly, but you've bought so many copies?"
"Yes, I'm a loyal fan of you, Mr. Hayashi!"
"Thank you."
Hayashi Yoshiki took the books from Sonoko Suzuki's hands.
There were six in total.
Before signing, he said with a smile:
"I apologize... my right hand is quite tired from writing, so may I sign with my left hand? Of course, the handwriting should still be quite standard."
Because he had considered situations where he might need to write with his left hand in the Death Note, Hayashi Yoshiki had practiced left-handed writing for some time.
His words fell on Sonoko Suzuki's ears, and she felt he was simply too dedicated, quickly saying: "Yes, please do!"
"Okay."
Hayashi Yoshiki quickly signed the books.
It's worth noting that because of the Death Note, Hayashi Yoshiki was always very careful when signing his own name, intentionally making two strokes incorrect.
His fans would only take this as part of his unique personality.
"Here, it's signed."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, thank you for your support... It must have been tiring waiting in line. These are some candies I usually enjoy; please take some and try them."
Mm-hmm!
Being spoken to so gently, Sonoko Suzuki felt a dizzying, drunken sensation, but she wasn't truly that exaggerated. She quickly took some candy and stepped back.
Behind her was her best friend, Ran Mouri—she originally wasn't interested in this and was merely accompanying Sonoko in line.
"Hello..."
She awkwardly placed her book on the table.
"Hmm, nice to meet you... Is it okay to call you Ran?"
"Eh?"
Ran Mouri was startled.
Sonoko Suzuki, waiting beside her, widened her eyes, and Shinichi Kudo, behind Ran Mouri, immediately became alert.
Fortunately, Hayashi Yoshiki soon smiled again and said:
"Did I surprise you? Actually, Auntie Eri and I are relatives, so I know you."
"Mom's..."
"Eh, I'm probably your cousin, I guess."
"Really?!"
More visibly reactive than Ran Mouri was Sonoko Suzuki beside her. She became visibly excited, already thinking if there was a chance for her now that her best friend had this connection.
Ran Mouri, on the other hand, was simply curious.
However, since there were many people queuing behind them, she felt bad delaying too much time. She quickly got her signature and moved aside.
Next up was Shinichi Kudo, wearing a sour expression.
"Your books are not bad, but in 'The Village of the Exotics Murder Case,' there are some parts I can't quite understand. If Wakaba wanted to elope with Ryuichi, who was impersonating Odagiri, on their wedding night, they wouldn't need to kill anyone to elope, right? On the contrary, if there was a murder, it would only create many obstacles for their elopement plan."
"Shinichi..."
Ran Mouri beside him was a little embarrassed by his "fault-finding" behavior and couldn't help but tug at his sleeve.
From the looks of it, he must have been jealous.
Hayashi Yoshiki understood the pervasive scent of jealousy around Shinichi Kudo, but he didn't care. He simply said with a smile:
"You're right, Kudo-kun, but if you think this way: 'Because Ryuichi's revenge list included her own biological father, Wakaba might have begged Ryuichi to spare her father, willing to do anything for him if he would spare her father, and Ryuichi pretended to agree to deceive Wakaba into helping him'... That should make sense, right?"
"I see."
Shinichi Kudo said no more, took his signed book, and left.
Although Ran Mouri was curious and wondered if she should say goodbye before leaving, the assistant was already guiding them out, so she just waved gently at Hayashi Yoshiki.
Hayashi Yoshiki also waved back.
Because there were still many people queuing, he quickly turned his attention back to the current task.
The three-hour book signing was indeed quite tiring.
Along the way, Asamiya Nanae even worried that it was too much of a burden for Hayashi Yoshiki and made him rest several times... By the time the book signing finally came to an end, it was almost 7 PM.
Only a dozen or so fans were left in the queue.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Hayashi. Would you mind signing for me?"
"Certainly, thank you for your support."
Taking the book, Hayashi Yoshiki noticed that the fan in front of him was somewhat special.
Wearing sunglasses and a mask, and her voice sounded somewhat familiar...
Just as Hayashi Yoshiki felt a little puzzled, the bookstore assistant next to him suddenly speculated with some uncertainty: "Ms. Yoko Okino?"
"What? Yoko Okino?"
"Isn't that the popular idol!"
A small commotion arose within the bookstore.
As the most popular idol currently, Yoko Okino had extremely high visibility and a large number of fans, both male and female.
Being recognized, Yoko Okino generously removed her sunglasses and mask, revealing her beautiful face.
She kindly gestured for the people around her to keep their voices down, saying she would sign autographs for everyone in a moment, then turned and waited with a sweet smile, like any other fan, for Hayashi Yoshiki to sign.
"It's my honor."
Hayashi Yoshiki said, quickly writing his name on the book's flyleaf.
At the same time, he noticed someone in the bookstore taking photos.
Judging by their stance and angle, they seemed to have been prepared there from the start.
Hayashi Yoshiki merely made a mental note. After finishing all the signatures, Editor Asamiya Nanae immediately brought him a bottle of water.
"You've worked hard, Mr. Hayashi."
"Yes, I'm glad it concluded successfully."
"A popular idol is a fan of your book, Mr. Hayashi. How do you feel about that?"
Asamiya Nanae asked with a smile.
Hayashi Yoshiki looked at Yoko Okino, who was now surrounded by fans and kindly signing autographs for everyone, then noticed the man next to her, who was carefully guiding the fans. He then turned to Asamiya Nanae and smiled:
"I feel a bit embarrassed. I didn't expect the publishing house to invite Ms. Yoko Okino."
"How did you figure that out, Mr. Hayashi?"
"It's too strange for an idol to travel privately with her manager. And wasn't someone taking photos just now? The manager clearly stood by then but didn't stop them at all."
"I see, you noticed those details."
Asamiya Nanae was somewhat surprised.
After the commotion around Yoko Okino calmed down, her manager was the one who came over first and handed him a business card.
"Hello, I'm Eiichi Yamagishi, Yoko's manager."