After the conclusion of 'puella magi madoka magica', online discussions were in full swing. Such an astonishing work truly left people eager to speak their minds. Even if the final result wasn't entirely satisfactory, it was a reasonable 'healing' segment.
["The Old Thief is at it again! It was the same with Demon Slayer before; some died, some lived, no true reunion. Is this the so-called beauty of imperfection… No way! Bah!"]
["The two couples everyone was most looking forward to didn't end up together, which is really frustrating. That Old Thief really has a firm grasp on everyone's thoughts."]
["The scene where Madoka made her wish was truly classic! Even I, a grown man, couldn't help but get goosebumps when I saw it!"]
["When will it be animated?! I'm already looking forward to it! Logically, with this sales volume, the chances are already very high, right?"]
["Animation? That depends on whether an animation production company takes an interest, and the light novel publisher would have to agree, right? But I don't really understand it. Anyway, I hope the Old Thief can become a light novel author with an animated work soon."]
["I will always love Homura Akemi!"]
["Madoka Kaname, my Madoka Kaname! So beautiful! I love her, I love her!"]
["By the way, am I the only one concerned about the Old Thief's new work?"]
["Hehe, won't there be a live interview with the Old Thief from the light novel publisher in a few days? We can ask then."]
["Really, really? It seems there's hope of finding out the Old Thief's true identity!"]
["You're thinking too much. Not to mention images, even the voice might be blurred…! The Old Thief won't let you find any flaws!"]
…
That's right, in fact, before the final volume was released, editor Machida Sonoko had already contacted him, saying she wanted to conduct a live interview.
This wasn't a troublesome matter, and he didn't need to appear on camera; he could complete it from home. So, Izumi Chihiro naturally agreed.
Compared to previous interviews, a live interview was undoubtedly more conducive to gathering popularity, especially when the work had just concluded and everyone's thoughts were still lingering. Holding such an event immediately captivated many readers.
Everyone was very much looking forward to this mysterious 'Old Thief', rumored to be quite something.
Especially for certain people, the attention was even greater.
"Senior is going to have a live interview?"
Upon seeing this news, Kani Nayuta's expression immediately brightened.
At a time like this, as his junior, she naturally had to show her support!
So, from the official announcement, she found the scheduled live streaming platform, registered her account, and awaited the day.
At the same time.
Usami Suzune also discovered this information and immediately found Senju Muramasa.
Because her childhood friend wasn't familiar with these online things, but would definitely be interested, she proactively brought up the matter.
"Live stream?"
Senju Muramasa's expression was a little dazed.
It took Usami Suzune several minutes to make her understand the concept.
"How about this, it'll be a holiday during the live broadcast, and it's in the afternoon, so I'll go to Kohana's house to watch it together~"
Of course, Senju Muramasa nodded in agreement to the girl's eager kindness, letting out an 'En'.
… …
The night before.
"Ni-san, the live broadcast is tomorrow, are you nervous?"
Sagiri asked after dinner.
She understood what live broadcasts were, and had even thought about doing her own art streams when she had free time, but now her mind was completely focused on improving her drawing skills, so she dismissed the idea.
"Nervous? Why would I be nervous? It's not like it's anything shameful."
Izumi Chihiro was full of questions.
"Ni-san, you really have no self-awareness at all…"
Sagiri shook her head and sighed.
"Ni-san, have you really forgotten your standing in the readers' hearts? They even call you Old Thief directly now! Think about it, what kind of messages did everyone post in the comment section before? The bullet comments during the broadcast will be exactly what you'd expect!"
In this situation, would he really not feel any pressure?
She had heard that many people were broken by bullet comments and then started cursing.
She certainly didn't want to see such an image appear on her brother.
"Oh, I thought you were worried about something, Sagiri, turns out it's just such a small matter… Don't worry, with your brother's mentality, how could he be broken by those people? My stress resistance is very strong!"
Izumi Chihiro patted his chest, assuring her with full confidence.
"What's more, in such a public place, everyone should speak with some restraint, right? A mere title like Old Thief is no big deal, and anyone who makes personal attacks will be directly muted by the official staff, so there's no problem."
He further dispelled the girl's concerns.
"Soga."
Seeing her brother so confident, Sagiri wasn't so worried anymore.
Soon, a few days passed.
The scheduled live broadcast time was fast approaching.
Izumi Chihiro sat in his home, with the door tightly shut, preparing to connect with the other party.
The person connecting with him for the interview was none other than his editor, Machida Sonoko, which would make their conversation less awkward.
Before the live broadcast officially began, the number of people in the live room gradually increased, quickly surpassing thirty thousand.
As a real number, this was not low, and it was still increasing with time.
Of course, most of these people were not live stream viewers, but rather readers who came because of his reputation. Otherwise, just the live stream alone could bring in a lot of money.
"Open the door, open the door! Time is almost up!"
"Here he comes, here he comes, Old Thief's screen debut!"
"Old Thief definitely won't show his true face, but at least let us hear his real voice, right?"
"Exactly, exactly, no voice changer allowed! Unless he's willing to 'ying ying ying'…"
"This time, we can finally confirm Old Thief's real age."
… …
Just one minute later.
The previously black screen of the live room lit up.
On the right side of the screen, a beautiful OL appeared, with a mature charm that immediately caught people's attention.
"First, let me introduce myself. I am Machida Sonoko, currently serving as Teacher Izumi's editor… Welcome everyone to this live broadcast. This time, Teacher Izumi and I will have a face-to-face conversation with all the readers."
"Next, let's welcome… Teacher Izumi!"
Machida Sonoko spoke gracefully.
Just then, the other side of the screen lit up, but as everyone expected, it was not Izumi Masamune himself, but an illustration of Tanjiro.
This was followed by a friendly self-introduction.
"Hello everyone, I am Izumi Masamune, also known as… Old Thief!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you all!"