Signed Volumes and the Reluctant Party Crash
I was pretty tense about the end-of-semester party single volume. Yuu's serialization platform was super reliable, so I wasn't that worried, but I had no clue if people would actually like my artwork.
With that slight tension nagging at me, I cautiously checked the photos Yuu had sent.
"Whoa, they really went all out."
I wasn't sure if it was because of my involvement, but compared to the other single volumes, the effort was obvious. It was straight-up unreal quality.
No wonder she kept asking for all sorts of extras for the color pages. She had a plan all along.
This level was good enough to earn praise from genre fans. My lips curled up involuntarily.
Anyway.
They'd probably send one without me asking, but just in case, I carefully brought it up.
A moment later.
A cheerful, positive reply came right back.
That sparked a bit of greed in me.
If I was getting a single volume anyway, a signed one would be better. It was for keeps, after all. I wouldn't dare touch it much, so getting Yuu's signature and treasuring it felt right.
And a moment later.
"Nice."
She was generous, no doubt. Two single volumes? That's the spirit.
I accidentally slipped into Korean. Her reply came back.
Oh right, that wouldn't translate. I was about to explain honestly, but a mischievous impulse hit me, and I changed my answer.
Yuu swallowed it hook, line, and sinker without a second thought. Of course she did—she'd never suspect a prank over something like this.
With that in mind, I taught her one more word.
She wasn't coming to Korea anyway, so a little prank like this was harmless. No issues there.
I kept chatting with Yuu along those lines.
*
"Ughhh... Finally done... I legit don't know shit."
"You slacked off on the trip."
"Free flight tickets—who passes that up?"
"Hmmm..."
I'd go back to Japan in a heartbeat, even if I had to rewind time. Sure, there was that awkward incident on the last day of AnimeCon, but aside from that, it was a perfect trip.
Anyway.
My face got exposed on stream, but no big deal. With Suihwa's huge audience, I figured people might recognize me left and right, but it never happened.
I mean, I'm not that handsome, and a random guy's face leaking wouldn't go viral. Especially since I wasn't the streamer—just some normie. Suihwa must've handled it perfectly... but it felt kinda lacking.
Maybe it was my exhibitionist streak acting up. Deep down, I wanted some attention.
"Sunbae, so what're you up to today?"
"Me? Head home and crash."
"Exams are over—hang with the dept folks a bit."
"...I can't do that stuff."
I have a huge aversion to offline mingling. Eye contact and talking face-to-face is tough, and I feel like I talk better online anyway.
"The dept kids were saying to drag you out this time—come once?"
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You're like a legendary creature in our dept."
"Ah..."
I glanced around after Yujia's words, and sure enough, I felt some stares drifting my way. Looked like she was telling the truth.
This makes it hard to bail. I'm no good at refusing. I try not to get asked in the first place, but here we were.
"...I'll go."
"Oh."
Yujia gave me a surprised look when I accepted.
"You sure?"
"Gotta go now."
Word was out—I was going. Plus, I'd always wanted to try a drinking party once. Might as well seize the chance.
...As long as nothing went wrong.
*
This outfit should do. My fashion sense is meh, so I went with something safe from online pics. No gossip about this, right?
And—tap tap.
I opened settings and turned off X-Net notifications. Super embarrassing if they caught me checking it in a crowd. Sure, everyone was artists and probably on X-Net too, but getting outed as my main account? Mortifying.
Lately, interest in Sino seemed to be dying down... but still, better safe.
With that thought, I arrived at the meetup spot.
"Ah, sunbae!!"
"Joking, joking."
"Lots of people coming today?"
The place was packed the second I got there—breathless chaos. Everyone seemed to know each other, greeting warmly.
...Yeah, they've all bonded by now. I'd been holed up drawing, no time for relationships. Shoulda skipped.
Regret hit instantly as I stood there lost. Then—
"Yujin-ssi by any chance?"
Someone called my name cheerfully. Not Yujia. Who?
I turned, puzzled, and a tall, handsome guy was extending his hand.
"Ah, yeah."
"Whoa, you actually came. Didn't think you would."
"Ah... wanted to try it once."
"Ooh..."
As we chatted, stares started gathering.
"No group? Join my table?"
Uh. Kinda much. I could talk to strangers, but... overwhelming. If he wanted me at his table, he'd have tons of questions.
What to—
"Sunbae, you got here quick?"
My savior appeared. I'd been waiting for her—right on time.
"Had time, so early."
"Hmmm..."
Yujia scanned around, then—
"Since you're here, that table over there looks good. Let's sit."
"Ah, sure."
Surprising. Yujia wasn't the type to share a table with an outgoing guy like that.
Intrigued, I followed her to a table away from the entrance and sat.
"Yujin-ssi, great to meet you. The others talk about you nonstop."
"...About me?"
"Yeah. You're famous."
"Why...?"
Why was I famous? I'd done zilch in the dept.
I eyed him skeptically, and—
"You're the top student. Duh."
"Ah."
Luckily topped the dept a few times. While others socialized, I drew and studied in my room. Obvious result.
Anyway.
"Wasn't that a secret?"
Grades are private.
"They started posting rankings on CyberCampus after the last exam. Missed it?"
"For real?"
"Yeah. Caused some backlash in the group chat."
"I don't check it much..."
"No wonder the #1 never budges."
"...I'll check more from now on. Never read chats anyway."
I always caught announcements from Yujia anyway—no need to check often. Wasn't skipping classes either.
Guess I should peek at the group chat more. If they were saying this, I might've missed stuff.
Sipping water from the table with that in mind—
Ding-a-ling.
The bell jingled as a girl entered. My eyes locked first.
Light blouse, pleated skirt—outfit proper, but her face was the issue. Eyes sharp but not overdone. Hair flowed naturally past her shoulders, no styling evident yet perfectly neat. Makeup so subtle you couldn't tell, but it drew your gaze anyway from afar.
Not dolled-up pretty—more like effortlessly complete.
...Why's she heading my way? Bad vibes.