It's okay, what if it's just about the money?

"Ding-dong!"

After sending the message, Sogo Doma turned back to look at the girl, who seemed somewhat exasperated.

"Err, well..." The boy looked at Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture. "For the sake of a big brother, could you please sign this, Utako Kasumi-sensei? After all, as an older brother, I really need to save face."

As he spoke, Sogo Doma symbolically closed his eyes and struck a pose as if preparing to kowtow.

That sight made Utaha Kasumigaoka shudder, and she hurriedly circled to the side.

Swish.

However, circling to the side seemed to be a feint; taking advantage of the moment, Utaha Kasumigaoka quietly snatched the phone Sogo Doma had been using from his hand.

"Hey, you S-type who keeps playing on his phone while chatting with a beautiful girl and making unreasonable demands—what exactly is in here? What has blinded your eyes? Let me, a girl covered in scars, examine it for you."

Sogo Doma: "..."

There's a move like that?

Before he could even recover, Utaha Kasumigaoka was already scrolling through the phone and said:

"'Blonde little tsundere who dreams of driving an excavator'—what kind of terrible name is this? Was Scum-kun just ignoring me to reply to her?"

"Hey, hey..." Sogo Doma tried to snatch the phone back.

However, the prescient Utaha Kasumigaoka had long since found a lounge chair to hide behind.

Blocked by the obstacle, Sogo Doma felt a bit helpless.

"Wow, such a long word count. You call this a book review, but it's actually a love letter to your sweetheart, isn't it?" Her voice was full of schadenfreude.

"That's a book review, a book review!" Sogo Doma said irritably as he circled the lounge chair, trying to maneuver around her.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm..." Utaha Kasumigaoka responded with a tone that said, I know, I know, while continuing to circle.

However.

Less than three minutes passed.

Utaha Kasumigaoka froze.

It was indeed a book review, but it was completely different from what Sogo Doma had told her. Without spoiling the plot, the entire piece highlighted the selling points; it even brought out content she hadn't thought of herself, as if what was written in the review was the story she had truly wanted to tell all along.

In that moment of distraction, the phone was snatched back by Sogo Doma.

"Your sharp tongue is enough; stealing my phone is a total foul, you know!"

Hearing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka looked at Sogo Doma with a complex expression.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally spoke.

"Hand it over."

"What?"

"The novel. You wanted an autograph, right? That's for your little sister, isn't it?"

"Soga." Sogo Doma's face instantly cleared up. "Has Utako Kasumi-sensei finally realized the weight of a big brother's face?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka's mouth twitched.

She took the novel from Sogo Doma's hand.

"Hey, it's just a book review, did you really have to write it so seriously?" The girl whispered while writing the dedication. "You must have read it quite a few times, right?"

"Hm?" Sogo Doma, who had been full of anticipation, saw the suddenly reserved girl and once again revealed a smile of schadenfreude.

"Ahem, I'll just ask: Utako Kasumi-sensei doesn't really have any friends, does she?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka felt like she had been struck by another arrow; the pen she was using to write the dedication paused.

In Japan, having no friends was a pretty bad label.

"Hehehe..." After a long while, Utaha Kasumigaoka revealed a dangerous smile. "I just don't want to waste time on shallow interpersonal relationships. What, does Scum-kun want to pry too much into a girl's secrets..."

"Stop right there!" Sogo Doma interrupted the sharp-tongued girl with a smile.

"I'm trying to say, Utako Kasumi-sensei, don't you think your current state is dangerous?"

"Eh?" Utaha Kasumigaoka blinked.

"For example..." Sogo Doma gave an example with a smile. "I just praised and roasted Love Metronome, and it already had you feeling all worked up, didn't it?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka blinked again, and immediately after, her wine-red eyes stared daggers at Sogo Doma. This bastard was definitely doing it on purpose.

"Alas, this is a common ailment for new writers. Because they aren't familiar with the market, their works get axed. They put their heart into it but don't get recognized, and on top of that, they don't have friends to talk to, so they often start doubting themselves."

Hearing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka nodded inwardly. It was true; that was how she had been before.

But what did he mean by "dangerous"?

"And so, at times like this, new writers often become prey for certain internet experts at autograph sessions..."

"What!" Hearing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka interrupted Sogo Doma. "What the hell is 'prey'?"

"Hey, listen to me first. First, you pick out some works that are clearly going to be hits, but because the author is a newcomer without any promotion, they are destined to be buried among the masses."

"Then, the hunt begins." Sogo Doma held up a finger and smiled.

"Would an author who lacks confidence because their work is facing cancellation develop feelings for a reader who speaks highly of their work?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka pursed her lips unnaturally; it seemed that was indeed the case.

But that was all it was.

"You're thinking that a certain level of affection for one's own fan is inevitable, right?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka felt a jolt in her heart.

"However, after your book signing ends, that fan you were slightly fond of is already surrounding your editor, going, 'Wow, this novel is so brilliant, why is it being cancelled? No, I absolutely won't let it be cancelled.'"

The corners of Utaha Kasumigaoka's mouth twitched unnaturally again. The light novelist's brain began to whir, and she said with an unnatural expression, "That should be a natural reaction for a fan."

Sogo Doma smiled with a sense of wicked satisfaction once more.

"A novel one likes facing cancellation is something that should have been noticed long ago. After all, it's no secret in the industry that this novel's performance is poor. So, guess what? Could it be that someone didn't promote it early, didn't promote it late, but chose to do so precisely because the author is a beautiful girl..."

"Don't say any more." Utaha Kasumigaoka shuddered. Honestly, isn't this scheme too deep?

"Ehehe!" This time, Sogo Doma smiled quite innocently.

"Judging by that reaction, Utako Kasumi-sensei is truly easy to conquer."

Utaha Kasumigaoka glared at Sogo Doma, but a moment later, she shifted her posture and smiled seductively.

"If Utako Kasumi-sensei is so easy to conquer, why would Scumbag-kun say it out loud? Wouldn't it be better to just go ahead and conquer Utaha Kasumigaoka directly? Or is it that, Scumbag-kun..."

"Stop!" Sogo Doma raised his hands again. "I only saw that Utako Kasumi-sensei's state was a bit dangerous, so I brought up some possibilities. Perhaps it's not that bad; maybe you just ran into some money-grubbers?"