Chapter 531: Have you been doing well recently?
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu
Hoshi was the next to arrive after Hisashi.
Hisashi's eyes instantly lit up at seeing the beautiful boy who appeared like a girl walk into the room.
"Perfect!" Hisashi gave two big thumbs up.
"Senpai… er?" Hoshi had been about to greet Seiji when he was interrupted.
"You must be the Fourth Knight, a cute boy just like in the stories I've heard. This is truly amazing! Please allow this humble one to take a few pictures…" Hisashi took out his cell phone and was about to approach Hoshi.
*Slap!*
Kaede decisively took out a paper fan and slapped her brother in the face with it.
"Please don't mind this idiot here, Amami-san." Kaede smiled. "I shall take responsibility for suppressing him. No need to worry about any danger."
What the hell was with her using the word "suppression"? And, where on earth did she bring out that paper fan from? Seiji's eyes twitched.
"Ow… My dear younger sister, what was that for? I merely wanted to make friends with the Knight of Light…"
"Your existence is a threat to Amami-san. You need to be quarantined."
"Quarantined? Is this humble one a virus!?"
"That's right, a virus by the name of pervert."
"That's terrible!"
The Juumonji siblings became rather rowdy.
Hoshi didn't know how to react to this scene and merely stared blankly at Seiji.
"This is Hisashi Juumonji, Juumonji-sensei's older brother, whose internet username is Milk Cream Sweet Sweet Pig," Seiji introduced Hisashi to Hoshi. "I've mentioned him before to your sisters. And as you can see, he's such a person."
"…He's someone who seems just like how he acts on the internet." Hoshi took a glance at Hisashi.
"I'm so pleased to meet you, Knight of Light! Please allow us to deepen our understanding of each other and become good friends!" Hisashi spoke in a passionate tone and attempted once more to get closer to Hoshi. And, once again, his younger sister Kaede smacked him with the paper fan.
"This is how they show their sibling love for each other… I think. So, don't mind them." Seiji gave Hisashi a sidelong glance.
"Oh… Alright." Hoshi nodded.
Hoshi was already acquainted with everyone present except for Hisashi. There was no need for further introductions.
Hoshi paid special attention to Shika who was sitting next to Seiji. Hoshi worked up his courage to speak to Shika after he sat down as well.
"Kagura-san… Have you been doing well recently?"
"Very well," Shika replied.
"I see… you must be having lots of fun living together with Senpai."
"Yeah."
Hoshi looked at Shika and inwardly exclaimed as he recalled the way she had been in the past.
Although Shika's expression seemed just as cold and distant as before, the aura coming from her, or perhaps the feeling that she gave others, was obviously different.
Compared to the so-called "Divine Girl" from before, she now had a gentler aura that made her seem more "human".
'This is all because of Senpai,' Hoshi thought to himself.
'Just like how Senpai saved me, she was saved as well. She now has warmth and happiness.
'This is truly wonderful, Kagura-san.'
Hoshi was sincerely happy for Shika's sake. He showed this with a smile.
"Amami-senpai…" Shika looked at Hoshi as something flashed in her eyes. "Thank you so much… for that time."
She lowered her head and expressed her sincere gratitude to him right after she said that.
Hoshi was startled by this, but instantly realized why she was thanking him. His smile grew even greater in brilliance.
"No need for thanks, Kagura-san."
'I didn't do anything at all apart from telling you his name.'
Hoshi looked towards Seiji.
Seiji looked towards his adopted younger sister and his junior and smiled at both of them.
"Apart from Kagura-san, everyone here is a member of the Knights of the Round Table. This is almost like an offline meeting."
That was Yukari's first comment after she arrived and did introductions.
Just like Hoshi, Hisashi Juumonji, aka "Milk Cream Sweet Sweet Pig", was the only person she had never met before.
Yukari was somewhat surprised to find out that their high school's infirmary nurse as well as health teacher Kaede Juumonji was the internet user in their knight group called "Merry-go-round".
"Indeed, this is quite like an offline meeting. However, apart from Shika-chan, there's one more person I've invited who isn't a member of our knight group," Seiji mentioned.
"This humble one has figured out who that person might be…" Hisashi revealed a serious expression. "Could it be that…"
Seiji intentionally smiled mysteriously.
The final person arrived exactly at this moment, almost as if she intentionally did so to help complement his expression.
"Hello, everyone." A classical beauty wearing a cap, dark-rimmed eyeglasses, a brown jacket, and a plain dress, arrived and greeted everyone politely.
"Hello, Sensei." Seiji smiled in greeting.
"Sensei?" Yukari blinked in surprise. She then immediately noticed that Hisashi, who was sitting across from her, had a stunned expression with mouth wide agape.
"Allow me to introduce her. She is Mayuzumi Amami, as well as Hoshi's aunt. Her pen name is Peach, and she's the creator of the manga and anime known as 'Honey Candy Girl.'"
It was now Yukari's turn to be surprised upon hearing this introduction.
Peach-sensei… The creator of "Honey Candy Girl"!?
She couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise as she stared at the beauty standing across from her.
*Thump!*
Hisashi kneeled down in a beautifully proper posture.
"This humble one… has met the Holy Creator Goddess… I shall die with no regrets!" he spoke in an incredibly moving tone.
Everyone else was rendered speechless.
"This is the person I told you about before, Sensei. He's a huge fan of 'Honey Candy Girl', and his name is Hisashi Juumonji." Seiji did the introductions.
"…Thank you for your support, Juumonji-san."
"I've believed in you for all my life, Peach-Goddess!"
"Please don't address me like that. It makes me feel rather awkward. I'm just a mangaka." Mayuzumi was rather embarrassed.
"No! You are a Goddess in my eyes!!" Hisashi lifted his head and had the expression of a fervent believer.
"That's enough out of you, idiot Second Brother!" Kaede was no longer able to bear with his behavior and began suppressing him again.
Yukari's surprise speedily disappeared together with the ruckus.
She recalled that she saw this mangaka together with Seiji before during the school festival. It was just that she didn't know who Mayuzumi Amami was back then at that time.
Looking at Peach… Amami-sensei, she felt some idolization towards her as she herself was a light novel artist.
Although Yukari had thought about drawing her own manga before, she had never tried it for real, not even the very beginning. After all, drawing manga was quite difficult. It was on a completely different level from drawing cover and insert art for light novels.
Yukari understood just how difficult it was, which was why she truly respected Mayuzumi Amami for doing her own story and artwork by herself. Now that Yukari met the beautiful mangaka who achieved such a great success in the industry, she couldn't help but feel like she wanted to become just like her as well.
"This is Yukari Asamiya. She goes to the same school as me. You saw her previously at the school festival." Seiji introduced Yukari to Mayuzumi.
"I remember… Hello, Asamiya-san."
"Pleased to meet you, Amami-sensei," Yukari spoke in a respectful tone. "I'm currently drawing art using the pen name of Romance of Ice and Fire…"
"You're Romance of Ice and Fire?" Mayuzumi had an obvious expression of surprise.
"Yes…"
"Ice and Fire-sensei, you draw excellently as well. I even keep a few of your drawing in my collection and have used them several times as references for my own drawings."
"Really?" Yukari was quite astonished to hear this.
Mayuzumi smiled and nodded.
Her own artwork was being used as references by such a popular mangaka! The purple-haired girl suddenly felt proud of herself, feeling that she had received recognition.
"I'm so happy that Peach-sensei found my art to be of assistance," Yukari stated sincerely. "Actually, I've considered the idea of drawing manga before, but deeply feel that my personal abilities are insufficient. There's still so much more I need to learn… May I please learn from Sensei in the future?"