Crossover Anime: The Heroine is in Trouble? I Take Advantage of the Situation

He spoke to his friends, and also seemed to be saying to himself:

"Just wait and see! Tomorrow's salon will be my stage!"

Seeing his insincere expression, his friends all understood that Kikuchi Makoto was too proud to admit it.

But no one exposed him.

They simply echoed his sentiments, cheering him on and encouraging him.

"Yes, I believe you, Kikuchi!"

"Fujiwara Seiji and Hiratsuka are so far apart in age, it's definitely not what we're worried about!"

"That's right, there's absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Kikuchi, do your best tomorrow!"

……

……

The next day.

Outside the venue of the Winter Literary Salon, attendees have been arriving one after another.

They gathered in twos and threes, holding hot tea, and chatted before entering the venue.

Seiji Fujiwara and Utaha Kasumigaoka walked side by side.

He was still wearing a well-tailored black overcoat, which accentuated his tall and elegant figure. Shi Yu, on the other hand, had changed into a more sophisticated dark blue dress, with an elegant beige trench coat draped over it. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and she exuded a perfect blend of scholarly air and feminine charm.

They met with Professor Yamada and Shizuka Hiratsuka at the entrance of the venue.

"Good morning, Seiji and Shiha." Professor Yamada was in high spirits, and when he saw Seiji Fujiwara, his eyes immediately revealed an undisguised smile of admiration.

"Good morning, Professor," Seiji Fujiwara replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, Hiratsuka Shizuka, standing to the side, looked somewhat awkward.

Her face was covered in delicate, light makeup, but her eyes were evasive, revealing a guilty conscience.

He hesitated for a moment.

She quietly moved closer to Seiji Fujiwara and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Um... Seiji, thank you for last night. I'm sorry, I drank too much and acted a bit out of line."

Seiji Fujiwara turned his head and looked at her embarrassed and regretful appearance, then smiled faintly: "Don't mind it, Hiratsuka-sensei. I also had a great time chatting with you last night."

This nonchalant demeanor made it seem as if the intimate physical contact of last night was just a dream.

Hiratsuka Shizuka secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a strange sense of loss.

When she woke up this morning, she felt extremely remorseful when she recalled how she had clung to Seiji Fujiwara like a koala last night and talked a lot of nonsense.

The other person is a high school student!

And I'm a high school teacher!

If something were to happen, it would be disastrous in every sense of the word, and could effectively end her teaching career prematurely.

Fortunately, his body and clothes were intact.

Although she had lost her composure last night, the upright Fujiwara did not take advantage of the situation.

Hiratsuka Shizuka breathed a sigh of relief.

That's great, everyone's safe and sound.

After the initial fear, a subtle sense of loss also arose.

I'm getting old, and I really have lost my charm!

An eighteen-year-old boy in the prime of his youth wouldn't be tempted at all!

Once the thought took hold, it grew wildly like a vine, making her restless all morning.

……

The salon's venue is a small banquet hall that can accommodate hundreds of people.

Professor Yamada led Seiji Fujiwara and his entourage into the venue.

Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to it.

Seeing Fujiwara Seiji's composed demeanor, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt even more conflicted.

But it’s hard to say anything.

He could only sigh silently and follow Professor Yamada into the conference hall.

Chapter 54 Hiratsuka Shizuka: Please, Seiji! (2/2)

"Professor Yamada..."

Who are the boy and girl behind them?

"So young."

The crowd began to murmur among themselves.

The reason was simply that the boy following behind Professor Yamada was far too young.

He looks to be under twenty years old.

However, the youngest of the emerging literary talents invited to this literary salon is twenty-seven years old.

The ages don't match at all!

"Yamada, who is this young friend of yours?" an elderly professor with a refined air and wearing gold-rimmed glasses asked curiously.

"Haha, Aoki, let me introduce you."

Professor Yamada seemed extremely excited. He patted Fujiwara Seiji on the shoulder and introduced him to his old friends with a boastful tone, "This is the Fujiwara Seiji I mentioned to you last night, the one who just won the Edogawa Rampo Award!"

"Oh? So he's Fujiwara-kun!"

"It's really a hero out of a boy!"

"He's even younger and more promising than he appears in the newspaper photos!"

Several literary figures, including Aoki, immediately showed friendly smiles.

They all stepped forward to shake hands with Seiji Fujiwara, showering him with praise.

"We old folks have all read Fujiwara-kun's 'After School,' and the ending is truly groundbreaking and ingenious!"

"Yes, exploring such profound themes of school bullying and human redemption in the form of a detective novel is far more profound than its peers!"

"I've watched it so many times, it's truly unforgettable!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the venue, the young writers who had been invited as "rising stars of the literary world" were also in an uproar.

"What?! He's Seiji Fujiwara?!"

"She's so young!"

"Yes, when I first saw the news, I couldn't believe he was only eighteen!"

"An 18-year-old winner of the Ranpo Prize is absolutely unique!"

After learning that Seiji Fujiwara was the real person, the young people all sighed with emotion.

in the crowd.

Kikuchi Makoto gritted his teeth inwardly.

Without Seiji Fujiwara, with his accumulated experience and works, he should have become one of the focal points today!

But now, all the attention is on Seiji Fujiwara!

Faced with the praise from his seniors, Seiji Fujiwara smiled modestly: "You flatter me, seniors. It was just a fluke to win the award. It was all thanks to the kindness of the judges."

"Ah, Fujiwara-kun, you're mistaken!" Professor Aoki shook his head and said seriously, "We were discussing this last night. Your 'After School' is so well-written, so ingeniously structured, and so profound in its core ideas that it far surpasses the scope of a 'newcomer.' You truly deserve this award!"

“That’s right, well deserved!” Several other veteran authors echoed.

The hushed discussions among the literary upstarts in the hall could also be clearly heard.

"I've also read 'After School,' and to be honest, after reading it, I felt like everything I wrote was garbage..."

"I'm afraid I could never write a work of that quality in my entire life."

"Who can argue with that? That's something only a genius could write; we mere mortals can't even begin to compare..."

These heartfelt praises and admiration, like invisible thorns, pierced Kikuchi Makoto's heart.

He showed no outward expression, but inwardly he was filled with frustration and defeat.

Because he had also watched "After School", he thought the same thing!

"Seniors, let me introduce you," Seiji Fujiwara said, pulling Utaha to the front of him. "This is my girlfriend, Utaha Kasumigaoka."

Utaha quickly stepped forward, maintaining a polite smile, and greeted them, "Hello everyone, I am Kasumigaoka Utaha, nice to meet you."

"Ah hello."

The professors and veteran writers simply nodded casually before turning their attention back to Seiji Fujiwara.

In their eyes, a pretty girl with no fame or works is nothing more than a dispensable embellishment beside a genius.

Shiyu clearly sensed this disdain, sighed inwardly, but maintained a polite smile on her face.

It's normal to be looked down upon.

After all, not everyone is Seiji Fujiwara.

"Alright, alright, don't just stand there." Professor Yamada greeted them with a smile. "Seiji, Shizuka, Utaha, come on, our seats are over here."

After saying that, he led the three of them to sit down in the seats that had been reserved for him in the venue.

As they took their seats.

The whispers among the rookies in the back became clearer.

"Sigh, what's the point of competing? This afternoon's winner is definitely Fujiwara."

"Yes, how can we compare to Fujiwara?"

"Just consider it an opportunity to broaden my horizons."

Listening to these discussions.

Kikuchi Makoto quietly clenched his fist.

He has prepared for this literary gathering for so long, he will never admit defeat easily!

Even if the other party is Seiji Fujiwara, the author of "After School"!

……

……

On Fujiwara Seiji's side.

After taking their seats, Hiratsuka Shizuka lowered her voice and began to explain the literary gathering to Fujiwara Seiji and Utaha.

"Today's salon will be divided into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon."

"In the morning, there will be a literature review session. Several professors and renowned figures from different fields will take the stage to review the development of popular literature and fine literature over the past year, and at the same time, look ahead to the development trends in the new year."

"The afternoon will be our chance to shine, the younger generation."

She spoke with anticipation, "The theme of the event will be 'snow,' but it won't be limited to just snow. Participants will be asked to create an impromptu short story or the beginning of a story. They will then submit their work anonymously, and all the seniors and professors present will jointly select the winner."

"What's the reward for first place?" Shiyu asked curiously.

“The prize is just a souvenir tea set that isn’t worth much,” Hiratsuka Shizuka explained. “The real reward is ‘fame.’ To win in this kind of event is equivalent to gaining exposure in the core circle of the literary world, which is extremely beneficial for future development.”

Fujiwara Seiji and Utaha listened, nodding repeatedly, looking as if they had "learned something new".

Just as Hiratsuka Shizuka was speaking, a host walked onto the stage and announced the official start of the Winter Literary Salon.

The venue fell silent instantly.

The first speaker was a professor with black-rimmed glasses who looked very refined. He happened to be a critic specializing in detective fiction.