Anime Crossover : Living in the Heart of Tokyo-Chapter 261 Late Night Chat

"By the way, thanks to Kei explaining everything, I finally learned who Hojou Kyousuke really is."

"It's honestly kind of scary—how can someone so young have so many titles?"

"Mmm~~"

Megumi Kato switched her phone to speaker and opened up the group chat interface.

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"Hojou Kyousuke!?" —Keiichi Kato

"You mean the Hojou Kyousuke? The author of One Punch Man, Attack on Titan, The Devotion of Suspect X, Sword Art Online?"

"The one who won the national middle school kendo championship twice?"

"Where did you meet him, Megumi? He doesn't even go to your school, right? Did you get his autograph?"

"Ahhh, why wasn't it me who met him? If only I'd skipped school today!"

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"..."

Big Brother Keiichi really is a hardcore fan—just like those idol stans.

Megumi let out a quiet giggle.

"You saw Kei's messages, right?"

"I did~~"

"So come on, tell me how you got to know such a big name! Even your brother-in-law is curious—he's hoping you can get an autograph from Hojou-san for him."

Ugh...

Listening to the voice coming from her phone, Megumi rested her chin on her pillow, sinking half her face into the soft fabric.

So much for keeping it cool, Megumi.

All it took was one slip of emotion and now it's snowballed.

You've still got a long way to go in your training.

'Now I have to come up with a decent excuse to brush off Keiichi—no, not an excuse, a "stance."'

Her thoughts running wild, Megumi casually said, "We just met at the school gate, that's all."

"And then you went up and talked to him!?"

"Megumi!! I'm so proud of you! My little sister's finally growing up!" her sister shouted dramatically.

"Eh? Um... wait a minute. Why does everyone assume I was the one doing the approaching? Can't I be the one who got approached for once~~?"

Only when she was talking with her sister would Megumi so openly express her girlish side.

"Ehhh!? Come on, spill the details!"

"Let me think~~ Actually, Hojou-kun came to see two other girls from our school."

"Ohh, I knew it. So it was just a random flirtation while he was bored. Typical of a flashy Japanese writer. Totally fits my mental image of them."

"I've got stuff to do, I'm hanging up~~"

Without waiting for a reply, Megumi hung up the call.

Geez, ever since her sister got married, she'd totally lost that Kato-sisters vibe.

She talked so bluntly now.

Sawamura Eriri... and senior Kasumigaoka Utaha—Fushinosaki's two reigning school beauties.

'Of course I know Hojou came for them.'

One's the ace of the art club, a prodigy who was selected for the Young Artists Award in Tokyo during her very first year.

The other's a genius girl ranked top of the class since year one, already on track to be admitted to Hitotsubashi University by recommendation.

Someone like Hojou, with his star status, obviously has friends of that caliber.

She wouldn't be surprised even if he got invited to a royal banquet.

But still... he called out my name. And the cake tonight... he paid for it.

A tune started playing—Miyamoto Yuna's newest single, a favorite among young girls.

"Moshi moshi~~~"

"Megumi, hanging up on people like that is totally rude, you know. It's even worse if the other person is a guy."

"It wasn't just random—I really did have something to do~~ Besides, I picked up again later, didn't I? From a girl's perspective, that's not exactly bad manners, right?"

Megumi replied while texting back Yamauchi Sakura.

Another thing she'd learned from her sister: treat every date seriously—dress up, put on makeup, and be precisely three minutes late.

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Ugh… what a pain.

She regretted bringing it up already. This is what happens when you abandon your principles, Megumi.

She felt a mild pang of regret—but that was the thing about Megumi.

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Hiromi opened the message, and sure enough—it was the very same "First Edition, No. 1" her sister had described.

"This is incredible... Am I really going to be related by marriage to Hojou-sensei!?"

Yoshinaga Bunta clutched his head in disbelief, overwhelmed with joy.

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Back at the Kato household—

Megumi never imagined she'd get the rare chance to witness her "family's pride," her cousin Keiichi Kato, acting this way.

"Please, Megumi, I'm begging you—just let me see it, even just once! That book… If there's any way, I'd love to say something to Hojou-san too!"

Keiichi pleaded earnestly.

He wasn't just a fan of Hojou Kyousuke's writing—he was also a hardcore admirer of his kendo skills.

Even though he loved the sport, Keiichi didn't have the talent for it and had to focus on keeping his grades up.

His only joy was watching match recordings and dreaming.

Though Hojou's official record was only from middle school tournaments, every high school kendo competitor in Tokyo knew the legend.

Even the reigning champions—Higashi High, who had won the national high school championships two years in a row—admitted defeat.

It was said that even if all five of their starting members fought him at once, they wouldn't stand a chance.

How did people know that?

Because every time Higashi High competed, they brought along a cardboard standee of Hojou Kyousuke, with the words "Absolutely Unbeatable" written in bold black marker on the back—declaring him their mentor and coach.