194 Concern (1/2)

Mayuzumi answered her ringing cell phone.

”Hello, Saki?”

Speak of the devil! They were just talking about her when she called!

Well, these types of coincidences weren’t all that uncommon.

”I’m with him right now... I’m fine, it’s... it’s going well. Wah... Sorry, it’s actually not going that well.”

”No, no, I’m fine! You don’t have to come over—don’t you still have work you’re busy with?”

Judging from the half of the conversation he could hear, Editor Yoshizawa sounded extremely concerned for Mayuzumi.

Seiji recalled the figure of that icy female editor.

He felt that with her personality, she would definitely rush over if she knew what had happened.

Seiji was about to take another sip of his tea when his cell phone rang as well.

The caller ID showed that it was from Mika.

”Seiji, are you back at school?”

”No, I’m still outside. Some things happened while I was on my way over with Sensei,” Seiji explained. ”I’m currently at a coffee cafe together with her.”

”Oh... How’s Peach-sensei doing?” Mika’s voice contained obvious concern for him.

”Her condition wasn’t too good earlier,” Seiji replied in a low voice, ”but she’s doing much better now. We’re currently having tea and chatting.”

”Are you guys coming back to school?”

”It depends on the situation. If Sensei wants, then we’ll go. If she doesn’t, then I won’t force her.”

”Oh...”

”Don’t mind us—go ahead and have fun with Chiaki.”

”Okay...” Mika’s voice sounded a little lonely.

Their call ended there.

When Seiji looked across from him, he saw that Mayuzumi just happened to finish her call as well.

”Saki’s really worried about our situation and wanted to rush over immediately. I stopped her from doing so.” Mayuzumi smiled wryly at her friend’s concern.

”Editor Yoshizawa’s really concerned about Sensei.”

”Yes, and I’m truly grateful to her... it’s just that sometimes, I think she can be too much of a worrywart.” Mayuzumi sighed. ”This one time when I was having a phone call with her, my cell phone ran out of battery, causing the phone call to be cut.”

”As a result, she took only five minutes to rush from the editing department to my home and check on my situation.”

Five minutes!?

Seiji was astonished at this.

While he didn’t know just how far away Thunderbolt Literature’s editing department was from Sensei’s home, five minutes... sounded too incredible!

Did Editor Yoshizawa fly? Did she actually have the ability to secretly transform in phone booths!?

There must be some mistake... or was it that Editor Yoshizawa was a mystical ability user?

'No, no, it isn’t possible to meet someone with powers so easily! I should stop randomly guessing.'

”I’m truly grateful for the way she’s taken such good care of me and her concern,” Mayuzumi muttered. ”But I also hope that she wouldn’t worry so much.”

”So, she’s like an overly protective big sister?”

”Yeah... you could say that.” The female manga author tilted her head slightly. ”I think that sometimes she treats me like a little child, or as if I can’t do anything by myself without someone else around.”

‘...Honestly,' Seiji remarked silently, 'I do get a little bit of that impression from you as well, Sensei.’

Although he hadn’t known Mayuzumi Amami for very long, he had now fully realized why Editor Yoshizawa had told him that Peach-sensei was a woman who really needed someone to take care of her.

Even though Mayuzumi was a popular manga author and professional who was already mature on the outside, she would break out into tears at simply a bus ride...

'No, no, stop thinking like that—it would be too rude to Sensei, who's working so hard to confront her fears.'

At any rate, Seiji had such an impression already from just the short time he spent with her. In that case, it was perfectly understandable why Sensei’s close friend, Editor Yoshizawa, would be so concerned about her.

Seiji concluded that if Editor Yoshizawa knew about what just happened to Sensei on the bus, she would have rushed over here at top speed without listening to Sensei telling her not to come!

Would it be a repeat of the astonishing five-minute record?

He actually wanted to see it a little...

Mayuzumi continued talking about some past events that had occurred while she was together with Saki Yoshizawa.

Seiji now had a better understanding of the deep friendship between Mayuzumi and Saki and had learned more about both of them.