Chapter 137: A rather tricky case.

The rest of the presentation unfolded as expected, with everyone praising her work to the skies and showering it with compliments. However, none of that managed to reach Nemuri's ears. Her gaze remained fixed on her family, who listened attentively and occasionally sent her joyful glances, inevitably causing her to lose herself in her memories.

She had been orphaned at a young age due to a terrorist attack carried out by villains, which shattered her small world into pieces and exposed her to the cruelty of reality. No one helped her, no one cared about her situation, no one ever extended a hand to support her, and people always turned away, avoiding her gaze to escape the guilt.

Those experiences completely destroyed her hopes for the world and her innocence, leading her to become rebellious and cynical. She hated everything around her, and even the part-time job she had to survive felt more like torture than anything else. But then, her savior arrived.

She was a young woman several years older, with golden hair and beautiful greenish eyes that seemed to exude a calm and maternal aura. Despite being alone in the world and having nothing—not even a country to call her home—she still radiated happiness from every pore of her being. Whether she was working, fighting, or playing, she always wore a smile and, in her own unique way, managed to help those around her.

Alisa was her light in the darkness. She helped her, understood her, became her most sincere friend and confidant, and someone as close as a true sister. She was her only family and her role model, teaching her the true value of helping others and the happiness it brings. This ultimately laid the foundation for her path as a professional hero, even though Alisa herself was never interested in that world.

But back then, she never imagined that Alisa would not only be her sister and hero but also the seed of her current happiness. Even though Alisa had left this world over a decade ago, her impact was still evident, and a testament to that was her current family—the people she loved most in the world, who had come together around her only son in an attempt to thank her for all the help she had given them.

Though, in truth, the real catalyst for her current happiness was none other than the young man with dark hair and captivating blue eyes sitting in the front row. Someone who, despite having many flaws, was incredibly charming—definitely Alisa's son. Despite his reluctance toward strangers, he was undoubtedly the one who worked the hardest for the happiness and safety of the family.

He was always attentive to everyone, helping and supporting them in their decisions. Despite his age, he was the firmest support of all, the rock on which everyone leaned. To the point where there was a steadfast belief within the family: as long as he was present, there was nothing to worry about. He would always find a way to solve things perfectly, exceeding everyone's expectations—almost as if they had their own personal All Might for the family.

[Now we would like to hear a few words from Kayama-sensei.]

As she was lost in her memories, Nemuri suddenly heard the presenter's voice and a thunderous applause from the audience, snapping her back to reality. She quickly grabbed the microphone on the table, almost on autopilot but felt lost. Although she had prepared a small speech with her editor, she had now forgotten it, her mind blank.

Feeling lost, Nemuri looked out at the audience, which consisted of industry professionals and die-hard fans of her work, as well as, of course, her beloved family. This immediately dispelled her nervousness and filled her with infinite confidence, sure that even if everything went wrong, she would still have them in her life.

"Hello everyone, I would really like to thank you for your presence and continued interest in my work. This new adventure was born from a very special place in my heart. After sharing with you the magic and lessons of my previous saga, I felt I wanted to explore something new, something more complex, raw, and human."

Nemuri paused to look at the audience and finally locked eyes with Kai, who smiled warmly at her. For some reason, this ignited a small spark in her chest. Holding back her emotions so that the smile on her face wouldn't falter, she continued speaking in a calm and clear tone.

"I also want to share something I've never said publicly before: although this book bears my name, it was born from the inspiration that someone very special planted in me. That person taught me to look at the world from a different angle, to build stories that not only entertain but also make people reflect. I won't mention their name because I respect their wish to remain in the shadows, but I want you to know that without that initial spark, my career as a writer might not exist."

Upon hearing these words, her entire family turned to look at Kai with playful smiles, while he stared blankly at Nemuri, who smiled happily before speaking in a more excited and joyful tone.

"With that said, I invite you to delve into this world full of intrigue, betrayal, unexpected alliances, and, of course, characters that, I hope, will stay in your hearts as much as they are in mine. This is just the beginning, and I'm eager to share this journey with all of you. So, let's start with the signings, and if anyone has questions about who will die first in this saga, I can assure you I won't say a word!"

The audience burst into laughter at Nemuri's words. After bowing to the crowd, she walked over to the signing table, where a long line quickly formed. Each person held a book in their hands, their faces lit up with excitement—except for the first two people in line, a young couple with black hair.

"Kayama-sensei, I'm a huge fan. Please dedicate this to Yaoyorozu Momo." Momo said with a playful smile as she placed her copy of the book on the table. Nemuri could only laugh in amusement and asked as she picked up her pen.

"Whose idea was this?"

"Kai's, fufu." Momo replied with a mischievous smile, to which Nemuri could only shake her head while writing the dedication, though internally, she was deeply moved.

"Thank you for your continued support." Nemuri said with a smile as she handed the signed book back to Momo, who thanked her with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Kayama-sensei."

After Momo left, it was Kai's turn. Like several others in line, he held a copy of the book and a poster of Nemuri in her hero costume, which he quickly placed on the table. He then spoke with a 'sincere' smile.

"I'm a huge fan, Midnight-sensei."

"Fufufu, I'm glad to have such an interesting fan as you." Nemuri replied with a mischievous smile as she took the book, then asked in a seductive tone.

"Who should I dedicate this to?"

"To Saito Kai."

Playing along, Kai responded with a charming smile, which only widened Nemuri's grin. She quickly wrote the dedication and signed both the book and the poster, then added her phone number with a small message for him to call her that night. In a low, seductive tone, she added.

"It's really motivating to have such a handsome fan. I hope we can get to know each other a little better..."

"It would be an honor, Midnight-sensei."

Kai replied with a seductive smile before stepping away from the line. Nemuri watched him with a small smile until he rejoined the group, at which point she refocused on the line to continue signing books.

The rest of the signing session went smoothly, with her most loyal fans thanking her with excited smiles for her work—not just as a writer, but also as a hero. Although she rarely went on missions anymore due to her work as a teacher, her popularity remained high, keeping her within the top 20 in the rankings.

After a couple of hours, as the sun began to set, the event finally came to a spectacular end, with every single book sold out and even the online platforms running out of stock at a rapid pace. This inevitably brought a huge smile to Nemuri's face as she made her way to the garage with a light step, where she found her entire family waiting for her with huge smiles on their faces.

Quickly, Nemuri ran to them like a little girl and leaped into the arms of her beloved Kai, who caught her midair and spun around to absorb her momentum. At that moment, Keiko commented in a teasing tone,

"Look at you, trying to leave us out of your book presentation. How inconsiderate. I'm hurt."

"Yeah, Onee-chan left us out. How sad. Now I feel really depressed." Nejire quickly joined in, putting on a terrible dramatic performance by placing a hand on her forehead and looking away. Momo added with a small smile.

"Onee-chan really left us out this time. I think she needs to be punished, fufufu."

"Certainly, we can't let her get away with it this time." Yumiko chimed in cheerfully, her arms crossed beneath her ample bust. Ryuko quickly added, amused.

"I totally agree. At the very least, she should be exempt from massages for a month."

"I second that motion. That'll make her reflect." Shino joined in with a teasing tone, followed by Tomoko, who spoke loudly while raising her hands in the air.

"Yes! And she has to sign all our books and action figures!"

"I totally agree, though I think she should also prepare dinner tonight as an apology." Chatora added to the game with a teasing tone, to which everyone else nodded with 'evil' smiles.

In Kai's arms, Nemuri looked at her entire family around her with an ironic expression, though internally, she felt incredibly warm and moved. However, having heard a dangerous comment, she quickly retorted in a serious tone, wanting to emphasize the importance of her words.

"Dinner is fine, but don't think for a second I'm giving up my massage!"

"Fufufu, it seems Nemuri doesn't want to reflect."

Ryuko commented with a teasing tone, sparking a cheerful argument among everyone as they left the building with no intention of picking up the cars they had arrived in. After a while, as they walked down a quiet street, away from the crowd, Yumiko spoke in a calm and happy voice.

"Congratulations, Nemuri. Your new book is going to be a huge success."

"Thank you so much, Yumiko. I hope so." Nemuri, who was walking beside Kai, replied in a much calmer tone. Momo quickly added with an excited voice.

"Your new book is really exciting, Onee-chan, and killing off the 'protagonist' is quite unexpected. I didn't see it coming!"

"Hey, no spoilers!" Nemuri retorted in an 'angry' tone, causing everyone to laugh. She then turned to Kai and asked cheerfully.

"And how did you all manage to get here? Aren't you busy with your 'internships'?"

"Well, there wasn't anything important going on. We're investigating a rather tricky case, so it'll take a while to make any progress. That's why we were free to come." Kai replied calmly. Shino nodded and added with a smile.

"Yeah, and luckily, there weren't any emergencies today. And since with Kai we can return to base at any moment, it's not a big deal if something suddenly comes up."

"I see..." Nemuri turned to look at Momo and Nejire, who were wearing their hero costumes, and asked curiously,

"And did Ryukyu let you two come, or did you sneak out?"

"We asked for permission! Ryukyu even wanted to come, but something came up at the last minute." Nejire replied cheerfully. Momo nodded and explained a bit while checking the time on her phone.

"We had explained the situation to Ryukyu a few days ago, and she gave us permission."

"Thank you so much for coming." Nemuri said with a warm smile before hugging the two girls, who returned the hug with smiles. She then turned to Kai and asked cheerfully,

"...By the way, what's this 'tricky' thing you're investigating? It's unusual for even you to see it that way, Kai."

"Well, it's because it involves heroes. There's a certain group of heroes who improve their case resolution times during very specific periods, and we suspect it's due to a certain drug. The problem is that it seems people from [Avalon] are involved."

““Avalon?””

***

You can support me on .com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.