The Presscon

“You just confessed!” Merry hurriedly covered her mouth when she realized her slightly loud reaction caught the attention of the other customers at the café.

Everyone looked in their direction with various expressions because of her sudden outburst.

“Yes and no,” Airi answered. “Yes, because that was my real reaction when I received his letter. And no, because it’s in the story, and he can’t remember me. So, it’s still somewhat fictional.”

“But you told him that it was real.”

“So? He won’t know that unless he remembers me.”

“Oh, he does. Trust me, he does,” Zai-zai murmured while flipping the page of the novel she was reading.

“What are you saying? ” Airi asked her. “What’s wrong with people nowadays? Mumbling seems to be a habit for everyone.

“It’s your habit, too,” Zai-zai said. “Can’t you see that I’m reading? ” She raised the book to Airi’s view. “I have just accidentally read the lines out loud. Here. See? ” She even pointed at the line. Her expression, however, conveyed a different message. Her reaction was a mix of ‘I’m dead! ’ and ‘What a sigh of relief.’

Airi excused herself when her phone rang in the middle of their discussion.

Merry threw a sharp glance at Zai-zai.

“What?” Zai-zai chuckled. “I was saved by this book.”

“Luck is on your side today. Keep in mind that Airi must be unaware that Jiro is not amnesic. For now, at least. If she discovers that we're all lying to her, she will undoubtedly despise us."

“I know. I just got carried away.”

When Airi returned, they were just casually talking about random stuff.

“My editor called,” she said. “I forgot that my new novel is to be released today in bookstores nationwide.”

“Doesn’t she know you’re on vacation? ” Zai-zai asked.

“She does, but she accidentally announced on a social media post that I’m here. She’s been receiving a bunch of DMs from readers.”

“So?”

“They want signed copies, but I haven’t signed any of the books yet.”

“Your point is? ”

“We need to sneak into the bookstore where my new novel is to be displayed so I can sign them.”

“What?! Can they just delay the launch? ” Merry asked. She hurriedly called the staff to ask for their food to be packed. “It’s Saturday. Surely, many people will be at the mall. Are you planning to reveal yourself to the public, Vivid Dreamer? ”

“Shh!” Zai-zai tried to cover Merry’s mouth. “Do you want to be swarmed? Can’t you see that most of the customers here are reading Airi’s book? ”

**

“I heard Vivid Dreamer is in our province,” a girl said. “I hope to get a signed copy of her book. Her publishing company announced that there might only be a few of them. I wish I could get one.”

“Me too. I read Plaster: Petrified Secrets, and it’s a phenomenon! ” The other girl giggled in excitement. “One of the chapters there even mentioned CNHS. I’m sure she graduated from our school as well! ”

Airi listened as the girls obliviously talked about her. She had already signed two books and was about to put them back on display when she heard the conversation.

“Excuse me.” She called the girls’ attention. “I found this.” She showed them the sequel of Plaster. “These are signed. You can have it.”

The teens jumped enthusiastically, grabbed the books, and thanked her before saying goodbye.

She then asked Merry and Zai-zai to collect some of the books and bring them to the staff room of the bookstore.

“Thank you for signing these,” the store owner said. “Can I take a photo with you? But don’t worry, I won’t post it. Your publisher had me sign a contract. Your identity is safe with me.”

*

As they stepped out of the bookstore, a huge crowd at the mall’s atrium greeted them. Curious, they blended in and watched with the onlookers.

“I almost forgot!” She caught her friends by surprise because of her sudden outburst. “Today is the presscon for Jiro’s new resort. He told me that he will sign the contract with his new endorsers.”

“That’s why people are flocking here. They’re waiting for the celebrities for sure,” Merry said.

“Can we stay a bit?” Zai-zai requested. “Every time they have events like this, there’s a raffle. I just dropped my entry.”

They had no choice but to stay. They hid in an obscure area where no one from Jiro’s staff would recognize them.

The media asked a few questions to the endorsers. But some of them didn’t have any plan of letting their chance of interviewing Jiro slip.

One of the journalists even excitedly took her chance of asking him that she almost tripped on her way towards the microphone standing at the center.

“This question is not for the endorsers but for Mr. Sondian,” she began.

Hearing that, Airi’s heart drummed her chest. Her instinct screamed that the question might have something to do with her. Her mind randomly thought of that, remembering that their photo at the resort was still circulating on various social media platforms. She even noticed how Jiro’s face went pale, his smile gradually disappearing.

She kept staring at him, knowing he couldn’t see her. It was her chance to look at him as much as she wanted. How she missed that face. She didn’t stop scanning his face even when the interviewer asked the question.

“Just recently you were seen with a woman at your resort. And your photos, though not that intimate, suggest that something special is going on. Who’s that girl?”

Confirmed!

Airi panicked, though she didn’t make it too conspicuous. Instead, she secretly tugged Merry’s hand, urging her to leave. However, at that moment, Jiro’s eyes were already locked on hers. He smiled at her before enthusiastically grabbing the microphone.

“Well, since many people have already seen the photos, I don’t think there’s a reason to deny it.” He winked at her from afar, making her feel like her heart was about to explode any minute. “She’s special to me,” he continued. “But that’s all you need to know for now.”

The crowd gasped.

Many of them even followed his gaze to check if the mysterious girl was also amongst them.

When she noticed that some of the onlookers were looking towards her direction, she remained calm and nonchalant, not wanting to draw more attention to her. She pretended to look behind her as if she were also intrigued while trying to avoid the people’s searching gaze.

“Wait a minute!” One of the press conference viewers pointed at Airi. “It’s her! She’s the girl in the photo with Jiro!”