With a loud thud, the door shut firmly—but the peephole cover slid open, revealing a small round opening.

“Sorry, let me go check with her directly. Please wait a moment.”

“Huh? You’re seriously leaving us outside?” Marika’s displeasure was obvious, but Brother Feng Wu had already disappeared back inside to talk to Cangyu.

“You contacted them on the phone before, didn’t you?” I asked as Brother Feng Wu seemed like he hadn’t gotten the full picture about our visit.

“I didn’t go into detail. She flat-out refused to attend the signing, so the conversation went nowhere. If a phone call could’ve fixed this, I wouldn’t have come in person.”

The narrow hallway in the old apartment building felt cramped with the three of us standing there. Being summer, it was stuffy too.

Five minutes passed after he went back inside. During that time, Marika pressed the doorbell a few more times, but there was no answer.

Sayocho needed to tiptoe to peek through the peephole, which was just above her head. She tried for a while, but eventually gave up with a pout.

After about another five minutes, the door finally opened again.

This time, Brother Feng Wu didn’t block the entrance and invited us in without hesitation.

The Fengs' apartment wasn’t large—two bedrooms and a small living room, maybe a few dozen square meters. On our way past the kitchen, we spotted a bowl of potato salad that had been half-mixed.

Further in was the living room. Despite Feng Wu’s unkempt appearance, the place was surprisingly neat. The silhouette decals on the walls gave it a warm, lived-in feeling.

A game was paused on the TV screen, the controller lying abandoned on the floor. Cangyu was nowhere to be seen, she probably dashed into her room the moment she heard the door open.

“Have a seat. I’ll make some tea. My sister’s in her room. You can talk to her from here—she can hear you.”

We sank into a soft velvet sofa while he disappeared into the kitchen.

On the coffee table sat an open laptop, a voice call still active. Judging by the setup, Cangyu intended to communicate through chat.

“Wait, her social anxiety’s this bad?” Sayocho was clearly unprepared for this. Her ahoge even drooped.

Trying her best to sound gentle and coaxing, she leaned toward the laptop and spoke sweetly, “Miyanaga Kohime-sensei? Could you open the door for a moment? I have something really, really important to discuss~”

【No.】

【Say it here.】

Messages popped up quickly in the chat window.

Brother Feng Wu returned with a pot of tea and cups, setting them down and pouring for everyone. I didn’t know what kind of tea it was, but the aroma was strong. I’m not much of a tea person though.

“Because you’re not attending the signing tomorrow, there’s a growing number of people online questioning whether Miyanaga Kohime-sensei is even a real teenage girl. A simple statement from the publisher won’t be enough to put out the fire. At this rate, it could seriously hurt Dreamlike Fragrance's sales.”

Maybe because she was nervous, Sayocho had defaulted to using honorific speech—even with someone younger.

【Understood.】

【I’ll take care of it online.】

Marika took a sip of tea, puzzled. “What do you mean ‘take care of it online’?”

【I’ll hack the databases and delete the posts. If there are too many, I’ll just crash the sites.】

Oh right—Cangyu is also a world-class hacker. She even made me a fake ID once using those skills.

“Miyanaga-sensei’s a hacker too?!” Sayocho was understandably shocked.

Honestly, I still found it wild too. She’s a game streamer, a novelist, and a hacker. Any one of those would eat up a normal person’s time—and she’s only sixteen. Sure, they say introverted kids are often geniuses, but... are all teenage girls this terrifying nowadays?

【I just dabble in it.】 she modestly replied.

“But there’s no way you can shut all the trolls down. Wouldn’t it be easier to just take a picture and let the publisher clarify everything?”

Trolls are like weeds—unless you dig up the whole lawn, they just keep growing back.

“If you open the door, I can even take the photo for you.”

【They’ll just say the photo’s fake too.】

【Wait a sec.】

【Brother Kai, are you into my photos or something?】

That was... surprisingly flirty coming from Cangyu. She’s way cuter online than in person—proof that people really do have different personas on the internet.

“Of course I’m interested. Kinda regretted not grabbing a photo back then.”

It was a joke, but Brother Feng Wu suddenly eyed me with caution. Geez, this siscon’s on full alert—what did I even say that was so wrong?

“The best solution is still for you to attend the signing. Are you really not able to, Miyanaga-sensei?”

Before Sayocho could finish, Cangyu’s replies started flooding the chat window, fast enough to rival the Shining Finger¹.

【Can’t.】

【Why not have someone go in my place?】

【Nobody knows what ‘Miyanaga Kohime’ actually looks like anyway.】

【It’s just signing books.】

Three seconds passed.

【Wait.】

【I’ve got an idea!】

“What is it? What’s your idea?” Sayocho leaned forward.

【Hehehe.】

【Miyanaga Kohime will definitely attend the signing tomorrow.】

【Sayocho-sensei, you can go back now.】

“Are you really coming? Can you handle it?”

【Totally. Don’t worry.】

【But Brother Kai, you’re staying to help.】

Seemingly thought of something, Marika suddenly covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “Wait, is she planning to have you crossdress and go as her? That’s actually kind of brilliant.”

“Huh?”

You’ve got to be kidding.

Even Brother Feng Wu looked like he’d just figured it out—and thought it was a solid plan. What the hell? Why is everyone so hell-bent on getting me into a dress?

【No.】

【Anyways, Miyanaga Kohime will be there tomorrow.】

【You two can go now.】

“Can I at least get a peek at the real Miyanaga-sensei?”

【You’ll get an eyeful tomorrow. Big bro, show them out.】

Sayocho looked like she still had doubts, but under Cangyu’s firm refusal, Brother Feng Wu apologetically saw them to the door, leaving me alone in the living room.

“We’ll be heading back then. Are you sure you’re okay staying here by yourself?” Marika looked a bit uneasy, probably guilty about leaving me behind.

“No worries. Mondainai!”

She sighed and rubbed her temples. “Suddenly dragging you out but leaving you here… the captain’s surely gonna grill me for not bringing you back.”

Sayocho gave me a thumbs-up and a fist-pump. “Not sure what Miyanaga-sensei has in mind, but do your best, okay? My future’s in your hands!”

Clack! The door shut again. For some reason, I was starting to panic.

“What is your sister planning?”

Brother Feng Wu shrugged. “Completely no clue, wasn’t the plan to have you crossdress for the signing?”

Just then, that familiar seaweed hairstyle peeked timidly out from her bedroom. She scanned the living room like a cautious rabbit, making sure Sayocho and Marika were gone.

As soon as our eyes met, Cangyu squeaked and ducked back in, slamming the door shut again.

The laptop on the coffee table pinged with a new message.

【Sorry for keeping you here, Brother Kai.】

【There’s something I want to confirm.】

【You have a supernatural power to turn men into women, don’t you?】