Volume 1 - CH 16

Another new day begins.

Today, of course, I’m working on the name of a new gag manga.

Based on yesterday’s notes, I think about the plot.

I think it would be better to make it as a short story rather than a full-length manga, considering its compatibility with the gag manga genre.

While I’m thinking about this, night soon comes.

Living in a closed room with no sunlight, one’s sense of time inevitably becomes strange.

Soon, the girl brings supper.

Japanese food.

White rice, eggplant with miso soup and grilled fish.

Today, too, she is eating across from me.

Even a manners instructor would have nothing to complain about, she uses her chopsticks beautifully.

The way she eats grilled fish is so beautiful that it makes me, as an adult, feel ashamed.

‘Alright. I’ll do my best to talk to her again today..’

The first topic has already been decided.

I forgot to ask the most important thing.

“It’s a little late for this, but…”

I put my chopsticks down on the chopstick rest and open my mouth.

“What?”

“Well, is it okay if I ask you to tell me your name or something?　I’m not sure if it would be good to have a conversation just by using 『you』”

It’s already been more than half a month since I started living in captivity.

And yet I still don’t know anything about her.

At least I should know her name.

“……Konata. The kanji is written as this and that.”

The girl─ ─Konata, stiffened while trying to remove the bones from the grilled fish. We were silent for a moment and then I spoke,

“I see. My name is…”

“I know.”

When I am about to introduce myself, she says readily.

“Eh? Not the pseudonym? My real name?”

I unintentionally asked back.

“Of course.”

She nodded vigorously.

The boneless fish meat is sucked into her mouth as if the fish were willing to do so.

“I,is that so? Aa, I see. You’re carrying my stuff, aren’t you? You’ve got my laptop, my phone. You got my PIN number, so I’m leaking all my personal information.”

“…..This way is fine.”

She mumbles expressionlessly and continues with the fish dismantling process.

“I,is that so,Konata─ ─ But, please wait. I’m sure I only have a pseudonym registered on my drawing tablet and of course I’m on social networking sites under a pseudonym. And the phone must have had a pattern-style lock on it, not a PIN.”

“………”

She sips her tea in silence.

“─ Oh, I see. My wallet. You can just look at my driver’s licence or insurance card.”

I solve the question myself and hit my knees.

The conclusion is so obvious that I can only laugh.

“Even before that, I know.”

However, the answer that comes back to me is somewhat surprising.

Did she have the information  before she imprisoned me?

And then…

“Really?　Then, it was when I dropped my smartphone at the bookstore. I was standing in line behind you, wasn’t I? I couldn’t get my name across to the clerk when I asked for my receipt, so I had to call out my real name.”

“……”

The girl smiles vaguely and begis to remove the rice grains left in the tea and bowl.

“And by the way, you must have had a hard time finding my birthday, because there’s a lot of rubbish posted on social networking sites.”

I did indeed self-disclose my date of birth on social networking sites and I didn’t put it in my profile section.

She wouldn’t have known my date of birth if she hadn’t traced my posts of doodles, animated videos and daily food posts and found a photo of a birthday cake.

“Not really. I’m a Fan.”

She whispers, a little embarrassed.

“Really?”

“I have all the books.”

“All of them!?”

“Benefits are also complete.”

She says this to me as my eyes widen.

There is a somewhat proud smile on her mouth.

“I see. That’s good. I’m so happy.”

I say that from the bottom of my heart.

I have received feedback from fans on social networking sites.

But this is the first time I’ve met my fans in person like this.

I’ve been asked to sign promotional autographs for bookshops before, but I’m not the kind of manga artist who does signings on his own.

‘Hmm? But if she’s a fan of mine, why would she harass me by locking me up?’

Questions like that cross my mind.

But I can’t ask her anything more because I am afraid of ruining the good atmosphere we are in.