Only I Am A Reader



Lustrous blonde hair that reached the waist, defined eyebrows, golden sharp eyes, and an overall mesmerizing face. All eyes were glued to that figure.

As she spelled out her speech slash announcement, Aurora only grew more confident. Everyone was listening to her words with great interest, and maybe she could finally reach the right people this time.

'Soon.'

Unfortunately, the more people listened, the less they cared about the content of the speech itself. It was all about Aurora's existence.

No one had impure thoughts, they just relished in the emotions that her words evoked in them. Faint light had already started to rise from Aurora's hair and face, it was all very mystical.

'Is it about time to head home?'

However, just as the speech was about to come to an end and Leo was preparing to leave, a surprise dropped on everyone without any proper warning.

All light started dimming in the plaza despite it being early afternoon, and the crowded circle suddenly split apart. No harm had befallen anyone, but the cavity created in the middle was somehow filled by new people.

"Ahem, sorry to interrupt this amazing speech, but I also have something urgent to announce!"

A mischievous sound suddenly came from the middle of that new crowd, changing the center of attention. Everyone was now focused on the likely source of the disturbance.

'Another change?'

Some people were starting to panic, but the initial shock left everyone frozen in place, waiting to see what was actually happening. On the other hand, Leo was genuinely confused.

Although an interruption of a major event by some Villains sounded like something that would happen in this novel, this specific event should have peacefully ended without any problems.

The Gate Clearing itself was supposed to be the focus of the arc, so no major events happened in its setup, but things were already getting messed up.

"As fellow fans, you understand, right? Although we don't admire the same person, I'm sure some of you would go to great lengths for your Aurora, so you shouldn't hate me too much for this."

As more words came out, everyone started to unconsciously look for the person who was mouthing them out, and it didn't take too long to do so.

After all, that person wasn't trying to keep themselves hidden.

'Who is that?'

Long black hair, black clothes, and a black half-mask... the features that Leo observed didn't seem to match any of the memorable characters that he read about in the novel. Only…

'The outfit and the mask look a bit familiar…'

This wasn't something that he read about. Instead, it was part of Cassian's memory. The style of the intruder seemed to slightly imitate Cassian's choice of clothes during his big day.

"Aurora is great and all, but what does everyone think about a much better person to admire? If you truly understand his brilliance, the Great Cassian will undoubtedly become the target of your admiration!"

'Huh?'

Hearing his new name being uttered, Leo's brain froze for a second. Was this seriously happening?

A counter-fan campaign at an important event like this was already strange, but a counter-fan campaign in his name was as weird as things could be!

While this wasn't his first time encountering a fangirl as the renowned Smiling Cat Mask, Leo was a bit perplexed about having one in the world where he had yet to do anything big, at least not personally.

'This book is a mess.'

"Since Cassian himself had chosen to help Aurora, I'm naturally not trying to sabotage her great moment, but I don't really get that much of a chance to spread awareness of the Lord of Shadows. You should definitely consider it!"

Once the girl had reached the main point of her interruption speech, the special Ability Users that were situated everywhere were already starting to converge to deal with her.

They had only taken this long because they were trying to make it look as natural as possible. As for Aurora…

She stood right there on the podium, staring at the intruder with interest without doing anything. Although most of his attention was still focused on his fangirl, Leo had also noticed that.

'She isn't going to do anything?'

It would have been okay if it was just another Hero's fan, but the one responsible for this shenanigan was advertising a Villain. How was it that she had yet to break into a great counter-speech about how Villains were disruptive to society?

"Oh well, looks like my time here is over. Don't forget, even if he is currently laying low, the Great Cassian will undeniably resurface and show us something special. Bye, Bye!"

With a quick farewell, the fangirl suddenly pulled down a black curtain out of thin air before disappearing into it. It wasn't identical, but her little magic trick also seemed very close to Leo's Shadow Movement. For some reason, she had also glanced in Leo's general directions before leaving!

As soon as she left, the silent crowd that came along also vanished. Leo was already pretty sure that they were also a product of her ability…

"Alright! Everyone, slowly exit the plaza so the Heroes can find and deal with the intruder. The announcement may have been cut short, but Aurora's plans are still in order."

After a Hero whispered something into his ears, the director finally snapped out of it and tried to calm the crowd. Unfortunately, the disturbance didn't look like it would be quelled quickly.

"Cass… Cassian?"

"Is he here?"

"Are we in danger?"

The fear that Cassian left in everyone's heart was still there, and the fangirl's speech looked like it had the opposite effect. Even 'Cassian' himself was left a little rattled by what happened.

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

Lost in her thoughts, Aurora's simple ringtone suddenly woke her up. Once she looked at the caller, she immediately turned around and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, little May. It's always good to hear your voice. I'm sorry about the timing, but I just heard about what happened at the announcement and I have something important to tell you."

"It's this urgent?"

"It's about Cassian."

'Interesting.'