!!!
Shiro had just changed clothes and was already feeling a bit awkward when he stiffened the moment he saw Hanabi at the door!
He never imagined that in just a few hours, he'd run into so many acquaintances at this bar!
It was one thing to bump into Iori and the other idiots, but why was his editor here?!
Shiro panicked.
He remembered that his editor lived in Tokyo, didn't she?
Why was she here?
Was she looking for him?
But how would she even know he was here? That didn't make any sense!
And while he did ghost her from time to time, he had already turned in the manuscript for his new novel, Scum's Wish.
Wait a minute...
Scum's Wish?
Why does that sound familiar...?
Forget it! Right now he just had to hope she wouldn't recognize him in his current pig-headed state.
After all, she was the editor who raised him in the industry, and Shiro was definitely afraid of her.
He still trembled thinking about the cold stare she gave him when his very first original novel flopped.
Editors really do have a natural suppressive power over authors!
Shiro didn't even dare call her by name—only respectfully as "Editor-sama"!
"Hmm, surprisingly, the three of you actually look great in those outfits~"
Azusa, who hadn't noticed anything weird, complimented the three of them, now looking like entirely different people.
You really couldn't deny the appeal of a bartender outfit—those three looked good. Even the pig-headed one looked... a little more bearable.
"..."
The three being complimented didn't look happy at all—they looked extremely uncomfortable.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
Aina was confused.
Wasn't this exactly the effect they were aiming for? Judging by how the girls kept eyeing Iori (as long as he didn't speak), it seemed to be working.
"Umm, how should I put this..."
"Wearing clothes during a drinking party just feels... wrong, you know?"
"Oh! I get that! I totally get that!"
Azusa enthusiastically nodded at Iori's comment. If it weren't for the bar's rules, she would've stripped down and started drinking right then and there.
"Can you people act normal for once?!"
Aina couldn't take it anymore. With Chisa absent tonight, the whole place was full of weirdos who liked stripping!
Wait a minute...
Something felt off.
Someone was missing?
Her eyes turned to Shiro, who was awkwardly pretending to organize the liquor shelf.
"Hey, you're being way too obvious, Kamishiro—mmph!"
Aina didn't even get to finish her sentence before someone clamped a hand over her mouth. Shiro, who had been five meters away, was suddenly standing right in front of her.
That bloated face and the faint red glow in his eyes—there was no way that was a normal human anymore!
Had getting his head turned into a pig head actually turned him into a pigman?!
Aina panicked.
As a fan of dramas, she half-expected Shiro to suddenly mutate or something.
"Please, I beg you, don't say my name! Someone might actually die!"
Shiro pleaded as he nervously watched Hanabi at the entrance.
It was bad enough getting beaten into a pig head—if his name was called out now, it'd be like walking into a trap!
People as handsome as him couldn't fully hide their aura, even in this state!
"Mmmph!! X﹏X"
Aina didn't really understand what was going on, but she nodded fearfully anyway. That expression—like a demon—would've scared anyone! Did the three of them all graduate from some kind of "facial expression academy"?!
"Hehe, then why don't the three of you go ahead and try serving a table? As for the guests, Azusa and the others can fill in—"
"Actually, I'll be one of the guests."
Before the manager could finish, Hanabi calmly walked over and sat down next to Aina.
Aina immediately tensed up.
She wasn't wearing makeup, and in the presence of this high-level businesswoman type, her social anxiety hit hard. Not to mention—why was everything about this woman so big?! And purple hair, too!
Being sandwiched between two mature purple-haired women, Aina felt absolutely not safe!
While Aina was shivering from stress, Shiro was shaking from pure fear.
His editor was sitting right in front of him, and the cold gaze she kept shooting his way—what kind of ghostwriter could survive this pressure?!
"Uh… Manager, actually, I can mix drinks. No need to—"
"Oh? That's great, Kamishiro-kun. Then I'll leave this guest to you. We've got to give her the best experience possible~"
The manager, who had just heard from Kotobuki that Kamishiro's mixing skills were amazing, immediately assigned him to the unknown guest.
Even if Kamishiro's face was a mess now, the manager still appreciated his smooth talking.
He'd seen Kamishiro flirt with different girls every day—if his wife didn't object, he'd have asked for lessons himself!
{{(°△°; "}}!
Shiro froze. Hold on a sec!
He meant that there was no need to continue the roleplay, not that he wanted to get thrown into a nightmare!
That's his editor, man! Do you know the kind of psychological trauma this causes for a notorious procrastinator?!
As the others got into position, Shiro slumped in defeat and walked over to Hanabi.
Please let these bruises be enough to hide his identity...
"What happened to your face?"
Hearing his editor's cold voice froze Shiro instantly. It was so much nicer than her voice on the phone, but… having her right in front of him was still terrifying!
"Ahaha, just a little accident—tripped and fell, nothing big! So, what can I get for you?"
Hanabi didn't respond. She just silently stared at him.
{{(°△°; "}}!
Shiro broke into a cold sweat and had to grip the counter to stay composed.
"Anything's fine. Just mix something up. I'm not in a great mood right now."
"Ahaha… got it! I'll improvise something then!"
Shiro turned around like he was fleeing the scene. Normally, when mixing drinks based on a guest's mood, he'd ask for more details…
But with the editor aura blasting him full force, he needed to escape ASAP!
"…No need to run so fast, pigeon."
Σ(?д?|||)??!!!
Shiro's hand froze as he reached for a bottle.
"Pigeon"...
That was the nickname his editor used for him.
So she did recognize him?
No, wait—maybe she was trying to bait him!
He had purposely changed his voice when he spoke. Even if it was his editor—
"Turn around. Your pigeon aura is way too strong. Even if you turned into an actual pig, I'd still recognize you."
(*?????)
Fantasy shattered. He had been recognized...
There was no such thing as a "pigeon aura," dammit!