Chapter 11: Meeting the leader

Rodion remained seated and observed the girls crowding their leader. They were all happy to see him.

"Hello ladies, how have you been?"

The leader wore a gentle smile as he greeted the gathered members, who were already buzzing with excitement before he even took his seat. Nadeshda, Daria, and Tatiana spotted him sitting alone at an empty table in the corner. They exchanged smiles before Nadeshda leaned in and whispered in his ear, prompting him to turn his attention directly toward her.

The smile tugging on his lips grew wider. He was wearing a mask, hindering his reaction from being revealed but Rodion could see how surprised the leader was to see him and a little skeptic but happy nonetheless to see a new member, plus, it was a man.

Noticing how he was looking at Rodion, Irina quickly regained her composure, grabbing the leader's wrist as they made their way toward him. The others followed, intrigued by Rodion. As they approached, Rodion felt a wave of discomfort and self-consciousness, but he stayed seated, waiting for them to reach his table.

The leader casually sat himself in front of him, brushing the loose strand of his hair into the back of his hair. He smiled at Rodion, his eyes examining his figure, draped in a black cloak, a plain black mask covering half of his face. He noticed that his physique was quite bigger than his. Trailing his eyes at him, his focus went to Rodion's copper skin.

Rodion, despite being wrapped in a cloak, felt completely exposed under the gaze of the person across from him. The girls watched silently, while others struggled to conceal their flushed cheeks.

The leader leaned forward on the table, his eyes through the circles of his mask glued to him. "I didn't know dark-skinned people could be this attractive. I'd love to see you without that mask."

Rodion nearly coughed. He cleared his throat, then grabbed his frappé and sipped. The girls, on the other hand, couldn't help but clutch on to their chests, feeling their racing hearts beat at the sight and what they had just heard.

"Hello, leader," Rodion managed to greet.

"Call me, Mr. Fujoshi. Sorry, I only just got the news about the new member, literally just a few minutes ago. I don't go often here in town, just whenever there's a gathering," said Mr. Fujoshi, a smile tugging on his lips.

Only when there's a gathering?

It picked up Rodion's curiosity, but he didn't give in to his curiosity to ask. Instead, he inquired, "What do you usually do during the gathering?"

Mr. Fujoshi paused, his smile still lingering. "Arts, writing...We have a lot of talented members here, like Ira."

Rodion softly nodded his head, whereas Ira blushed at the passive compliment from their leader. 

Can I ask him straight if he's a transmigrator? Tsk. There's a lot of people here. Why are these girls watching us with so much interest?  

Mr. Fujoshi pulled back and straightened his back. "Well, while waiting for the other members, why don't we discuss what we do here at every gathering? I'll have Nadya and the others have a brief meeting about that. I'm hungry; I'll eat first."

He stood up and made his way to the counter to order food, weaving through the crowd. Rodion followed his gaze, studying him as Mr. Fujoshi leaned against the countertop, pointing at the menu while speaking to the waiter.

His demeanor and action look natural; he should have been in this world for quite a while now...

With a lot of people present, he couldn't easily talk to him alone. He let out a small sigh and looked away. Only then did he notice that the others were observing him.

Daria Makarovna, wearing a big smile, sat next to him. "Isn't our leader handsome?" she asked Rodion, wearing a meaningful smile.

"Uh…" Rodion furrowed his brow underneath his mask.

"Dasha, you're making him uncomfortable. Stop that."

Tatiana Pavlova once again introduced Rodion to the others. Despite how they had told him that it was necessary to hide the identities of the members for personal security, only him and the leader were actually wearing disguises.

I hope I'm not the only one in town with a dark complexion. My dark skin and long, wavy hair make me easy to recognize at outside gatherings. I'm sure of it. 

"As you can see, most of the members are girls. And there should be a lot of people present at today's gathering, since it's summer vacation. We'll introduce them to you, too, once they arrive." Nadeshda Igorevna said, as she started to talk about the important details of their group and their gathering.

They would meet once or twice a month, depending on Mr. Fujoshi's instructions. What they mostly did during their gathering was share their writings and art, with the subject being related to their group's ideals and main objectives. Discussing opinions and how they could help people who were attracted to the same gender.

Such a common group of people had good intentions for others but needed to be kept in secret to avoid major conflict. Their secret group was established two years ago. And to Rodion's disappointment, Nadeshda and the others didn't discuss further how the leader had started the group.

I guess I'll ask him once we're alone.

After the brief meeting with Rodion, Nadeshda and the others had to excuse themselves.

"I apologize, Mr. Fudanshi. I'm so excited to show my drawings with the rest of the members and discuss what we're going to share with the leader later, once we've started. "Please stay for a while," Irina excused, feeling a little guilty for leaving him alone.

Rodion waved his hand a little as he smiled. "Don't mind me. I'll call you if I need something."

With that, they left him alone at his table. The frappé grew mildly sweet as the ice melted. He let out a huff, leaning back in his chair to relax his muscles and nerves. As he watched the others gather at a different table, he noticed Nadeshda and Ira approaching the leader. They spoke for a while, glancing his way occasionally. After a few minutes, the two young women returned to the group.

Mr. Fujoshi, meanwhile, picked up his drink from the counter and made his way back to Rodion. As he neared the table, Rodion straightened up, watching the leader approach with keen interest. When Mr. Fujoshi arrived, he placed his drink on the table and stood there, his masked gaze lingering on Rodion for a moment. His thoughts were unknown.

"Fudanshi… Where'd you get your nickname?"