"You're so slow! Seriously, so slow!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha carefully rode her motorbike up to the western-style mansion built from dark red bricks.
Before she could even take in the grand estate, she spotted a small girl standing at the entrance, wearing a brown beret and a green tracksuit jacket, waving her hand with a loud complaint.
She didn't respond right away.
Honestly, she was more worried about accidentally hitting the kid if she lost control of the bike.
"Sorry, sorry! The estate is just so big, I almost got lost," she said with a sheepish smile.
Even though Kyousuke's sketch map was super detailed, it was Mitsuha's first time seeing such a massive and grand estate in person, she was a bit dazzled.
Still, she made it just in time.
"Lost? How do you still get lost after coming here so many times?"
Eriri shot a suspicious glance at Kyousuke.
Why was he apologizing so easily today?
Just yesterday morning when she brought it up, he shamelessly replied with some nonsense like, "I got lost on the road of life."
"Well, the goldfish in the garden pond were just too cute, I couldn't help but stop and admire them for a bit."
Mitsuha answered truthfully.
But wait, wasn't this supposed to be a blonde rich girl?
Why was she hiding all her hair under that hat?
Oh, right—Kyousuke had mentioned in his notes that she tended to hide her otaku side.
Still, those blue eyes were seriously stunning, and her skin was flawless, like a living doll.
That said, even with the big hat and those hideous black-rimmed glasses, there was no way they could fully hide her beauty.
If someone knew her, they'd recognize her in a heartbeat.
Mitsuha stared curiously at the girl, her mind full of questions.
"You idiot, those are koi, not goldfish!"
Yep, she was still just as annoying.
Yesterday it was "lost on the road of life," and today it's "mesmerized by goldfish"?
Give me a break.
"Eh? Aren't koi just fancy goldfish?" Mitsuha blinked.
"Of course not! Koi have whiskers goldfish don't!" Eriri puffed up proudly, showing off her very limited knowledge.
"Oooh, I see."
"Hurry up, Kyousuke-kun, we've got to get going!"
A deep blue sedan pulled up behind the mansion, and Mrs. Sayuri waved from the passenger seat.
They had driven around to the back to load up the boxes of freshly printed doujinshi.
Mitsuha recognized the car's emblem, it was an Infiniti. The wealthiest family in Itomori owned one too, but this one looked way fancier.
"Come on already," Eriri said, tugging lightly on Kyousuke's sleeve before walking ahead toward the car.
"Good morning, Aunt Sayuri, Uncle Robin."
Once inside, Mitsuha finally got a better look at the people in the front.
Mrs. Sayuri, dressed in an eye-catching kimono, looked like she was headed to some kind of award ceremony.
In contrast, the blond diplomat in the driver's seat was much more low-key, dressed in a simple white shirt and brown vest.
"My, Kyousuke-kun, why do you look so stiff today? Did my outfit scare you?" Sayuri chuckled, looking at him through the rearview mirror.
"N-No, it's just... I'm a bit nervous. It's my first time going to a doujin event," Mitsuha said, trying to ignore how soft the genuine leather seats felt under her.
She completely forgot her motorbike cost four million yen. Still, she was being honest.
"Hmph, what's there to be nervous about? Just stick with me and you'll be fine." Eriri leaned back with her arms crossed, flashing a proud grin with her tiny fang peeking out.
"No way. I promised to help promote your work first. Once it's all sold out, then we can enjoy ourselves." Mitsuha spoke seriously.
Sure, she was planning to tag along and learn from the seasoned doujin expert Eriri, but she hadn't forgotten Kyousuke's request either.
Plus, this girl was a genius artist capable of turning Kyousuke's... abstract manga ideas into actual commercial-level works.
Maybe she could even illustrate Mitsuha's novel someday. Then she'd become a real creator too!
"Do what you want. I'm not going to stand there yelling like an idiot to sell books."
Seriously, what was his problem?
She was trying to include him in the fun of the event, and he didn't appreciate it one bit!
Fine, let him help Dad sell stuff at the booth instead!
Up front, Mr. Spencer turned his head toward his wife and gave a helpless shrug, full of affectionate resignation.
After all, he was going to be the one doing all the shouting to attract otaku attention.
The group arrived at the venue quickly.
At first, Mitsuha had confidently planned to carry the heavy boxes herself, but seeing that the organizers had prepared trolleys, she gratefully let that idea go.
Since this event was aimed at newcomers, booth locations weren't based on popularity or reputation.
Instead, everything was decided by lottery, to give everyone an equal shot.
"Hehe, Lily, look! Mommy's luck is amazing, right? We got a golden spot!"
Sayuri beamed as she pulled out a blue tablecloth from one of the boxes.
Her vibrant kimono stood out like a sore thumb among all the hoodie-and-jeans-wearing attendees.
People at the neighboring booths couldn't stop glancing over.
Oddly enough, the tall, blond, foreign-looking Mr. Spencer wasn't attracting much attention.
A few booths down, someone was even wearing a pitch-black cloak that completely obscured their face.
And since cosplayers had already started trickling in before the doors opened, there were a few blonde characters around who looked even more Caucasian than Mr. Spencer, thanks to some suspiciously powerful makeup skills.
Their booth was the fourth from the right of the main entrance, one of the best spots in the whole venue.
If this were a commercial-focused doujin event, this kind of prime real estate would cost a fortune and only be available to high-profile circles.
"Mom, I told you not to call me Lily at events like this!" Eriri whispered urgently as she pulled items from another box.
Then, she turned to glare at Kyousuke, who was assembling a handheld promo sign, her face tight with anxiety.
"And you! Kyousuke! Don't you dare call me Eriri here!"
"Then… what should I call you?" Mitsuha asked, tearing her eyes away from the incredibly detailed illustration on the sign.
It was the first drawing Kyousuke had shown her, the male lead holding the heroine by the waist.
Only now it was fully colored.
The steam rising from their mouths, the blush on their faces, the way the muscles and the heroine's… assets popped under the shading, everything looked so vivid and steamy.
'Wait, this is the kind of thing they're selling today?! '
Mitsuha blushed fiercely.
She couldn't help but get a little excited to read the full story.
"C-call me… Eiri."
Eriri paused for a moment, then decided to use her usual gamer tag.
As she glanced at the boy in front of her, she noticed something strange and asked with concern:
"Also, why is your face so red?"
"I get it now… it's that 'Eiri,' like from Kashiwagi Eiri, right? And, uh—red face? Maybe it's because there's not enough air conditioning in here," Mitsuha quickly turned her face away and started piling the books from the box onto the table.
"Hot?" Eriri looked down at herself, then glanced over at Kyousuke, who was enthusiastically helping out.
'This idiot... wouldn't it make more sense to let my dad handle stacking books?'
'Why's he being so eager?'
'Hmph, I'm not giving him a cut of the profits anyway!'
"Come on, we've still got time before the event officially starts. I'll show you around and point out the top-tier creators," Eriri clapped her hands and waved for him to follow.
"Huh? But I was planning to go over your work again so I can introduce it better later…"
"Don't nag. Just follow me. Dad, I'm leaving the rest to you!"
"Got it! Don't worry, Lili—Daddy's going to sell every last one of your books!" her moe-loving diplomat dad shouted cheerfully.
"Go on, Kyousuke-kun. Just enjoy the world of doujin culture to your heart's content."
"I wore this kimono to celebrate my daughter's first big debut. No need to look so worried," Sayuri said with a warm smile, gently nudging the still-concerned boy who kept glancing at the box of leftover doujinshi.
"Hurry up!" Eriri called out, hands behind her back and flashing a playful little fang in her grin.
"I'll be counting on you, then," Mitsuha gave a quick bow before rushing to catch up with Eriri.
Back at the booth, the diplomat couple exchanged a knowing smile.
"Kyousuke-kun seems more polite than usual today," Mr. Spencer said, fixing one of the handheld signboards to the table leg.
Kyousuke had made four of them the day before, each decorated with colorful illustrations.
"You mean he seems a bit stiff, right?" Sayuri replied while arranging the doujinshi neatly on the table and placing the price sign at the front.
"Probably just nerves. First time in a place this packed with otaku types, he's bound to be overwhelmed."
"I was totally lost the first time I came to one of these," Mr. Spencer said, turning fondly to his wife.
"Right, and while you were gawking all over the place, you bumped right into me," Sayuri chuckled.
"But I've got to say, Kyousuke-kun seems really motivated to help Eriri sell her books."
———————————————————————
Meanwhile, Eriri was walking through the bustling hall, quietly flipping through the guide booklet and giving Kyousuke the lowdown on the event.
Although the exhibition hadn't officially started yet, the venue was already buzzing.
Behind each booth, were the creators of their work some booths had just one person, while others had entire teams.
A few even had cosplayers dressed up as their original characters.
Despite being a doujin-only event, all sorts of merchandise were being sold: games, CDs, VCDs, accessories—you name it.
"Look! Over there, it's the 777th Circle!" Eriri suddenly grabbed Mitsuha's sleeve in excitement.
"Their work looks a bit rough, but don't underestimate them, they're a branch of 07th Expansion! The original group pulls in tens of millions in sales every Comiket!"
Seeing the confused look on Mitsuha's face, she added, "Comiket's the biggest doujin event in Japan. It's ten times the size of this one!"
Mitsuha nodded, lifting her eyes from the program booklet that was filled with confusing names made of numbers, English words, and symbols.
At the 777th booth, a large poster hung down behind the doujinshi stack, showing a boy holding a sword fighting a monster. Mitsuha gave it a glance.
'Just like Eriri said, it does feel kind of amateur… Even with her curiosity, it didn't grab her attention.'
"Hey, hey—Ei—Eiri, what's that circle over there called?" Mitsuha was about to call her by her real name but remembered just in time how much Eriri wanted to keep her otaku side hidden.
"Oh, that? That's Alice Circle, one of the top doujin groups for cute-girl manga. This time they're featuring a new artist," Eriri said proudly, pleased Mitsuha used her alias.
"Let's check out their doujin! That bunny character is so cute!" Mitsuha said, eyes sparkling. She was finally starting to enjoy the event.
"Fine, but—wait, Kyousuke, you actually like this kind of cute stuff?" Eriri turned to him with wide, amused eyes behind her nerdy glasses.
"Eh—uh, actually, it's not for me! A friend of mine knew I was coming to this event and asked me to pick some things up for her," Mitsuha said smoothly, already a pro at lying with a straight face.
"Really now?"
'Liar. There's no way someone could look that excited and not mean it.'
'Heh, I didn't expect this guy—who draws stuff like One Punch Man and acts all tough—to be so soft inside.'
'Turns out Kyousuke is a total tsundere!'
"Alright then! Let's go buy every single cute-girl manga in the hall!" she declared.
"Yeah!" Mitsuha nodded excitedly.
Mitsuha quickly paid and became the first customer at the booth, walking away beaming as she followed her industry veteran guide toward the next source of joy.
"Honestly, the quality of this manga is impressive. My dad would probably like it too," Eriri said, flipping through a copy.
The pink bunny holding a carrot on the cover turned into a bunny-girl by page two, and then…
"…Is that supposed to be Uncle Robin?" Mitsuha blinked.
"He's a total moe-loving softie, remember? I told you," Eriri shrugged.
"Ohhh, so bunny-girls count as moe too!" Mitsuha said, still full of energy despite realizing the story wasn't the innocent forest adventure she'd expected.
But she loved it all the same—this was her first real dive into otaku culture.
"Next up is Vampire Knight Band, a top-tier group in the cute-girl manga world, going strong since the very first Comiket!"
Eriri stood proudly in front of another booth, practically glowing as she introduced it like she was showing off a precious treasure.
"Of course, today they're showcasing a new artist too, but I promise you won't be disappointed."
She was clearly having a great time.
At first, she'd worried that Kyousuke, a supposed normie, wouldn't care for something as otaku as a doujin event, but not only was he into it, he even liked cute-girl manga just like she did.
'Hehe… trying to act cool with that whole "I'm not into otome games" bit before…'
"Wow—cough, cough! The art style is so beautiful. My friend is definitely going to love this!" Mitsuha's eyes sparkled with excitement, almost letting her enthusiasm slip out loud.
But then she remembered, she was still in Kyousuke's body. She quickly dialed back her reaction, regaining composure.
The two wandered between booths, weaving through the smaller crowd that had arrived early.
Since the main rush hadn't started yet, they were free to explore and enjoy themselves.
With each booth, their bags gradually grew heavier with merchandise.
Before they knew it, the official opening time had arrived.
As the venue's large entry doors began to slowly open, Mitsuha snapped out of her fun-induced haze and remembered her "mission."
"Eriri, we should head back."
"Huh?" Eriri glanced up from the accessories booth where she was bending over, seriously inspecting some ridiculously cute trinkets.
She hadn't caught what Mitsuha said.
"The event's officially starting. I should get back to helping sell your work," Mitsuha clarified.
At this point, Kyousuke's body had several adorable animal-themed hair clips stuck to his head, obviously picked out by Eriri and of course immortalized in her phone's camera roll.
Mitsuha didn't even flinch.
She was used to it by now.
"I already told you, we don't need you over there. My dad's got it handled," Eriri said, her voice a little warmer despite her usual tsundere tone.
It was clear she appreciated Mitsuha's effort but didn't want to take away from her experience.
"I insist. Your work's amazing, Eriri. It's definitely going to be a hit. There's no way Uncle Robin can handle that crowd on his own."
"Why don't you let Sayuri-san hang out with you instead?"
After spending the morning browsing countless fan-made works, Mitsuha had developed a newfound appreciation for Eriri's talent.
She finally understood why Kyousuke had confidently suggested printing 500 copies.
"Hmph, like I need you to tell me that. Of course they'll sell out in a flash!" Eriri said with a pout, trying to sound confident.
But Mitsuha remembered how she had barely slept last night, nerves keeping her up. That bravado was a mask.
"I really should get going," Mitsuha said.
She paid for the clips in her hair, then turned to leave.
Even though they hadn't known each other long, Mitsuha could already read Kyousuke's feelings pretty well, especially that classic "says one thing, means another" behavior.
She knew Eriri genuinely wanted her to keep enjoying the event.
"What a dummy," Eriri muttered under her breath, staring at Mitsuha's retreating figure.
"As if I'd feel okay watching you help sell my stuff while I just laze around. Idiot."
Grabbing the huge bags, three times as wide as her frame Eriri stumbled after her, refusing to be left behind.
"Hey, Eriri, the crowd's starting to pick up. If someone you know spots you, won't they recognize you?" Mitsuha asked with concern.
"Shut it!" Eriri shot back, striding past Mitsuha with her usual fiery determination.
Mitsuha grinned.
'She's so cute… Kyousuke's lucky to hang out with a girl like her all the time.'
Of course, Sayaka was super cute too… just not blonde. But cute nonetheless.
As they approached the booth near the entrance, Mitsuha spotted a small crowd already forming around egoistic-lily's table, flipping through the doujinshi on display.
Perfect.
Looks like they wouldn't even need Onizuka and the others to step in, this was shaping up to be a sell-out day.
Mitsuha felt a wave of excitement surge through her.
Seeing Eriri struggling to get through the gathering crowd to reach her booth, Mitsuha didn't hesitate.
She stepped forward, her current borrowed body proving surprisingly useful in situations like this.
She took the bags from Eriri's hands and began carving a path forward through the sea of people.
Eriri followed closely behind, gripping the brim of her hat tightly to keep it from falling off.
Watching that reassuring back leading the way, the nervousness in Eriri's chest quietly faded away.