Meanwhile, in a corner of the venue, a petite figure wearing a hat, mask and sunglasses - their features so thoroughly concealed it was difficult to tell even their gender - had their gaze fixed on Ye Xing standing before the doujinshi booth. Beneath the sunglasses, their eyes brimmed with barely contained panic.
He... Ye Xing... why was he here?
Eriri was dumbfounded once again.
When she'd wanted to find him before, she couldn't.
Yet now they'd met precisely when they absolutely shouldn't have.
The beautiful woman in a kimono selling doujinshi was none other than Eriri's mother, Sayuri Sawamura.
Since Eriri was still underage, the sales and subsequent processes for the doujinshi she drew under the name Eri Kashiwagi were handled by her parents.
Normally, Eriri would never come to a place like a comic convention to avoid others discovering her otaku tendencies.
But this wasn't just any convention.
This time, Mr Aoki Go - a devoted Mask fan quite renowned within the fan club - had claimed there would be special edition Mask figurines for sale!
How could Eriri, equally a die-hard Mask fan, miss such an opportunity?
Hence, her current heavily disguised appearance as she infiltrated the convention.
The crucial issue was...
How could she greet Ye Xing looking like this?
If she spoke and he asked why she was here, everything would be ruined!
However...
Hiding in the corner, Eriri watched Ye Xing stand there, conversing with her mother and Master Aoki, her mind quietly calculating.
For him to appear here, could it mean...
Is Ye Xing also an otaku culture enthusiast?
Or perhaps he's a fan of Mask, too?
If that's the case, then she and he could be considered to share common interests...
Thinking this far, Eriri suddenly realised something was wrong and quickly shook her head, raising her hand to gently pat her cheeks.
What was she thinking?
She only wanted to thank him for what happened that day - she had no intention of making friends or anything like that, so why was she pondering his preferences?
Completely unnecessary.
...
Over half an hour later, Marin Kitagawa, now changed into Shizuku Kuroe's cosplay outfit, emerged from the changing room together with Saki Kawasaki.
This time, the changing process had gone smoothly.
The correct character...
Saki Kawasaki had also helped her draw it on.
"Ye Xing, sorry to keep you waiting."
Saki Kawasaki led Marin Kitagawa over to Ye Xing's side, smiling as she was about to say something when she noticed the doujinshi covers displayed at the stall in front of him. Instantly, her face flushed bright red, and she couldn't even form coherent words.
"You... you... you actually..."
In contrast, Marin Kitagawa's reaction was remarkably calm. She even picked up one of the wrapped doujinshi, examining the cover image visible through the transparent plastic wrapping as she spoke in a serious tone.
"Eh? The artwork in this doujinshi is really good - much better than what I saw in those shops during my shopping trip in Tokyo. The quality is really high."
"This young lady has good taste."
Eriri's mother was herself a hardcore otaku culture enthusiast and a complete fujoshi. Hearing Marin Kitagawa giving such high praise to her daughter's work, she immediately beamed with delight.
"Then I'll give you one as a gift."
"Ah? No, no, that's not necessary."
Marin Kitagawa quickly waved her hands, smiling as she replied.
"For such high-quality work, I definitely can't take it for free. How much is this one? I'll buy it."
"Alright then, thank you for your patronage."
Watching Marin Kitagawa pay for and purchase that doujinshi whose cover already looked quite erotic, Saki Kawasaki wore a complicated expression, unsure of what to say.
Saki Kawasaki wasn't particularly interested in otaku culture herself.
She made cosplay outfits partly to take orders and earn money to support her family and save up for cram school fees, and partly because she wanted to see the genuine, heartfelt, joyful smile on Marin Kitagawa's face when she wore the cosplay outfits Saki made.
Compared to money, Marin Kitagawa's approval was the greatest reward Saki Kawasaki gained from making cosplay outfits.
Therefore, she couldn't understand how Marin Kitagawa could be so composed and straightforward about directly buying an erotic doujinshi in full public view.
But upon second thought, Saki Kawasaki found it perfectly normal.
After all, this was the same person who could openly recommend eroge to her, directly hang a Shizuku Kuroe charm from an eroge on her school bag, and even cosplay the character herself.
Marin Kitagawa didn't care what kind of work her favourite characters came from - she only cared about whether she liked them or not, never concerning herself with such matters.
Sometimes, Saki Kawasaki even wondered if this gyaru beauty might be missing a screw or two in her head.
"Speaking of which..."
Ye Xing looked toward Marin Kitagawa and smiled.
"Did you draw the tally marks?"
Upon hearing this seemingly ordinary question, Marin Kitagawa suddenly flushed bright red, steam practically visible from her head as she stammered in panic.
"I... I drew them."
"That's good."
Seeing Marin Kitagawa's reaction, Saki Kawasaki felt puzzled, thinking, 'Why is she getting so shy like this?'
It's just drawing tally marks...
Wait a moment.
Saki Kawasaki suddenly remembered something, her pupils contracting slightly in shock.
At the last Tokyo outdoor comic convention, she had also helped Marin Kitagawa change into her costume, but that time... there didn't seem to be any process for drawing the tally marks.
To recreate Shizuku Kuroe's outfit to the maximum extent, Saki had also played that so-called game. She knew that, beneath the surface clothing, the character Shizuku Kuroe had tally marks on her inner thighs, representing the number of times she'd been conquered and her current status phase.
A cosplayer like Marin Kitagawa, who pursued ultimate accuracy, would never allow herself to miss such details.
The key point was - she hadn't drawn them for Marin.
So who had drawn them for her?
Could it be...
Thinking this, Saki shot Marin a meaningful look and sighed helplessly.
Well played, Marin.
Sneaking a round, are we?
Just then, a cool, emotionless female voice came from nearby.
"What are you doing here too?"
Ye Xing turned his head to see Toka Takanashi standing quietly there in casual clothes, with a slightly petite figure standing behind her - her younger sister, Rikka Takanashi.
"Shouldn't I be asking that question?"
Ye Xing wore a somewhat helpless expression.
Good grief, coming to a comic convention only to find it's all people I know.
"It's all because of this one..."
Toka Takanashi sighed helplessly and extended her slender, pale index finger to tap Rikka's forehead.
"She insisted on coming to this convention, but with her personality, I couldn't let her come alone. Since I still have some time before work, I came along with her."
After saying this, Toka didn't hear her sister spout her usual chuunibyou nonsense about invisible boundary lines, Holy Caretakers, or management bureaus. She turned to look and saw her sister Rikka with flushed cheeks, her gaze fixed on Ye Xing as if she wanted to say something.
This left Toka completely baffled.
Wait, while Ye Xing is quite good-looking, is he really handsome enough to achieve this?
Could he actually cure her sister's severe chuunibyou?
What kind of succubus miracle doctor is this?
"Um... Ye... Ye Xing classmate..."
Rikka Takanashi wanted to greet him normally, but that conflicted with her chuunibyou instincts. Her brain seemed to be overheating from the strain, and she stammered for a while before her chuunibyou side ultimately won out. She struck an extremely cool pose and deliberately spoke in a deep voice.
"My ally, I never expected we would meet again here! This must be the threads of fate drawing us together to embark on the journey to find the invisible boundary line!"
"I'm not searching for anything with you."
Ye Xing mercilessly rejected player Rikka Takanashi's invitation to share in her delusions.
"Eh?"
Hearing Ye Xing's response, Toka Takanashi looked somewhat surprised and slowly said,
"I originally thought you would share in Rikka's chuunibyou antics. I never expected you to be unexpectedly mature."
Toka thought to herself that this was actually quite true.
During the previous exorcism incident, it had become quite evident that this classmate, Ye Xing, unlike her delusional younger sister Rikka, who fantasised about having special abilities, genuinely possessed extraordinary powers beyond ordinary people.
As for how this conclusion was reached? Wasn't it rather obvious?
Could a normal person withstand a fully speeding truck that could even crash through a restaurant's wall?
How could that possibly be an ordinary human?
Probably in the eyes of someone who truly possessed such special abilities... severely chuunibyou Rikka... must appear quite foolish indeed?
"Everyone, everyone! Please look over here!"
At that moment, Aoki had already taken his position behind his stall, beside a mysterious object draped in black cloth, just over 180 centimetres tall.
Everyone in the convention hall stopped what they were doing, their gazes turning in this direction.
Ye Xing finally understood.
This comic convention's central theme was essentially being crazy for love... or rather, powered by love. Although they charged admission fees, on this scale, they definitely couldn't break even.
It was entirely dependent on sponsors like Aoki, a devoted fan of Mask, and Eriri's mother, and Ye Xing even suspected Haruno Yukinoshita was involved too, that enabled this event to happen.
As for the purpose...
Wasn't this essentially Mask's fan support group gathering in disguise!?
The so-called comic convention was merely a pretext, on one hand, to attract more newcomers and eventually guide them to become Mask supporters, while on the other hand, since Mask wasn't officially recognised, directly organising a Mask fan support event would likely cause procedural complications.
"Everyone, please look..."
Seeing all convention attendees focusing their attention on him, Aoki nodded with satisfaction, placed his hand on the black cloth, and pulled it away with a flourish.
"This is today's main attraction!"
After the black cloth was removed, what appeared before everyone's eyes was...
"Bloody hell..."
Ye Xing stared at the life-sized figure wearing a black coat, a pure black mask with a white smiling face pattern, standing exactly the same height as himself with nearly identical build, even the coat's hem designed to resemble burning flames. His expression became somewhat complicated.
Bloody hell, why did they put me up there?
As this life-sized Mask figure revealed its true appearance, exclamations of amazement echoed throughout the convention hall.
"Wow... It's absolutely identical... such excellent craftsmanship..."
"Oh my god, it's like Mask themself came!"
"Creating such a life-sized figure must have taken tremendous effort, right?"
"Is this the special edition being sold today!? Uncle Aoki never disappoints!"
Rikka Takanashi, being a die-hard Mask fan, practically had stars in her eyes as she gazed at the life-sized figure.
"Mask, so cool!"
Noticing Ye Xing's somewhat complicated expression, Saki Kawasaki, who knew the truth, approached him, gently poked his shoulder and teased.
"If I'd known it would be this lively today, I should have brought Keika along too."
"I can't handle this."
Ye Xing shook his head and waved dismissively at Marin Kitagawa and Saki Kawasaki.
"I'm going to wander around nearby for a bit. Message me when the convention's nearly over - I need to make an early exit."
With that, Ye Xing directly left the convention venue.
Watching his retreating figure, Marin Kitagawa hesitated before speaking.
"This... could it be that Ye Xing doesn't like Mask? But he cosplayed as Mask last time, and from his words, even if he's not a fan, he should at least be a supporter..."
"You don't understand."
Saki Kawasaki patted Marin Kitagawa's shoulder with a meaningful expression.
"It's precisely because he supports Mask so much that he's too embarrassed to hear everyone's praise and wants to escape. He's just being tsundere."
...
Meanwhile, Ye Xing entered the elevator and let out a soft sigh.
He genuinely couldn't handle it - who could withstand that?
Everyone's support for Mask was just too enthusiastic, like when relatives and friends of your parents corner you at New Year's dinner and shower you with awkward praise.
Although Aoki and the others were sincerely praising Mask, having the actual person standing there listening to others sing his praises... Ye Xing felt it was completely unnecessary.
Only those unaffected by any comments, whether praise or criticism, could be truly free.
Just then, the elevator stopped at a certain floor.
Ye Xing was about to press the close button when he noticed that this floor contained a bookstore, with a banner stretched above its entrance.
[Light Novel 'The Metronome in Love' Volume 1 Released! Author Signing Event Now Open!]
"The Metronome in Love..."
Ye Xing stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the bookstore, murmuring with a light laugh.
"Today really is full of familiar faces."
...
At the same time, in a corner of the bookstore.
Utaha Kasumigaoka, wearing a long dress with sheer black tights still covering her legs, kept her head lowered as she stared at the desk. She appeared to be writing something with a pen, but a closer look at the notebook would reveal she was just scribbling meaninglessly.
"Not even... a single person..."
Utaha Kasumigaoka sighed softly.
Nearly half an hour had passed since the signing event began.
Not one person had bought her novel, The Metronome in Love, and come to get her signature.
There had been one man who approached, but he wasn't interested in the novel at all - just the type to make frivolous advances.
Needless to say, Utaha had driven him away with her usual sharp-tongued attitude.
Though she appeared calm now, since entering high school, Utaha Kasumigaoka had always maintained the image of a perfect young lady and a literary genius, having encountered few setbacks.
She was adored by thousands at school, and the scripts she wrote for the drama club had even won awards.
Yet The Metronome in Love, the light novel she had poured immense effort into writing, had achieved dismal sales after finally being published. Even with today's author signing event, no one showed interest.
Could her book... really be that terrible?
She couldn't accept it... she simply couldn't accept it.
Just then, a copy of The Metronome in Love was gently placed on the table and pushed in front of Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Miss Utako Kasumi, please give me your autograph."
"Eh?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Utaha Kasumigaoka looked up and froze for a moment upon seeing Ye Xing standing there with a smile.
"You... why are you here?"
Ye Xing replied with complete seriousness.
"Of course I'm here. I'm a cultured person, born into a literary family. My favourite thing is to wander freely in the ocean of knowledge."
Utaha pressed her lips together, looking at the copy of 'The Metronome in Love' she had written on the table with a complicated expression.
"Have you... read the novel I wrote online?"
"Haven't read it."
Ye Xing shook his head, sitting down opposite Utaha with a smile.
"But since it's written by you, I'm sure it's worth reading."
"Is that so..."
Utaha murmured to herself, then showed a slightly bitter smile.
"Thank you for your support. You're the first today, and probably the only person who will buy my novel and ask for my autograph."
"Not necessarily."
Utaha had thought Ye Xing would say something to comfort her, but never expected him to speak with complete sincerity the next second.
"I brought two friends with me today. Don't worry, counting mine, you've sold at least three copies. A great victory for a rookie writer just starting out."
Utaha let out a light hum, saying flatly.
"As expected, even after not seeing you for several days, you're still so infuriating when you speak."
"Be nicer to your reader, Miss Utako Kasumi, or I'll post about you online."
Just as the two were sitting and chatting, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded throughout the building.
"This is...?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka's expression changed.
"A fire alarm?"