Chapter 66: Comic Convention

Saturday, 12:30 PM. Ryuichi Sugawara arrived at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center Station half an hour ahead of schedule.

Although his reserved time slot was from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, having some idle time meant that arriving early wasn't a bad idea at all.

"An anime convention?"

Stepping out of the station, Ryuichi looked at the massive building, feeling a touch of emotional nostalgia.

In his past life, he had heard about anime conventions countless times, but he had never attended a single one.

While he did watch anime, he mostly remained a passive spectator and had never participated in any offline events.

Perhaps the Tokyo International Exhibition Center was the largest and most technologically advanced exhibition center in Japan, but Ryuichi didn't pay too much attention to the architecture; instead, his gaze drifted toward the surrounding pedestrians.

Unlike him, who was still dressed in ordinary everyday clothes, the vast majority of people were wearing various Cosplay costumes, complete with wigs and all sorts of accessories.

At a single glance, the area was filled with familiar characters, such as Goku, Luffy, and Sasuke—timeless, super-popular characters.

The convention he was attending today might not have been a super-massive event, but it was still quite large, and it had kicked off in the morning rather than the afternoon.

In other words, before he even stepped through the gates, everyone else had already been having fun for hours.

After a brief scan of the male cosplayers, what attracted his attention even more were the female cosplayers.

There were Hatsune Miku, Tifa, and Chun-Li, as well as characters from Genshin Impact like the Raiden Shogun, Furona, Klee, and Nahida.

Beyond those, there were plenty of characters whose names he couldn't recall at all, but they all looked quite impressive.

After all, most attractive two-dimensional female characters wore exceptionally stylish outfits, with various types of stockings emerging endlessly—a stark contrast to everyday wear—not to mention the occasional maid costume.

Immersed in such an environment, dressed as he was in ordinary clothes, he felt as though he had accidentally wandered into another world, finding everything wonderfully novel.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you. Are you a 'Sensei'?"

Just then, a gorgeous, well-endowed tall beauty cosplaying as the Raiden Shogun walked over, greeting him with open and polite confidence.

"No, I'm a student."

Ryuichi stood notably tall. He cast a downward glance at the Raiden Shogun's Mariana Trench of cleavage, then politely averted his gaze and shook his head.

When facing something beautiful, taking a single glance was the bare minimum of respect, but staring continuously would be rather impolite.

"Pfft... I don't mean a teacher from school. At conventions, 'Sensei' means photographer."

The Raiden Shogun cosplayer had anticipated many different replies before coming over to chat, but she certainly hadn't expected him to say that, and she burst into an amused giggle, pointing at the single-strap camera bag hanging over his shoulder.

"I see."

Hearing her explanation, Ryuichi finally understood.

Just a moment ago, he had been wondering what on earth about him made him look like a teacher.

"Could it be that this is your first time at a convention?"

Noticing how endearingly dazed he looked, the Raiden Shogun cosplayer cupped her chest with both hands, looking at him with a smile she simply couldn't contain.

She had spotted Ryuichi from afar earlier; after all, this young man's height made him stand out too prominently in the crowd, not to mention how handsome he was and the camera he was carrying.

It was a rare sight to find such a handsome photographer, and it would be an absolute waste not to expand her circle of acquaintances by making friends with him.

Now, judging by how things were going, if things progressed smoothly, there was even a chance they could become regular photography partners.

"Yes, my girlfriend really likes conventions and dragged me along with her."

Although her posture could easily manipulate naive guys like Shota Sato, Ryuichi was completely immune to this routine.

"Oh? So you came with your girlfriend? Did you bring that camera to take pictures of her?"

"Mhm."

"Well, before you start taking pictures of your girlfriend, how about doing a test shoot with me first? I frequent conventions a lot and have quite a bit of photography experience. I might be able to give you some good advice."

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I'm afraid my girlfriend would get jealous. Please allow me to decline."

"Alright then... Would you like to exchange contact information? Maybe the next time your girlfriend isn't around, we can go shooting together."

[Mai Hamada has sent you a dating invitation. Do you accept?]

As the Raiden Shogun cosplayer spoke these words, she also flashed him a seductive wink.

"No need. My girlfriend is arriving right now. Goodbye."

Even though her proposal was quite tempting and her tone was heart-stirringly alluring, Ryuichi still shook his head and refused.

With that, he stopped conversing with her, turned around, and walked away to put some distance between them.

Frankly speaking, he wasn't very fond of girls who were this proactive.

Because compared to being passive, he much preferred taking the initiative to charm reserved girls.

Perhaps playing along with a girl like this wouldn't be a bad thing—guys didn't lose anything after all—but Japan was home to creatures known as landmine girls; once you got entangled with one, it would be difficult to extricate yourself.

Seeing him turn around and walk away without even looking back, the Raiden Shogun cosplayer stomped her foot in mild frustration.

At that moment, as Ryuichi planned to change spots and wait for someone, a notification suddenly popped up in his field of vision:

[Chika Morishita feels her heart beating faster. Heartbeat value +1]

Seeing this prompt, Ryuichi realized something and began scanning his surroundings.

Yet, amidst the vast sea of people, he simply couldn't find where Chika Morishita was.

Ultimately, he didn't even know what Chika Morishita looked like; he only knew her real name thanks to the system doxxing her.

"Constellation?"

Just as he was looking around, a voice that sounded like it had summoned up a lot of courage rang out from beside him.

Hearing the voice, Ryuichi turned his head, but failed to find anyone there.

Before doubt could even arise in his mind, a small hand raised high entered the corner of his eye.

Noticing this movement, Ryuichi looked down and finally found the person.

It was a tiny girl dragging a suitcase, standing around 150 centimeters tall, with a slender figure, and a cute, childish face that made her look like a middle school student.

She had long cherry-blossom-colored pink hair. Beneath her long eyelashes were a pair of striking pink eyes, and she had faint dark circles under her eyes, giving off a somewhat shut-in vibe.

"Little Universe?"

Looking at this pink-haired loli, Ryuichi crouched down so they were at eye level and called out her online moniker.

"Mhm, mhm."

Finally freed from having to crane her neck to look up at him, Chika Morishita let out a sigh of relief and nodded, claiming her internet handle, Little Universe.

"Asking this might be a bit presumptuous, but may I ask how old you are this year?"

Given that she looked entirely like a minor, Ryuichi chose to ask just to be safe.

If Chika Morishita were a high schooler, that would be fine, but if she were a junior high student, he wouldn't dare flirt with her.

After all, middle school was precisely the age when romantic feelings began to bud, and once someone fell for someone else, they might plunge in too deep to pull back.

"Twenty-four!"

Seeing him ask this, Chika Morishita instantly grew unhappy and pronounced the number with resounding conviction.

"So he's into lolis... No wonder he rejected me."

Meanwhile, still nursing her annoyance over being rejected, the Raiden Shogun cosplayer not far away watched as Ryuichi reunited with his girlfriend, and instantly felt a sense of release.