Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 138, Section 14: "A Date with a Manga Artist"

Sunday, cloudy, with temperatures ranging from 23 to 29°C.

The hydrangeas in the roadside flowerbeds have withered, and the clouds overhead have changed to altocumulus clouds of autumn.

Masumi took the JR train to Sannomiya, then transferred to the Port Island Line, arriving at an artificial island about 3 kilometers south of Kobe.

To build this island, Kobe City leveled the peaks of the Rokko Mountains, namely the "Takakura" and "Yokoo" peaks, spending 5300 billion yen and taking 15 years. When it was completed, it was the world's largest artificial island.

However, it is now ranked tenth, behind Rokko Artificial Island and Kansai International Airport, both located in the Kansai region.

The Kobe International Convention Center is located here.

Although he grew up in Kobe, this was his first time visiting this building, all because of a comment Seno made on the day of the Kita-Ko Cultural Festival.

"—Masumi-kun, could you... keep me company for a bit?"

……

What exactly is it about?
Masumi ruminated on unanswered questions in her mind as she walked out of the station. The crowd was so large that it was too much trouble to even count them; a long line stretched out in front of the convention center entrance.

He looked around and spotted that familiar figure in the crowd.

"Masumi-kun, you're quick."

Asami was wearing a coffee-colored shirt and a very long, pure white skirt that trailed down to her ankles. Her toes, which were tucked into sandals, were painted with bright orange nail polish.

Her long hair was tied into a single braid, hanging from her shoulders to her chest, and she walked towards Masumi while dragging two suitcases.

This artistic attire signifies that Seno has once again donned the disguise of "Ryujinin Michiyo".

If I hadn't witnessed her many unruly aspects firsthand, I probably would have been deceived by her stunningly beautiful face and made a mistake in thinking she was a quiet and dignified beauty.

"Why did you come here separately, one after the other? Isn't that troublesome?" Masumi asked as she took the two suitcases from her.

"In order to make it a natural thing for me to start a date with Masumi-kun, I had no choice but to resort to this tactic." Mami adjusted her glasses and said with a teasing squint.

"So this counts as a date?"

"What else could it be besides a date when a man and a woman go out together?"

"When you were a child, did your mother not have time to be busy, and did your father take care of you alone?"

"Oh my, Masumi-kun." Asami's lips curved into a slight smile as she teased, "You're not the type who likes girls calling you 'daddy,' are you?"

“…I don’t have that kind of hobby.” Masumi sighed helplessly.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Miss Mami laughed heartily.

The prominent chest seemed to far exceed the intended silhouette of the shirt. The button in the center was desperately pulling at the sides, but it was still stretched open by a narrow gap. Masumi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for her.

Fortunately, she laughed for a while and then stopped. She pushed up her glasses and put her hand on Masumi's shoulder.

"Speaking of which, didn't Miss Mio and the others notice anything amiss? Especially Miss Mio."

She unconsciously emphasized it twice.

"Although there were some twists and turns in the process, it should be fine in the end."

"Yeah."

Asami abruptly ended the conversation, pointed to the queue, and said, "Let's go, Masumi-kun."

"Oh, so what exactly are we going to do today?" Masumi glanced at the men carrying black backpacks walking by, already having some idea of ​​what was going on.

"A comic convention," she replied casually.

"so."

"Well, to be precise, it was a fan convention."

Mami led him straight to the venue without even waiting in line.

"Don't we need to queue?"

"Hmph, of course." Miss Mami suddenly stopped and turned to face him, showing him a ticket and waving it in front of Masumi with the flair of a rich woman throwing out her credit card.

"With you moving around so much, I can't see a single word clearly."

"Ugh, this is troublesome."

The ticket was fixed in mid-air, and the snow-white arm peeking out from the shirt sleeve was exceptionally slender. Following the slender lines, the trembling fullness was on full display.

Masumi suddenly realized that Seno was actually the type with a well-proportioned and slender bone structure, but his fat was piled up in just the right places, emphasizing his presence as if it were about to burst out.

"You're reading so slowly, Masumi-kun. There aren't that many katakana characters on it," Mami complained. "My shoulders are aching."

"You've finished reading it, you can take it back now."

My shoulders are sore, it's definitely not just my fault, is it? Masumi thought to herself.

"You should have said so sooner after you finished reading it."

Asami held the club admission pass between her fingers and let her arm hang down.

Those were priority passes issued by the organizers to allow participating doujin circles to prepare their booths before the event started.

However, it is sometimes exploited by scalpers who register empty package groups to obtain entry passes and then sell them online at high prices.

Today's event at Kobe International Convention Center is one of the largest doujinshi (fan-made comics) conventions in the Kansai region. In addition to the largest number of doujinshi booths, there are also booths for doujin games, doujin music, and cosplay ROMs.

Cosplayers with different appearances chatted and laughed and walked around the venue. Among them were anime characters that Masumi was familiar with, but of course, there were more characters that he had never seen before.

The atmosphere of the entire venue was somewhat similar to the Taipei High School Cultural Festival that Masumi had visited just Thursday. As his thoughts sank deeper into his memories, he recalled the backstage area of ​​the variety show concert that his senior, Rugu, had taken him to for the first time.

People with strong personalities and a strong sense of self gather here, and because of their shared interests and similar personalities, they form their own small circles...

...It's terrible of me to still be clinging to these memories.

"That handsome guy over there~"

Suddenly he heard someone calling him.

Masumi followed the sound and approached; a young woman dressed in a black and white nun's habit wore a sweet smile.

"Take a look at our fan-made comics."

"Um, the sales event hasn't officially started yet, has it?"

"It's alright, it's good to take a look first."

Without saying a word, the nun handed him the notebook on the table.

The colorful cover immediately caught Masumi's eye, and she was so embarrassed that sweat beaded on her forehead—a holy and dignified nun, her limbs being pulled behind her by pink tentacles, her body arched forward, her golden hair disheveled and wet, her expression one of struggle.

"How is it? This is my masterpiece, and the ○play part is my personal favorite."

"Hey, um, it's very well drawn."

"But you haven't even opened it to see what's inside."

"Well, you can feel its charm just by looking at the cover."

Masumi still couldn't bring herself to browse restricted content in public.

He looked away from the nun on the cover and saw the author herself, dressed exactly like the female protagonist of the work, staring at him with a beaming smile.

"How much does it cost?" Masumi asked with a sigh.

"Chenghui 500 yen."

The nun smiled without showing her teeth.

Masumi tucked the doujinshi she bought under her arm. She never expected that her first doujinshi purchase would be of such an unhealthy subject.

"Masumi-kun."

With a sharp gaze, Mami glared at him fiercely for some reason.

"what happened?"

"You were so smug just now, chatting and laughing with a nun with a great figure, and even bought some H-themed doujinshi. You're clearly a pretty repressed pervert! And yet you have the audacity to accuse me of being unhealthy."

She snorted through her nose, her brows furrowing in displeasure.

"What's with all this sulking?"

Masumi shook her head and explained, "I just couldn't handle that girl's enthusiasm and wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible, so I bought it."

"Hmph, is that so?"

Although she was still verbally harsh, Masumi could tell that she had calmed down.

"Give me this doujinshi."

She stretched out her palm like a cruel official collecting annual tribute.

Masumi didn't care. "If you like it, just take it."

"Hmph, since Masumi-kun is being so generous, I'll forgive you then." Mami gave herself a way out.

So Masumi was reprimanded for some reason, and then forgiven for some reason as well.

It's just baffling.

The venue was spacious, and the two continued walking toward their designated booth.

"Tsk tsk, this ○play is really well drawn with tension."

Ms. Mami, empty-handed, walked along as if no one else was around, flipping through a doujinshi and occasionally offering candid praise.

"Speaking of which, Masumi-kun really likes the nun aspect, doesn't he?" she asked casually.

"Fortunately."

"Oh, it's just alright, isn't it?" A strange light flickered in Asami's beautiful eyes behind her glasses, and she chuckled softly, her index finger pressed against her lips.

"I've been reading Masumi-kun's light novels, and the one with the most fan service is that saintess."

"Like in the recent storyline, the hero's party is conquering a dungeon, but they get separated into different spaces by a trap, and the male protagonist, Mahiro, encounters a saint trapped in a crevice in the rocks—"

Mami suddenly stopped halfway through her sentence, staring at Masumi with a complicated expression.

"Thinking about it carefully, how come this plot is..."

"Ahem, so you've been reading my novel all along." Masumi feigned calmness and changed the subject.

“Of course.” She raised her chin haughtily. “After all, I’m practically Masumi-kun’s first reader.”

"Yes, thank you for your support."

"What's with this arrogant creator attitude?"

"Isn't that what everyone says?"

"The key is attitude; you need to be more emotional."

"Let's put this aside for now, we've arrived at our stall," Masumi said softly.

The two laid a tablecloth on the long table, then opened one of the suitcases and took out the doujinshi (fan-made comics) one by one, stacking them on top.

Because the number was small, the entire task was completed in just a few minutes.

How many did you print?

One hundred books.

"No wonder the suitcase can fit everything. Isn't it too little?"

"That's already quite a lot."

Asami pressed her hands against her long skirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. Her slender waist kissed her two ripe, soft peaches. She sat down on the folding chair, filling every inch of the tightness and gaps between her clothes.

"Apart from those super popular doujin circles, 90% of the circles participating in doujin conventions are like this, selling only a few dozen or a hundred copies."

"The top-ranked popular clubs on this list might have more sales in a single day than all the clubs below them combined." "I see." Masumi nodded; the Matthew effect applies to every field.

"But didn't you also work as a character designer for a game before? You should be quite popular, right?"

He recalled the events he participated in at the Daimaru Kobe store during the rainy season.

"Hmm... that level is far from enough."

"And it's a bit rude to say, but 'Melon Club' is just an insignificant doujin circle in Kobe. I was able to work as a character designer and illustrator probably because I was taken care of by my seniors as a junior."

Asami leaned back in the chair, and the folding chair seemed unable to support her weight, creaking and groaning.

Masumi quietly spoke, changing the subject.

"Speaking of which, you're selling an all-ages theme this time, so what about... drummer Miyazawa-kun...?"

"Oh, that's something we're planning to sell digitally on DLsite," Mami said, scratching her ear. "I'm still a little embarrassed to sell that kind of material offline."

It turns out she also has moments of embarrassment.

Hmm... Thinking about it carefully, I've actually seen it myself; Masumi also felt embarrassed.

"What, does Masumi-kun want to see?" Mami teased him. "I knew it, Masumi-kun is a bit of a pervert, H."

"..."

Masumi ignored her and picked up a doujinshi on top of the stack to read. Surprisingly, it was a male-oriented manga, and one that she had read before, with quite a few battle scenes.

The backgrounds are detailed, the characters' movements and expressions are vivid, the female characters are portrayed in a very emotional way, and every detail is meticulously crafted. In this respect, one can immediately see the author's past as an "unsound artist".

The only drawback is that there are too many dialog boxes embedded, which makes it a bit verbose, and the panel layout is also a bit awkward.

"It's very well drawn." Masumi nodded repeatedly, wanting to turn to the next page, but the following content was sealed.

"How is this going?"

“That’s Mimoto, Masumi-kun.”

This is what is known as a "preview copy," placed on top of the book so that readers can preview the content of the doujinshi.

However, to prevent the book from being read all at once and to avoid taking up too much space during the reading process, which would affect normal sales, the author will seal the last few pages of the book and only leave the first few pages for preview.

"Take a look at this one." Asami handed him the official doujinshi. "This one is for Masumi-kun. The doujinshi you just bought was 500 yen, right? Mine is also 500 yen, so we're even now."

“I’m not that domineering.” She proudly tossed her bangs aside. “Besides, my printing quality is definitely better. In that respect, Masumi-kun is the one who benefits.”

Hearing her say that, Masumi compared the doujinshi in her hand with the one she had just bought, and found that it was indeed much better in terms of both color and the feel of the hand.

How much will it cost to print these?

"Let me think, maybe around 60,000 yen."

"Sixty thousand yen?" Masumi was taken aback. "If the selling price is 500 yen, wouldn't we still lose ten thousand yen in the end?"

"That's right."

Asami nodded slightly, her long eyelashes lightly touching her glasses, and she quietly lowered her eyes. "However, fan art is different from commercial comics. The original intention is the same: to communicate and to let more people see our work."

"Although it didn't sell very well, it was just for my own satisfaction. But that's how it is. If I don't create works that satisfy me, then what's the point? I think this aspect is far more important than commercial profits."

Listening to Seno speak, he often blurts out an offbeat joke, to the point that it's hard to tell which of his words are serious.

This time is different.

"I see, I understand how you feel."

"Hey, Masumi-kun is talking big again..."

Mami suddenly looked up, narrowed her eyes mischievously, then nodded seriously and said with a light laugh, "Yes, if it's Masumi-kun, he would definitely understand."

When it was time to enter, visitors who came to attend the doujinshi (fan-made comics) sales event poured into the venue in an orderly manner. Indeed, because there were so many people, even though they were passing through the queuing channels in an orderly manner, it could still be described as a "surging tide of people".

The two's stall wasn't in a great location, and only a dozen or so people had visited in the past hour. However, the retention rate was decent, and they had already sold seven books so far.

Asami appeared indifferent to this, at least outwardly, and Masumi had no way of knowing her true thoughts.

She fanned her face with her soft, delicate hands, exhaling warm breath from her lips. "Speaking of which, it's so hot in the stadium, even though it's autumn."

"It's probably because there are too many people."

"I really want to unbutton all my clothes to let the heat out," Mami joked.

"With so many people here, it's best not to do this if you don't want social death."

"Hey, Masumi-kun's possessiveness is really strong." Mami narrowed her eyes with a hint of teasing. "You're allowed to admire my body all by yourself? No way, I'm not Masumi-kun's property."

"I think you've gone mad from the heat; your brain's fried too."

Masumi inserted a straw and took a sip of mineral water.

"Masumi-kun, how come you still have water to drink?" Mami's eyes widened.

"This is the organizer..."

Seeing the reproachful look Mami gave him, Masumi stopped halfway through her sentence, realizing that her unspoken message was, "How could I not have done that?"

"There's one in the box over there, I'll go get it for you." It was indeed my fault for not bringing a bottle for Seno.

"No need for that. I'll just have a couple of sips. I don't want to have to go to the bathroom so often."

Mami snatched the bottled water from Masumi's hand without any hesitation.

"You're just going to drink mine directly?"

"What, does Masumi-kun care about indirect kissing? How innocent." Mami teased him, "You clearly read a lot of doujinshi, but your actual experience is zero."

"The same applies to you."

"Haven't you heard? An unconquered fortress is better than a soldier who has never breached a stronghold."

Asami smiled smugly and defiantly, puffing out her chest.

"Yes Yes."

Masumi reluctantly gave up arguing.

I really want to be a soldier, climb up the fortress built in the mountains, and teach her a lesson. Well, that's just a metaphor.

"Oh, right, Masumi-kun..."

"Ok?"

As she tucked the ends of her glossy black hair behind her ear, she brought her rosy lips to the straw.

The dialogue has a rhythm.

It's Seno's turn now, but he's leisurely sipping mineral water, acting all self-centered.

Asami finally spoke, her lips parting from the straw opening.

"I want to say, thank you so much for your help today, Masumi-kun."

"I asked you to take time off to come here with me. Although you also write light novels, in terms of how deeply you've become a fan, your audience is only slightly more deeply involved than Makoto Shinkai's."

"I guess I still can't quite accept this kind of hardcore otaku atmosphere."

Indeed, Masumi looked around and saw that most of the nearby stalls were selling unhealthy BL doujinshi, or rather, the manga drawn by Seno had a considerable audience of female fans of BL.

Her BG content is actually a breath of fresh air here.

"fine."

Masumi shook her head dismissively, frankly revealing her true thoughts—

"Although I don't like it, I can accept that you do."

"..."

Mami suddenly opened her eyes wide, looking quite shocked, and stared straight at him.

"What, did I say something wrong?" Masumi tilted her head in confusion.

"No."

"But what you just said was really damaging." She exaggeratedly clutched her chest, though she couldn't cover it up at all.

"You didn't prepare these lines specifically for this date, did you, Masumi-kun?"

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Masumi sighed.

“Yes.” Asami nodded seriously. “Because Japanese society is still quite patriarchal, isn’t it? To be honest, most guys don’t really accept introverted girls as partners, so that’s a big plus.”

"Remember what I told you before? Equal relationships."

"Also, it's about maintaining the right distance. If you genuinely express that you can accept it, or even like it, they might find it troublesome or feel uneasy because the distance is too close," she said with a smile.

"That's really profound."

As she explained the complex psychology of homebodies, Masumi sighed quietly, "However, I don't care what they think at all."

"..."

After a subtle silence, Mami suddenly let out a breath from her luscious lips.

Her arms were crossed on the long table, her chin resting on her arms, her chiffon blouse covering the softest part of her body, like an inverted Mount Rokko.

Her fluffy braids also hung down, outlining her soft curves.

"What's wrong with you?"

"...I always feel uncomfortable being manipulated by Masumi-kun."

"I didn't even touch you today," Masumi said, feigning innocence.

"It's about my mood."

"However, since the chest is located in front of the heart, Masumi-kun's focus on my inner self means he's also focused on my chest, ah~ Masumi-kun H!"

"What kind of robber logic is this?"

Masumi's defeat brought a satisfied smile to Mami's face, her smile as radiant as a flower.

Three more doujinshi were sold during this period, and within two hours of the opening, one-tenth of the inventory was sold.

Masumi didn't know whether such a result was good or bad, so she simply asked Seno for advice.

"Hard to say, probably similar to my past self." Mami thought for a moment and said, "If a big customer suddenly came in, I would just buy up all the doujinshi here."

"Your original intention was to share it with more people, right? Is that really a good idea?"

"I was just kidding," Mami said with a laugh, her soft lips emitting a soft giggle.

"But Masumi-kun is actually genuinely worried about me. Ah, I'm so touched."

"I hope we can sell 80%...60% today, that would be great," she said in an almost pleading tone.

"..."

Masumi said nothing, but quietly lowered her eyelashes and made the same wish in her heart. At this moment, the suitcase at her feet came into view.

"By the way, you brought two suitcases, right? The other one hasn't been opened yet. What's inside?" he asked curiously.

"Well, you'll find out in a bit."

Mami blinked, keeping everyone in suspense for the time being.

"A little while? How long is that?"

"Who knows? It's not up to me," Mami said half-jokingly.

(End of this chapter)