Chapter 157: [Side Story] The World of Pros
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157: [Side Story] The World of Pros
We returned to the West Hall, where we had used the changing rooms earlier.
And the West Hall of Tokyo Big Sight is the main battleground for corporate booths.
Unlike the East Hall, where general attendees participated with their doujinshi, the corporate booths in the West Hall were filled with official merchandise made by companies.
Of course, with the "official" tag attached, the goods were far more expensive than fan-made ones.
Nevertheless, there was a definite demand.
After all, an otaku is someone who buys things even while fully aware they’re being a sucker.
“……”
And I, too, had fallen into that trap.
At first, I only intended to browse lightly, but my feet came to an involuntary stop in front of the official Jump booth.
“What is it, Ryu-chan? See something you want to buy?”
“Ah, yeah. The phone case for Sasuke Ninja Scroll looks pretty cool.”
I said, pointing to the merchandise displayed at the Jump booth.
“Oh, that one. It’s new.”
Rika, who knew I was a die-hard fan of Teacher Musashi, gave a wry smile.
Just then, LISA, who had been listening to our conversation beside us, spoke up.
“Should I buy one for you?”
Startled, I waved my hands.
“Huh? No, no, you don’t have to do that. I have money.”
“Oh, don’t be shy. It’s not like it costs much.”
With those words, LISA strode confidently into the Jump booth.
A person emerged from inside the booth to greet us.
“Welcome! What can I help you find… Ma’am?!”
The young man’s voice rose in surprise.
LISA seemed to recognize his face as well and acknowledged him.
“Sanada-san, are you on duty today?”
“Ah, yes. It just sort of happened. Hehe.”
The man scratched the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish.
“Who is he?”
“Oh, this is Sanada Yusuke, an editor at Jump. He used to be my husband’s editor.”
Hearing that, I greeted him.
“Hello. My name is Kim Yoo-Sung.”
“Oh, a Korean?”
“I’m a Zainichi Korean [a Korean living in Japan].”
“We have a Korean in our editorial department, too. His last name is also Kim. I wonder if you’re related?”
“Probably not. The name Kim in Korea is like Yamada in Japan.”
When I said that with a bitter smile, Sanada replied affably, “I guess so, huh~.”
“Well, anyway, what were you looking to buy?”
“Ah, I was going to buy one of these phone cases here. How much is it?”
“Come on, Ma’am. There’s no need for money between us. Just take one.”
“Oh my, is that really okay?”
“We were planning to send a few prototypes to your house anyway, so this works out perfectly. Since you’re here, why don’t you take a few other things you like?”
Sanada then went to the back of the booth and returned with a box full of various items.
Even at a glance, it looked like it contained quite a lot of stuff.
It seemed to hold several other goods displayed at the booth, in addition to the Sasuke Ninja Scroll merchandise.
“You can take all of this, it’s fine.”
“Oh, my.”
LISA placed a hand on her cheek, a troubled expression on her face.
“I appreciate the thought, but given our current state, it’s a bit difficult for us to carry things around.”
“Ah, right. Then please stop by again shortly before you leave. I’ll hold onto this for you.”
Sanada said, setting the box down.
“Oh? By the way, is this your daughter, Rika?”
Rika gave an awkward bow of her head.
“Hello, Sanada-san.”
“It’s been so long, I didn’t recognize you for a moment.”
“The last time we saw each other was when I was in elementary school.”
“Has it really been that long? More importantly, doing cosplay with your mother is a great hobby.”
Sanada said, giving a thumbs-up.
Somehow, despite looking like a normal person, it seemed this man was an otaku after all.
“Well, we should get going. You look busy, Sanada-san, so please get back to work.”
“Ah, yes. Take care, Ma’am.”
After saying our goodbyes, we left the Jump booth.
“That worked out well, Yoo-Sung. We can just come pick it up after the event is over.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Hehe, you gave up your precious time for this, so something like this is nothing.”
LISA said with a bright smile, then clapped her hands as if to change the atmosphere.
“Alright, shall we get to work, too?”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh? I’m a professional cosplayer, you know. I’m participating in this Comiket at the request of a company.”
The place LISA pointed to was one of the largest corporate booths there.
“That’s where we’re headed.”
It was the booth for Pentagon, the developer of Last Fantasy 7, the very game we were cosplaying from.
*
Last Fantasy 7.
It was a JRPG released about twenty years ago.
Sophia, who was everyone’s sweetheart back then, and Baou, an enemy character you couldn’t help but want to call ‘big brother,’ seemed to remain as fond memories for those who played the game at the time.
And now, we were at the booth of Pentagon, the game company that made Last Fantasy 7, having our pictures taken.
“We need to take photos, so please look this way!”
Click! Click! Click! Click!
While before we were dealing with the general public, this time, people armed with what were clearly professional-grade cameras were snapping pictures of us nonstop in the photo zone.
LISA, who was being photographed with me, struck poses with incredible ease, just as you’d expect from a pro.
It strikes me again, but looking at her like this, she and Rika look more like sisters with a slight age gap.
Makeup probably plays a part, but it’s only possible because she has a youthful appearance to begin with.
“Great! That’s wonderful!”
While I was lost in thought for a moment, people who looked like they were from magazines or newspapers were busy taking photos.
It seemed that photos taken on a stage or in a studio like this would be touched up with Photoshop later.
“Baou-san! Please hold your sword in a cool pose!”
At the photographer’s request, I struck a pose resembling a martial arts stance, and cheers erupted from all around.
After that hectic time passed and the photo session ended, we sat down on chairs to take a short break.
“Aah~ I’m exhausted~ My legs are all swollen~”
Maria said, massaging her thighs.
It was the most age-appropriate thing I had seen her do all day.
Just then, Rika, who had been watching our photoshoot from a distance, handed me a water bottle and asked.
“How was it, Ryu-chan? Was the shoot manageable?”
“No, it was incredibly tiring.”
To be honest, when I accepted the offer to cosplay, I hadn’t expected a situation like this.
“Still, it’s a relief that it’s all over now. You worked hard, Ryu-chan.”
Rika said with a warm smile.
‘What is she? An angel?’
I thought for a moment.
“Rika, is there none for Mama?”
“Nope.”
“So mean.”
LISA pretended to cry, but her daughter, Rika, didn’t even bat an eye.
I was watching their exchange from a third-person perspective when it happened.
“Hello, Senpai!”
Someone suddenly greeted us with a friendly voice.
“Oh my, and you are?”
The Maria who had just been complaining about her aching body was gone. In her place, LISA, with her professional face on, gracefully accepted the greeting.
“My name is Sakuya, and I just debuted as a professional cosplayer. It’s a pleasure to meet you♥”
The woman who had suddenly greeted us held out a business card.
LISA took the card and asked, “What brings you here?”
“Oh, it’s just that I’ve been a huge fan of yours since before my debut. I was wondering if I could possibly get your autograph?”
She said, holding out an autograph board and a marker.
LISA signed it with a practiced hand.
“Thank you so much!”
The person named Sakuya bowed deeply, glanced briefly in my direction, and then left as quickly as she had appeared.
“Wow, she came and went like the wind. Does she have an appointment or something?”
LISA just shrugged and said, “She came to spy on us, that’s why.”
“Spy on you?”
“The organizers are holding a popularity poll among the cosplayers today, and they’re giving out a prize. Our team is probably one of the top contenders for first place, so she must have come to analyze the competition.”
“Ah.”
Only then did I realize that the cosplayer named Sakuya hadn’t approached us with pure intentions.
“Anyway, let’s get moving. We’ve rested long enough.”
LISA said, getting up from her seat.
“There’s still more to do?”
I asked with a horrified expression, and LISA shrugged in response.
“The popularity poll I just mentioned. We have to at least check the results, right?”
*
The final battleground.
It was an outdoor event stage set up in front of the East Hall, where the corporate booths were lined up.
An MC, likely hired for today’s event, called out the participants’ names one by one, and the cosplay teams from this Comiket would go up on stage to show off their appeal.
The structure of the event itself felt like a high-end version of the swimsuit contest we did at the beach.
“For the record, our goal is to win.”
“What?! This is the first I’m hearing of this!”
“If we’re going to do it, shouldn’t we give it our all so we don’t have regrets later?”
“……”
I hate that I’m persuaded by words like these.
But having come this far, it was also true that it was too late to turn back.
So, I decided to steel my resolve and face the final stage.
“Alright! Contestant number 7! Team Sophia & Baou, please come up to the stage!”