I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Chapter 157: [Side Story] The World Of Professionals

We returned to the West Building where we had used the changing room earlier.

And the West Building of Tokyo Big Sight was indeed the main location for corporate booths.

Unlike the East Building, where general participants brought doujinshi, the West Building’s corporate booths were filled with official merchandise made by companies.

Of course, being official, these goods were much more expensive than doujinshi.

Despite this, there was a definite demand.

After all, being an otaku meant buying things even when you knew you were being a cash cow.

“……”

And I, too, fell into that trap.

Initially, I just planned to look around, but I found myself stopping in front of the official Jump booth.

“Ah, yeah. The Sasuke ninpōchō phone case looks appealing.”

I said this, pointing at the goods displayed in the Jump booth.

“Ah, that one. It’s a newly released good.”

Rika, knowing I was a die-hard fan of Mr. Musashi, smirked.

Then, Lisa, who was listening to our conversation, chimed in.

“Shall I buy one for you?”

I was surprised and waved my hand.

“What? No, no, you don’t need to. I have money too.”

“Ah, don’t be shy. It can’t be that expensive.”

Lisa said that and confidently entered the Jump booth.

Then, someone from inside the booth came out and greeted us.

“Welcome~ What are you looking for… Madame?!”

A young man, surprised, raised his voice.

Lisa seemed to recognize him and acknowledged him.

“Is it your turn today, Mr. Sanada?”

“Ah, yes. It just happened to be my turn today. Hehe.”

The man said this, scratching the back of his head as if embarrassed.

“Who is he?”

“Oh, this is Mr. Yusuke Sanada, an editor at Jump. He used to be my husband’s editor.”

Hearing this, I greeted him.

“Hello. My name is Kim Yu-seong.”

“Oh, Korean?”

“I’m a Zainichi Korean.”

“We also have a Korean in our editorial department. That person is also a Kim. Maybe a relative?”

“Probably not. The Kim surname in Korea is like Yamada in Japan.”

I said this and laughed bitterly, and Mr. Sanada responded good-naturedly,

“I guess that makes sense~.”

“Well, what are you planning to buy?”

“Oh, I want to buy one of those phone cases over there. How much is it?”

“Ah, no need to talk about money between you, Madame, and me. Just take one.”

“Oh, is that really okay?”

“Actually, we were planning to send some prototypes to your place anyway, so this works out. Why not take a few items you like while you’re here?”

Sanada said this and went to the back of the booth, returning with a box containing various items.

At a glance, the box seemed to contain quite a few items.

It appeared to contain not only the Sasuke Ninpōchō but also a few other goods displayed at the booth.

“You can take all of these; it’s okay.”

“Oh my, oh my.”

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Lisa cupped one cheek in her hand, making a troubled expression.

“Thanks for the offer, but we’re not in a state to carry stuff around right now.”

“Ah, that’s right. Then please stop by before you leave later. I’ll keep these for you.”

Sanada said this and put the box down.

“Oh? And this must be your daughter, Rika?”

Rika awkwardly bowed her head in response.

“Hello, Mr. Sanada.”

“It’s been so long; I didn’t recognize you for a moment.”

“Last time you saw me, I was in elementary school.”

“Has it been that long already? More importantly, cosplaying with your mother is a nice hobby.”

Sanada said this and gave a thumbs up.

Despite looking like a normal person, this guy was an otaku too, it seemed.

“Well, we should get going. You seem busy, Mr. Sanada, so please continue with your work.”

“Ah, yes. Please go ahead, Madame.”

After saying goodbye, we left the Jump booth.

“That worked out well, Yu-seong. You can come pick it up after the event.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Hehe, you spared your precious time, so this is nothing.”

Saying this with a smile, Lisa clapped her hands as if to change the atmosphere.

“Shall we get back to work then?”

“Yes?”

“Oh? I’m a professional cosplayer, you know. I’m participating in this Comiket at the request of a company.”

Saying this, Lisa pointed to one of the corporate booths, which was quite large.

“Our destination is over there.”

It was the booth of Pentagon, the creators of Last Fantasy 7, the game we were cosplaying from.

Last Fantasy 7

It was a JRPG released about 20 years ago.

Back then, characters like Sophia, everyone’s lover, and Baoou, an enemy but also like an older brother, left good memories for those who played the game.

And now, we were taking photos at the booth of Pentagon, the company that created Last Fantasy 7.

“Look this way for the photo!”

Click! Click! Click! Click!

Earlier, it was ordinary people, but now, obviously, professional photographers with high-end equipment were rapidly snapping our photos in the photo zone.

Lisa, who was posing for photos with me, was, as expected of a pro, striking poses very naturally.

I realized anew that, looking at them this way, Lisa and Rika didn’t seem much different in age, almost like sisters.

Maybe it was partly due to makeup, but fundamentally, it was because Lisa had a youthful appearance.

“Great! Looks good!”

While I was lost in thought, people who seemed to be from magazines or newspapers enthusiastically took photos.

It seemed that such photos, taken on stage or in studios, would later be edited with Photoshop.

“Mr. Baoou! Hold the sword up magnificently!”

As I struck a pose like a knight at the request of a photographer, cheers erupted from all around.

After a hectic photo session, we sat down on chairs to take a break.

“Ah, I’m exhausted~ My legs are so swollen~”

Maria said this, massaging her thighs.

It was the most age-appropriate behavior I had seen from her today.

Then Rika, who had been watching us from a distance, came over with a water bottle and asked,

“How is it, Ryu-chan? Is the shoot manageable?”

“No, it’s really tough.”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected this kind of situation when I was first asked to cosplay.

“Still, it’s good that it’s over now. Good job, Ryu-chan.”

Rika said this, smiling warmly.

‘What? An angel?’

I thought that for a moment.

“Rika, don’t you have anything for Mama?”

“No.”

“That’s too bad.”

Lisa pretended to cry at this, but her daughter Rika didn’t even blink.

As I was watching their conversation as a third party,

“Hello! Senior!”

Someone greeted us with a friendly voice.

“Oh, who might you be?”

Maria, who had been complaining about aches and pains, was nowhere to be seen, and Lisa, back to her composed self, greeted the newcomer.

“I’ve just debuted as a professional cosplayer. My name is Sakuya. Please take care of me♥”

Saying this, the girl who had suddenly greeted us extended her business card.

Lisa, receiving the card, asked,

“What brings you here?”

“Actually, I’ve been a huge fan of yours even before my debut. Could I possibly get your autograph?”

She said this while handing over an autograph paper and a marker.

Lisa skillfully signed the paper.

“Thank you!”

Sakuya, the person in question, bowed deeply, glanced at me briefly, and then promptly left.

“She came and went like the wind. Did she have an appointment or something?”

Lisa shrugged and responded,

“She came to spy on us. That’s why.”

“Spy?”

“Today, they’re conducting a popularity contest among the cosplayers, and the organizers plan to give gifts. She probably came to analyze our strength as our team is likely one of the strong contenders for victory.”

“Ah.”

That’s when I realized Sakuya, the cosplayer, didn’t come with pure intentions.

“Anyway, let’s get moving. We’ve rested quite a bit.”

Lisa said this, and stood up from her seat.

“Is there still work left?”

When I asked with a shocked expression, Lisa shrugged and answered,

“It’s the popularity contest I just mentioned. We still need to see the results.”

The final showdown location.

It was the outdoor event stage set up in front of the corporate booths in the East Building.

An MC, seemingly invited for today’s event, called out the names of participants in turn, and each cosplay team participating in this Comiket came up one by one to appeal their charm.

The structure of the event felt like an upgraded version of the swimsuit contest we had at the beach previously.

“Just so you know, our goal is to win.”

“What?! This is the first I’m hearing of it!”

“If we’re doing this, we might as well give it our all, so we don’t have any regrets later, right?”

“……”

I hate being persuaded by these words.

But having come this far, it was already too late to turn back.

So, I steeled myself for the final stage.

“Alright! Entry number 7! Sophia & Baoou team, please come up!”