"500 yuan! Per hour!"

With that kind of cash, how could he not find a cosplayer? Was Wu Qinglan just trolling me at this point?

I barely held my ground against his capitalist attack, but I still felt the internal damage. I wiped the imaginary blood from the corner of my mouth and dramatically spat out a mouthful of blood—into a nearby trash can, of course.

But thinking about it seriously, getting three cute girls might actually be doable.

First up, Rinka—now officially a girl—would definitely be down to help.

Then there’s my super adorable, irresistibly huggable little sister, Tangerine.

And since tomorrow’s Saturday, all I’d need to do is dangle a spicy doujin in front of Zhao Zhao, and Xiao Lei would be in too. That makes three.

Tian Xi and Lei Meow Meow would probably be fine with it as well. Sis Yuanyue mentioned she didn’t have any gigs lately, so she was probably free. Besides, even though the stage is small, CP is a huge con—a great chance for Lei Meow Meow to boost her visibility.

And then there’s Yan Liuzhuan, who already knows about the divine stone. If I offered to model for him (clothed, obviously) in return for a day of helping out in his female form, he’d likely say yes—so long as he doesn't start stripping at the venue.

Of course, I couldn’t forget about Haitang-sama either. All in all, the lineup was actually pretty stacked.

"I’ll handle the cosplay issue. I can find three girls."

"Tch..."

"You ‘tch’-ed, didn’t you?! I knew that was a ‘tch’!"

Even though I just agreed to help him round up girls to cosplay, Wu Qinglan clicked his tongue like he was disappointed.

I could guess why. At the end of the day, he just wanted to see me crossdress.

Oh no. This guy might be a total perv.

"But can you even prep costumes in all the right sizes?"

"Don’t worry about that. Our club makes all the costumes ourselves. We can tailor the minor adjustments on the spot."

With that confident assurance, I immediately called Tian Xi.

She picked up almost instantly—only two rings.

"Oh, Lingmeng lil' bro? This is a surprise. If you’re calling about the gig, I haven’t made up my mind yet."

She sounded groggy—probably still in bed.

"It’s not about that… Sis Xi, are you and Meow Meow-chan free tomorrow?"

"We are. Why? Are you asking us out?"

If I was, I’d only dare ask you out, Sis Xi.

Ever since her affection for me plummeted, Lei Meow Meow had it out for me. She slaps me every time we meet. I’m not a m̲a̲s̲o̲c̲h̲i̲s̲t̲—no need to sign up for that. But I did need her help for tomorrow, so I explained the situation.

"Huh? You want me to wear one of those frilly magical girl outfits? That’s a bit too embarrassing~"

That “~” was way too cute.

"Come on, Sis Xi, you’ve already worn swimsuits before! Compared to that, a magical girl outfit’s nothing!"

It’s weird—full body swimsuits don’t show much skin, but on someone like Sis Xi with her huge rack, they’re dangerously sexy. Just watching is a blood-pressure risk.

"I know about the CP con—it’s been trending a lot lately. Too bad the Aqua World hype came too late, or we might’ve gotten invited for a main-stage performance. Sigh."

I could hear the creak of leather over the phone—she must’ve rolled over on her couch.

"Still, it’s my lucky day you two are free. There’s a stage for you to perform on, and it’ll be good exposure for Meow Meow-chan too."

"No problem!" Then her tone shifted lower, playful. "But lil’ Lingmeng, idols don’t come cheap, you know~"

"What?! But Meow Meow’s still starting out—shouldn’t she be focused on building a fanbase?"

"I'm just kidding~ You sounded so nervous, your voice actually shook."

Honestly, even if they did charge an appearance fee, Wu Qinglan probably wouldn’t care. The guy might secretly own a mine or something. I still don’t know why he even bothers with a day job.

"Cough cough, do I need to contact her myself then?"

"No need! Leave that to me. Don’t call big bro either—I’ll handle her. I’ll get back to you later, okay?"

"Thanks, I’d appreciate a confirmation by this afternoon if possible."

The reason I called Sis Xi first is… well, because Haitang, Rinka, and Xiao Lei are all total flat-chests. If I brought those three in, Qinglan would definitely riot.

Three pairs of As? Are we playing with two sets of cards here?

Same issue with the third slot—I hit a bit of a mental wall.

In terms of ease, Rinka’s the obvious choice, but purely based on figure, Yan Liuzhuan’s female form is top-tier. Still, asking him would be super awkward.

Tangerine was also a strong candidate, but her amazing, huggable tail was actually a problem—none of the five magical girl characters in the series had a cat tail, and hers wasn’t exactly detachable.

"Yo, young man. There you are."

A laid-back voice interrupted my train of thought. The tall, skinny man with his hair tied up was walking over, twirling the car keys to Blue Destiny. What was he doing here?

Seeing my confusion, he scratched his head and explained, "Marika asked me to get you. She and the lady from the neighboring booth went ahead to the parking lot. She wants you to come with me."

"Got it." Looks like they were going to personally drag Cangyu out of her cave.

Dragging a socially anxious shut-in out of her house… yeah, this was going to be a lot. Should I message Haitang just in case?

I followed Crow down to the parking garage, where Marika and Sayocho were already chatting next to Blue Destiny.

"Kid, you’ve met Miyanaga-sensei before, right?" As soon as she saw me, Sayocho rushed over and latched onto my sleeve. "When we get to her place, help me confirm it’s her, okay?"

Ah, so that’s why I was coming along.

Crow started the car, and the engine rumbled softly to life. He eased onto the gas and pulled out of the underground lot.

"You seriously never visited the author’s house even once, despite having her address? That’s some next-level nonchalance."

Marika sighed like she’d given up on Sayocho. I turned around from the passenger seat and added, "Yeah, for a best-selling author, that’s kind of unbelievable."

"I knooow, I know I messed up!"
Sayocho clutched her head, her signature ahoge sticking out from between her fingers and drooping in defeat.
"But every time I brought it up, her brother told me not to come—said my presence as her editor might scare her. Like a kid seeing their homeroom teacher."

Man, Brother Feng Wu really takes “overprotective” to the next level. That girl needs real-world experience if she’s ever going to grow out of that shell.

Guided by GPS, Blue Destiny pulled into an old residential block.

No underground parking, so spots were tight. Crow did a lap but couldn’t find a space, so he dropped the three of us off and drove off to look elsewhere.

"Call me when you're done. I’ll be nearby."

"This must be it." I spotted Brother Feng Wu’s eight-seater Wuling parked beneath one of the buildings.

"Yep, this is the one. Let’s go—fifth floor." Sayocho tucked her files under one arm and headed up first.

The building didn’t even have a security door. Gotta admit, this place sure lacks security.

Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~

We rang the bell for a while before someone finally answered. My sandal-clad feet welcomed the rush of cold air.

I thought Brother Feng Wu would be at work, but surprisingly, he was home—wearing an apron, no less. In one hand, he held a spoon coated with some thick white substance—looked like mayonnaise.

Same messy seaweed hair as always. His beard looked like it hadn’t been shaved in days. Definitely scruffy.

He looked at Marika, then at Sayocho, and finally at me. His mouth moved like he was silently mouthing, “Oh, it’s you.”

"Sorry to bother you. Didn’t think we’d meet again so soon after Aqua World."

"What’s this about? And how do you even have my address?"

I shook my head and motioned toward Sayocho standing between us.

"Technically speaking, she’s the one who came to see Miyanaga Kohime. Is your sister home?"

"Sayocho? Oh, the one who called earlier."

"That’s right! I’m Miyanaga Kohime-sensei’s editor, you must be her brother, right? Please let me speak with her—it’s a matter of great importance that affects both my career and her book sales!"

Brother Feng Wu slowly licked the spoon.

Then slam!—he shut the door in our faces.