10 a.m. sharp, the floodgates opened.

The convention was officially underway, and streams of attendees surged inside. Big-name booths were immediately swarmed—after all, they had all those limited-edition exclusives that collectors would kill for. Our humble booth, “Witch’s Workshop,” didn’t have that kind of pull, so things were still pretty quiet.

Watching the crowd sprint past, Tian Xi couldn’t help but comment:

“Everyone’s running. It’s like a supermarket in the morning.”

“Huh? Supermarket?”

I honestly had no idea what she was talking about.

“Oh, little Chang Kai, you don’t know? In the morning, supermarkets often have discounts on stuff like eggs and veggies. So all these aunties line up and rush in the moment it opens—just like this.”

“…That’s the first I’ve heard of it. Discounts, huh…”

I’ve got a bit of a weakness for the word discount. Might have to check that out sometime.

A few people who had the flyers came by and picked up a copy of Magical Girl Paradise. Qinglan’s flyer campaign did seem to be working… at least a little. Just barely.

He also gave me a big plastic sign that said END OF THE LINE, asking me to help maintain order.

Maintain order for what? There were like, three people here.

He even printed 200 extra copies of the book—where was this confidence coming from?

Lei Meow Meow and Tian Xi had gone to the entrance to act as human billboards. Xiao Yao and Scarlet-chan were standing stiffly behind the cash register, basically decorative at this point. Rinka had vanished to who knows where. And me? I didn’t even have anyone to stand around awkwardly with.

I chucked the sign into a corner.

Okay, time to visit Mai-chan at the Lilim Publishing booth.

Sure enough, the big publishers brought the crowd. The register had a line, and the hundred-square-meter booth actually felt cramped. Compared to our sleepy corner, this place had that real con energy. The line of people holding books already stretched beyond the booth, and you could see the pile of books shrinking fast.

Best of all? It was way cooler here.

The con hall had a high ceiling, and central air rarely covered everything. But Lilim’s booth had a direct AC vent, which made it feel like an oasis. Even their 3D publisher sign hanging over the book display was gently swaying in the breeze.

Air conditioning is civilization at its finest.

I greeted a staff member I vaguely recognized and slipped into the back area. There, I found Sayocho with a hand to her forehead and Mai-chan staring at the floor.

The whole scene screamed classroom scolding, though the “teacher” was a little on the short side.

“I had a feeling this wasn’t your first novel,” Sayocho said, her tone softening. “I’ve been an editor for years—I can tell. And the fact that your manuscript got past the editor-in-chief? That’s your own talent, plain and simple.”

She took Mai-chan’s hand and continued. “But since no one knows about your past work, let’s just keep it that way, alright?”

Looks like Mai-chan had already come clean about not being a true newbie.

Spotting me by the door, she gave a small wave. “Li…Brother Kai . You’re back.”

“Cough. Things are slow next door, so I figured I’d drop by. How’s the meeting going? Are you both having any disagreements?”

Sayocho practically leapt at me like I was a lifeline.

“You heard, right? Kohime-sensei here wants to admit during the signing session that this isn’t her first book. What do you think?”

From Sayocho’s perspective, there was no need to say anything—it’d only stir up trouble by giving the trolls more materials to work on. Worst case, it could drag the publisher down with her. Totally not worth it.

But Mai-chan didn’t want to lie to her readers anymore. That honesty and resolve? It deserved respect.

“You sure know how to dump a tough one on me…”

I scratched my neck, feeling a little conflicted.

“When’s the signing session?”

“Two to three this afternoon,” Mai-chan answered.

“Alright. Still plenty of time. Let’s go take a walk first.”

Sayocho panicked and blocked the door, her ahoge quivering like a warning signal.

“Wait! We’re not done talking!”

I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry—I’ll convince her.”

“You mean…”

“Yeah. I’m on your side, senpai.”

“Sen…pai? Well then, I’ll leave it to you!”

She even patted my arm. Wow. I feel… weirdly trusted.

So Mai-chan and I left the booth, but she looked a little out of it, trailing behind me in a daze.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“With that face? Doesn’t matter. You won’t enjoy anything. People are gonna think I made you cry or something.”

We were definitely getting looks. She lowered her gaze, the picture of a depressed Samoyed.

Click! I snapped a photo.

“Wah! What was that for?!”

“Sending it to your sister.”

“Chang Kai, stop messing around! Delete that!”

She lunged for my phone, but I held it up high. She couldn’t reach even on her tiptoes.

Hah. Shorty.

This “looking down on the world” feeling? Not bad.

“Alright, let’s go meet someone. Not exactly the same situation, but maybe you can relate.”

“Who?”

“Someone you’ve met before.”

Finding her wasn’t hard. Getting to her was another story. We had to fight upstream through the tide of incoming attendees.

Eventually, we reached an area surrounded by a thick cluster of people.

Qinglan had sent Meow Meow and Tian Xi here to hand out flyers, but now they were caught in the middle of a photo frenzy. DSLR lenses the size of cannons surrounded them, and flashes lit them up like celebrities on a red carpet.

“Excuse me—sorry! Coming through!”

I tried pushing forward with Mai-chan in tow, but the crowd didn’t budge. No matter how hard I tried, the magical girls remained out of reach.

Was this Avalon, the unreachable holy land?

“Excuse me, miss. May I take your picture?”

We weren’t even moving and Mai-chan was already getting approached.

“Me? I’m not a cosplayer.”

“My lens isn’t limited to cosplay. It seeks out all forms of beauty—including yours.”

That deep voice sounded oddly familiar. I turned and saw a chubby guy in a bandana.

“Flash?”

“Huh? Oh—Young man?”

He only just noticed me holding Mai-chan’s arm.

“This young lady here… your girlfriend?”

Mai-chan instantly pulled her hand back and shook her head.

“N-No, I’m not.”

That was… a very fast and firm denial. Kinda hurt.

“Well, may I still take your picture? You're so beautiful—it would be a real shame not to capture that on camera!”

She hesitated, but nodded. Probably because I was there.

“Thank you so much!”

With her okay, Flash’s backpack transformed like something out of a mecha anime. A ring light popped up, flanked by reflective panels that focused soft light right onto Mai-chan.

…Okay, I admit it—that gear was pretty cool.

He wrapped up quickly, earning his nickname Flash not just for speed, but his efficiency too.

“You two looked stuck. Trying to get to the magical girls?”

“Yeah, but the crowd’s nuts. We’re barely holding our ground.”

It was peak entry time. The entrance was packed.

“Captain also asked me to snap a few shots of the magical girls to post online.”

He looked over at the wall of bodies separating us from our target.

“Alright then. Young man, grab my backpack. Miss, hold onto his arm.”

“How are you getting through?”

“By force of will, obviously. This is war. Hold tight!”

And with that, we were off—dragged by raw power.

But Flash didn’t just barge through. He zigged and zagged, finding perfect gaps to slip through, weaving like a salmon upstream. Fluid. Unstoppable.

“Incredible! You’ve got phase boots on or something?!”

“Of course! I am Flash. No crowd can stop me!”

The core members of Wu Qinglan’s circle really aren’t ordinary people—treating him like just some average otaku was clearly a mistake.

“Please take a flyer before snapping pics! Stop by our booth if you’re free—thank you!”

Tian Xi’s cheerful voice rang out. We were close now.

“Didn’t I say no crouching shots! You want me to kick your face in?!”

And theres Lei Meow Meow angrily keeping the crowd in check.

Tian Xi was the sweet, angelic idol, and Lei Meow Meow was the terrifying guardian, planting her foot in the face of every pervert trying to sneak an upskirt shot. Their roles felt a little… reversed. Who’s the real idol here?

The immediate area around them was clear—photographers respectfully kept their distance, forming a sacred perimeter. Flash joined them, raising his camera with practiced ease.

But I couldn’t walk in. I could feel those massive lenses aiming right at me, like black cannons ready to fire.

No choice. I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Tian Xi.

[Hey, do you two want to take a break? I need to talk to Meow Meow.]