Nearly every booth at the convention had its own massive speakers blaring their different BGM’s. Some booths had bass so intense it felt like your whole body vibrated just walking past—like this was some kind of competition to see who had the loudest audio setup.

The result? The whole venue was a chaotic mess of sound.

Thankfully, the Witch’s Workshop booth had a more thoughtful design. Their stage was built into the back of the booth and enclosed by partition walls, which helped block out a lot of the noise from nearby booths. That meant Lei Meow Meow could perform with minimal interference.

The tradeoff, though, was that it sacrificed space. There wasn’t much room for a crowd.

Unlike back at the Aqua World event, Tian Xi had come prepared this time. She brought high-quality lossless instrumental tracks. Compared to the a cappella performance at the pageant, this impromptu concert felt like a level-up.

The golden-haired magical girl sang her heart out on stage while customers lined up at the counter to pay for their manga. Meanwhile, I stood outside the booth, holding the “END OF THE LINE” sign, feeling nothing but sorrow.

Sorrow, I tell you! How tragic to miss seeing Lei Meow Meow bouncing around on stage!

Wu Qinglan stood beside me, handing flyers to everyone in line. He had such a hunched posture, he looked like he’d been deflated. Is it a spine issue or what?

Honestly, I was surprised how many people were queuing up. Way more than I expected.

“This manga’s selling surprisingly well. You must’ve done some serious promotion, huh?”

Was it thanks to Miss Marika’s name recognition? She is a semi-famous illustrator, after all.

“You seriously don’t get it? It’s all thanks to that little idol of yours! Kid, you’ve got some serious luck—knowing an idol of this level? Just one song from her and the whole crowd swarmed over.”

He leaned over to peek at Meow Meow singing with all her might on stage, then gave my back a solid slap that left me coughing.

“Sure, she’s got a great voice, but how does that translate into manga sales?”

I was genuinely confused. It’s not like people hear a song and suddenly want to buy comics. That doesn’t track.

“You’re too naive, kid. Think about how our booth is laid out.”

He tapped the wall behind him and smirked. “From the outside, you can’t see inside at all. When people hear such an amazing voice and can’t see who’s singing, their curiosity spikes. So they get in line. And since I’m selling these thick single-volume editions at a bargain price—forty-five yuan!—most people figure, ‘Well, I’m already here, might as well grab a copy.’ That’s the psychology.”

This guy wasn’t even trying to make a profit—he just wanted to promote his stuff.

“Huh… makes sense.”

If I were a customer and waited in line forever only to leave empty-handed, I’d feel like I wasted my time too.

“But her voice is amazing, though! I honestly thought it was a whole idol group in there.”

Not an unfair assumption. With her ridiculously wide vocal range, Meow Meow could switch voices mid song to create a harmony effect that sounded like multiple singers.

The only downside? That kind of singing took a serious toll. After just a few songs, her voice gave out.

Mai-chan squeezed out from the stage entrance and walked straight toward me.

“Brother Kai.”

Noticing that Wu Qinglan was also present, she adjusted how she addressed me.

“Sis Meow Meow seems to be losing her voice. She just announced the performance is over.”

Already? She only sang a few songs. That shows how much it must’ve taken out of her.

“So soon?” Wu Qinglan was stunned.

After hearing Mai-chan’s update, some of the people in line who had come solely for the singing left disappointed. The queue instantly shortened.

“For real? Don’t leave! Our manga’s really good too!”

Watching people walk off, Wu Qinglan tried his best to keep them—looking pitiful, helpless, and desperate. And also, unbelievably shameless. He clung to my leg with a dramatic wail.

“Young man, any chance you can convince the little idol to do a few more songs?”

“You think I have that kind of pull?”

To Lei Meow Meow, the only value my face had was being a good punching target. She doesn’t give me any face, physically.

“But she doesn’t seem to hate you.”

“Are you blind? That look she gives me is 100% pure disdain.”

“Exactly! That means she cares!”

What kind of logic is that?

“If you two are done clowning around, I’m heading back to the publisher’s booth.”

Mai-chan exhaled and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

I called out and handed the “END OF THE LINE” sign to Wu Qinglan. He blinked and cursed.

“What the hell, young man? Slacking off again?!”

“I’ll be right back! Before lunch!”

“You’re still thinking about lunch?!”

I waved and ran to catch up with Mai-chan. I instinctively tapped her arm to get her attention—only for her to jump away like she’d been electrocuted.

Her reaction was oddly delicate. That little flinch, like a startled bunny curling up, made her seem especially petite and girlish.

Was that hop backward really necessary? Such a small motion, yet it hit like a truck.

“It’s just a natural reflex from this body!” she quickly explained.

“No worries. I get it—you’re a girl now. It was my bad for touching you without warning.”

I pointed back towards the booth.

“Before your signing event, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Who?”

“Someone you know.”

“Someone I know?”

At the sales counter, anyone who bought manga got freebies like posters and postcards. Right now, two magical girls in red and black uniforms were packing orders.

They were quick and efficient—but neither the chuunibyo Scarlet-chan nor the deadpan Yan Yao was exactly the “customer service smile” type. Especially Xiao Yao, who had inherited her male form’s infamous “you owe me money” resting face.

Come on, just crack a smile! The customers are gonna think you hate them!

Just then, two otaku in plaid shirts passed us after checking out.

“That magical girl with the bandages is totally the edgy-chuni type, huh? Watching her fight through the embarrassment is kind of cute.”

“Yeah, but I’m really into the one in black. That cold glare, like she’s looking at garbage, I really can’t have enough of it.”

Wait, what? Unexpected praise?

That second guy, are you a full-on m̲a̲s̲o̲c̲h̲i̲s̲t̲?!

I waved at Xiao Yao. She glanced over, said something to Scarlet, and slowly walked toward me.

Her steps were graceful, her posture dignified—like a daughter from a wealthy family. If you ignored the giant scythe she carried around, anyway.

“Do you really need to carry that massive scythe everywhere?”

Even if it’s made of plastic, it’s heavy. Totally unnecessary. Like Tian Xi’s weapon, a huge longbow, was just tossed in the backstage area.

“I do.”

She nodded, all icy Reaper vibes.

“This scythe is part of the character.”

Artists always have their quirks. If it makes her happy, I won’t stop her.

“Alright, you two should get acquainted.”

I stepped aside and nudged Mai-chan forward.

“Huh?” She stared at Xiao Yao for a moment, then turned to me with wide eyes. “Wait, you said it was someone I knew?”

By contrast, Xiao Yao was calm and collected. Her top-student brain kicked into gear, and her eyes sparkled with insight.

She came to a conclusion quickly and reached out to pat Mai-chan’s head.

“It’s only been a few days, but you’ve changed a lot, Cangyu.”

…

I overestimated her.

“No, she’s Brother Feng Wu!”

I broke the news and introduced Mai-chan properly.

“She’s Yan Liuzhuan. You two are friends already, and you didn’t recognize her?”

“Oh, now that you mention it!”

Compared to the drastically shrunken, baby faced, big-busted Mai-chan, Xiao Yao hadn’t changed much. You could still see hints of Yan Liuzhuan in her features.

“So… why has Brother Feng Wu turned into a girl?”

Technically, she asked Mai-chan—but her eyes were fixed on me.

“Don’t look at me like that! Ask her yourself!”

Why do I always look like the guilty party?

I turned to Mai-chan.

“It's your call whether you want to tell her about it.”

“I came here for the signing event… I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m actually the author. I just submitted the novel under my little sister’s name.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t mean to deceive you, it’s just—huh? You knew?”

“After hearing you talk about the novel so much at Aqua World, I had a feeling. If you were really just the author’s sibling, you wouldn’t be that invested in the story.”

Maybe she was tired—Xiao Yao leaned her scythe against the wall, brushed her bangs out of her face, and kept talking.

“If someone reads my art, I’d care deeply about their opinion. That’s a feeling every creator has. But Cangyu didn’t show that—you did. So the answer was obvious.”

What a deduction. I was floored.

“Damn, that’s impressive.”