Finally the morning has arrived. It's already 7:30 a.m. The door to their battlefield opened.
The mass of participants were already lined up outside the large convention center---Tenguu Square, where this season's Comico Colosseum was being held. As they entered the hall, they heard the clamor of footsteps, rolling carts, and all sorts of people talking everywhere.
Comico Colosseum was held twice a year, once during the summer and once during the winter. There, many groups together sold multitudes of doujin for the three days the event was scheduled for. This was the summit event where all fans of manga and anime from across the entire country gathered. Just like every other year, within those three days, there were well over fifty vendors prepared and ready.
That's not to mention that this is the largest this event has ever been. Of course the number of general participants has increased too, but the number of circles looking to put their doujins on display also increased by a fair number. Not so long after the hall opened, a storm of people marched inside the building, quaking its very foundation.
-It's been one hour since the hall opened. Similar circles were usually placed together in the same area. Lucas and the others, of circle Ratatoskr, finally built their booth near the front where the gate was after the pedestrian traffic died down.
"Alright, let's go, everyone!"
"Umu, our preparations are complete!"
"L-Let's do our best...!"
The Spirits all nodded alongside Lucas' words.
Even though no one was really back in perfect physical condition, they all recovered enough strength to get through the day once they passed out after finishing their manuscript.
Even though no one was really back in perfect physical condition, they all recovered enough strength to get through the day once they passed out after finishing their manuscript.
When Lucas woke up, he found Origami clinging onto him, while Miku had seized both Yoshino and Kotori in her left and right arms respectively. As a result, she slept with a happy look on her face. Yoshino and Kotori, however, groaned as if they were having a nightmare. They suspected Origami and Miku plotted together for this, but the two denied it and said that it was just how they sleep naturally. Of course, everyone knew they were lying and looked at them with suspicion.
Today is the day of the decisive battle. Lucas walked along with the Spirits and Shidou through the wide lobby, then they went to the east hall to where their booth would be placed.
Inside the hall, there was a large number of people from each of the circles participating. Everyone seemed busy. As they were constructing their booth, they set up the tablecloth and lined up all their books on the tables.
"Hee... Although this is my first time being here, this is amazing."
"Consent. Everything here is so creative."
"You're right~ This atmosphere feels a little similar to a live TV show."
The Spirits looked at their surroundings out of interest, each gave their own reactions of excitement and chatted around. Then, as she looked at a certain spot in the hall, Kotori said something to everyone.
"-She's already here. Nia."
Everyone became anxious when they heard that. Lucas stopped his breath and looked in the direction of the booth Kotori was looking at.
Over there, was the person Kotori just mentioned-The Spirit, and their rival today, Nia.
"..."
Lucas made up his mind and walked forward.
And then, as if noticing Lucas and the others' presence, Nia turned her face.
"...Um?" She lifted up the bridge of her glasses and stood up from her chair. "What an unexpected meeting, boy. I'd never guess that we would meet again in a place like this. Oh, I see that everyone's here too. Nice to meet you all, I guess?"
Nia glanced towards everyone all lined up in a row behind Lucas. Tohka, Origami, Kaguya, and Natsumi put on their guards. Shidou, Yoshino and Yuzuru bowed a little, while Kotori folded her arms and glanced back at Nia as the finishing blow.
Only Miku placed her hand on her chin as her eyes seemed to sparkle.
"I see, I see... A slender girl with glasses, but also considerably beautiful... I've never seen this type up until now~"
For some reason, when she said that, Natsumi put some extra distance between her and Miku.
"...Then why are you here? Well, you're free to come to Comico I guess, but... general participants are only allowed in at 10:00 a.m., you know?"
Nia shrugged her shoulders in response.
Kotori unfolded her arms while replying back to Nia.
"Thank you for the advice. However, we're not general participants."
Then she slowly lifted up her right hand and pointed to the space next to Nia's. Nia followed Kotori's fingertips and looked puzzled.
"Fuun...? Aah, I see."
Nia let out a small sigh, and then took out the hall's guide map placed on the desk.
"I thought it was odd. According to the map, there shouldn't be a booth here, but then I see that there is one when I got here. I thought that the management might've made a mistake, but... I see this is your doing."
"Well... That's it."
As Lucas answered her, Nia made an unpleasant expression towards him and the others. It clearly showed that she thought that this situation was amusing.
"...Anyhow, you brought a lot of people."
"Ara, don't you also have plenty of people?"
"Aah, everyone is working part-time. Aren't employees great? They'll work as much as you pay them, so it's an easy relationship to understand."
When they heard Nia's words, Lucas and Kotori bit their lips a little---Takajou's words were ringing inside their minds from yesterday's conversation.
"So? It's alright if you participate, but what are you selling? You look like you're a little empty-handed."
"Yes."
Then, Kotori snapped her fingers.
As if responding to it, three men came out from the worker's room. They rolled down a cart that was fully loaded with cardboard boxes.
Looking at them carefully, they were Fraxinus' crew members Nakatsugawa, Kawagoe and Mikimoto.
"We're delivering Circle-Ratatoskr's items!"
"Thank you. Please stack them up in that booth."
"Yes!"
They piled up the cardboard boxes inside the circle's booth. There were ten boxes in total. That's right, the same number of boxes that Nia had piled up behind her booth.
"Five-hundred volumes inside each box... It's the same number as yours, right Nia?"
"... Hee? You're well prepared, huh? You'll sell them faster than me... That's what you wanted to say, right? You sure thought about it. Nevertheless, you definitely have a better business mindset than me."
"Thanks for the quick understanding." At Nia's words, Kotori cracked into a smile.
Accordingly, all the participants who constructed their booths around them began to whisper something.
Nia, Lucas, and the others all felt a dangerous atmosphere, but...they were wrong. For some reason their eyes were focused on Nakatsugawa, who was still working.
"Hey, perhaps he..."
"Aah, that man with glasses and gloves, no doubt. The representative of legendary circle Mai MaiKaburi, Munechika...!"
"No way! Five years ago, because of their difference in opinions on Should My Lispy Young Little Sister Call Me Onii-tan or Onii-tama? the circle split-up. The man who completely disappeared from Comico...!?"
As gossip can be heard, Lucas, Shidou and Kotori looked at Nakatsugawa with half-opened eyes.
"...Mai MaiKaburi?"
"Munechika...?"
"....Care to explain?
Nakatsugawa let out a sigh while giving a defeated smile.
"Please stop it. That's a story of the past."
"..."
The three of them exchanged glances... They had a feeling that if they asked any more than this, it'd become a troublesome conversation. As they made eye contact, they mutually agreed to change the conversation topic.
"More importantly Shidou."
"A-Aah."
Shidou walked to the back side of the circle's booth. He opened one cardboard box and took out all the books inside it. Perhaps, it was because they had just been printed, but the books were still slightly warm.
"Uwah..."
"Turned out better than I anticipated."
Come to think of it, this was the first time they had ever seen the finished product. The illustration drawn by Lucas was colored beautifully with a cool title printed on it. No matter how you looked at it, it definitely didn't look like a book that had been created in only two days.
Lucas walked in Nia's direction. He gazed at her, while she was stretching out to adjust the position of the books on display from her seat.
"-Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Kunshu Lucas from circle Ratatoskr."
"..."
Nia shrugged her shoulder at Lucas' words.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Nia took a copy of one of the books lined up in her own booth and gave it to Lucas.
"Honjou Souji from circle Honjou-Dou. Nice to meet you too."
And then, the two of them bowed slightly as they exchanged each other's books. Right. It was a custom to exchange books with the booth next to your own.
Nia looked at him with contempt.
"...Since I don't think I'll lose in this place, I'll accept it for now, but whether I'll actually read this or not depends on today's sales."
"Sure. I don't mind. Let's make today a good day for the both of us."
"..."
Lucas stretched out his hand to Nia. She let out a sigh and as she reached out her own hand. They shook hands before separating.
"Even though your plan seems interesting, I don't think you have any chance to win. At the very least, I'm a pro, and even with these five-thousand copies, I'm just being modest with the number since this is my first event in a while. It's not easy for a new circle like you to win with a rushed work made by amateurs."
"Well... I wonder about that."
Kotori smiled fearlessly. She looked towards the Spirits behind her.
"Everyone, please prepare yourselves."
In response to her, Tohka, Yoshino and Miku replied with a simultaneous "Ooh~!".
On the other hand, Kurumi, the Yamai-sisters, Origami and Natsumi, the four people from the drawing group didn't understand what Kotori was talking about. They inclined their heads in wonder as they sat in their chairs.
"Preparation...? What's this all about?"
"Question. Yuzuru and the others didn't hear anything about it."
"...Somehow I have a bad feeling about this."
"Fumu...If Kotori is saying it, it must be something important."
"It's alright, it's alright. More importantly, everyone should come over here-Lucas, Shidou, since we'll be gone for just a minute, can you two help prepare the booth with Kawagoe and the others until we come back?"
Kotori said that while pushing Natsumi's back. Lucas nodded at her even though he's still curious what they could be doing.
"Alright... Then, let's start construction over here as well."
Lucas said to Shidou and the crew members while seeing Kotori and the others off. They nodded at him as they brought another big cardboard box from outside.
From the box, they took out various decorations for the booth, including a poster of the book's front cover and a tablecloth.
"Uwah, this is amazing. You even created these too?"
"Fufufu, well obviously. Anyway, we're a nameless circle. At the very least we have to stand out. It's a good thing that this place is surrounded by other popular booths, at least then we won't have problems getting traffic our way."
Nakatsugawa's glasses shone brightly. Shidou made a dry smile as sweat ran down his back, while Lucas' expression stayed the same
Next, Lucas helped the others to set up the poster with the book's front cover on it... Although he felt a bit embarrassed to have a huge poster with a character whose appearance was nearly identical to him, it wasn't the time for that. He shook the thought out from his head and continued with setting up the booth.
As they continued working for a little while, Lucas noticed some people begin to gather around. Soon, plenty of those people began to line up in front of various circles' booths. Especially Nia's circle, they had a fairly sizable number already ready to buy her doujin.
"I thought it didn't open for a little longer. Who are all these people...?"
As Lucas asked, Nakatsugawa, who was still lining up the books, answered to him.
"Aah, they're the same as us, they're all circle participants. As long as they're here on a circle's ticket, they can get into the hall before the general participants and line up in front of their favorite circles earlier than usual."
"...Is that alright?"
"Uhm... Well, that's a little difficult for me to say."
Nakatsugawa gave a vague reply while folding his hands. From his expression, it looked like he was saying "Though it's not good for me to say this, I also did the same thing numerous times in the past..."
"But, then that means-"
"Right. Finally, you understand."
Nia stood up at her booth, answering Lucas.
"The success of a doujin depends on your already established reputation. Of course, I was a last minute entry myself so I didn't get printed on the catalogue, but I posted a notification on my blog a while ago. There's a lot of people who want to be the first to get my book, you know?"
As she said that, Nia threw a glance at Lucas just above the frame of her glasses.
"I'm sorry about that, but even if you have the same number of copies as me, the one who was going to sell them faster was decided before we even started."
"---I'm not so sure about that."
As if perfectly on cue, Kotori came back and opposed that notion.
"...?"
"Kotori? E... Eeh!?"
When they looked in the direction of her voice, Shidou couldn't help but be surprised.
That's because, over there, the Spirits who left with her all came back wearing some kind of cute bunny-girl costumes.
"That appearance..."
"Umu! It seems we've become the salesgirls!"
"Yesterday... Everyone, made these... Although this feels a little bit embarrassing... I'll do my best...!"
Both Tohka and Yoshino answered Lucas' question. Indeed, Tohka and the others who weren't part of the drawing team had another job to do, this must have been what they meant.
At the sudden appearance of a group of beautiful cosplayers, all the surrounding participants got excited.
"What's with that circle...? Aren't those girls extremely cute?"
"Eh? They weren't in catalogue, right?"
"By the way, the one between those two... isn't that Izayoi Miku?"
Moreover, when someone recognized that the Idol Izayoi Miku was here, they suddenly got even noisier. Both men and women alike started shrieking and chattering as various cell phone and camera shutters interjected.
Although usually this kind of attention could get annoying, Miku didn't mind it, instead she started posing for some girl holding her camera.
Seeing that kind of reaction, Nia placed her hand on her head in wonder.
"...Izayoi Miku?"
"Ufufu~ so you finally realize~"
Miku puffed her chest in a prideful manner. However, Nia only raised her eyebrow in a skeptical manner.
"...Sorry, I don't know who you are. Are you famous?"
"Auuuu!?"
Miku staggered back out of shock.
"Calm down, Miku. Nia was captured by DEM until only recently, so of course she doesn't know about you as an artist."
"Y-yes, I understand."
"Straighten up. It's about to start soon."
Miku gave a little laugh and fixed her posture, Kotori patted her back very lightly, as if she was trying to boost her fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, the clock ticked down indicating that it was now 10:00 a.m., the announcement rang throughout the inside of the hall.
"-Starting from now, Comico Colosseum is open."
At the same time, the sound of applause resounded heavily like the sound of thunder.
Lucas and the others raised their eyes in shock hearing how intense the applause was. They turned their attention towards their neighbor.
This was only the beginning. Before the sound of applause was about to stop, in the distance "Gogogogogogogo..." a rumbling sound, shook the ground.
"This sound..." Lucas realized it right away.
That sound was coming from the mass of participants, whose footsteps alone shook the earth.
"O-Ooh...!?"
"...Amazing, what is that?"
The people rushed inside like a tidal wave. It was reminiscent of soldiers who were charging into the enemy's camp as the gates of the castle opened. The Spirits were astounded at the spectacle, as they looked to each other in amazement.
However, they can't just let themselves be overtaken by this sight. As they sat there awestruck, Nia and her circle were already selling her books, one by one.
"One copy, please."
"Yes, that'll be five-hundred Yen."
"Over here, two copies please!"
"One-thousand Yen, please."
With an air of experience, Nia and her staff serviced each guest. Nia looked at Lucas and twisted her lips as if to say, "Just try to see if you can win. "
"Ku---Us too, let's begin!"
"That's right. Well then everyone, let's proceed as planned!"
"Ooh!"
Following Kotori's instructions, the Spirits made a row around the booth. As if entranced by their appearances, all the participants who were walking past to go buy other books, stopped their feet right in front of <Ratatoskr>'s booth.
"Ooh, welcome!"
Tohka called out to a boy who was looking at the front cover as he passed by. The boy seemed as if he wanted to avoid the booth entirely.
"No, uhm..."
"One copy is just five-hundred Yen! How about it?"
"...Ah... then one copy please."
Although the boy seemed to be hesitating to buy the book or not, he couldn't beat Tohka's shining smile. After making an awkward smile of his own, the boy stretched out his thousand Yen bill.
"Ooh, thank you! Your change is five-hundred Yen!"
After Tohka gave him the book, she waved her hand with the same amazing smile on her face. The boy seemed a bit embarrassed, but still, he looked happy with his purchase as he waved his hand back a little before leaving.
Lucas smiled slightly at the scene.
"This is good too... I guess?" After Lucas said that, Nakatsugawa, who was still arranging the booth, smiled.
"Of course. This is a sales battle anyway. No matter what kind of amazing doujin you draw, it's still necessary to actually sell as many as possible. Advertisement and influence are important factors. Honjou-sensei understands that as well. Rather, if we don't do it like this, it'd be impossible for some nameless circle like us to sell all five-thousand copies."
"I see..."
Sweat ran down Lucas' cheeks as he nodded. That's right, although this may be a battlefield for doujin, a marketplace is still a marketplace.
A crowd started forming around circle <Ratatoskr>'s booth because of all the beautiful salesgirls. The smiling faces of each of the Spirits were a surefire knockout to many of the participants. Their sales started to steadily rise through their foul play.
Though, Honjou-Dou next to them had already sold several more books than Ratatoskr even without using such an underhanded tactic. As more time passed, the line in front of Nia's circle continued to grow in size.
"Tch... If this continues...!"
The overwhelming pace was way too different. Lucas face grew sullen when he saw Nia selling her books one by one.
And then, Kotori, who was also wearing a bunny girl cosplay, raised the stick of her Chupa-Chups upward.
"What's with the face, Lucas?-The match is only just beginning."
"Huh...?"
Lucas was confused at Kotori's confidence.
And then-Lucas raised his eyes and noticed right away. Slowly, people began gathering in front of circle Ratatoskr. And this time, they weren't just passing by like earlier. There were people genuinely lining up to buy Ratatoskr's books.
"This is..."
Lucas raised his voice in surprise, while Kotori folded her arms in proud manner.
"Fufufu, I said it didn't I? Kaguya, Yuzuru! Go help arrange the line!"
"Kaka, acknowledge!"
"Consent. Please leave it to us."
Following Kotori's instructions, the Yamai sisters rushed to the front of the booth to help arrange the line.
He started to understand how Kotori managed this.
Inside that line, there were so many familiar faces here and there---They were all members of the actual organization, Ratatoskr.
"...Isn't this called 'shilling'?"
Lucas asked Kotori with a voice quiet enough that Nia wouldn't hear. Kotori snorted and looked at him with glee.
"How rude. They're 'friends' who're coming to visit our circle. Buying a doujin made by an acquaintance is a common thing to do. I also asked everyone else to contact their friends as well."
"Well, even if that's true..."
There was a certain part of what Kotori said that he couldn't help but worry about.
"...Who's everyone?"
Lucas mumbled as he got a bad feeling. As if to confirm that feeling, only a few moments later, he heard a familiar voice.
"Yahoo~! Tohka~ We've arrived~"
"What's with this amazing number of people~"
"Reminds me of that swamp battle from that movie last week~"
Three girls came up to the front of the booth after lining up.
Looking at those figures, Shidou choked on his breath. Right there were the familiar trio, Ai, Mai, and Mii.
"Ooh, you three came!"
Tohka raised up her voice in a cheerful manner. And then the three of them went *Fufu* and loosened their lips.
"Of course. There's no way we can refuse Tohka's request."
"Right, right. Comico seemed to be quite interesting too."
"...Well, ah! Captain-The dangerous man has been discovered!"
"What!?"
Upon looking at Shidou's face, the three of them went into battle mode. Shidou let out a sigh as if giving up, and then answered them.
"...Ah, you three. It's been a while..."
"Everyone, be careful!"
"He's going to try to seduce girls!"
"He'll make you pregnant if you're careless!"
"..."
Shidou got nervous at the potential riot they were about to start... As expected, he should have explained what happened at the beginning of the month to them. He thought he'd have time to solve the misunderstandings later, but he never thought he'd meet them in a place like this.
However, as they were currently in a very important sales match, Kotori approached the three of them in a very business-like manner.
"One copy is five-hundred Yen. Would you like to buy three copies?"
"Eh? Ah, yes. Please."
"Uwah, doesn't the front cover look amazing? Who drew this?"
"Don't you think it kind of resembles Kunshu?"
The three of them bought their books and then waved goodbye to Tohka. Even though those three like to cause a commotion, they still had at least some common sense. They decided not to cause any trouble or bother the other people who were lined up behind them.
Lucas sighed in relief and went back to selling.
A few moments later, a new group of three girls, all of seemingly different ages, came up to the booth.
The first was a tall woman who seems to be in her twenties, the other one was a short girl and the last one looked like a half-Japanese girl with blonde hair.
The three people walked up to the booth and called out for Origami when they saw her.
"Ah, it's her. What is it? Calling us all of the sudden."
"-Captain."
Origami responded back to the tall woman. Then Lucas went "Ah" and clapped his hands. Come to think of it, that woman was from the Anti-Spirit Team that Origami was in---the captain of the AST. Her name was Kusakabe Ryouko. Just like Tohka, it seemed that Origami also contacted her acquaintances. The other two girls must have also been members of AST too.
"Origami! It's been a while!"
"Ah~ did you cut your hair? You sure are decisive~"
"Mikie, Mildred."
Origami called out their names quietly. The girl who was called Mikie suddenly started sobbing and acted like she was wiping her tears.
"Uu... Since Origami retired so suddenly, I've been so lonely every day. Please come back to the AST..."
"That's right~ Why did you retire so suddenly~?"
"It can't be helped, I have my reasons. I won't be coming back to AST."
"Is that so... How disappointing-Ouch!"
Then, Ryouko delivered a light chop to Mikie's head.
"...Geez, you all, why do you have to bring up the AST in a place like this?"
"Ah...! I-I'm sorry, my mistake..."
"It's alright. No one would hear it anyway."
Origami said lightly. In turn, Mikie stared at Origami wonder.
"...By the way Origami, have you changed a little bit...?"
And then Origami wrapped her arm around Lucas'.
"Because of him."
"Wha...!?"
"Kyaa~! Eh, so that's the reason~?"
Mikie was shocked with Origami's answer, while Mildred just started blushing. Ryouko clearly wasn't having any of it, and hit both of their heads with her hands at the same time to stop them.
"Hey, stop being so noisy---Anyway, since we came all the way here, we'll buy some. Can we get three copies?"
"Alright."
Origami took the money gently and handed over the books. After that, Ryouko noticed Tohka and the other Spirits and looked with a hint of suspicion.
"...Hey, Origami. Those girls, I think I've seen them before..."
"Your imagination."
"You think so? But..."
"Your imagination."
"No, but-"
"Thank you very much."
"..."
Origami declared with a conclusive tone. Ryouko could only sigh as if to show she gave up, then she took Mikie and Mildred and went off to leave. Just as they were about to, Mikie went "I-I won't lose!" while pointing at Lucas. Meanwhile, he didn't know how to respond back.
However-There's still something he didn't understand. Just looking at the number of people who were lining up for their booth, it's obvious that they weren't all friends and acquaintances brought in by Kotori and the rest.
As if he knew what Lucas was thinking, Nakatsugawa, as he was arranging the boxes, raised his voice.
"It's really not that strange, It's true that our booth wasn't included in the catalogue, but that also means that we're a 'mysterious' circle that just suddenly appeared. Once people find out about that, wouldn't that attract even more people who were curious?"
"That may be true, but isn't the most important thing already being popular?"
When Lucas said that, Nakatsugawa lifted up his glasses.
"Did you forget, Lucas? Our booth is right next to the most popular circle Honjou-Dou."
"Ah-"
That's probably the case. It's not strange that people who came over here to buy Nia's books would suddenly get interested by the mysterious circle right next door.
And then-
"-Is it here? The circle that wasn't printed on the catalogue?"
"But, how did they suddenly get such a good booth position?"
"Aah... Anyway isn't the famous appraiser Munechika with them?"
"Really!? Any circle he had his eyes on immediately saw a rise in their popularity, and any author he's ever recommended were hugely successful and became some of the most popular in the business. That Munechika!?"
"What did you say!? The seven time champion of Moe Anime, Munechika!?"
"The leader of the mega group Super Galaxy, Munechika came back!?"
"..."
All sorts of similar conversations resounded throughout the hall. Lucas stared at Nakatsugawa silently. He clearly looked a little bit troubled.
"Right now, I'm but a humble staff member."
"Haa..."
Lucas got the feeling he shouldn't ask any further.
Anyhow, the match seemed to be finally underway. The line to Ratatoskr's booth seemingly grew longer and longer. After the general participants already bought the books they came for in the first place, a large number of them started coming to Lucas and Nia's booths from every direction.
When she saw the current state of things Kotori gave a loud shout.
"Alright... Let's keep going. There are only three people in Nia's circle. Her plan is to have two of them manage the line while the last manages their stock. We, on the other hand, have fourteen people for our booth, including Kawagoe and the others. With our numbers, we can easily beat her in the number of books we can sell at once!"
The Spirits all began hailing to each other at Kotori's words, rapidly selling books. The number of cardboard boxes in the back slowly began to decrease, one by one.
And then, circle Ratatoskr started closing the gap between them and Honjou-Dou right away. The number of books left to sell quickly caught up to Nia's.
Kotori folded her arms and took a glance at Nia's circle.
"Since the number of cashiers we have is more than you, we have the advantage in terms of speed. Or, perhaps you consider this foul play?"
After saying that, Kotori curled her lips in a provocative manner. Her companion, the Spirits, all were immensely focused on selling as quickly as possible... It seemed like Nia's earlier prediction about their books ending up as wasted paper was beginning to backfire.
However, Nia, even while being provoked by Kotori, still replied back with her usual nonchalant tone.
"Hm-? No, I never said that. Even something well-drawn ends up useless in the end if they aren't sold well... Well, it is true that I didn't think you all would make it this far."
Nia clapped her hands.
"But... Don't you think it's a bit too early to be so confident?"
"...What did you say?"
Kotori raised her eyebrow, not knowing what was about to come.
Only ten minutes later, something began to change.
The line in front of Ratatoskr's circle was gradually shrinking in size. Meanwhile, Honjou-Dou's line was still going strong.
"T-This... What happened?"
"Even if you ask me, weren't you just confident in your strategy?" Nia playfully raised her voice to reply to Kotori's dismay.
"Cute salesgirls, a large amount of shilling, and various kinds of merchandise to entice your target demographic. It's true that that's one way to attract people to your booth, but it'll still just end up in vain. It seems like selling all five-thousand copies will prove impossible after all-Even though I just said a well drawn book is useless if it's not sold. In the end, what people want is a book that's interesting. And even if I haven't been here in years, I came here for many years before. Did you think that newcomers who don't know what or how to draw would be able to make up that difference with some cheap tricks in only a day?"
"Kuh...!"
Kotori was daunted.
What Nia said was true. Up until now, Lucas and the others were relying on their secret weapons, and managed to at least catch up with Honjou-Dou.
All the participants who had lined up for circle Ratatoskr's book were already finished buying. There was no one else coming. But there were still four boxes remaining, meaning a little more than two-thousand books remained unsold.
"T-There's no more... people."
"...W-What should we do?"
“Something… Is there nothing we can do…!? If this continues…!”
However, he couldn’t think up anything to sell the rest.
Meanwhile, the line for Honjou-Dou continued to attract more and more people to buy their books without slowing down at all. Soon, another of their remaining four boxes was emptied.
“Kuh… What should we do…?”
If this continues, Nia will finish selling her books first. In other words—Lucas and the others will lose their chance to seal Nia.
However, regardless of how dire the situation was, it wasn’t good to keep thinking like this. He could only watch as many participants passed by their booth without stopping.
—It was at that moment.
Someone gently placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder.
“Eh…?” Lucas looked at the owner of that hand—Miku was smiling.
“Ufufu, giving up like this isn’t very like you. The match still hasn’t finished yet. Rather, it’s just beginning.”
“Miku…?”
When he heard Miku’s conviction he knew—From her expression and the way she was talking, she wasn’t just trying to cheer up Lucas. She really meant that.
Miku gave Lucas a wink and looked at Nia.
“Well then Nia-san, this is the match.” She pointed her finger directly at Nia.
Nia was puzzled with Miku’s behavior.
“…? I don’t know what you plan to do, but won’t it be hard to catch up with this large a discrepancy anyway?”
“Ufufu~ I wonder about that—Hey Nia-san. You were captured by DEM for a long time, but do you know about SNS~?”
“Aah, Social Networking Service, right? Of course, I know. I’m not the owner of an omniscient Angel for nothing.”
“…But you didn’t know about me, right~? Aren’t you at all interested in investigating who I am~? Are you sure~?”
“…I’m sorry, but no.” It seemed like Miku was about to complain to Nia, but instead she shook her head and cleared her thoughts.
“Anyway! SNS is a service used by more than half of the whole nation—Especially by young people. When I look at the age-group of the people around here, don’t you think there’d be a few people who use it~?”
“…! Miku, don’t tell me—“ Kotori exclaimed as if realizing something. Quickly, she took out the smart phone from her pocket and began fiddling with the screen for some reason.
Only a few seconds afterwards, Kotori stood there agape.
“H-Hey, Kotori. What happened?”
“This—“
Kotori pointed the screen of her smartphone towards Lucas to answer. Tohka, Yoshino and Origami, who were near him, all looked at the screen together.
What was there was the main page of a popular SNS site but… There was an icon of Miku on it, and a little comment following it.
“Izayoi Miku: I’m helping out my friend’s circle at Comico, please come~! It’s on the east side at A-20.5, Circle Ratatoskr. I’ll personally be selling books and handing them over—Photographs are okay too~!”
“Wha…!? M-Miku?” Lucas opened his eyes in surprise. Miku made a little *Nii* noise and smiled.
“Looking at everyone working so hard, I can’t just stand around without doing my best too. I also want to be helpful to everyone.”
“Miku…”
At the moment Miku lowered her glance and then *Bang!*, turned towards Nia.
“It’s true that we’re no match for you on an even playing field. That’s why we’ll create our own shortcut to defeat you once and for all!”
Pointing her finger in a provocative manner, she continued.
“So, let me show you Nia-san. The power of the woman you didn’t know about. Be sure to carve this into your memories. My name—Izayoi Miku!”
And then Miku extended her hands as if she was performing on stage.
Who would have guessed that along with that— Right at that moment, from the entrance hall, a barrage of footsteps could be heard. It was just like when the event hall had just opened, and a flood of people came through the hall.
“—It’s showtime!” Miku lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. And then, a massive group of people simultaneously rushed to the front of circle Ratatoskr.
“Wah! Isn’t that the real Miku-tan!?”
“Seriously, the real one!? Why is she here…!?”
“Ah, I heard that you’ll hand over the books with your own hands, is that true…?” A boy asked her nervously. Miku choked up for a moment when she saw the figure of a man, but… she started smiling right away.
“Yes, that’s true~ Everyone, thank you very much for your support!”
“Uwoooooooooooooooooh!”
When they all heard Miku say that, all the participants raised up their voices together, shouting until their roar could be heard by everyone inside the hall. Then, they all started lining up in front of circle Ratatoskr.
“…! Kaguya, Yuzuru! Back to managing the line please! Kawagoe and the others, help supply the books and lead the participants who are going to pay over to us!”
Kotori, who was taken aback for only a brief second, returned to her commander mode and began ordering everyone around again.
“Lucas, Shidou, Tohka, Yoshino, Origami and I will continue being the cashiers! Natsumi! Continue selling but also hug Miku to prevent her from getting worn out!”
“Isn’t there something strange about my role!?” Although there was one complaint, all the Spirits went back to their respective work. Nia furrowed her brow a little at Miku.
“Fuun… So she really can do that. I guess that girl really is a celebrity after all.”
“…Aah. Isn’t she amazing? She’s our prideful idol.”
"You're not going to say that this is unfair?"
Lucas and Kotori both looked at Nia while saying that, Nia shrugged her shoulders and nodded.
"Of course not. Can you even catch up though?" Nia sharpened her glance and grinned at them. Lucas nodded to reassure her.
"...Obviously! We'll overtake you for sure! For the sake of everyone who has supported us this far, and for your sake too Nia!" Nia laughed as she continued selling her books.
"Well, thanks for that! Even if you say that though, I won't give you a discount~!"
"No problem! Because we'll win for sure!"
"Ahahaha! That's right, obviously! If you really can win, then-"
Then-
Nia who was just laughing suddenly stopped completely.
For a moment, Lucas was confused as to what happened, but he soon realized the reason.
At Nia's booth, right there, was a woman with thick glasses.
"T-Takajou-sensei..."
Nia lost her breath for a moment.
She was the manga artist who Lucas and Kotori had a conversation with yesterday, Hiroki Takajou.
"Ahaha, it's been a while Honjou-sensei. I heard that you'd be participating at this exhibition, after such a long time too, so of course I came."
"Ah, that's... Uhm, thank you..."
Just now, Nia's facial expression suddenly shifted to much different from earlier.
"I'm sorry for coming so suddenly. Please forgive me if I bothered you. But... can I ask you something?"
Takajou looked at Nia through the lens of her glasses. Nia awkwardly averted her gaze.
"...Did I do something rude to you without realizing it? If that's the case, then please forgive me."
As she said that, Takajou bent her body and bowed to Nia. Nia seemed to be confused and continued averting her gaze away.
"S-Such a thing... There's no way you could have!" Nia said that, her voice trembling. It was strangely different from Nia's usual nonchalant attitude.
"Is that so?"
Takajou looked at Nia curiously. However, Nia replied to her with a difficult expression.
The awkward silence continued for a while. Takajou judged that it wasn't good to hold up the line in front of Nia's booth any longer. She let out a sigh, bought one copy of the book and bowed to Nia once again.
"Even if you hate me... I... I will still enjoy Honjou-sensei's books."
"Ah..."
Nia was on the verge of saying something to her, but in the end she couldn't continue her words for some reasons. Nia could only bow back to her.
"..."
When he saw Nia act like that, he remembered when he felt off about the conversation he had with Takajou the other day. He now knew the reason for that feeling.
"Nia."
"...! Aah, boy. It seems like I showed you something embarrassing. But the match is-"
"You... That person just now, you like her, don't you?"
"Huh!?" Nia was baffled by his question. "W-What are you saying, boy? I don't have that kind of hobby-"
"No, that's not what I mean. That person... How should I put it, you like her as a friend, right?"
Right. Lucas remembered the sensation he felt yesterday.
Because of Rasiel, Nia became afraid of humans. That's why she depends on 2D, because it'll never betray her. The reason why she became a manga artist.
However, there was one thing that made her despair different from any of the other Spirits'.
Nia had to stay part of human society, despite trying to cut herself off from it at the same time.
That's the reason why something felt off.
Kotori guessed that Nia probably used Rasiel's ability to investigate Takajou and once she found out about her deepest secrets, Nia started keeping her distance from her.
Lucas felt different though. For Nia, even if she knew the true character of her friends, she still continued a superficial relationship with them, continued the flow, lived her life like that. And---
One possibility floated inside Lucas' mind.
"Nia... Are you scared?"
"Huh? W-What-"
"If you became close to her, that one day you'd be defeated by your own curiosity and use Rasiel, but you didn't want to be disappointed by the friend you finally managed to make, so you decided to keep some distance instead, right?"
Nia kept her silence for a moment, then turned away and continued selling her books.
"Haa, I don't understand what you're saying at all, boy! Ah, that'll be five-hundred Yen."
"Then what was with that earlier!? I know if it was someone you hated, you'd still be able to interact with them normally!-Thank you very much!"
Both Nia and Lucas dealt with their customers while exchanging glances... Somehow this turned into an odd quarrel.
"You're too noisy! Just focus on selling! The end of the line is over there!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that! The reason why I wanted to win is because I wanted to save you! It's meaningless if I just ignore the problem like that!---Yes, please take that book right there!"
In response to Lucas' words, Nia groaned out of irritation.
"Guuuuuuuuuuuh...!"
And then, between Lucas and the customers, she shouted as if she couldn't take it anymore.
"You're right, what's so bad about being scared!? I also wanted to have friends! But that can't be helped! Do you think someone with an omnipotent, super efficient camera that can spy on anyone at any time could have friends!? ---That's one-thousand Yen, please!"
Nia said as her face turned sullen. Lucas could feel the loneliness in Nia's heart from just her voice.
Nia feared that she would lose out to her own curiosity and end up investigating her friends' lives... Not only that, but she felt guilty about the fact that she could so easily learn anything about them without their knowing.
Having a transcendental power on the level of a god had only brought her suffering. She kept herself isolated, because there was no one else like her. That was something that could not be understood by people who didn't have a Spirit's power.
Nonetheless, Lucas still shouted back at her.
"That's... how can you know if you don't try!?"
"Ha! That's easier said than done! Let me ask you that back then, boy. If you knew someone who could track you at any time, no matter if you were sitting at the toilet, or taking a bath, no matter how hard you tried to erase your past, could you befriend that person, from the bottom of your heart!?"
Nia shouted back bitterly.
Lucas' expression went blank for a little while... but then he burst out into laughter.
"Haha... Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"W-What are you laughing at!?"
Nia was clearly bewildered. Lucas let out a little sigh and brushed his hair up.
"Sorry, but I've already long been used to someone like that! Aah... Now I get it, you and I really are similar! Privacy!? What use is that anyway!? Honestly, the fact that you actually care about other people's privacy like that makes you look like an angel in my eyes!"
"H-Huh!?"
She didn't know what to say, since she didn't understand what Lucas meant by that at all.
Upon looking at that expression, he continued speaking.
"If you want to take a look, then just do it! If you want to investigate me, then do as you like! Even then, I won't hate you!"
"...!"
Lucas continued shouting, as Nia struggled to make out a reply.
She grinded her teeth out of frustration for a moment and then shouted back.
"Huuuuuuuuuuh!? What are you even saying!? Aren't I the one who would come to hate you if I investigated you!?"
Time continued moving as they kept quarreling with each other. The lines in front of both circles didn't get any shorter, and they both continued to sell their books without even a moment of hesitation.
Though Honjou-Dou was at a slight advantage as they had only five-hundred copies left in stock, Ratatoskr had the advantage of speed thanks to their team of cashiers and salesgirls.
Some were selling their books, some were helping keep the line in order, and another was being hugged by an idol that was tired from handing out books to fans. She shouted with tears in her eyes at her situation.
And in the middle of all their enthusiasm, everyone had completed their mission---
"---Thank you very much!"
Lucas and Nia, who both finally sold their last book, shouted those words simultaneously.
Their voices echoed throughout the hall.
"...!"
"...!?"
Lucas finally took a moment to breath out heavily, as he turned to look at Nia who also turned towards him.
Both parties were extremely tired, as sweat was falling from their foreheads despite it being the middle of winter. Nia's glasses even started to fog a little.
Then, after the two of them finished catching their breaths, their voices resonated at the same time.
"Ratatoskr, sold out!"
"Honjou-Dou, sold out!"
The books of the two circles that were placed side by side, had sold out at the same time.
When they heard that declaration, all the participants who were still lined up all voiced their disappointments and dispersed. But that's just how it was, there was no point in voicing their complaints or protesting. There was no meaning in lining up here any longer, because both groups had no more books to sell. Thus all those participants went elsewhere to search for other books to purchase.
Lucas and Nia both let out large sighs as they sat back, the sound of the metal parts of their chairs clinking against the ground.
"...Well, it seems like it's a tie." Kotori sharpened her expression and turned to Nia.
"..."
Nia, who was leaning deep into the back of her chair, looked up solemnly to the ceiling. She removed her glasses and wiped off the sweat on her brow with the sleeve of her shirt.
Then, she turned to Lucas and unfolded her arms, searching for the doujin she exchanged with him earlier. Once she found it under her desk, she picked it up in one hand.
"...Alright, as a reward for being able to get this far... I'll read it."
"...!"
When they heard Nia's words, Lucas and the others exchanged glances with each other and then gave out a shout of joy.
◇
Approximately one hour after their doujin had sold out.
Lucas and the others were finished tidying up their circle's booth. All of the Spirits had also already changed their clothes, and went to the corner of the public park behind Tenguu Square.
Since they were going to talk about something related to the Spirits, they thought it was best to do it in a place where no one from Honjou-Dou's staff would be around. So they decided to leave the event a little earlier than usual.
By the way, Nia had one of her employees buy her the doujin she wanted from the event by giving him an outrageous amount of money. For a manga lover like Nia to not go out and buy other people's doujin would have been strange, but seemingly she just set up everything she'd need in advance.
Truthfully speaking, she wanted to buy all the doujin by herself, but she couldn't entrust her booth to anyone else, so she reluctantly had to go with that plan.
"-Well then, can I start reading it?"
After she said that, Nia sat on a bench in the park while holding Lucas and the others' doujin in her hands.
Though the match ended in a tie and they were still able to get Nia to read the book, the real problem started here. If Lucas, the protagonist of the book, can't capture Nia's heart, then he won't be able to seal Nia's Reiryoku.
"..."
Lucas and all the other Spirits gathered around and sat on or near the same bench, staring at Nia. She raised her eyes to them and said. "...It's hard for me to read with everyone staring at me like this."
"A-Aah... Sorry."
Lucas scratched his cheek out of slight embarrassment, and turned his gaze away from her. The Spirits also did the same, as if following his example.
Nia let out a sigh and sharply glanced at them.
"By the way, I'll say it again. I only agreed to read this book, right? Anything after that is different! Don't have any expectations, alright?"
"...Aah, I understand."
Lucas answered with a trace of nervousness, and then Nia opened her shoulders a little bit and waved her hand as if asking Lucas and the others to leave.
"Well then, please go away for a while. After all, when you read a manga, you don't want to be interrupted, and at least for me, I just want to relax while reading."
"Right....Sorry."
Though he didn't share the same feeling, he understood that Nia wanted to be left alone. So he took everyone else along with him and moved to a place a bit farther away from her.
"Haa... My." Once she was left alone on the bench, she let out a sigh.
"...Boy, he sure says anything he pleases."
Then, as she recalled what just happened in the hall, her face distorted out of irritation.
But---she knew the exact reason why she felt irritated.
In fact... She had already hit the bullseye.
"...Since you talked so big, I won't forgive you if the book isn't good."
Nia blinked a few times, as if to clear out any extraneous thoughts. Once she corrected the position of her glasses, she looked down towards the book in her hand.
On the front cover, there was a character drawn that was clearly meant to be Lucas. The same image she saw earlier when she was handed the book a few hours ago. Although this doujin was a rushed project, the lineart was seemingly perfect without flaws. Does that mean they hired a pro manga artist?
"Fuun. Well no matter... The most important part is the content."
Nia mumbled that and opened the front cover, and started reading the manga.
The art is... astounding good for a simple doujin. Though it differs a little from page to page, it doesn't reach a level that would bother her while she reads.
The story begins with a boy, Kunshu Lucas, who was living a life as a uncover hero and a high school boy. One day, Lucas encountered a Spirit. A story about a boy that meets a girl who was always denied by humans due to her having fearsome powers, just like him.
After that, he meets so many other Spirits, and each of them opened their hearts to him because of his honest will.
"...I see."
And only a few minutes later...
Nia sighed and scratched her cheek as she finished reading.
She can definitely say---Lucas and the others' book has far exceeded her expectations.
At least there's no way anyone would believe this book was made by a few amateurs in a mere two days. Although, calling this level of detail and art would be a huge understatement.
However... that's just it.
It's true that this book is pretty good quality, especially considering its circumstances. But whether or not Nia would be able to love this protagonist, Kunshu Lucas, is a different story.
Moreover, there just aren't enough pages. Since they didn't have much time, they couldn't truly show the charms of the protagonist very well.
And more importantly, this Kunshu Lucas just doesn't seem very realistic at all.
In order to make Nia fall for him, it makes sense that he'd be written like this, but this Lucas was just too ideal of a hero. Even if Nia fell for this character, she knows she'd just be disappointed by the differences of the real one.
"It's unfortunate... Boy. Although you tried your best, you can't make me fall for you with just this."
Nia let out a sigh as she said those words, and then, she closed the book.
There was still one thing left on her mind though. Nia first looked around, once she confirmed there was no one else present, she raised her left hand and manifested Rasiel.
She thought of something in her mind as she touched the front cover of the book.
-How did they go about making this manga?
Right. Although she certainly doesn't approve of the content, as a manga artist she's still interested to learn how they could have created a book with such quality in only a short amount of time.
Rasiel's page started glowing, and then she touched the page gently.
At that moment-All of the information about the work behind the book, flowed into her mind.
"...I see. After they decided on the story, they split their tasks with that boy as the main artist... but I guess this wouldn't be useful for me anyway. There's no way I could get that much digital assistance. As expected of Ratatoskr, they sure are reckless."
Then-accordingly.
Nia, who was satisfied with the information she had learned, was startled by something.
I want to show her....the most important thing in life---The beauty....of friendship.
Nia heard Lucas' voice.
"...Fuu."
Nia twisted her face with displeasure when she heard that.
"Yes, yes... Thanks for that. But sorry, I-"
However, before Nia could finish.
"Eh...?"
The reason was simple. There was new text written on the page of Rasiel which Nia touched. At the same time, a new scene flowed into Nia's mind.
The scenes of Lucas, who has had his friends turn into Spirits, and the constant fighting to try and save Spirits.
"This is..."
Nia was in a daze.
She vaguely knew what just happened. Rasiel is an omniscient Angel. However, in the end, it can only give information that Nia wants to know.
Then perhaps-somewhere in her heart, Nia was thinking about it.
Just what kind of experience Lucas went through where she could say such a thing. To be precise, it was what the others had seen from Lucas.
"Ah... Ah..."
Right. Inside that book, there was not a single point that was dramatized at all.
The boy named Kunshu Lucas really did his best to help save the Spirit, with not even a single consideration for his own well-being--- even dying while doing so.
It wasn't even just one or two problems he faced during his encounter with the Spirits. He faced the darkness that existed in those girls' hearts, his own shadowy past, and even-that cruel villain.
But no matter how much strife he faced, Lucas never once gave up. Even when he seemed crushed by the circumstances, he would stand up again.
Now, she understood. Not a single word he said to Nia was a lie. There's no doubt, he is truly a hero.
Drip... drip.
Droplets of water fell onto the pages of Rasiel, illuminated by its glow.
"..."
Nia took her hand away from Rasiel.
Lucas was waiting for Nia on a bench in the west side of the park. He moved so little, bypasses might see him as a statue.
Though, that was understandable.
Nia's judgment will not only decide whether they could seal her Reiryoku or not, but it'll also decide whether or not they can put her under Ratatoskr's protection and keep her safe from DEM.
"Look!"
Then, Tohka suddenly shouted.
As if being snapped back to reality by her voice, Nia could be seen walking slowly from the opposite direction of Lucas and the others.
"...! Nia-"
"Kuku... So you've come?"
"Nervous. What was the result?"
Lucas and the others all gulped down preparing for the inevitable.
He raised his eyebrow once Nia arrived in front of them.
Her eyes looked really red, he could even see it through her glasses.
"Nia...? What happened?"
"...No, it's nothing~..."
Nia answered with a light tone, and then took a moment to breathe.
After she said that, Lucas knew he couldn't ask anymore.
Furthermore, there was still one more important thing on his mind right now.
"Then... How was it Nia? Our manga?"
"..."
When Lucas asked, Nia kept her silence for a while, then glanced towards the book in her hand. And then she sighed out and shrugged her shoulders.
"Although you did pretty well, as expected, I can't fall for you with only this one book. Isn't that way of thinking a bit too optimistic? I'm sorry, but I'm not that cheap of a woman."
"..."
Lucas bit his lip and gripped his fist. He felt like his body was losing its strength. The others also showed similar expressions.
-However,
"...But, well."
Nia averted her gaze as she continued.
"It's not like there was nothing good at all... How should I put this? I can give you one more chance."
"Eh...?"
Lucas looked at her with renewed hope when he heard that, Nia's face went red out of embarrassment.
"...I'll go on a date with you, one more time. If you're really a man, boy, then you have to do this."
"..."
Lucas felt goosebumps run through his entire body. His body was re-invigorated with energy. He felt like running around and shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Lucas!"
Shidou and the others were also the same. They all jumped to Lucas as if he was a striker who had just made a game-saving goal.
"Hahaha... Stop it everyone... Anyway, Origami please stop already. That's, uhm? Why does it seem that you are trying to take off my clothes while in the middle of this celebration?"
"We wouldn't do that. Even if it ended that way, that was only an accident. Not anyone's fault."
"H-Hey, you two... What are you doing to Lucas!?"
"Outrage. You are not allowed to strip down Lucas without us Yamai's permission
Yuzuru tried to stop Origami. Incited by that, the others also began joining in. Lucas was in the center being pushed around by everyone.
"...Fu, haha, ahahahaha!"
When she saw that scene, Nia couldn't help but laugh.
"How should I put this... I really am jealous of you all-Hey, boy. Perhaps, if it's you-"
-Then,
At the moment Nia said that...
That abnormality occurred. Nia choked and her body started convulsing, forced to kneel down as she held her head in agony.
"Eh...? A, A, A, Aaaaaah, aaaaaaaaaaaa-!?"
Her expression was filled with nothing but pain, as she began to scream loudly.
"N-Nia...?"
Without any idea of what was happening, Lucas rushed forwards.
Dark-colored Reiryoku began to overflow from her body and started to spread across the ground. A moment later, a spacequake alarm echoed through the streets.
"Wha... this is-"
"Nia! What happened!?"
Lucas and the others all began to panic. Lucas suddenly felt the ominous aura that filled the entire area. This--- was the same sensation as when Tohka and Origami inversed.
"This Reiryoku...no way. Nia is inversing?!"