It was Thursday, the day before Comiket. Otomizu and I were at Tokyo Big Sight, the largest exhibition hall in Japan.
Various exhibitions and events were held here on a daily basis.
While it had a spectacular appearance, the preparation floor looked like a battlefield.
Seeing this, Otomizu was astonished.
“Wow..! That’s amazing! It looks like a construction site.”
“Watch your step or You’ll get hurt real bad.”
We were now on the floor where the corporate booths of Comiket were being set up.
Workers were frantically working to prepare for tomorrow’s event.
Our objective today was to check on the progress of the booth.
When I reached where Zany’s booth would be set up, I found a man in his fifties with a short and plump figure working.
“Oya-san. Good work.”
“Aah! Sasamiya, right?! You’re in charge? Tch!”
“I’m just an assistant this time. …”
“Come on! Whenever you are involved with something, I am always worked to the bone! Damn it! Shit! Tch!”
This belligerent person was the one who was in charge of setting up the booth.
I always referred to him as “Oya-san” in a friendly way.
The rowdy old man shouted at me.
“Ora! You want to know how things are going. Come here!”
“Thank you very much. Here is the tea I brought you.”
“Hey! Don’t try to flatter me. Really! Thanks!”
Seeing the tsundere Oya-san, who appeared to be angry but expressed gratitude, Otomizu looked at him strangely.
“Does he hate you, Sasamiya-san? Does he like you?”
“He behaves like this all year round.”
The construction seemed to be going well.
This ensured that I would be able to fully concentrate on Comiket tomorrow.
Sometimes, if there was trouble with the preparations in advance, we’d have to work on it right up to the last minute before the event.
I’ve only seen it once at another exhibition, but that time I was scared to death.
Hmm …? What, that …
There was a very fancy booth near Zany’s booth.
It was not only large in size, but also had a large display installed in a very cramped space
I thought it was a life-size Gundam in Odaiba.
Oya-san drank tea from the plastic bottle while looking at the fancy booth.
“Che! Those big boys from the big corporations like to build unusual booths. Yet, they attract a lot of attention. That’s going to bring in a lot of customers.”
This was Zany’s first time at Comiket, so the location they were given was not favorable.
It also hurt that they didn’t have a character as mascot that would be accepted at Comiket.
In addition, it would be very difficult to attract visitors if such a fancy booth was built nearby.
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Otomizu approached me, looking uneasy.
“Sasamiya-san. Is Zany’s booth perhaps at a disadvantage?”
“Frankly, it’s going to be tough.”
The corporate booths were not competitive, but whether or not we could make a strong presence here would be crucial to our future.
Above all, this was a job that even Kaedezaka had taken very seriously.
I wanted to make it a success.
I wish there was something I could do. …
I suddenly noticed Otomizu standing next to me, looking at me with sparkling eyes.
“… hey. … What’s with your eyes?”
“I was thinking that Sasamiya-san would be able to come up with an idea that would turn this situation around.”
“Can I?”
As has always been the case, Otomizu overestimated me.
Sure I was good at avoiding trouble, but I couldn’t do anything special.
My sales performance was not outstanding.
And yet, Otomizu wanted me to be like a hero.
I wish I could live up to her expectations, but alas, I was an ordinary man.
Then, Otomizu, with a smug face, approached me.
“Fufu~. Actually, I have a nice offer for you, would you like a slice?”
“You sound confident. Let’s hear it.”
“How about getting people to cosplay?. Certainly that will attract a lot of attention.”
The staff would wear uniforms at this event, but the design was quite simple.
That would be fine for other exhibitions, but for Comiket, cosplay would certainly work.
But who on earth would cosplay?
Kaedezaka would never do it.
If that’s the case…
“Hey, Otomizu. Perhaps, Are you going to tell me you’re going to cosplay?”
And then she began spouting bizarre things.
“Mou~! Of course it’s going to be Sasamiya-san. No way~~!”
“… … are you sane?”
“By the way, the cosplay will be a gothic lolita maid with fox ears and a fox tail.”
(T/N: *starts imagining yuika in that*)
“Wait …, Look here, …. Do you hate me or something…?”
“It’s more like love.”
“Then why does this proposal sound so malicious?”
I had forgotten that there was a gothic-lolita maid with fox ears in one of Zany’s old games.
But why would you try to get me to do that cosplay?
As expected of Otomizu, she was a shrewd junior. …