Chapter 68: CH 68

I took off my uniform in the waiting room during break time and headed outside in my short-sleeved shirt.

As I walked around, I realized that the number of people was overwhelming.

Compared to other events, the number of people at Comiket was unbelievable.

I went outside and stood in the shade of a building, looked at the sky and took a sip of bottled water.

“Haa~… That hits the spot…”

The inside of a corporate booth was so claustrophobic that I felt an irresistible urge to look at the sky.

To be frank, I didn’t really feel like I was participating in the event because I didn’t know what was going on outside.

Well, if I was a professional and said something like this, people would get angry …

“It’s nice to be outside.”

I said to myself leisurely, to which a woman standing next to me replied,

“I agree. It’s very charming to gaze at the scenery at Comiket, isn’t it?”

“Ah. I totally agree.”

I went on to ask the woman next to me a small question.

“So Yuika, why are you here?”

“Rather, I am more concerned about why Onii-san is here.”

Yes … Standing next to me was the tepid, cheeky high school girl Yuika.

She was dressed in lovely gentle clothes and carried a small day bag on her back.

It was quite hot today, but Yuika had a nonchalant face.

“You were at Comiket too? Come to think of it, you said you were going out with friends.”

“Yeah. My friend should be here soon. …”

I wonder what kind of friends Yuika had.

Would they be cheeky like yuika huh…

“Perhaps Onii-san is…”

“Yeah, I am working at a corporate booth.”

“Eh? Didn’t you skip work and come here to buy doujinshi?”

“Don’t make misleading comments.”

Yuika didn’t change her facial expression much, so it was hard to tell if she was really joking or not.

You’re joking …, right?

“Hmmm. A corporate booth, huh? Maybe I’ll go see where Onii-san is working.”

“Give me a break, I’d be embarrassed to see someone I know.”

“That’s the point.”

“You…”

I said it was embarrassing, but this high school girl was so happy about it.

I didn’t mind if she just stood there like a normal person, but I didn’t want her to see me getting serious.

But … was a bit surprising.

I thought Yuika was the type who stayed away from noisy places like this…

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“I didn’t think you were interested in Comiket.”

“I really want to join a circle and sell doujinshi goods, but … I just don’t have the courage to do so. …”

“Courage? For a comiket?”

“Hmmm.~~ What can I say? ….It’s kinda scary to sell your own work.”

Scary …, huh?

I had an impression that people enjoyed selling doujinshi at Comiket, but I guess there were cases where people thought that way.

Even though her expression was the same as usual, Yuika looked lonely.

I wonder what was the right thing to say at a time like this.

“Cheer up!” was not quite right, and “Hang In there!” was also strange.

I don’t know.

I don’t know, but I want to cheer her up.

As I fiddled with my bangs, I carefully chose my words to encourage her.

“Well… it’s that. If Yuika ever starts selling, I’ll be the first one to buy.”

“Eh. Not a chance”

“Don’t be shy.”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Fu~. … That’s what I want.”

Then she squeezed my arm and made a face as if to indicate, ‘I’m angry.’

“You’re getting too carried away. Brother, Onii-san.”

“….. Sorry. I guess I picked the wrong time to tease you.”

It seemed I was still no match for Yuika.

Well, that’s fine for now.

I didn’t think I was able to encourage her, but Yuika was back to her usual self, so it was a win.

Pirorin♪ Pirorin♪

Yuika noticed the ringtone and took out her phone to check her LINE.

“Oh, it’s from a friend.”

“The girl you were meeting up with? Is she a student at Seijo Gakuin?”

“No. It’s A group of otaku friends who get along well with each other. Some of them are in middle school.”

“Eh~, Yuika has a lot of friends.”

“Well, yeah.”

It was refreshing to hear the word ” otaku friend” coming out of Yuika’s mouth.

Up until now, I had the impression that she was just cheeky, beautiful girl, but suddenly she looked very girlish.

Yuika put her phone back in her bag and looked at me as if she remembered something.

“And about earlier…”

“….. earlier?”

“I’m talking about selling merchandise. If I do, you’ll have to pay a premium for it.”

“So the premium is a done deal even though you haven’t started selling it yet…”

“You promised you’d be the first to buy it. Of course.”

Yuika giggled and spun around.

“Later then”

“Oh.”

“Thanks for everything, Onii-san”

“What?”

For some reason, Yuika uttered words of gratitude and walked straight to her friend.

But what on earth did she thank me for?

Perhaps she found out that I was trying to encourage her?

Hmmm. I don’t know.