Vol 1 Chapter 49 – Parent‑Child Coord【Vol 1 – Turning Point】

On the first day of Manga Market I woke up at 5 a.m. It’s summer, the days are long, and the sky was already bright.

Everything was ready. Ryu‑san had shipped the CDs directly to the venue, and the outfit I’d wear was already hanging on a rack.

I own only Gothic Lolita clothes. So wherever I go, it’s always Gothic Lolita—and so is my 3‑D model.

“Morning! Time to change! Today will be hectic!”

“Okay!”

Just as Mitsu‑san said, there was no time to dawdle. We had to meet at Tokyo Triangle Site at 7:30 a.m.

I sprang up, changed clothes, and put on my makeup, using the soundproof room to get dressed.

When I go out, I always do my makeup; Gothic Lolita falls flat without it. At first I was shy, but once I got used to it, turning myself cute became fun. Even so, the makeup is elaborate and takes about thirty minutes.

Finished, I met Mitsu‑san outside the room and we headed to Triangle Site by taxi, since my face is recognizable. Mitsu‑san carried a paper bag besides her usual luggage, and I had the cheap guitar I’d bought for cosplay, so I barely noticed.

I’d fitted the guitar with a sound‑hole cover and muted the strings so it makes almost no sound—perfect for silent “playing.”

By taxi it’s only about twenty minutes from Mitsu‑san’s place to Triangle Site.

“Uh… the booth is… what!? A wall spot!?”

At Manga Market, circles placed against the wall are “wall circles,” meaning top‑tier. For Akihaba Music Corps to land there on our first try was unexpected.

Still, classicband and Pirate Orchestra have strong sales through consignment, and this time they teamed up. Looking at it that way, a wall spot makes sense.

“Hey, you’re that Akiba Rin‑chan everyone’s talking about, right? Cosplaying her, yeah? You really went all out—it’s uncanny!”

That’s what the driver said.

I’m not a cosplayer—I’m the real deal… And it’s not passion; this is literally my only outfit. I felt a bit embarrassed.

“Yep! And I’m doing Micchi Mama today!”

Mitsu‑san played along, so it looked like our secret was safe.

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Once we reached the venue Mitsu‑san said,

“Head to the booth first. Mama will be right there!”

“Got it. I’ll help unload.”

We split up, and I went to the booth.

Several people were already there, dressed like pirates: the Pirate Orchestra.

“Pirate Orchestra, right!?”

“You bet!”

Sadakuni‑san answered, and they all looked over and waved.

Their teamwork is solid; even a few of them feel like a hundred. True to their name, they have pirate‑level stamina. I was exhausted after one box, but they kept hauling heavy CD‑filled boxes.

Mid‑unloading, Sadakuni‑san suddenly said,

“Hey, Diva! You stay at the booth for a while!”

“Okay!”

Thinking I’d been benched for lack of stamina, I sat at the booth, shoulders slumped.

“Thanks for waiting, Rin‑kun!”

I looked up at Mitsu‑san, now wearing a Dark Alice Gothic dress.

“So… how do I look?”

My breath caught; for a moment I forgot to breathe. She looked like a goddess descended to earth, yet deliciously decadent.

In short—

“You’re stunning!”

She looked almost otherworldly.

“Great! It’s my first time wearing something like this, so I was nervous… But look! Don’t we look like parent and child?”

It really did look like a parent‑child coordinate.

Just then, Sadakuni‑san returned from another run.

“Whoa! Looking good! Perfect match! Total parent‑child! Hey, guys, check this out!”

At his shout, the nearby Pirate Orchestra members all looked our way.

“Oh! I’m fired up now!”

“It’s like we’ve got cheerleaders!”

“This Manket’s already ours! Gahahahaha!”

They each tossed out their reactions.

After that my job was to cheer them on. Whenever I did, they beamed at me. Even with no stamina, Sadakuni‑san called me the MVP.

Still, for a first‑timer we’d brought an insane amount: fifty cardboard boxes. While stocking them, I counted—two hundred discs per box. Ten thousand discs…

I couldn’t stop worrying whether we could really sell them all.