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Yuto instinctively stepped forward, shielding the two girls behind him.
As the faint, refreshing scent wafting from the boy reached their noses, Megumi and Marin felt their cheeks flush in unison. Their hearts raced, yet they silently pressed closer to his sturdy chest, sharing an unspoken understanding.
Half an hour later.
After a grueling struggle to escape the packed subway, the trio finally arrived at the venue of the season's biggest summer Comiket.
"So lively!" Marin exclaimed.
They paused at the ticketing entrance, where streams of people formed orderly lines, weaving through the bustling crowd.
By 12:30 PM, they stepped from the outdoors into the even stuffier indoor venue. Seeing the two girls panting from the heat, fanning themselves with small handheld fans, Yuto thoughtfully pulled three bottles of homemade plum juice from his backpack—a cooling treat to beat the summer haze.
"Mmm, Yuto-kun, this is so good!" Marin beamed.
The sweet-tart plum juice hit all the right spots for her. Her bright eyes widened as she gulped it down in one go, a blissful smile spreading across her face.
"Wow, what a coincidence running into you here, huh~~" a sweet, slightly theatrical voice chimed from behind.
A petite figure skipped toward them with light, bouncy steps, stopping beside Yuto.
"Kotoko? What are you doing here?" Yuto asked, raising an eyebrow at the unexpected arrival of the yokai princess.
"Hmph! Can't I be here too?" Kotoko Iwanaga shot him a playful, resentful glance before leaning in with a teasing, ambiguous tone. "'Yuto-kun, you're so heartless… After how close we were that night, now you act all cold and distant.'"
Okay, Yuto had to admit—Kotoko looked adorable today.
She wore an elegant white dress that perfectly accentuated her youthful yet balanced figure. A classic corset cinched her tiny waist, while her long, slender legs, clad in sheer white stockings, peeked out from beneath the swaying hem. She resembled a delicate doll straight out of a fairy tale—utterly charming.
"Don't twist my words! This is only our second meeting," Yuto retorted, catching her smug grin as she noticed his gaze lingering on her stockinged legs.
But then her eyes darted to Marin, standing beside him with her fiery, curvaceous figure. Kotoko's mood plummeted.
'Why is her chest so big?!'
"No worries, small can be cute too," Yuto teased, smirking as he caught her envious stare.
"Jerk! What's so great about that?!" Kotoko stomped her little foot in a huff, planting one hand on her hip and glaring at him. "I'm still growing!"
"Need me to remind you that you're two years older than me?" Yuto quipped.
Indeed, despite her youthful, loli-like appearance, the yokai princess was already an adult.
"Yuto-kun, who's this?" Marin asked, her lips twitching as she eyed the mysterious girl who seemed awfully familiar with him.
Even at Comiket, he runs into someone he knows? She was starting to get used to Yuto's insane luck with girls.
"Introduce yourself," Yuto said, tossing the conversational hot potato to Kotoko. He wasn't sure how to clarify their relationship to the two girls.
"Greetings! I'm Kotoko Iwanaga… and Yuto-kun here is the man I've set my sights on!" Kotoko declared confidently. Her fair face lit up with a radiant smile as she curtsied, lifting her skirt slightly in a grand introduction.
"Um, Miss Iwanaga, you do know Yuto-kun already has a girlfriend, right?" Megumi interjected softly, feeling a pang of sympathy.
"Huh… he does?" Kotoko's bright smile froze.
"Yep," Yuto nodded, pulling out his phone to show her a cozy photo of him with Utaha.
"Ha, it's a shame, but love's something you fight for! I won't give up that easily!" Kotoko's expression faltered for a split second before she clenched her fists, rallying with renewed determination.
Her sudden arrival slowed their pace through Comiket, but just then, a wave of excited shouts erupted from the crowd ahead, piquing Marin's curiosity.
"Wow, it's really Zhuzhu-sama! I can't believe she's actually here!" Marin gasped.
"Didn't she say on her blog she'd never show up to cosplay events in person? People kept saying her photos were AI-generated," someone nearby chimed in.
"Who cares? This is a jackpot—meeting Zhuzhu-sama in the flesh! Time to tweet about it!" another fan shouted.
"Hey, who's Zhuzhu-sama?" Kotoko asked, nudging Yuto's side as she peered at the cute, petite loli drawing attention in the crowd.
"Apparently a famous cosplayer. Oh, and Marin's a huge fan," Yuto replied with a shrug.
Sure enough, within a second of his words, the blonde bombshell beside him snapped into action, bolting toward the crowd.
"Zhuzhu-sama, please sign something for me!"
Aside from the starstruck Marin, the other three weren't big on crowds. Soon after, Megumi suggested wandering off on her own. With both girls gone, Yuto was left alone with Kotoko.
"Hehe~~ They're gone now, so let me hug you!" Kotoko grinned, latching onto his arm and pressing close. "Aren't you curious how I tracked you down?"
"Nope," Yuto said, blinking lazily.
"…"
"Fine, you win," Kotoko huffed, pouting as she clapped her hands lightly.
As they strolled on, even Yukino, the snow maiden resting in his cursed ring, materialized in spirit form to join the fun.
"Princess, it's been a while," Yukino greeted.
Dressed in modern attire, a simple blue dress, she radiated a sensual charm. The outfit hugged her voluptuous figure, accentuating every curve.
"Yukino, how've you been? Is this guy still keeping you satisfied?" Kotoko teased.
"My Master… he's strong, fierce, and bold," Yukino replied, her pale face flushing as she recalled a certain enchanting night. Her head dipped shyly, nearly burying itself in her ample chest.
"Not bad," Kotoko said, casting Yuto a jealous sidelong glance. "I thought you were all talk and no action."
"....."
The trio: two yokai and a human chatted idly as they wandered, eventually arriving at a doujinshi stall.
"Come one, come all! Check it out! Fresh from Eiri Kashiwagi-sensei herself: Absolute Taboo: Dragonoid Goblin Ravages the Elf Queen! Hot off the press—limited stock, grab it before it's gone!" a voice called out.
"M-Mom… you're too loud!" Eriri Spencer Sawamura whined. Clad in a drab green tracksuit and thick glasses, her face burned red as her mother, Sayuri Sawamura, hawked.
"What's the big deal?" Sayuri, dressed in a refined kimono, flashed a cheerful grin at her daughter. "Eriri, even fine wine needs a loud vendor! Your doujins are dripping with spice, if you don't shout, how will anyone notice?"
"Tch, I'm Eiri Kashiwagi, my art speaks for itself. I don't need buyers chasing me down," Eriri huffed, puffing out her modest chest with pride.
Drawing doujins was her crowning glory, after all.
Sure enough, a new customer approached within seconds. A tall boy with a sword strapped to his back picked up a particular doujin, smiling at her. "Nice work. I'll take one."
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