If I don't capture the girl, I will die

It’s true that he rarely shows his face, but the Internet is very powerful nowadays.

"...Excuse me, is this Mr. Ji Qi?" The comic exhibition hasn't officially started yet, and most people are tidying up their stalls and making preparations. While Ji Qi and Kato Megumi were chatting and laughing, a girl with glasses at the stall to his left hesitated for a long time, and finally stepped forward and asked shyly.

Ji Qi turned his head in surprise, with a natural smile on his face, and nodded gently, "Ah? Yes, I am."

"I didn't expect it to be Mr. Himeshichi. Um, well, I've always been your fan. The doujinshi I'm selling this time is also the one about Tsubaki and Kousei from Your Lie in April. If you don't mind, could you take a look?"

When the girl, who wore black-framed glasses and looked rather gloomy, heard this affirmative answer, she became so excited as if she had seen her idol in person that she even spoke incoherently.

As a loyal fan of Si Huang's painting fanfiction, she naturally saw the tweet sent by Ji Qi. At first, she saw that seat and thought about it carefully. Isn't it next to the booth she applied for?

What a coincidence.

She had been looking forward to this since yesterday.

Now seeing the cartoonist she had long admired in person, still so handsome, she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest!

"no problem."

Facing this enthusiastic fan, Ji Qi smiled more sincerely and nodded readily. Unless there are some extreme cases, there is no conflict of interest between cartoonists and fan fiction creators. To be precise, it is mutually beneficial. If it is not true love, generally no one will draw fan fiction books and sell them. Besides, his personality is not as lonely and impatient as some cartoonists. The main reason why he does not reveal his personal information is that he is afraid of getting into trouble at school and outside.

Taking the notebook handed to him by an excited fan, he started reading it carefully from the first page under the slightly subtle gaze of Kato Megumi beside him.

After a moment, Ji Qi closed the book and said to the hopeful girl with an unchanged smile: "How should I put it? The painting style is great, there is nothing wrong with it. It would be perfect if Kousei and Tsubaki's personalities were more accurate. In this regard, I suggest that it would be better to insert some flashbacks."

You must have a lot in common with Eriri.

Ji Qi added in his heart that this fan artist is obviously a staunch childhood sweetheart.

"Thank you, thank you Teacher Ji Qi! I will work harder! Oh, by the way, I will continue to support your comics as always." The female stall owner had no complaints about the young Ji Qi posing as a teacher. She bowed 90 degrees to Ji Qi and returned to her seat with an excited expression.

"benefit--"

Ji Qi pointed casually, not caring too much about this little thing, turned his head slightly and called Hui. However, other stall owners nearby seemed to have figured out something, and left their stalls one after another, greeting Ji Qi. Those who had drawn fan books of his works directly stuffed the books into his hands.

What's the point of promoting the game if it keeps going like this? It's almost like his personal fan meeting...

After complaining, Ji Qi, who had thought about a similar situation, responded to these people with a smile on his face.

Sitting in a chair in the back, Kato Megumi, who was completely forgotten, saw Ji Qi, who was extremely popular, especially among female fans. Her clear eyes blinked, but they were still as calm as a lake without any fluctuations.

But gradually, a sense of inexplicable dissatisfaction arose in her heart.

It's a pity that no one noticed this little detail.

A few minutes before the comic exhibition officially started, the vendors around the booths finally returned to their seats, leaving only the fan books piled up on the ground. Most of them were pure love stories, and only two or three were real 18x books.

With a heavy sigh of relief, Ji Qi sat next to Kato Megumi and explained to her what to do next and what she needed to pay attention to.

He had been to comic conventions several times before, although as a tourist, he was very familiar with the rules through what he had heard and seen.

Kato Megumi listened carefully and nodded from time to time.

There weren't many things on the table, only less than 200 promotional books, but the packaging and content of these promotional books were limited editions, with a price tag of 1,000 yen per book, which was twice as expensive as ordinary books.

Behind them and nearby are three colorful paintings occupying a large area. They are the three heroines drawn by Mashiro Eriri and Sagiri.

At first, everyone around focused their attention on Ji Qi, and only then did they realize how stunning the three paintings were.

Especially the picture in the middle drawn by Mashiro, it is not just stunning but shocking. It seems that it should appear not in this two-dimensional comic exhibition, but in an ancient and solemn museum.

After a while, the comic exhibition officially began.

Everyone else withdrew their gazes and sat in front of the stalls with nervous expressions. Only Ji Qi and Kato Megumi sat there with calm expressions, as if they were not worried at all.

In fact, he was not worried.

Confidence comes from strength. Ji Qi has absolute confidence in the strength of Mashiro and the other two painters.

Even in a comic convention with thousands of stalls, he believed that Mashiro's strength was definitely the best.

The other two weren't much different.

If you look down from the sky at this time, you will find that the square in front of the Tokyo International Exhibition Center is like countless ants running towards a goal. Finally, after entering the venue, the crowd gradually began to disperse to every corner of the venue.

For most products, packaging and promotion are absolutely a very important part. It is very difficult to attract others to browse among the dazzling array of products.

So excellent promotional packaging is needed.

In this area, the three colorful posters of Ji Qi Society cannot be said to be very eye-catching, but they are definitely the type that can catch people's attention at first sight.

Amidst a wave of admiration and amazement, almost 80% of the people who saw this picture curiously chose to run to the stall to see what the game was.

In less than five minutes, a long queue formed at the stall rented by Ji Qi.

"Can I take a look at this?" The girl in a sailor suit at the front looked at the price clearly marked on it and said a little shyly. Although the poster was very shocking, one thousand yen was enough to buy two ordinary doujinshi. For ordinary students, they had to be careful with their spending.

Ji Qi had a gentle smile on his face and said softly, "Please feel free to look at it."

Hearing this, the girl flipped through the manual with confidence, then she widened her eyes and paused for a minute or two. She came to her senses under the impatient gaze of the people behind her, quickly paid, picked up the manual, held it to her chest, and ran away, as if she had taken advantage of someone.

Like a movie replay, the second person in line made similar movements to the previous girl, and their actions further aroused the curiosity of the people in the queue behind them.

Chapter 370 Situation of all parties

Curiosity is human nature. When you see a bunch of people queuing up at the beginning of a comic convention, there will always be people who are curious and want to see what is going on.

Coupled with the excellent publicity effect, a long queue soon formed in front of Ji Qi's stall.

Although some famous places nearby also had long queues, it was still a bit far from this at the beginning.

“Can I have two of these?”

"Because there are not many, each person can only buy one. Sorry."

Ji Qi said softly with a gentle and businesslike smile that was not offensive to others. He didn't print many copies, and if each person took a few copies, they would probably be sold out in a few minutes at this rate...

The boy in front of him nodded, paid the money with regret, took the things and left.

"I didn't expect that it was Teacher Ji Qi who came to sell it in person. I thought it was a joke yesterday. Teacher Ji Qi, can you give me an autograph? Just sign it here."

"Thank you for your support. No problem."

There are many similar conversations.

He and Kato Hui collected and changed money skillfully. Looking at the long queue in front of him, Ji Qi rubbed his temples helplessly.

Not far from Ji Qi's stall, a girl wearing very rustic denim overalls and her head covered by a large brown beret looked at the endless queue here, then compared it with her own queue which could only be considered long at best, smacked her lips, and had an indescribable subtle feeling.

How should I put it? She was very happy to see that her gaming club was so popular just by publicity. After all, she was one of its members and had made a great contribution. But it was almost the same for her mother!

It would be better to say that this is her main battlefield.

At present, this place is not as popular as that place. Doesn’t that mean that she is not as good as those people?

Ah, it’s indeed not as good as this.

Ying Lili's eyes were fixed on the most eye-catching painting in the middle, with a complicated expression.

Under Mashiro's drawing, the remaining two pictures next to it instantly became dim and colorless.

Originally, she was quite confident in her painting and wanted to suppress her competitors.

Now it seems that she is the one who was hit hard.

"Oh, did you draw that picture of Eriri? It's very nice." In front of the ordinary Eriri, a smiling beauty appeared. The only person who could recognize Eriri in this state and communicate with her intimately was her mother, Sayuri Sawamura.

As the president of a doujin club, Sayuri Sawamura doesn't know how many subordinates she has, but jobs like selling things and collecting money are definitely not hers.

"What's good about it?" If it were usual for Eriri to hear this, she would be a little proud and happy in her heart. But now, she was hit by the eyes and she felt insecure.

Sayuri Sawamura joked, "I'm talking about the painting in the middle."

"Mom, you did it on purpose, right... How could I possibly draw a picture like that?" Ying Lili said depressedly. Her mother was definitely one of the people who knew her painting style best. How could she not recognize her paintings?

"Well, don't worry about these small details. Although I can't compare to that genius artist, I really think Eriri's drawing was very good this time."

Sayuri Sawamura looked at Eriri's expression, her delicate face mixed with a hint of tenderness, and she spoke in a relaxed manner.

"I'm not happy at all when I hear this compliment."

Ying Lili said unhappily, but after chatting with her mother for a few words, her depressed mood improved a lot.

Sensing her daughter's condition, Sayuri Sawamura took out a hidden folding fan from her sleeve, covered her mouth with it, and said with a smile: "By the way, Eriri, aren't you going to help? It's a bit busy over there, aren't you?"

"It doesn't matter. There aren't many things anyway and they will be sold out in a short while." Ying Lili hesitated for a moment, then finally curled her lips and stood there without moving.

Sure enough, after a while, the long queue of people waiting to take pictures quickly dispersed. When the crowd dispersed, Ying Lili also saw the "Sold Out" sign on the stall above.

It's really exaggerated.

Eriri, who knew very well what this speed represented, scratched her face. It was just a promotion that was so exaggerated. Once the game became famous, wouldn't it be a best-seller when it was really made?

Although she was mentally prepared, when she saw it with her own eyes, Eriri still felt incredible.

Maybe their club can really become a big hit. No, now it seems like it is almost certain.

It could be said that she joined a club by accident. How could it be that they were so powerful?

"Come and have a drink of water, Hui." After taking a short rest at the stall and dealing with the fans who came to chat with him, Ji Qi picked up the bottle of water that he had prepared long ago and handed it to Kato Hui who was wiping the sweat from her hands with a tissue.

The girl took it very naturally, then unscrewed the bottle cap and took a small sip.

Recalling the crowd just now, Kato Megumi was amazed, "I didn't expect it to sell out so quickly?"

"There are various reasons. Come, I'll give you another ice sheet." Ji Qi, who was not surprised by this scene, said casually. He took out two brand new ice sheets and replaced one for himself first, then handed one to Kato Hui. Seeing this, Hui also followed suit. This is the tacit understanding that the two have cultivated for a long time.

While they were relaxing, a low-key girl wearing a black hat and her signature black stockings walked up to their booth and sat down in a familiar manner, "… You've worked hard, junior, Kato-san."

"If you think we are having a hard time, then don't just stand there and watch. Come and help tomorrow." Ji Qi was speechless when he heard the familiar voice and knew who it was without even looking.

"I don't mind, but I'm really not very good at selling things. You won't scold me if I give people too much or charge them too little, right?" The girl moved a chair and sat next to Ji Qi, squinting her burgundy eyes and smiling.

"Not at all. If you don't do it, don't make sarcastic remarks here."

In this situation, Kato Megumi, who was once again ignored, silently counted the money in her hand to see if there was anything wrong, and did not force herself to get involved in the conversation between the two.

"By the way... Sawamura-san should be over there, right?" Like them, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had actually arrived at the convention before, fixed her eyes on a popular club in front of her and said thoughtfully.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I guess so."

Ji Qi propped his chin with his hand and yawned. The name and simple content of the game were clearly written on the posters and booths. Since the things were sold out, they actually had nothing to do next, so they could enjoy the comic exhibition.

After asking this question, Kasumigaoka Utaha remained silent.

She definitely wouldn't buy an 18x book in front of Ji Qi. Besides, these can be easily bought online...

During this short period of silence, many people recognized Ji Qi's true identity and came up to him to chat and ask for his autograph.

Ji Qi would naturally not be stingy with anything for true fans, and would satisfy their requests as long as they were not too excessive.

Looking at those fans who were excited or smiling happily because of his words or small actions, Ji Qi, who felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart, also understood to some extent why so many people like to be creators.

No matter what speed the series is continued in the future, we must give it a happy ending just for the sake of these fans.

Ji Qi thought silently in his heart.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes flickered, and she felt a little jealous. It wasn't because no one recognized her, but because the man next to her was too popular. It turned out that he was popular with girls not only in daily life, but also in other areas.

She was in a very contradictory mood. She was happy and delighted by other girls praising and admiring him, but she was also secretly annoyed. It was annoying enough that the person she liked was being pursued by a vixen around her, and if he was also favored by someone else...

Taking a deep breath, and taking advantage of the moment when she had just seen off an enthusiastic fan, Kasumigaoka Utaha tugged at Ji Qi's sleeve and said seriously, "Let's go arrest Sawamura-san. Don't you think it's interesting to catch her and expose her identity at this moment?"

"You actually used the word capture... Don't make it sound like you're playing a Pokémon game... No wonder Eriri always complains about you being dark and sinister, now it seems like you're not wrong."

Feeling the malice emanating from Kasumigaoka Utaha, Ji Qi said with some toothache.

However, he was a little tired of dealing with fans all the time. It was refreshing to have his every move being watched by others, but it was more troublesome. He could enjoy it once or twice, but he couldn't stand it for a long time.

"Forget it, Hui, let's just stroll around first and just set up the stall here." After thinking about it, Ji Qi said decisively. He usually even refused fan meetings, so wouldn't it be a loss to open one here?

"Eh? Is it okay that there's no one looking after the stall? Senior, you and Kasumigaoka-senpai can just go and have fun. I'll look after the stall." Kato Megumi tilted her head and said very understandingly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes lit up. This is a good suggestion.

"It doesn't matter. All the things are sold out anyway. It doesn't matter whether you're here or not. The three of us will go shopping together." Ji Qi waved his hand. How could he leave Kato Megumi here alone to watch the stall?

Kato Hui smiled slightly and said softly: "Well, okay then."