PNB Chapter 63, Part 2: First Encounter with Honjou Nia
Chapter 63, Part 2: First Encounter with Honjou Nia
One hour later ~ afternoon
Sunlight filters through dappled leaves, and a gentle breeze rustles the cherry blossom trees lining the street, causing petals to fall like snow.
A yellow taxi slowly pulled up on the bustling streets of Akihabara.
The car door opened, and Ming, dressed in black casual wear, stepped out of the car. On the other side, Kurumi, dressed in a gorgeous Gothic Lolita dress and wearing an eyepatch over her left eye, also slowly stepped out of the car.
"Excuse me, Okamine-kun... I've been curious ever since I got on the bus, why didn't you wear that very Western demon-themed costume to the comic convention?"
After the taxi drove away, the two walked together, keeping a certain distance from each other, towards the anime convention area in the center of Akihabara.
As they walked, Kurumi, who was still wearing her spirit costume and was walking next to Ming, asked him with some confusion.
After all, in Kurumi's eyes, it was like she had looked forward to coming to the anime convention to cosplay, but when she arrived at the destination, she was the only one wearing a cosplay outfit...awkward.
After hearing this, Ming gave a deadpan look and began to explain:
"Kurumi, don't underestimate me. Although I'm just a young master from a certain family, once I put on my Spirit Dress, my net worth can instantly exceed one hundred million. If you report me wearing my Spirit Dress to the local Spirit Organization..."
"Just like that, you'll have enough money to buy an entire building in Tomson Riviera the very next day! And if you report me in the UK, you'll even get an extra bonus from DEM!"
(Because Kurumi was wearing her spirit dress from the moment she appeared, and intentionally concealed her spiritual power, she wasn't specifically detected. Normally, except for Ming, a complete spirit displaying its spirit dress would be detected by spiritual power reactions.)
The reason Ming doesn't wear it is because his own outfit is too easily recognizable.
After hearing Ming's words, Kurumi covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter and maintain her elegance, but her body...
"Hehehe, Okamine-kun, you really love to joke around. But even if you're worth over a hundred million, then I..." At this thought, Kurumi's smile abruptly stopped, and she looked at Ming with a stiff expression.
Ming noticed Kurumi's unusual behavior and raised an eyebrow, asking:
"What's wrong, Tokisaki-san?"
Kurumi took a deep breath, slowly approached Ming's ear and whispered, "Wait! If my identity is exposed, my bounty will probably be much higher than yours."
Ming was taken aback at first, then thought for a moment and nodded expressionlessly, "Indeed, although I am known as the 'Extremely Evil Elf,' the number of lives I've taken should not exceed a hundred, but you... tsk tsk tsk, don't bring it when you are detected by satellite surveillance, thank you." Ming even bowed slightly as he said this.
Kurumi snorted angrily, "Hmph! Okamine-kun, Sawa told me back then that you were a messenger of justice. In my opinion, your character still needs improvement!"
Please don't misunderstand! Actually, you can understand it this way:
"For me, the so-called justice and gentleness are only shown in Sawa. Being able to talk to you normally without a cold face is already the maximum openness I can show you as a friend."
Kurumi smiled with satisfaction after hearing Ming's words.
"Oh my gosh~ I see. Gangfeng is quite the devoted lover. It's no wonder I said such nice things to you on Valentine's Day." Ming just shrugged and didn't respond.
Before long, the two of them were chatting and laughing like old friends. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of the comic convention.
After paying the ticket, I stepped into the comic convention.
As soon as you step into the anime convention, a variety of colorful scenes come into view. Huge anime character standees stand out, and cosplayers in exquisite costumes move among them.
Just as the two were focused on the noisy scene, a young, dark-haired man in a white uniform with a rather ordinary appearance walked up to them.
"Excuse me, this elegant and beautiful cosplayer, would you like to take some photos with me? And what anime is this character you're cosplaying from? I've never seen her before," the man asked familiarly, holding a camera in his hand.
Kurumi's beautiful and captivating eyes shifted slightly, her gaze landing on the man who was walking towards her, trying to strike up a conversation.
Because of her habitual vigilance, which she had developed over time, Kurumi reached behind her without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, an old-fashioned Zafkiel pistol appeared in her hand behind her back.
However, just as Kurumi's slender, fair fingers were about to touch the cold gun handle, Ming swiftly appeared behind her with one hand, quickly pinning her down!
(Ming: "My teacher Möbius once said that in the face of medicine, any difference between the sexes is just a piece of flesh that is slightly different from oneself, and besides, this is just a hand, don't you agree?")
Kurumi's body trembled as she instantly felt the power and warmth from Ming's palm. She realized that this wasn't the scum she usually encountered while fishing, but a genuine anime character.
The man looked puzzled, scratched his head, and said, "What were you doing just now? You seemed very mysterious."
Kurumi, having regained her composure from her usual tense state, revealed a sweet smile: "It's nothing, let's collect photos, newbie." The man excitedly raised his camera, and after taking the picture, he curiously asked Kurumi what role she was playing.
Kurumi was about to speak, but didn't know how to answer. After all, this Spirit Dress was something she created in a moment of chuunibyou (delusional) eccentricity.
Seeing this, Ming quickly interjected, "She plays the king in 'The Oborozu,' a work signed by Gangfeng Publishing House. It's a relatively niche work, so it's normal that you haven't seen it."
After the man left, Kurumi turned her head in confusion, raised an eyebrow slightly, and smiled playfully. "You just brushed him off like that?" Ming, with a cold face and his hands in his pockets, shrugged nonchalantly.
Just as the two were talking, someone called out to Ming from behind.
"Okamine...President?" The female voice was extremely familiar to Ling Ming.
Upon hearing someone call out Ming's surname, Kurumi turned around alertly, her hand secretly reaching behind her again. Ming's expression also changed as he looked at the person who had come.
In the blink of an eye, something so familiar caught his eye—those iconic round glasses were none other than Hiroki Takashiro! However, what surprised Ming even more was that there was a 'man' standing next to Hiroki Takashiro.
This 'man' had dazzling silver-white hair, and he was holding a large pile of strange anime books tightly in his arms, covering his face as he followed next to Hiroki.
Honggui, the secretary, and Ming, the boss, looked at each other and spoke in unison:
"President, you have a girlfriend!"
"Hiroki, you have a boyfriend!"
The two shouted in unison, but upon hearing their shouts, the silver-haired 'man' next to Hiroki and Kurumi also paused, misunderstanding each other's words.
After the two spoke in unison, a subtle silence fell over the room.
The silver-haired "man" raised an eyebrow, slowly squatted down, put down the book, and Kurumi next to him immediately pulled out the gauze and photo that Ming had put in his sleeve.
"No, Gangfeng has a girlfriend! Miss, please don't misunderstand." Kurumi's expression was somewhat anxious; she didn't want any misunderstanding with Ming in front of others.
"Hey, which brat is so rude as to talk about me like that? It's hurtful, you know!"
The silver-haired 'man' put down the book in his hand, pointed at Ming, and shouted.
The four of them shouted, and the atmosphere instantly became even more 'subtle'.
Ming, in particular, fell silent upon seeing the face of the silver-haired 'man' in front of him, his mind racing as he quickly began to calculate.
"……………………" The transition sound effect of a ticking clock~
After a brief explanation, Kurumi, Hiroki, Ming, and the silver-haired 'man' sat down at an after-sales service station.
"Oh, is that so, President? Is it because your girlfriend's best friend is a little unhappy, so she used the two Akihabara comic convention tickets I gave her to come here?"
After taking a sip of tea, Hiroki Takashiro said with a sudden realization.
"I guess so, but the way you used your tone was a bit subtle, Hiroki." Ming didn't deny what she had just said, but nodded in confirmation, though her eyes never left the silver-haired man...girl next to Hiroki.
Just then, Kurumi, who was next to Ming, stood up and left her seat without saying a word.
"Where are you going?" Ming asked.
"Just take a stroll. You don't need to wait for me when you leave. There's still money in that card. See you two others." With that, she simply lifted her skirt, gave a curtsy, and walked into the shadows.
Ming was still looking at the silver-haired 'man' and didn't pay much attention to Kurumi.
"Hey, it's very rude of you to stare at me like that!" the silver-haired man shouted, unable to bear Ming's constant staring.
Upon hearing this, Ming immediately calmed down, reverting to his usual cool demeanor. He was about to speak… when Honggui spoke first:
"I apologize, Mr. Cang Er. The club president may have been a little rude for not realizing what was happening earlier." Then, Hiroki turned to Ming and introduced him:
"President Okamine, this is a friend I met not long ago. Her real name is Honjou Nia, and her pen name is Honjou Souji, which she debuted under a few years ago. You may not have heard of her, but she is actually quite famous."
Upon hearing the introduction, Ming was momentarily stunned, but immediately understood. He stood up, trying to appear as agreeable as possible, and stiffly said:
"Nice to meet you. I am Okamine Mei, the president of Okamine Comics Publishing House. When I first saw Ms. Aoi, I was struck by her youthful, beautiful, and masculine appearance. I subconsciously mistook her for a man. I am very sorry."
"……………………"