I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Having obtained the irresistibly charming 1:1 scale greatsword, I headed toward the Cosplay Plaza with the two of them.
And my first impression upon seeing this place—
“Smaller than I expected.”

“Why? Did you think it’d be bigger just because it’s called a plaza?”
“Yes.”
“Fufu, honest, aren’t you? Actually, there’s another spot where cosplay is allowed. This is Hall 1, and right over there in front of the corporate booths is Hall 2.”

I followed the direction of LISA’s pointing finger.
Sure enough, I could see, off in the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) distance, people in cosplay and others gathered with cameras to take pictures.
“What’s the difference between Hall 1 and Hall 2?”

“Almost none. If anything, there are bugs over here.”
If you sit down on the grass to strike a pose, you’ll see mantises and grasshoppers quite a bit.
“Ugh.”
Listening to the conversation, Rika grimaced as if the mere thought was horrifying.

LISA, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed.
So this is the composure that comes with experience…
“You’re not having weird thoughts, are you?”

“I would never.”
I turned my head away, feigning ignorance.
Chattering like that, we arrived at the Cosplay Plaza.

As soon as we showed up, everyone’s attention snapped to us.
“Whoa, is that greatsword made of aluminum? It looks insanely real.”
“Forget that—doesn’t the cosplay quality look insane? Anyone can tell the Conqueror himself just showed up.”

“That’s the guy I saw in the changing room earlier!”
Among all the chatter, the comments aimed at me poured in.
Most of them were compliments, but honestly, I felt a little embarrassed. All I’d done was show up; everything had been prepared for me.

I literally just brought my body, and it was all ready.
“Isn’t that Sophia cosplay next to him LISA herself? Then is this a Last Fantasy 7 team cosplay?”
“As expected of a pro, even her teammates’ quality is on another level.”

“How is she forty this year with that face?”
At that moment, a crack formed in LISA’s poker face.
“Fufu, talk as you please.”
Ah, she’s mad.

Anyway, as soon as we appeared in the cosplay park, the people who’d been photographing other cosplayers swarmed over.
Most of what they were holding were lens cameras.
I wasn’t sure if there was still demand for those in this day and age, but they definitely looked higher in performance than smartphone cameras.

“All right, line up, everyone. Form a line.”
A person naturally stepped up to direct the flow.
I asked quietly.

“Who’s that?”
“Oh, a volunteer. Usually, when too many people crowd around a single cosplayer, they manage it for you. Big crowds get in the way of others passing through.”
“Ah, I see.”

While we were chatting, the otakus with cameras lined up in a neat row.
Unlike inside the main hall, the ratio here looked skewed—there seemed to be far more men.
Probably thanks to Maria—no, LISA’s rather revealing outfit.

“All right then, let’s get started.”
Maybe it was because she was a veteran, but with one clear, ringing announcement, LISA drew everyone’s attention and struck a pose.
It was the exact pose her character used when casting magic in the game.

Click! Click! Click! Click!
The flashes went off everywhere at once.
It felt like a press conference—I was dizzy just watching.

“LISA! Please do a sexy pose!”
“Sure~”
In the middle of the group shots, someone made the request, and LISA readily struck another pose.
By bringing her arms together in front, she emphasized her chest.

Her full, Western-featured bust radiated presence, captivating all the photographers surrounding us.
…Wait, hold on—going for a low angle is crossing the line, isn’t it?
When I glared at one of them attempting the bad-mannered shot, our eyes met through the lens. With a startled “Eek!” he bolted.

Noticing this belatedly, LISA, still smiling brightly, whispered quietly enough only for me to hear.
“Thanks for looking out. But don’t worry, I’m wearing proper safety shorts underneath.”
“Ah, right.”

So she had her own ways of handling panty-shot attempts from her long experience.
Maybe I was meddling, but after setting that example, no one else would dare try a low angle.
While LISA’s solo stage continued, countless handshake requests started coming my way too.

“Please strike the Hero Pose!”
“Uh, like this?”
I spread my legs slightly and raised the greatsword I held with both hands to chest height. The crowd around us erupted in cheers.

It felt like I was invoking some kind of copyright-protected pose.
Even though all I did was hold a sword normally.
Click! Click! Click! Click!

Just like with LISA, the sound of countless shutters rained down on me.
By now, the crowd had grown so big it encircled us several layers deep.
‘So this is why the volunteer lined people up early.’

After the first row’s photo session ended, the second row began immediately.
People wanting to take our photos lined up far back.
Probably because there weren’t many high-quality cosplayers, the popularity was insane.

“Conqueror, look over here, please!”
I turned my gaze in response.
A few female otakus squealed excitedly, snapping pictures of me.

“Kyaa! Baou-sama looked at me!”
“Idiot! He was looking at the tree next to you!”
“Speaking of which, do you think Baou’s a seme or an uke?”

“Obviously he’s a beastly seme.”
“No way, with his gentlemanly personality, he might be an uke. The protagonist has that sly charm, after all.”
…My hearing’s too good; I’m catching conversations I’d rather not.

I forced myself to keep a straight face and struck the other requested poses.
While LISA and I were showered with camera flashes, Rika—cosplaying Samael—also got a fair share of photo requests, though not as many as us.
Unlike us, whose crowd was mixed-gender, almost all of Rika’s fans were men.

“Please do Samael’s signature pose and line!”
“B-Behold! I, the Fallen Angel Samael, have descended!”
I already knew Rika was cute, but dressed in a frilly gothic-lolita outfit, she looked just like a Western bisque doll.

Time flew by in a blur, and eventually the volunteer directing traffic shouted:
“Clear out! This team’s session is the last for now!”
“Ehh~”

The people still waiting grumbled, but complaints didn’t work.
At least it seemed that if a cosplayer moved locations, they could resume photo sessions elsewhere.
As the crowd dispersed, we finally got a chance to rest and decided to take a breather at a convenience store outside.

“Wow, there are so many people everywhere.”
“This is nothing. If we’d stayed inside on a hot day like this, we’d have been steamed alive.”
Sitting on the terrace, LISA fanned herself with one hand and drank the cold cola I’d just bought from the convenience store.

“So hot~”
Meanwhile, Rika, probably because of her black outfit absorbing sunlight, was slumped over, completely drained.
“But what about lunch here?”

“Usually people just have bento or CalorieMate for something quick. Some even skip eating entirely. You can’t exactly walk into a restaurant dressed like this, right?”
“That’s true.”
Psshh!

Japan might be more lenient, but if something like this happened in Korea, it would have gone viral online.
As I sipped my freshly opened soda with LISA, Rika finally raised her head.
“I want soda too.”

“Oh, you want one? Hold on, I’ll go grab—”
“No, just one sip is fine.”
She stared at my soda can with a pleading expression.

Ugh, fine.
I handed her my half-finished soda, and Rika drank from it without hesitation.
I felt weirdly self-conscious for nothing, slightly ashamed, when LISA suddenly remarked:

“Isn’t that an indirect kiss?”
“Pfft!”
Hit square in the face with that blunt statement, Rika spat out the soda.

“Ma’am!”
“Oh my, why are you getting so mad? I just stated the truth.”
It was obviously on purpose, but LISA met Rika’s anger with a completely innocent smile.

After squabbling on the terrace for a bit, we noticed the convenience store had gotten even busier, so we decided to move on.
“All right, let’s head to Hall 2 now.”
“You mean in front of the corporate booths?”

“That’s right. You could say that’s the real battlefield for pros.”
Fufufu, I can’t wait to see what strong opponents await this year.
LISA muttered with a confident stride as we headed toward Hall 2, located in front of the corporate booths.

***
Corporate Booths.
As the name implied, it was where all kinds of companies had set up.

From huge corporations everyone knew to long-established mid-sized companies, only the “real deal” joined the otaku festival.
The “pro cosplayers” hired by these companies played a huge role in extracting money from the otaku crowd.
And Hall 2, where all these professionals gathered, was nothing less than a battlefield for pros.

And into this place stepped one unaffiliated man.
His name: Kim Yu-seong, the man who would later be called the Conqueror of Comiket—