I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

The more I looked at the charming 1:1 scale broadsword I had acquired, the more I was drawn to it, heading towards the cosplay plaza with the two others.

And my first impression of this place was…

“It’s smaller than I thought.”

“Why? Did you think it would be bigger because it’s a plaza?”

“Yes.”

“Hehe, you’re honest. And actually, there’s one more place where cosplay is possible. This is Hall 1, and right in front of those corporate booths over there is Hall 2.”

I followed Lisa’s pointing finger with my gaze.

Sure enough, I could see people in cosplay and others with cameras gathered in the distance to take photos.

“What’s the difference between Hall 1 and Hall 2?”

When you sit in the grass to pose here, you often see things like mantises or grasshoppers.

“Ugh.”

Rika, listening next to us, grimaced as if the thought alone was horrifying.

In contrast, Lisa seemed unfazed.

Was this the wisdom of experience…?

“You’re not thinking something weird, are you?”

“I would never.”

I feigned ignorance and turned my head away.

Chatting like this, we arrived at the cosplay plaza.

As soon as we appeared, people’s attention quickly turned to us.

“Wow, is that broadsword made of aluminum? It looks so real.”

“More than that, isn’t the cosplay quality amazing? It’s like the Conquering King himself has arrived.”

“That’s the person we saw in the changing room earlier!”

Especially the comments directed at me.

Most were compliments, but honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed since I had just added a spoon to an already set table.

I just showed up, and everything was already prepared.

“Isn’t that Sophia cosplaying next to him LISA? Then is it a team cosplay of Last Fantasy 7?”

“As expected of a pro, even the team members have outstanding quality.”

“How is she forty with that face?”

At that moment, a crack appeared in Lisa’s poker face.

“Hehe, they sure talk freely.”

Ah, she’s angry.

Anyway, when we appeared in the cosplay park, people who were photographing other cosplayers swarmed around us.

Most of them were holding lens cameras.

I wasn’t sure if there was still a demand for such cameras these days, but they certainly seemed to perform better than smartphone cameras.

“Alright, form a line, form a line.”

And then someone naturally started to organize the crowd.

I asked casually.

“What’s that person doing?”

“Oh, they’re volunteers. Usually, if too many people gather around a cosplayer, they help manage the crowd. It’s a nuisance to passersby if too many people gather.”

“I see.”

As we talked, otakus with cameras lined up in a row.

Unlike at the convention hall, the ratio of men seemed higher here.

Probably because of Maria—no, Lisa—who was wearing a somewhat revealing outfit.

“Well then, let’s get started.”

Maybe because she was a professor, Lisa, with her clear enunciation, drew everyone’s attention and naturally struck a pose.

It was the pose the character in the game takes when casting a spell.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

Flashes burst from all directions simultaneously.

The scene almost resembled a press conference; it was overwhelming.

“Lisa! Please strike a sexy pose!”

“Sure~”

While taking group photos, upon someone’s request, Lisa cheerfully switched to another pose.

The pose seemed to emphasize her chest by bringing her arms forward.

Her voluptuous figure, a testament to superior Western genetics, radiated her presence to the surrounding photographers.

…Wait, wasn’t that low angle crossing the line?

As I glared at one person behaving inappropriately, they met my gaze through their lens and, with a squeak, hurriedly ran off.

Realizing this belatedly, Lisa, still smiling, whispered to me quietly enough so only I could hear.

“Thanks for caring, but I’m wearing proper undergarments, so it’s fine.”

“Oh, okay.”

It seemed she had her own way of dealing with upskirt photos, thanks to her long experience.

I wondered if I had been needlessly meddling, but having set an example, others would surely refrain from trying low angles.

As Lisa’s solo performance continued, I received numerous requests for handshakes.

“Please strike a hero’s pose!”

“Like this?”

As I spread my legs appropriately and lifted the broadsword to chest height with both hands, the surrounding spectators cheered.

It seemed like a pose protected by copyright.

Even though it was just me holding a sword normally.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

Just like with Lisa earlier, countless shutter sounds were directed at me.

At this point, it seemed as if attracting a crowd itself attracted more people, with dozens gathering around us.

‘This must be why the volunteer had lined people up so early.’

After the first row’s photo time ended, the second row began immediately.

People wanting to take our photos were lined up, waiting in a long queue.

Due to the lack of high-quality costumes, we gained incredible popularity.

“Conquering King, please look this way!”

Hearing that, I turned my gaze.

There, a few female otakus were giggling and taking photos of me with their cameras.

“Kyaa! Lord Baoou looked at me!”

“Silly! He was looking at the tree next to you, not you!”

“Speaking of which, is Baoou a seme or uke?”

“Obviously, he’s a beast seme.”

“No, maybe he’s an uke because of his calm personality. The protagonist is quite sly, after all.”

…My ears were too good; I could hear conversations I’d rather not know.

I managed my expression and struck poses requested by others.

While Lisa and I were getting bombarded by cameras, Rika, cosplaying as a character named Samael, was also receiving a fair number of photo requests, though not as many as us.

Unlike us, who had a mixed-gender crowd, most of Rika’s crowd was male.

“Please do Samael’s signature pose and line!”

“Behold! The descent of the great fallen angel, Samael!”

I already knew Rika was pretty, but in her frilly, gothic lolita-like outfit, she looked like a Western-style bisque doll.

As time passed in a frenzy, the volunteer managing the crowd, deeming it enough, shouted out.

“Disperse! Please disperse after this team!”

Oh no~

Those waiting in line voiced their disappointment, but such protests were ineffective.

Fortunately, it seemed there was no problem with cosplayers moving to a different location to continue being photographed.

As people dispersed, we naturally got a break and decided to catch our breath at a convenience store outside the building.

“Wow, there are so many people everywhere.”

“This is nothing. If we were inside on such a hot day, we would have been roasted.”

Lisa, sitting on the terrace, fanned herself with her hand and drank the cold cola I had just bought from the convenience store.

“It’s so hot.”

And Rika, maybe because she wore black clothes that absorbed sunlight well, looked exhausted and drained of energy.

“But how do we handle lunch here?”

“Usually, people make do with boxed lunches or something like CalorieMate. Some even skip meals entirely. We can’t really go to a nearby restaurant dressed like this, can we?”

“That’s true.”

Click!

Japan was better in this regard, but if this happened in Korea, it would have been a huge topic on the internet.

As I was drinking the freshly opened cider with Lisa, Rika, who raised her head belatedly, said,

“I want some cider, too.”

“Oh, you want some cider too? Just wait a bit. I’ll bring it right away.”

“No, I just need a sip.”

Rika said this, looking at my cider with a longing expression.

Ugh, it couldn’t be helped.

As I offered the half-drunk can of cider, Rika casually took a sip.

Feeling slightly self-conscious and somewhat dejected, Lisa, sitting right next to me, said,

“Isn’t that an indirect kiss?”

“Pfft!”

Caught off guard by the blunt comment, Rika spat out her cider.

“Mom!”

“Oh my, why are you getting so angry? I was just stating the obvious.”

Though it was clearly intentional, Lisa received Rika’s anger with an innocent expression.

As we bickered briefly on the terrace, the convenience store got busier, so we decided it was time to move to the next location.

“Let’s go to Hall 2 next.”

“The one near the corporate booths you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes. In a way, that place is the real battlefield for the pros.”

“Hehehe, I wonder what strong competitors are waiting for us this year?”

Lisa mumbled this and confidently walked towards Hall 2, located near the corporate booths.

Corporate Booths.

It was literally a place where booths set up by various companies were gathered.

From well-known corporations to experienced small and medium enterprises, only the ‘real’ ones among them participated in this otaku festival.

‘Professional cosplayers’ hired by these companies greatly contributed to extracting money from otakus, representing their respective companies.

Hall 2, where such people meet, was indeed a battleground for the pros.

And into this place stepped an independent man.

His name was Kim Yu-seong, the man who would later be known as the ‘Conquering King’ of Comiket…