CHAPTER 470: CHAPTER 328: TOKYO INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER EXPO

Yurikamome Line, get off at TOKYO BIG SIGHTS Station (Tokyo International Exhibition Center).

Even in the morning, it’s already packed with thousands of people here.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t expect there to be so many people; even the overpass leading out of the station was densely packed, with loud chatter ringing in the ears.

"So many people." Aei kept tiptoeing, trying to see over the crowd to their destination.

Unfortunately, her short stature couldn’t break through.

One by one, brothers and sisters taller than her blocked her line of sight.

"How long will this take?" Uesugi Sakura looked at the crowd ahead; it was already almost impossible to move.

After the passengers disembarked, the Yurikamome Line train departed for the next station.

"It shouldn’t... take too long..."

"Hanabi sister, carry me." Aei, tiptoeing hard, stopped and tugged at Hanamaru Hanabi’s skirt.

"Do you want to see outside, Aei?" Hanamaru Hanabi looked down at her and asked.

"Yes." Aei looked up with her face.

Hanamaru Hanabi also couldn’t see, being able to see only a sea of heads due to her height.

Only Uesugi Sakura, among the group, could see through the crowd.

Such is the plight of being of average height.

"Better let brother carry you, sister couldn’t see either."

Aei had to look at Uesugi Sakura.

Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi swapped places, squatted to lift her, using some force to hold her legs.

"You’re heavy; you must’ve been sneaking cakes."

Chiaei said nearby, "Aei secretly buys cakes every day with the money dad gives her."

Uesugi Sakura said to Aei in his arms, "After eating cake every day, you still eat so much rice?"

"Not a lot at all." Aei retorted in a soft, childlike voice.

"Not a lot? Didn’t you say in the future, you’d live off your looks? If you get fat, how will you earn with your face?"

"Chubby is still pretty."

With her raised up, Aei’s view widened significantly.

Looking through the crowd on the station’s overpass, she could see the Tokyo International Exhibition Center formed by four triangle bodies.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t pay attention to those; he just paused silently for a few seconds and said to Aei, "Is that just an excuse to eat cake?"

"Brother, what is that building?"

"Don’t change the subject."

Uesugi Sakura thought she learned this from him, as he often changed the subject when he didn’t want to answer a question.

In the past, being distracted often didn’t mean he didn’t notice; he just didn’t care much.

He paused momentarily and said, "The Tokyo International Exhibition Center, today, is where your sister Hanabi works."

"Doing what? A chef?"

"Not a chef, an artist."

"What’s an artist?"

"A painting teacher."

"Is Hanabi sister a teacher?" Chiaei asked.

Uesugi Sakura turned to explain to her, "Not a teaching teacher per se, more a respectful title for someone skilled or knowledgeable in their field; Hanabi sister is here to help promote a novel because she draws well."

"I see."

"Oh."

Aei wasn’t really listening; her attention was all on that strange big building, but she still responded with an ’oh.’

Underneath the large building, there were many people in colorful costumes.

"So much green hair."

"Cosplay."

"I know this—it’s mimicking characters from anime, right?"

"Yes, smart, do you want me to praise you?"

"No, brother doesn’t know how to praise."

"How do you know?"

"Sister Hanabi even bit brother today."

"..."

Uesugi Sakura didn’t want to argue with little Aei, who always came up with strange things to say, things unusual for a child her age but perfectly integrated into her peculiar little world.

Lately, she’s just been happier.

...

With so many people, it took them about ten minutes to squeeze out of the station.

After getting out, he realized the station crowd was just a speck in comparison; inside the venue, the crowd was vast.

On a specially outlined entrance path, filled with the surging tide of people.

Uesugi Sakura had never strolled through a manga exhibition and really didn’t expect such a crowd.

And it was such a hot day; weren’t they afraid of the heat? The event hadn’t even started yet.

The group stood by the roadside, not immediately merging into the crowd.

Aei: "So many people."

"Yes, indeed a lot, but don’t worry, we have a special access route."

Uesugi Sakura waited there for a while; a man in his forties or fifties wearing glasses and a suit emerged from the other side of the crowd.

He bent slightly, extending his hand.

"Mr. Uesugi."

"Hi, Editor Kawaichi." Uesugi Sakura shook the hand offered warmly.

Kawaichi Saburo nodded to Hanamaru Hanabi, "Teacher Hanamaru."

"Hello."

Hanamaru Hanabi responded with a polite gesture.

Lastly, Kawaichi Saburo greeted the two little girls beside him before using a gesture to invite them:

"It’s too hot outside; please, the four of you, come into the exhibition hall first. We’ll rely on Teacher Hanamaru for today’s work."

"No problem, no problem."

...

Along the scorching concrete path, they stepped up to the entrance of the Tokyo International Exhibition Center.

Passing through the glass doors, they entered where many exhibition booths were lined up, each with numerous anime character images and flags.

"We’re in the corporate area; today, we have two booths mainly to sell fans the illustrated version of the novel and signed copies of the novel. They are fine-printed editions, and many fans queued overnight, very enthusiastic."

Listening to Editor Kawaichi’s explanation, Uesugi Sakura observed the busy people in the venue.

It seemed the exhibition was more like a free-spirited market, where everyone gathered to sell merchandise and anime doujinshi.