CHAPTER 476: CHAPTER 331: TOKYO INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER EXPO (3)

The afternoon gradually approached, and the convention’s atmosphere grew thicker.

Many cosplayers walked by, dressed as Gundam, Marvel characters, Gintama, Naruto, Chihiro, Hyouka... and more. You could see them all at the cosplay area. Someone even carried a gigantic sword that looked so realistic one might mistake it for a steel sword.

Hanamaru Hanabi just wore a maid outfit, nothing particularly impressive, but she was irresistibly cute. Many people had already gathered around her, wanting to take her picture.

After half an hour, and exchanging a few words with the photographers, Hanamaru Hanabi finally managed to free herself from the crowd.

"Haha, you’re quite popular."

"Sakura, don’t laugh!" Hanamaru Hanabi said angrily. Unfortunately, wearing the maid outfit only made her look cuter, like a kitten trying to roar like a tiger, no matter how hard she tried, her voice was still soft and cuddly.

"I just think you’re too cute, that’s why I’m laughing," Uesugi Sakura said, smiling.

"Sakura, you didn’t even step in to help me earlier." She muttered.

"How could I help? Everyone just thought you were cute and wanted to take your picture."

"Then why didn’t anyone ask for your photo?"

"Why would they want to take a photo of me?" Uesugi Sakura asked with a gentle smile, lifting his camera to snap another picture of her.

"Because Sakura is also very good-looking."

"I admit I’m handsome, but I’m just a tourist, not cosplaying any character," Uesugi Sakura put down the camera, "Why not try on a few more costumes, Hanabi?"

"No." Hanamaru Hanabi turned her head away.

"It’s a shame for someone as cute as Hanabi not to cosplay several characters."

"No."

"Does the little maid want to eat spicy cake tonight?"

"Hanabi can make it herself."

The spicy cake didn’t tempt her at all. In the past, just hearing about it would make her eyes light up with thoughts of chili peppers.

"I’ll help you take pictures with Aei and the others," Uesugi Sakura said with a smile, "It’s not every day you get to come to a convention. Isn’t it nice to have some group photos?"

With those words, Hanamaru Hanabi started to hesitate.

"Do you want to see, Sakura?"

"Of course, why would I ask if I didn’t? Your maid outfit is really cute, but I’d like to see more."

Perhaps it was his smile and the way he complimented her sweetly, making Hanamaru Hanabi blush and her voice soften.

In her heart, she repeated the words... cute... cute... Sakura really likes... these key phrases.

"Alright then..." she agreed quietly.

Uesugi Sakura directly found Tsubokawa, who was taking pictures of passersby, and asked him to pull up the photo he had just showcased on his phone and show it to Hanabi.

"What do you think of this character?" Uesugi Sakura asked.

Hanamaru Hanabi looked at the gentle girl on Tsubokawa’s phone screen and recognized her, "Is that Kato Megumi?"

"Do you want to give it a try, Hanabi?"

Hanamaru Hanabi compared herself to the photo, touching her own head with both hands, "Hanabi also wore a beret earlier, just some eyeshadow is needed."

She went back to the changing room and came out in a new outfit.

Hanamaru Hanabi held onto her head with both hands, wearing a white beret, a white puff-sleeved shirt, and a pure white lace skirt.

Her footsteps were light and graceful, her cheeks flushed with a pink hue, stepping into the prime of her youth, her short hair lightly swayed as she gracefully approached through the vast crowd.

Beauty, drawing near.

Borrowing a line from Saekano.

"On a day in spring, along the path swaying with sakura trees, I... encountered ’destiny’..."

Uesugi Sakura laughed and said, "Sometimes, it really feels like she’s a character walking straight out of an anime."

Tsubokawa Takahiro remarked, "This seems like the outfit Megumi wore at the summer convention, doesn’t it? It looks like... the only difference from Megumi is the eye color."

The more he spoke, the more he couldn’t contain his excitement.

"Uesugi, I’m truly moved; this is wonderful!"

"What are you so moved about?"

"Megumi, my 53rd wife, miraculously... appeared before my eyes just like this!"

"You know, I’m the first to disagree with that statement."

"Sorry, Uesugi, Megumi is my wife, you’ve got Hanamaru."

"Alright, alright, even though I didn’t mean it that way," Uesugi Sakura relented, seeing Tsubokawa about to cry from excitement, deciding not to dwell on it.

After all, Tsubokawa hadn’t found true love in reality.

He called over the two little girls, Aei and Chiaei, for a group photo with Hanamaru Hanabi.

And with the addition of red eyeshadow, Hanamaru Hanabi’s aura truly shone.

It’s hard to describe, but it was like an anime heroine standing on high ground, her dress fluttering beautifully in the wind.

Her cosplay seemed to infuse her with the allure of an anime character.

Standing in the convention hall, ’beautiful’ was the only word that came to mind.

The eyes in the crowd were completely captivated by this sudden appearance of "Kato Megumi" at the convention.

"Stunning," Uesugi Sakura said with a smile, lifting his camera to his chest.

The camera clicked, capturing her beauty within that moment in time.

...

A week later, with the arrival of August, most universities also started their summer break.

Having barely passed Professor Okuno’s exam through a week of hard work, Uesugi Sakura felt he had let himself slack off, so he encouraged himself to start jogging again, to build up his physique.

Unfortunately, during that week, transforming into a cat and wandering through various Shrines, he hadn’t found any clues.

As for the condition in his head, it seemed it would still be a long road to full recovery.

However, after the holidays, he finally had the time to visit his cheap master’s dojo.

Arriving at the entrance to the Sakihara Family’s garden, Uesugi Sakura turned inside.

The summer garden had its own charm, with bamboo planted there. Under the summer sun, the pond was shaded by bamboo, where dragonflies touched the water, ripples spread, and koi swam freely, creating a subtly cool atmosphere.