437. Comic Convention【4/60】
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Before you knew it, it was Friday afternoon.
The bus, packed to the brim with passengers, came to a bloated stop in front of the school.
Not many got off, but those getting on were piled like sardines. Lin Nan, with Chen Yao’s protection, squeezed onto the bus, paid the fare, and then wore a face that screamed, “Why me?” when she realized she was wedged in the middle, hands raised but unable to reach the overhead grab bar.
This was the third bus they’d been waiting for; they couldn’t even get on the first two and could only watch as they rolled away in despair.
Chen Yao noticed Lin Nan’s awkward predicament and reached out, yanking her between his arms, trying to create a pocket of space for her.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have bothered with this comic convention,” Lin Nan grumbled, leaning against Chen Yao and sporting quite a pout. “Why are there so many people? Don’t they have classes on Friday afternoons?”
They had skipped class specifically to check out the comic convention.
Although they had no plans to cosplay and be ogled at, Lin Nan, who had never been to a comic convention, thought it would be an interesting experience. I mean, eyeballing pretty girls never hurts, right?
But she never expected the bus to be like this!
“Many people skip class on Fridays to head home early; it’s normal for it to be crowded,” Chen Yao said, gripping the overhead bar tightly, clearing a little bubble around Lin Nan while ignoring the glares from nearby passengers. He continued chatting casually, “I heard there are tons of cute girls at the convention…”
“Really?” Lin Nan shot him a suspicious glance.
Chen Yao, with a desperate need to survive, responded quickly, “But none of them can hold a candle to you! Why go to the convention when I could just sit at home and admire you?”
“Pfft.”
Lin Nan brushed off his flattery; she knew her own looks all too well.
Though she suspected that if she put on some makeup, she might rival those so-called public goddesses, the hassle of it all—and the expense of cosmetics—made her cringe.
The school was only a half-hour bus ride from the convention center, and as the bus emptied out little by little, Lin Nan eased away from Chen Yao’s arms, fearing that too much public display of affection might earn them some jealousy points.
She may have lost some height over the years, but standing under the grab bar and reaching up with her arm, she could barely grasp it.
One hand steadying herself, she pulled out her phone to check the convention’s exact address.
“We’ll be getting off in two more stops,” Lin Nan said, turning back to tell Chen Yao, who was still behind her.
“I know,” Chen Yao replied absentmindedly.
Another round of stops on the bus, and suddenly an unusually large number of people exited. Lin Nan peered outside to find herself in a quaint old pedestrian street.
She had never really explored the stops along this bus route before, and everything looked fascinating.
Was this an urban village?
The street was lined with low buildings, towering skyscrapers nowhere in sight. The streets were narrow, with trees on either side practically creating an alley of shade. The foot traffic and vehicles made it feel crowded.
Normally, such old streets were a treasure trove of food.
“Let’s check out this place for some grub after the convention!” Lin Nan suggested enthusiastically.
“Sure, since we’ve already skipped the afternoon classes; after the comic convention, we’ve got nothing else to do.” Chen Yao turned slightly to see Lin Nan standing next to a couple of guys.
Without saying much, he moved in closer, wedging himself between Lin Nan and the group of men.
“What are you doing, squeezing over here?” Lin Nan frowned up at him.
“Just making sure you don’t mess up the address, okay? Hand me your phone; I don’t want you to lead us both into a maze.”
Lin Nan handed over her phone, grumbling, “I’m not directionally challenged!”
About ten minutes later, they finally arrived at the bus stop for their destination.
Lin Nan jumped off the bus, breathing a sigh of relief. Sure, the bus had air conditioning, but the air felt terrible in that crowded space, leaving her a bit dizzy after half an hour.
A few deep breaths of fresh air later, she felt much better. When she looked up, she noticed that the bus station was swarming with various snack stalls, not to mention some maids and people in all sorts of quirky costumes making their way toward the event center.
Unfortunately, she didn’t recognize most of them, but one cosplayer dressed as Naruto caught her eye, though his look didn’t quite live up to her expectations.
“Let’s go! It seems like it’s about to start; we need to hurry and get tickets,” Chen Yao said, hopping off the bus and joining her side.
“They don’t seem that great…” Lin Nan muttered quietly, hoping no one could hear her.
“Trust me, there will be some beautiful ones inside,” Chen Yao said, instinctively taking Lin Nan’s hand as they strolled along with the crowd toward the venue.
The closer they got to the event, the weirder the outfits got. Lin Nan didn’t watch much anime, but she recognized some recent popular characters.
Like that bald guy in a snug yellow suit from “One Punch Man.”
Or the Super Saiyan with spiky yellow hair, black shirt, and red pants emblazoned with the character “亀” (turtle).
Most cosplays weren’t quite on point or very impressive, but Lin Nan still tugged on Chen Yao’s hand with excitement, pointing out the characters she recognized: “Look at that! Master Roshi! He actually has a turtle shell!”
“That’s probably made of cardboard.”
“And that guy next to him is Frieza!” Lin Nan suddenly lowered her voice, unable to contain her laughter, “His spandex is definitely showing some, uh, ‘enhancements.’”
Chen Yao glanced around and occasionally shared bits of anime trivia with Lin Nan: “Do you recognize that one? It’s the Ikari from ‘Demon Slayer.’”
The little girl in a kimono with black hair was indeed eye-catching, the prettiest one among these cosplayers.
“Hey, she’s pretty!” Lin Nan’s expression darkened, “What? You like her?”
“I liked her the most when I watched ‘Demon Slayer,’” Chen Yao answered instinctively, but when he looked down, Lin Nan’s big eyes radiated discontent, and he awkwardly chuckled, “Why are you getting jealous over an anime character?”
“And you say I get jealous? You’re not doing much better yourself!”
“Pfft~ I’m not!” Lin Nan crossed her arms and turned her head away.
When they finally reached the venue, Lin Nan was struck by the sheer size of the comic convention. The entire area could easily be described as a sea of people, with cosplayers milling about in front of the venue while numerous tourists raised their phones and professional cameras to snap pictures of their favorite characters.
Feeling the crowd close in around her, Lin Nan suddenly felt a wave of nervousness wash over her.
“I’ll go buy the tickets; you wait here,” Chen Yao said as he approached the ticket line.
“Okay.”
Lin Nan watched him leave, biting her lip and lowering her head, feeling a little awkward standing there like a clueless statue.
There was something about the atmosphere that made her feel out of place.
“Senior!”
Just as she was feeling lost, a cheerful voice called out, and when she turned to look, a girl in a cute outfit was coming towards her.
But why was this girl calling her “Senior,” and why did that voice sound so familiar?
Lin Nan blinked in confusion as the girl got closer and closer.
