Chapter 47: Eldest Miss Sakuramiya Does Not Like Taking Photos

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

"Born from the beauty of this world, emerging from that kind heart!"

White gloves spread open, and a magic wand flashing with red light spun at her fingertips.

"To protect the world from devastation, to guard the peace of the world!"

Crimson and pink skirts fluttered in the wind. One of the young girl''s pale thighs was slightly raised, while the other stood perfectly straight on the ground.

"Magical Girl of Love, Alice, has arrived!"

Her right eye was squeezed shut, while her left eye, adorned with a purple colored contact lens, aimed down the gemstone of her magic wand. Her right hand mimicked the motion of drawing a bowstring.

"Come, evil minions, let Alice-chan purify you!!"

Yurianna, wearing full makeup, colored contacts, and a wig, was practically sparkling. Her small face slowly magnified in Ashley''s vision.

The next second, Ashley clutched her head in unbearable agony, her face flushed red as she screamed,

Still holding her pose, Yurianna tilted her head in confusion. She looked down at Ashley, who was squatting on the ground with her face buried in her hands, and pouted.

"What are you talking about, Magical Girl of Stars, Bess-chan? Hurry up and stand up to fight the monsters."

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Ashley covered her face. Feeling the gazes cast by Yan Huan, Sakuramiya Hitomi, and Yabashi Ki from the side, she genuinely wanted to find a hole to crawl into and hide for the rest of her life.

''If I had known, I never should have been soft-hearted enough to agree to the request of this idiot to cosplay together!''

''I want to die. I really want to die...''

"Pfft!"

Seeing this scene, Yabashi Ki completely burst out laughing and silently raised his mobile phone to take a picture.

But the blue magical girl squatting on the ground, Ashley, suddenly snapped her head up like a ferocious tiger. Her eyes, bearing blue colored contacts, swept over with a vicious glare.

At this moment, it was as if Yabashi Ki was the "camera monster" from an anime.

"Hey, Yabashi. If you dare take a picture right now, you will die."

''The Head of Discipline is so terrifying!''

"..."

Yabashi Ki swallowed hard and silently put his mobile phone away.

Holding her parasol, Sakuramiya Hitomi did not quite understand all of this, so she asked Yurianna in confusion,

"Yurianna, did you make Ashley cosplay a character she is completely unfamiliar with?"

"Eh, no way?! Ashley absolutely loves watching ''Magical Girl of Love''!"

She received a vehement denial from Yurianna.

Yabashi Ki chuckled and explained to Sakuramiya Hitomi,

"Ashley probably did love watching it, but that was back when she was in elementary school."

Hearing this, the face of the squatting Ashley grew even redder. She buried her head into her knees, making Yan Huan feel a little sympathetic.

''It was probably a level of shame similar to cosplaying a character from a cheesy magical girl cartoon and having to shout out a transformation catchphrase in broad daylight,'' he mused.

''No, this level of embarrassment had probably reached the point of having to sing the entire cartoon theme song in front of a crowd.''

Sakuramiya Hitomi touched her chin, remaining puzzled.

"So that''s how it is... But is it really okay to cosplay characters from childhood cartoons?"

Yan Huan smiled slightly and said to Sakuramiya Hitomi.

"Of course. Plus, according to my internet surfing experience, shows made for children often end up being loved by a lot of adults."

"?"

Sakuramiya Hitomi had not yet grasped the meaning of Yan Huan''s words, but he gently pointed behind her.

They saw several people already walking up with cameras, asking Yurianna,

"Ah, are you Alice-chan and Bess-chan from ''Magical Girl of Love''?! This is so accurate! May we take your picture?"

"Eh?"

Ashley blankly raised her head and looked at Yurianna beside her.

Yurianna exchanged a glance with Ashley, then revealed an innocent, albeit demonic, smile.

"Sure!"

"N-No..."

But Ashley was still pulled up by Yurianna. They stood together and struck the pose for their magical girl combination attack.

"Love and Stars, Joint Strike!"

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Sakuramiya Hitomi retracted her gaze, no longer looking at Ashley, who looked as though she was being marched to the execution grounds. She could only silently pray for her in her heart.

''Hopefully, she survives this.''

"It seems these cosplayers are already taking pictures out here. Are they not going inside?"

Sakuramiya Hitomi asked as she glanced over the spacious grounds outside the convention center.

At this moment, many cosplayers dressed as various characters were walking around the venue. Quite a few of them were being asked for photos, just like Yurianna and Ashley.

"Ah, that''s because we have to line up to get into the venue. Inside, there are various events and booths. If we''re just talking about taking pictures and collecting selfies, it''s probably better to stay outside."

Yan Huan patiently explained to Sakuramiya Hitomi, who seemingly understood nothing of this culture.

"Moreover, the entry tickets have been scalped to very high prices. Not everyone has a ticket, so there are a lot of people who just stay outside to make friends and take pictures."

Sakuramiya Hitomi looked at Yan Huan beside her and covered her mouth with a soft chuckle.

"The President seems to know a lot about this."

"Well, it happens every year. Even if I haven''t been here before, I''ve scrolled past it online. Besides, don''t we have Yabashi in the Student Council?"

''Such a schemer.''

In reality, how could Sakuramiya Hitomi not know?

Even if she didn''t understand it before, after Nara''s reminder, she had aggressively crammed her research and now knew the culture like the back of her hand.

She was actually hinting for everyone to hurry into the venue because many of her preparations were set up inside.

After all, if they stayed outside, she wouldn''t be able to do anything to the President!!

Just as Sakuramiya Hitomi wanted to say something else, Yabashi Ki picked up his mobile phone. It seemed someone had sent him a message.

"Ah, they''ve arrived too."

"They?"

Yan Huan looked at Yabashi Ki and asked,

"Who?"

"Ah, didn''t I say earlier that I wanted to introduce you guys to some people in the circle? They''re a veteran couple from the adult entertainment industry. They''re exhibiting this time too, selling their new works in the doujin area."

"Adult entertainment industry?"

This truly hit Sakuramiya Hitomi''s blind spot in knowledge. She blinked, looking back and forth between Yabashi Ki and Yan Huan, seemingly asking for the specific meaning.

But the two didn''t answer her immediately. Instead, they exchanged a glance and began to converse silently.

Yan Huan tilted his head. ''Hey, you''re the one who said you wanted to introduce these veterans. You explain what the adult entertainment industry is to Sakuramiya.''

Yabashi Ki blinked. ''Hah?! You want me to introduce this kind of thing to her? If her family found out, they would absolutely kill me, right?''

Yan Huan: ''Then why did you say you were going to introduce people from the circle when you clearly know Sakuramiya is an Eldest Miss?!''

Yabashi Ki: ''Everyone has to grow up eventually, President. So, let it be you who becomes the existence that turns Vice President Sakuramiya into an adult!''

Yan Huan: ''...''

Yan Huan blinked and turned to look at Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was holding her parasol with a look of confusion.

Seeing her frown, he asked,

"Could it be some kind of secret code between you boys?"

"Not exactly..."

Yan Huan glanced back at Yabashi Ki again, only to find that the guy had silently backed away several paces and turned around to scout for cosplayers he wanted to ask for photos.

''Despicable otaku!''

As the saying goes, the more you try to hide something from someone, the more curious they become.

This was exactly the case right now.

Sakuramiya stared intently, inching closer to Yan Huan, her eyes brimming with inquiry.

Priding herself on knowing Yan Huan inside and out, she had to get to the bottom of anything he knew that she didn''t.

"President?"

Helpless, Yan Huan simply crooked his finger, gesturing for her to come a little closer.

After Sakuramiya Hitomi leaned in slightly, he also took the initiative to step forward, entering the shade provided by her parasol.

Feeling Yan Huan drawing near, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face instantly turned a light shade of red, and even the hand holding the umbrella trembled slightly.

''Wait...''

''Although it''s a bit strange, doesn''t this feel a little like sharing an umbrella as a couple?''

But before Sakuramiya could be shy for more than a second, Yan Huan leaned close to her ear and began whispering something in a hushed tone.

"The so-called adult entertainment industry is..."

As she listened, her pupils gradually shrank in sheer disbelief, and her lips parted subconsciously.

Works completely filled with this and that, doing this and doing that!

Bizarre, self-imagined images flew uncontrollably across her vacant gaze, taking up her brain''s entire processing power at that moment.

"..."

Under Yan Huan''s patient guidance, on this very day, Sakuramiya Hitomi had successfully taken her steps into adulthood!

Behind them, Yabashi Ki didn''t turn his head, but he shakily raised a thumb at Yan Huan''s back as a silent ode to his bravery.

After finishing his detailed explanation, Yan Huan took a step back, stepping out of the shade of her parasol.

"It''s roughly like that, Sakuramiya."

"..."

Sakuramiya Hitomi kept her mouth slightly open, her small face burning hot as if she had caught a fever.

Unable to restrain herself, she looked at Yan Huan, but after a single glance, her eyes immediately darted away as if they had been scorched.

Then, under Yan Huan''s gaze, her cheeks actually puffed out little by little.

"Wuu..."

Following that, she huffed angrily, raised her fist, and lightly punched Yan Huan on the shoulder.

"Tap."

It was incredibly soft and gentle. With her weak constitution, Sakuramiya Hitomi couldn''t muster any real force at all.

"Ah, Sakuramiya, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"Wuu..."

Yan Huan hurriedly apologized, but in reality, he felt that the punch Sakuramiya had just given him was more like her adorably acting coy.

The young man put on an expression of unbearable agony, seemingly repenting properly.

Behind them, Yabashi Ki, who had just finished scouting the cosplayers, turned his head back around at that exact moment.

Seeing this scene was like taking a flashbang straight to the face, with absolutely no chance to look away.

"Bzzzz!!"

''Gah!!''

''Everyone, run away!!''

''It''s the Holy Light Magic used by the normies!! Retreat to the caves!!''

This time, another young man had genuinely revealed an expression of unbearable agony. And he was also genuinely repenting: why did he ever decide to come to an anime convention with these damn normies?

Wanting to cry but shedding no tears, Yabashi Ki pulled out his mobile phone, checked his messages one more time, and turned to ask Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi,

"Those two authors are already inside the exhibition. So, what do you say? Are we going in or what?"

Yan Huan glanced at Yurianna and Ashley, who were surrounded by people taking photos, and said to Yabashi Ki,

"Should we wait for them to finish taking photos and go in together?"

"That''s probably going to take a long time. Well, I wanted to go take some pictures and stuff anyway. President, Vice President, you two..."

Although the most important part of an anime convention was the social aspect, from the corner of his eye, Yan Huan couldn''t help but look at Sakuramiya standing beside him, entirely ignorant of the anime and manga culture.

"..."

After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said,

"Then Sakuramiya and I will go line up first. The two of us didn''t bring anything, so heading into the venue early to take a look won''t be boring."

"OK, President. Then send a location on Plane to keep in touch later. I''ll come in with Yurianna and the others in a bit."

"Sure."

Yabashi Ki pulled out the cheering glow stick that had his voice recorded on it, took a camera out of his school bag, and walked off in a certain direction.

His receding figure looked so resolute.

Meanwhile, behind Yan Huan, Sakuramiya Hitomi, still holding her parasol, quickly patted her blushing cheeks.

Actually, she wasn''t so innocent as to be completely clueless about such things. The main issue was...

''He was... too close just now.''

''Whispering so softly right next to my ear...''

It gave Sakuramiya Hitomi an overwhelming feeling of intimate closeness.

The gentle voice sounding right beside her ear, his breath brushing against her earlobe, combined with a topic so difficult to describe aloud, made it all too easy for one''s imagination to run wild.

A tingly, numb sensation rose from the bottom of her heart. Even though she felt terribly shy and actually loved it, her body seemed beyond control and performed the exact opposite action.

That was why she had reached out her fist and lightly punched Yan Huan.

Why exactly did she do that?

''Cute aggression.''

It was a psychological term referring to the phenomenon where the brain encounters an object that is far too cute or beloved, producing a feeling of being "cute/loved to the absolute extreme."

To balance the overwhelming surge of affection, the brain triggers a reaction that appears completely opposite to this supposed "affection."

Just a moment ago, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s brain had been hijacked by this very mechanism, resulting in her action of punching him.

''Could the President have misunderstood?''

Under the parasol, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face was flushed as she stared at Yan Huan''s back.

''Misunderstood that I only acted that way because I hated him...''

The next second, having sent Yabashi Ki off, Yan Huan turned around, startling Sakuramiya Hitomi into quickly tilting her parasol forward to hide half of her face.

Fortunately, Yan Huan just smiled faintly and said to her,

"Let''s go line up, Sakuramiya."

"Mhm..."

He led Sakuramiya Hitomi toward the direction of the queue at the east entrance, and they soon saw the long line of people waiting to get in.

"Sakuramiya, here''s your ticket."

"Thank you, President."

Yan Huan handed the ticket he brought over to Sakuramiya. He possessed the QR code given to him by Bai Yi, which seemed to allow access to the VIP lane next to them.

But since Sakuramiya was still here, Yan Huan decided to wait in the regular line with her.

As they slowly moved forward with the queue, Sakuramiya Hitomi occasionally stole a glance at Yan Huan, who was looking at his mobile phone next to her.

She pursed her lips, wanting to explain her actions from earlier.

But just as she opened her mouth to speak, another voice rang out next to Yan Huan.

"Umm... Mister, could we take a selfie with you?"

Sakuramiya Hitomi was slightly taken aback. Turning her head, she saw several rather shy young women crowding around Yan Huan.

''Take a photo?''

''If I remember correctly, that''s what they say when they want to take a picture with the President, right?''

''W-Wait!''

''I spent the whole morning busy posing and preparing the "traps" inside the exhibition hall that I completely forgot to take a picture with the President!''

''And now, my first photo with the President is about to be stolen away?!''

''Taking photos...''

''It really is an obnoxious culture!''

''Actually taking pictures with strangers of the opposite sex or whatever... don''t they find it inappropriate?''

Entirely because she had not managed to get a photo with him herself, Sakuramiya Hitomi launched into a fierce internal critique of anime convention cultural habits.

''Should I step in and stop them?''

''But...''

''On what grounds can I stop them?''

''My persona wouldn''t allow it, and besides, isn''t this perfectly normal convention culture?''

''As long as the President doesn''t refuse, the other party can justifiably sidle up right next to him and raise their cameras.''

''They''ll definitely turn on beauty filters, right?''

''And then add some cute stickers...''

''Ah, having them stuck to the President''s face would definitely look cute.''

"You''re so handsome, Mister!"

''The other party will definitely say that, and then logically follow up with another request:''

"How about we exchange contacts?"

''After adding him on Plane, they''ll chat passionately with the President on the app, and then inexplicably strike up a spark of love.''

''In the end, after graduating, they''ll get married and have kids. Then, whenever there''s a wedding banquet or a baby shower, they''ll send me an invitation, and I''ll have to give them monetary gifts...''

''That''s the culture of the Dragon Country, isn''t it?''

''How terrifying. This photo-taking convention culture is absolutely terrifying.''

''No, this horrible custom must be completely eradicated.''

''From now on, all anime conventions in Sakura Country must ban people from taking selfies together. Then, slowly, it will start from one country and become a worldwide rule...''

In just a few short seconds, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s internal imagination had become so incredibly abundant that a massive brainstorm surged within her.

"Miss, excuse me, may we take a picture of you?"

"Eh?"

Just as the smile on Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face became increasingly polite and flawless, while the air pressure around her steadily dropped, a male voice suddenly rang out behind her, interrupting her train of thought.

She turned around with her parasol in hand, only to see several boys holding cameras making the exact same request.

However, without a second thought, Sakuramiya Hitomi politely declined.

"I apologize, I don''t really take photos."

Previously, when Spencer had just snapped a picture of Yan Huan, she had rushed over to delete it. How could Sakuramiya Hitomi possibly let others photograph her here?

"Eh, but you''re so pretty, Miss. I''m a professional photographer. I can do a shoot for you for free, no charge."

The other party was still relentless.

"..."

Sakuramiya Hitomi maintained her polite smile, remaining utterly silent.

Just as the photographer in front of her was about to say something else, Yan Huan''s voice suddenly cut in.

"Did you not hear? She said no photos."

Sakuramiya Hitomi blinked. The several photographers in front of her also froze slightly upon seeing the person behind her, before promptly putting on apologetic smiles.

"Understood, bro."

"..."

''Did the President... make some sort of scary expression?''

Waiting until the people in front of her had completely walked away, Sakuramiya Hitomi finally turned her head to look at Yan Huan, but his expression had already returned to its usual smiling appearance.

"...Thank you, President."

"Don''t mention it."

Sakuramiya Hitomi took another glance at the spot where those girls had been standing earlier. By now, they had all completely vanished without a trace.

"Earlier... what about those girls who wanted to take photos with you? President, did you not take any pictures with them?"

"Ah, no."

Looking at the persistently long queue ahead, Yan Huan smiled and said,

"Sakuramiya, your family doesn''t let you take pictures or leave any photographic records outside, right?"

"That is indeed the case. After all, if they were to spread around, it might have an impact on my family..."

"Mhm. So I just felt it wouldn''t be right to leave you, who can''t take photos, all by yourself to go take selfies with others. Besides, I don''t really like taking pictures myself."

Sakuramiya Hitomi''s pupils constricted slightly.

Even though her heart clearly tightened and she could feel her body temperature starting to rise, her grip on the parasol grew tighter and tighter.

As if afraid that he would see her, she tilted her umbrella slightly again, covering her face.

"You dislike... taking photos?"

"Because looking at myself in pictures makes me feel a little... embarrassed?"

"Pfft, what kind of ridiculous reason is that, President?"

Under the parasol, Sakuramiya Hitomi covered her mouth and giggled.

"However, perhaps if you take more photos, you might get used to it?"

"That''s true..."

"Tap, tap."

Yan Huan''s voice drifted over slowly. Immediately after, Sakuramiya Hitomi felt the top of her parasol being gently tapped a couple of times.

It was just like a gentle knock on a door, causing Sakuramiya Hitomi to freeze in surprise.

That direction...

It was Yan Huan knocking on her parasol.

She shifted the parasol along her shoulder, revealing her face to Yan Huan.

Raising her eyes to look at the handsome young man in front of her, she saw that he had raised his mobile phone. Smiling, he looked right at her.

"So, Sakuramiya, do the two of us... want to take a photo together?"

"..."

Sakuramiya Hitomi''s lips parted slightly. Her eyes, as if gradually melting from Yan Huan''s reflection within them, shimmered with a radiant light.

"O-Okay, President..."

Her response was somewhat lacking in her usual composure, coming off as rather flustered.

The hand gripping the parasol was clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. It felt as if her chest was too tight to catch her breath, pressing heavily against her lungs.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

With her heartbeat sounding like the pounding of a drum, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s inner thoughts silently shifted.

''The photo-taking culture of anime conventions...''

''...is the absolute best!!''