Chapter 265 : Does It Look Good
On the way to the women’s restroom, Ling Ning and her daughter had to pass by the entrance of the men’s restroom. As they walked by, they saw a number of girls in various costumes stepping out of the men’s room.
Seeing this unusual sight, Ling Ye, ever curious, tugged at her mother’s hand. “Mom, Mom, why are girls coming out of the men’s restroom?”
“Well… about that~” Ling Ning forced an awkward laugh. She knew the answer but didn’t quite know how to explain it to her daughter. Should she say they were all girls with “big surprises” under their skirts?
“Uh… maybe those ladies just walked into the wrong restroom~” Ling Ning offered, giving a reason even she didn’t believe. After all, who walks into the wrong restroom together?
“Oh~”
Ling Ye replied, seeming only half convinced. Seeing that her daughter was about to press further, Ling Ning quickly steered her attention elsewhere. “Let’s hurry to the restroom, sweetie. Your friends are still waiting outside for us~” She then practically dragged Ling Ye to the restroom line.
Yes, they had to line up. With such a huge crowd at the convention, the women’s restroom had a long queue, something that always frustrated Ling Ning. She sighed as she thought of how things had been back in her past life. But what could she do now?
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“Hurry up, Ling Ning~” Zhou Xiaoxiao muttered, sitting bored on a nearby bench. She glanced at Xiao Dong Xue, who was daydreaming, and at Bai Yiyue, who sat beside her, giggling to herself while holding a stuffed bear.
Bai Yiyue’s masked face made it hard to see her exact expression, but her giggling gave her away. Passing strangers shot her strange looks, as though they were watching a “silly Aqua” from anime.
While waiting, Zhou Xiaoxiao noticed the bag Ling Ning had left with her. She’d seen Ling Ning carrying it all day and had asked her about it several times, but Ling Ning hadn’t given her a straight answer. Now, finally left alone with it, Zhou Xiaoxiao couldn’t resist the temptation to take a peek.
“Figures it’s a doujinshi. What’s there to be embarrassed about?” she muttered under her breath, pulling out the book.
As she examined the cover, she got the sense that she’d seen the characters somewhere before, though she couldn’t quite place them. Without thinking much of it, she opened the book to get a closer look.
“Oh man, there are so many people. I wonder if Xiaoxiao and the others are getting impatient,” Ling Ning sighed as she finally stepped out of the restroom. She spotted her friends sitting nearby, but what caught her eye was Zhou Xiaoxiao, who was reading with intense focus.
This wouldn’t have been strange, except the book Zhou Xiaoxiao held was none other than the 18+ yuri doujinshi Chen Ruo had gifted her.
Completely engrossed, Zhou Xiaoxiao was oblivious to Ling Ning’s presence. The story was thrilling, setting her heart racing. She couldn’t believe Ling Ning would have such tastes—it almost made her want to experience what the characters in the doujinshi did… and maybe even turn Ling Ning into a “hot weapon” herself. Wait, no, she wanted to be turned into a “hot weapon” by Ling Ning! Ugh, this wasn’t the time for fantasies. She felt like she was losing her mind.
“Enjoying it?”
“Yes, yes, it’s fantastic—wait, what?!”
Realizing something was amiss, Zhou Xiaoxiao looked up to find Ling Ning standing in front of her, looking at her with a rather amused smile.
With a sheepish grin, Zhou Xiaoxiao quickly closed the book and slipped it back into the bag, mumbling, “Uh… it’s… really interesting, you know…”
“Fine, it’s just a doujinshi. It was a gift, so if you want to read it, feel free. Just return it when you’re done~” Ling Ning said with a sigh. She didn’t mind Zhou Xiaoxiao reading it, as long as she didn’t get the wrong idea about her tastes.
Just as they were preparing to leave, a familiar figure caught Ling Ning’s attention. It was her “part-time apprentice,” Jiang Xue. She was surprised to see Jiang Xue here, as she should have been working—until Ling Ning remembered that the café was closed today.
“Hey~”
Jiang Xue, who had just come out of the restroom herself, felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see her mentor standing there with a friendly smile.
“Teacher… Teacher, what are you doing here?” Jiang Xue was stunned. She’d come to the convention on her own, but somehow her mentor had found her. She wasn’t surprised, though—her Teacher seemed to have a talent for appearing wherever she went.
Noticing Jiang Xue’s empty hands, Ling Ning asked, “So, you’re not here to browse the convention, are you?”
“Uh… I’m here to sell doujinshi, actually,” Jiang Xue admitted, scratching her head sheepishly.
Zhou Xiaoxiao blinked, surprised. She’d combed through the doujin section earlier and hadn’t spotted Jiang Xue’s booth at all.
Ling Ning, however, wasn’t surprised. She’d known that Jiang Xue’s dream was to become a successful manga artist.
“My booth is in a tiny corner, so it’s easy to miss,” Jiang Xue explained with an awkward laugh. To save money, she’d rented a stall in the far corner of the hall.
“Mind if we stop by?” Zhou Xiaoxiao asked eagerly. She wasn’t about to leave any doujinshi unexamined; collecting figures and doujinshi was her ultimate hobby.
“O-Of course not.”
When they reached Jiang Xue’s booth, they realized just how tucked away it was. Without careful attention, one might not even notice this spot, which was far less busy than the surrounding booths.
“Uh… do you actually sell anything in a spot like this?” Zhou Xiaoxiao asked, sounding skeptical.
“Yep! I sold three copies this morning,” Jiang Xue replied, her tone slightly bitter. Two of those sales had been to her own boss, and for some reason, she felt on the verge of tears just thinking about it.
“So you haven’t sold anything this afternoon?” Zhou Xiaoxiao pressed.
Ling Ning picked up one of Jiang Xue’s doujinshi and examined it. Just from the cover art, she could tell Jiang Xue’s drawing skills were impressive, and the characters from Type Moon Heavy Industries were well illustrated.
However, after skimming through it, Ling Ning could only say that the story’s only redeeming quality was its art style. The plot was so dull that she struggled to get through it.
“So… how is it?” Jiang Xue asked, looking at her mentor with hopeful eyes. She had spent every spare moment she could find to complete this doujinshi and felt quite proud of her work.
“Do you want the truth or a nice lie?”
“...The truth.”
“The truth is that, aside from the art, it’s pretty bad,” Ling Ning replied flatly.
“Eh?!”
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Author’s Note:
I’m beginning to suspect I’m not a real salted fish...