Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly, not knowing whether he was Zhuangzi dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi.
He couldn't distinguish anymore if he was Lin Kongqing or Kūsei.
In life, he was a student in school, a corporate slave in society, and in different worlds, he had to adapt to his role.
Kūsei cleared his thoughts and looked at himself in the mirror.
His slightly curly black hair was elegantly messy, clearly meticulously styled.
His smiling eyes were like a fox's, and his black pupils were deep.
His lips were thin, carrying a subtle smile that, when his mouth curved upwards, resembled a snake about to spew venom.
No wonder, despite his terrible reputation, he still had excellent connections in the doujinshi industry.
Having a good-looking face was still very important.
Kūsei adjusted his collar, left the restroom, walked through the corridor, passed by busy crowds, and stood before the door at the end of the corridor, gently knocking, "Sister Akane?"
Akasaka Akane, the founder and Club representative of the super-popular doujinshi Club [rougeenrouge].
[rougeenrouge] is known to anyone who frequently attends Comiket. It's a monstrous Club that has had its booth located in front of the gate for ten years.
Because no single exhibition hall could accommodate the queue, it had to be placed in front of the gate, making attendees queue outside.
Their categories, merchandise, and creators were diverse: doujinshi, games, music CDs, general audience, adult-only, derivative works, original content... They never bored their fans and always stayed current with trends. Nowadays, they are a massive organization akin to a corporation.
And Akasaka Akane, the super-popular manga artist and original author who founded the RER Club, is a legendary figure with multiple anime adaptations and every single volume she releases becoming a bestseller.
Kūsei met her at a Comiket, obtained her contact information by demonstrating his knowledge of her works, and later, through deliberately trained negotiation skills and network resources, earned her appreciation, becoming something like her secretary.
There was no response from inside the door. Kūsei, accustomed to this, pushed the door open and saw the red-haired woman slumped over the office desk.
Her sleeveless long dress had a slit below the waist, revealing her slender legs encased in black stockings, their skin shimmering faintly, seemingly shifting with her slight body movements.
One fair arm was cradling her head, the other rested on the table, still holding a wine glass.
Although he was used to it, the strong smell of alcohol still made Kūsei frown slightly.
Approaching Akasaka Akane, Kūsei gently pushed her fragrant shoulder. The delicate feel of her skin was captivating. "Sister Akane? Sister Akane, wake up."
He slightly raised his voice.
"Hmm?" With a lazy hum, Akasaka Akane opened her eyes, her gem-like red eyes looking at Kūsei. "Kūsei, why are you here?"
"You called me."
"Oh." Her red-painted fingernails tapped lightly. The haze in Akasaka Akane's eyes gradually dissipated. She casually poured a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp, instantly becoming much more alert. "Right, I needed to see you."
She pulled a stack of contracts from a drawer, slapped them on the table, and said, "Sign these."
"Hmm." Kūsei saw the title. "Representative Appointment?"
"Sign it, and you'll be the second RER representative, succeeding me."
Kūsei couldn't help but laugh. "Is it really alright to entrust such an important position to a high school sophomore?"
"You don't want it?"
Kūsei put down the pen. "It's signed."
"I can guarantee the legality of your position," Akasaka Akane raised an eyebrow. "As for the rationality, that requires your own effort."
The current RER was like a corporation. Behind every door Kūsei had just passed, there were individuals coveting the Club representative position.
To get this position required Akasaka Akane's approval.
To secure this position required the approval of even more people.
"Create a game worth praising," Akasaka Akane glanced at the calendar. "The Summer Comiket is too soon; let's aim for the Winter Comiket in December."
Her gaze fell on Kūsei's face. Akasaka Akane, with her bright red fingernails, pointed outside. "Whichever production team you want, pick freely. I only want results."
"Even if you say that, if the game fails, the fault will be mine. If the game succeeds, the credit will go to them," Kūsei smiled. "If I use the Club's production team, I lose either way."
"Still lacking trust in others, as always," Akasaka Akane's mouth curved upwards. "So?"
"I will form my own game production Club," Kūsei's eyes sparkled slightly. "To create a game for the Winter Comiket."
"Kūsei ~" Akasaka Akane drew out her words. "If you fail, you'll have no excuses. By then, even I won't be able to protect your position."
"If I succeed, they won't have any excuses either," Kūsei replied. "By then, no one will be able to shake my position."
"If you fail," Akasaka Akane's eyes narrowed, her gaze becoming more aggressive, "you'll have to work tirelessly and take on all the odd jobs."
"If I succeed," Kūsei's mouth curved upwards, "welcome to my Club, Sister Akane, if you're unemployed."
Akasaka Akane's smile grew more dangerous. "Can I interpret that as an overthrow?"
Kūsei shrugged. "A traditional skill."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Looking forward to which outcome?"
"Neither one." Her finger lightly poked Kūsei's nose. Akasaka Akane corrected him, "Just the outcome."
No matter which outcome.
This was the room (yoyuu - composure/leeway) of a strong person.
Whether it was success or failure, Akasaka Akane could easily bear the consequences, whether it was gain or loss.
"So, the candidates?"
"First, the strongest Original Artist," Kūsei paused, "Kashiwagi Eri."
Due to changes in his family's work, Kūsei moved to Nagoya three years ago.
Now, for the same reason, he was returning to the place where he grew up.
The three-year period is over, welcome... no, that's not right.
Returning to Tokyo, Kūsei stood on a hill path, waiting for the girl below to approach.
A petite and slender body, porcelain-white skin, and golden twin-tails that swayed in the wind like works of art.
The pure maiden of Shimamura Middle School, the most beautiful girl in the entire school, Toyonosaki's golden legend, an elite of the art Club who had won awards at exhibitions since her first year of high school, a beautiful half-Japanese, half-British girl with rare artistic talent—Sawamura Spencer Eriri.
She was also the Illustrator for the doujinshi game Club [egoistic-lily], known by her pen name [Kashiwagi Eri] as a doujinshi Illustrator.
Like Xiaoxuande.
"Long time no see," Kūsei swept his hair back, a smile on his face. "Sawamura-san."
Her sea-blue eyes stirred slightly. Eriri gradually approached, getting closer and closer, then walked past Kūsei.
Kūsei's smile stiffened. "No matter what, we were middle school classmates. Don't ignore me so completely, alright?"
"Long time no see, Kūsei-san," Eriri stopped, showing an elegant smile. "It's nice to see you. Goodbye."
She turned and continued walking.
"After rehearsing for half an hour here, that's not what I wanted to hear," Kūsei followed her. "Kashiwagi Eri-sensei."
Eriri stopped again, and a hint of emotion finally appeared on her perfect face. "How did you..." Her eyelids drooped slightly. Eriri snorted, "Right, of course."
Eriri stared at Kūsei with ill intent. As a doujinshi Illustrator and his former classmate, she knew this guy very well.
Kūsei had already established himself as an Otaku elite in his first year of middle school.
His depth of knowledge, breadth of interests, and the quantity of high-quality items he possessed far surpassed what ordinary middle school students could dream of, and even adults would be outmatched.
But this guy participated in doujinshi activities not to enjoy or promote beloved works.
Kūsei only wanted to use popular works to elevate his own status and thereby earn more money.
What made this idea a reality were his excellent negotiation skills and extremely strong information-gathering abilities; the former helped him meet useful people, and the latter helped him utilize useful people.
As for useless people... in his eyes, they weren't people.
"You want to threaten me with this kind of thing?" Eriri made no attempt to hide her disgust. "Wishful thinking."
"This expression is much more pleasing than that fake politeness from before," Kūsei smiled. "We're friends; how could I ever harm you?"
Eriri corrected him coldly, "Classmates, or rather, former classmates."
"It's precisely because we're friends that I thought of commissioning you for work."
"You don't listen..." Eriri's voice abruptly cut off, and a look of astonishment appeared on her face. "A commission from RER..."
As a doujinshi Illustrator, she knew RER's standing all too well.
She had been busy recently and wasn't sure if she had time, which was why she hadn't agreed yet.
She had originally planned to have her parents facilitate further communication, but she hadn't expected... "I used an online alias just like you," Kūsei took out a business card. "However, to show my respect, I thought it best to discuss this with you in person, as the second-generation representative of RER. I look forward to your continued guidance."
"I knew a doujinshi opportunist like you would print business cards first after climbing to a high position. Akasaka Akane really likes you; no wonder you're RER's white paper fan." Eriri showed no intention of accepting the business card. "I won't take a business card from a greedy doujinshi swindler!"
"I didn't expect to hear that from you," Kūsei put away his business card and pulled out his phone. "Kashiwagi Eri-sensei."
Kashiwagi Eri, the doujinshi opportunist, specialized in anime & game categories.
She belonged to the type of creator who wouldn't delve deeply into a single category but would quickly switch themes whenever a popular work emerged, to maximize the category's benefits.
Eriri ground her little tiger teeth. She looked adorable even when angry, with fury flickering in her clear blue eyes. "At least I don't send people to buy out stock and inflate prices for my own profit."
Click.
And so, Eriri's adorable expression, like a cream-colored tiger, was frozen on Kūsei's phone screen.
"What are you doing!" The anger in Eriri's eyes intensified, as if she would pounce at any moment.
"Capturing a beautiful moment."
"Delete it!"
"Alright," Kūsei held up his phone. "If you can reach it."
Kūsei, one meter eighty tall.
Eriri, one meter fifty-eight.
A chasm.
Eriri ground her little tiger teeth. If she grabbed Kūsei's shoulders for leverage to jump, she might be able to reach.
But in that case, her body would be pressed tightly against his.
She absolutely could not be that close to him.
Clenching her tiny fists, Eriri squeezed out her conclusion through gritted teeth, "Scumbag."
Click.
Kūsei nodded in satisfaction. "This angle is even better."
Eriri kicked Kūsei in the knee, without mercy.