Chapter 235. Gensokyo Carnival
Gurgle gurgle, ptthh~
By the open-air pool, Bronya cupped a handful of clean water to her mouth to rinse, gurgled for a long time, and then spat out the slightly cloudy liquid in her mouth.
Subsequently, she opened her mouth with a disgusted expression and stuck out her tongue.
Although most of it was swallowed by her, there was still a small, sticky portion that made her feel strange in her mouth, as soon as it was over, she pulled Xander Masato over to the pool to rinse his mouth.
Standing beside Bronya, Xander Masato's gaze kept drifting over Bronya's red lips, looking at her as if he wanted to say something but stopped.
"Next time, let's not do it outside..."
No wonder Bronya pulled him into a small dark room, it turned out to be premeditated.
Just now, bracing the door, hearing the sound of footsteps from the doorway from time to time, after just ten short minutes, his heart rate had long since become a tangled mess, fluctuating violently up and down.
Exciting as it was, it's better to be safer in the future.
Unfortunately, Bronya ignored him completely, after rinsing her mouth, she took out a lipstick, dabbed it on her lips twice while looking at the mirror on the wall, her moist lips pursed, and then popped open with a soft bo sound.
Against the light, the rose-red color made Bronya's lips look even more luscious, she put away the lipstick and finally looked at Xander Masato with a smile.
Xander Masato was already captivated by her movements at this moment, the feminine charm displayed by the simple act of applying lipstick made it hard for him to look away, under those seductive, silken eyes, it was these red lips that were just...
His mind was in a bit of a daze, and when he came back to his senses, he found that Bronya had already walked up to him, her soft, fair palm resting on his heart, just like acting spoiled with a most intimate lover, Bronya stood on her tiptoes and chuckled softly in his ear.
"That session just now, it was half as long as when you're usually at home~"
"!!!"
He quickly averted his gaze, only to immediately meet Bronya's eyes, which were full of teasing laughter.
"Was it that good?"
"..."
"Don't worry, I will be responsible for you."
"?"
Seeing him uncharacteristically flustered made Bronya even more pleased.
Just as she was about to keep teasing Xander, Ken Sugisaki's voice rang out from afar.
"Hey!! Xander, if you've got a minute, come here!!!"
Before Bronya could say anything, Xander quickly turned his head and answered, "Got it, right away!!"
Gratitude for his good brother flashed in his eyes.
When he turned back, he looked a bit embarrassed and said to suddenly stoic-faced Bronya, "Ahem, look, Ken is calling me..."
"Alright, alright, go."
She waved a hand helplessly.
Xander fled as if granted amnesty.
Of course, he didn't forget to plant a quick kiss on Bronya's cheek as he left.
Under her feigned glare, he dashed off toward Ken Sugisaki with a grin.
"Tsk, what rotten timing."
Smiling at Xander's carefree back as he ran off, she finally let out a long breath.
Her cheeks flushed at once.
White teeth lightly bit her red lip, and one hand pressed to her chest, feeling a heartbeat that had only just calmed.
What Xander didn't know was that some people's heartbeats weren't any quieter than his.
Leaning softly against the wall, Bronya used her freshly washed, cool little hands to chill her face.
At last her mood settled.
For this kind of thing, next time they really should pick a safer spot...
"What's up? Calling me all of a sudden?"
He strolled over cheerfully and patted Ken Sugisaki on the shoulder.
Ken looked a bit irritable and couldn't help grumbling, "Why'd you hang up on my call just now?"
"Call?"
At that, Xander finally remembered: halfway through earlier, his phone had suddenly started ringing, startling both him and Bronya.
Annoyed, Bronya had fished his phone out of his pocket and powered it off, and he still hadn't turned it back on.
"Sorry, sorry, I accidentally shut it down."
He pulled out his phone and turned it on in a hurry.
Sure enough, several missed calls from Ken Sugisaki were on the screen.
"Forget it, whatever. Did you forget you're going on this morning? The makeup artists are getting antsy."
He'd thought Bronya would drag Xander back for a quick scolding and then return.
Who knew the two of them would turn a corner and vanish, impossible to find, and their phones wouldn't connect.
The three of them had been worried sick a moment ago.
"...My bad. Ahem, let's get going!"
He answered sheepishly.
Ken Sugisaki moved off at once, and Xander hurried to follow.
Backstage at the main venue, the makeup team was already in position.
No sooner had Xander stepped in than a crowd surrounded him and pushed him into a chair.
A flurry of soft, pale hands dipped into bottles and jars, grabbing who-knew-what to dab and smear across his face.
No helping it—Xander represented Gensokyo Company's image, and going barefaced really wouldn't do.
A bouquet of different fragrances hovered at his nose, making him want to sneeze.
After being "tortured" like that for more than ten minutes, the artists finally tilted his head left and right like a display piece, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Looking handsome~"
Ken Sugisaki went back to his other tasks, leaving Kitahara to keep him company.
Seeing the ordeal end, Kitahara walked up with a grin.
"This is pure torture."
Xander shot him a glare and stood to start changing.
Since this was the first Gensokyo Carnival, of course he had to dress for the mood.
But when he looked at the clothes Kitahara handed over, Xander stared blankly at him.
"Bro, you sure you didn't grab the wrong thing?"
"Nope."
Kitahara folded his arms, all innocence, the twitch at the corner of his mouth giving away the laughter he was suppressing.
"Then explain this lotus-girl on the shirt?"
He pulled out the one inner layer—his only close-fitting top—from the jacket.
Pointing at the big print of a hime-cut kimono girl, he deadpanned.
"What? What's wrong with it?"
It was like Kitahara had been waiting for this moment.
He scolded with gleeful excitement, "That's your debut work!! Isn't it the most memorable?! Got big now and forgot your roots?!"
"So? Fine, Lianhua I could accept, but why is it a lewd pin-up?"
"Pfft~ Maybe it's more representative?"
Watching Xander's composure start to crack, Kitahara felt like he'd just downed an ice-cold cola on the hottest day—refreshed from head to toe.
All that overtime resentment melted away with it.
"...Alright then."
With a sigh, Xander put on the Lianhua shirt, then threw on a Pikachu jacket.
He zipped the jacket up tight.
Kitahara didn't mind.
He just waved.
"Entry time's almost here. I'll go double-check a few things. Xander, you wait here. At most half an hour and staff will come for you."
"Got it."
Kitahara yawned.
Just as he reached the door, he stopped and looked back.
"Right, I told Boss Ya you've finished makeup—she said she's on her way."
"Nice. Saves me the trouble. Thanks~"
Xander waved.
This time Kitahara left without another word and disappeared down the hall.
A few minutes later, the dressing-room door opened again and Bronya came in.
She looked him over and clicked her tongue.
"You've got practically a whole layer pasted on."
"Yeah, it feels like they slathered a ton of stuff on my face."
"Relax, I brought remover. Once you're offstage I'll help you take it off... don't kiss—mmf... you'll smudge your makeup!"
"It's fine. If it smudges, you can fix it~"
That idle half hour passed very meaningfully.
When the door opened again, Bronya hurriedly swatted his hand off her thigh.
Xander put on an innocent "been waiting for ages" face, stood, and walked out.
The staff noticed nothing.
Seeing Xander, they quickly led him toward the stage.
"I'll head over first~"
"Mm, break a leg."
...…
"Before we start our fun activities, we've got a surprise for everyone~"
On stage, the host cosplaying Dark Magician Girl smiled sweetly.
The short skirt swished, and the stark "absolute territory" between boot and hem flashed in and out of view, sending the otaku into a frenzy.
Over ten thousand visitors had already packed into the arena.
Thankfully, the expanded stadium was large enough that it didn't feel cramped.
The host's patter was polished.
In just a few minutes she had most of the hall's attention.
When the cue came through her earpiece, she beamed and said, "Let's welcome the designer of Pokémon and many other games—and the creator of Gensokyo—Mr. Masato to the stage!!"
Hearing that, the geeks froze, even forgetting those long legs.
Every eye turned, blazing, to the stage entrance.
"No way, is Old Thief really coming? That wasn't on the schedule!"
"Dude, we hit the jackpot this time!!"
"A bunch of my buddies skipped 'cause it's far—now they're gonna cry, hahahaha~"
Amid the loud chatter, Xander walked up, mic in hand, as practiced as ever.
"Hey everyone, I'm designer Masato."
He greeted the ten-thousand-strong crowd with a smile, and a mountain-roaring, sea-shaking cheer answered him.
"Old Thief!! We adore you!!!"
"Old Thief, I love you—woohoo!!!"
"Old Thief, is the Kaleidoscope series really yours?!"
"..."
One stone stirred a thousand waves; a flood of similar questions crashed over him.
Xander smiled helplessly.
Since he was already dressed like this, there was no point being shy.
"Hold on."
He kept the mic in one hand.
Under the puzzled stares of the audience, the other hand reached for the zipper at his collar.
Then—without hesitation—he pulled it down.
The jacket fell open, and the image of Lianhua, kimono disheveled and sprawled on a bed, leapt into view for all to see.
The camera operator got the memo and punched in tight.
Lianhua's lewd pin-up filled the biggest screen.
For a heartbeat the venue went silent.
Then a roar nearly blew the roof off.
Good thing he'd cultivated a thick skin over the years.
Xander only felt a slight heat in his cheeks; outwardly he stayed composed.
"Tsk, quit laughing already."
That only made them laugh harder.
Even the host was thrown for a loop by Xander's move, her look turning downright peculiar.
In her career, this was the first time she'd seen someone take the stage wearing a lewd print.
If it were anyone else she'd think it was tacky as shrimp heads—but if it was Old Thief Masato…
Pfft~
She clapped a hand over her mouth.
She was a trained professional—no matter how funny, she wouldn't laugh…
Unless she couldn't help it.
After the ruckus, when things quieted down a little, Xander continued, "Alright, alright—that was a youthful mistake. But galgames did earn me my first bucket of gold, so I've got some feelings there. If I get the chance, I'll still choose to make some in the future."
At that, the host instantly latched onto a keyword and chimed in right on time, "Speaking of galgames, Mr. Masato, don't you have a new one about to launch?"
"Mm. I've actually promoted it on my blog before. It's called CLANNAD—a story about school and about life, a warm, lovely work that'll let everyone play with smiles."
"A warm game? That's great!!"
The host feigned "surprise" and delight.
"Back when I played To the Moon, I cried for two whole days, and then out of curiosity I tried White Album, and that stomach-aching drama left me out of sorts for over half a month. Now you're finally making something heart-warming!"
Then her face suddenly changed.
"Between us—Mr. Masato, you're not lying, right?"
"No, no, relax. The main story is about friendship, love, and family. Guaranteed warmth~"
"That's good, that's good. My fragile little heart can't take that kind of plot anymore~"
The audience watched her "fragile little heart" bounce as she clapped and silently roasted her in unison—there was nothing "little" about that.
After chatting a bit more to plug CLANNAD, Xander followed the host's topics and interacted with the players.
Interestingly, the first lucky audience member drawn was someone he actually recognized.
It was the guy who'd jokingly confessed to him ages ago—he'd shown up at a bunch of live events.
Feeling the coincidence, Xander chatted with him for a good while, signed his name, and tossed in a signed limited physical edition as a bonus.
Amid the crowd's jealous stares, the guy floated off cloud-high.
It went on like that until near noon, before Xander finally dragged himself backstage, exhausted.
"Good work~"
Bronya had been waiting there.
When he returned, she gently handed him a warm honey water.
"Mm, being on stage is tiring..."
As soon as he sat on the sofa, Bronya stepped behind him and kneaded his shoulders.
"Fuu~"
He drained the cup in one go and reclined, enjoying Bronya's care.
"Once we eat, want to walk through the other halls together?"
Xander asked with his eyes half-closed.
"Of course!"
All that fan-made content brimmed with players' love for Gensokyo's games—how could they not go look?
"No time like the present—let's go for lunch."
Seeing that it wasn't yet twelve, Xander wondered, "Why so early?"
"It's not early. We need to be back by three."
"Three? Didn't we say meet up at six? Even leaving at five-thirty we won't be late. Mei's family car will get us there fast."
"Idiot!"
"What do you mean, 'idiot'? Back at three..."
He froze, then slowly looked up.
Bronya's sultry eyes narrowed.
She dipped down and pecked his lips—just a brush—and then, biting her lip, leaned to his ear to mutter, "Do I really have to spell it out?"
Her hot breath struck his earlobe.
Xander had already figured it out, but he still stayed silent to hear Bronya finish: "I want to do it~"
...
After lunch, with his face finally clean, Xander and Bronya geared up—masks and caps—and, like an ordinary couple, toured one fan-creation booth after another.
Soon, the two of them wandered into the only 18+ zone.
"Why are there so many Eevee doujins? That's so weird," Bronya frowned, complaining.
One cannot—at the very least should not.
"No idea. Maybe they think Eevee is sexy?"
"?"
As they chatted, a familiar voice drifted over.
Puzzled, they turned at the same time toward a booth not far away.
Behind the table, a petite figure sat in the seller's seat, pen in hand, signing for buyers while thanking them softly.
Scenes like that were happening all over the venue and weren't unusual.
But at this booth, that long, sky-blue hair was so familiar—so striking.
Bronya felt her vision go dark.
She twitched at the corners of her mouth and tugged Xander's sleeve.
"If I remember right, this is the 18+ zone, isn't it?"
"I-I think so..."
Staring at the booth's Griseo, he fell silent too.
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