As late autumn transitioned into winter, during this season of White Album, Baumkuchen Studio was quite lively.
"Mmh... Megumi, stop playing on your phone. Have you prepared all the loose change we need for tomorrow? As the booth babe, you have to remember to bring the change box. And you, Utaha Kasumigaoka! Double-check everything we need to bring tomorrow again! The tablecloth, standees, posters, tapestries, clear tape—make sure we have everything!"
The night before Winter Comiket.
Eriri, the only person in the circle with experience exhibiting at a convention, was directing the final inspection work: checking, packing, boxing, and labeling. Once the stacks of boxes were organized, Rin Ito moved them to the entryway of Baumkuchen Studio.
Items that needed to be carried personally, such as power banks, heat packs, water bottles, and snacks, were packed into backpacks... When attending large events like this, you should never casually eat or drink anything other than what you brought yourself.
Although the chances were small, there were always malicious people out there. Even if it wasn't poison, they might slip weird substances into food or drinks... Though Rin Ito might mischievously slip some weird things into them himself.
Aside from Utaha, Megumi Kato, and Rin Ito, Eriri didn't ask anyone else for help. Sometimes, having too many hands involved just makes things more chaotic and counterproductive.
However, the others weren't idle either. Ichika and her sisters, who were also attending Winter Comiket, were helping Miku put on the samurai armor Rin Ito had custom-ordered for her. A lightweight, movie-prop replica wasn't cheap; if their dad hadn't covered the bill, Rin Ito would have bled a massive amount of cash.
To ensure things went smoothly tomorrow, they were struggling to try the armor on today... Rin Ito couldn't help with this, so he just let them figure it out themselves.
Rin Ito had already found a place for them to stay. When Rita moved in, she had someone ask the surrounding neighbors if they were willing to sell. Among them, some weren't willing to sell but were open to renting.
Having grown up here, Rin Ito had good relations with the neighbors. He managed to negotiate an even better rental price than Rita got, though the location obviously wasn't as perfect as Rita's place right next door.
Still, it wasn't far—just a ten-minute walk.
The layout was a detached house similar to Rin Ito's. While not overly spacious, Ryo and the quintuplets could squeeze in just fine. After all, he had to consider their ability to pay rent; given their pride, they definitely wouldn't allow Rin Ito to secretly subsidize them.
Besides Ichika and her sisters, Marin, Sajuna, and Shinju were also there. They didn't need to struggle with their outfits in advance like Miku; the cosplay costumes Orie tailored for them fit perfectly, without a single millimeter of deviation.
However, Shinju and Rin Ito cosplaying as a couple was still being kept a secret from Marin and Sajuna... Shinju wanted to give them a surprise.
"1.. 2.. 3... 4... Phew..." After confirming once again that everything was ready, Rin Ito let out a long breath. "Since everything is packed, go get some rest. We have to wake up early tomorrow."
Winter Comiket officially opened at 10:00 AM, but exhibiting circles needed to enter two hours early to set up. Lining up in the middle of the night was strictly prohibited.
Marin, Sajuna, and the others, participating as cosplayers, could enter the cosplay area's dressing rooms early to change, but until the event officially opened, they had to stay in the cosplay area. Furthermore, they weren't allowed to change into their costumes at home; doing so could get them banned from entering.
However, they could do their makeup in advance to save some time.
As for the others... those like Moeha and Kei, who were just curious and wanted to look around for fun, had to line up with the general crowd. After all, early entry passes for circles were limited, and a small circle like Baumkuchen Studio had even fewer.
Rin Ito could have asked Orie to help get a few corporate entry passes from the editorial department, but they had limited spares too. It was better for everyone to line up together so they'd have company.
Actually, early entry passes for cosplayers required winning a lottery to even purchase; otherwise, everyone would just cosplay and it would be pure chaos.
However, cosplay passes could be requested through the editorial department. As a corporate exhibitor, the editorial department could directly request some cosplay passes from the organizers by claiming they were hired cosplayers.
After Rin Ito told them to rest, the girls stopped messing around. After washing up, they got ready for bed. But getting ready for bed and actually falling asleep were two different things.
Preparing to attend a comic convention as a cosplayer for the very first time, Sajuna was as excited as an elementary schooler the night before a field trip, completely unable to sleep!
...
They hadn't rested for long when, around 5:30 AM, the vibration of a phone woke Rin Ito up. It wasn't his phone, but Megumi Kato's.
Eriri, Utaha, and Megumi, who were sleeping on futons in the living room with Rin Ito, were also woken by the alarm, blinking their sleepy eyes open.
Without turning on the lights, Megumi Kato used the dim light from her phone screen to barely illuminate the living room.
"Shh..."
Megumi Kato pressed her index finger to her lips, making a 'shush' gesture.
The others had their alarms set for 6:00 AM. According to the plan, they would wake up at six, leave at seven, arrive near the venue before eight, and immediately join the line once queuing was allowed.
This plan was formulated by the convention veteran Marin. Exhibiting circles have limited stock, so if you arrive late for popular circles, their stuff will be sold out! Marin even made a plan to split up and buy popular merchandise right after entering. To Marin, cosplaying was secondary; buying merchandise was the main priority!
However, Megumi Kato didn't set this alarm to get up early for some merchandise-snatching plan. After waking Rin Ito, Eriri, and Utaha, she quietly led the three, still in their pajamas, down to the basement. Only after closing the soundproof door did she breathe a sigh of relief, looking at the three with excitement in her eyes.
Eriri and Megumi Kato were visibly thrilled, not looking like they had just woken up at all. As for Utaha, she stared at them blankly, looking at them like they were absolute perverts... She really didn't know if Rin Ito had corrupted them, or if they were just perverts from the start.
The surface-level preparations had been finished last night; the internal preparations were only just beginning.
"There are so many toys. What do you want to use, Megumi?"
Eriri pulled open a drawer in the basement. Aside from the training toys Moeha prepared, the props Eriri and Mihari used for reference were now kept here too.
"Ito-kun, what do you want me to use?" Megumi Kato winked at Rin Ito and smiled. "Anything is fine~"
"Mmh..." Rin Ito glanced at the drawer and pondered for a moment. "You guys have tried all the normal ones. Want to try something different?"
Utaha: "No!"
Eriri: "Yes."
Megumi Kato: "Yes!"
These two perverts!
Utaha cursed internally... Why do they always drag me into this!?
"The vote is two to one. Motion passed." Rin Ito smiled at Utaha, who was wearing a purple slip nightgown, before shifting his gaze to Eriri and Megumi Kato. "Utaha seems a bit reluctant..."
Eriri and Megumi Kato stared at Utaha with the eyes of predators eyeing their prey. The two exchanged a glance and immediately pounced on her.
"You two perverts... what are you doing? D-Don't come any closer!!! Yaaah!!!"
Coordinating perfectly, the two surrounded Utaha front and back. The deep purple slip nightgown on Utaha's body was effortlessly stripped off by them.
Eriri stared provocatively into Utaha's eyes while her hand skillfully pulled aside Utaha's purple panties and slipped her fingertips inside. Behind Utaha, Megumi Kato just as skillfully slid her fingertips between Utaha's butt cheeks.
Their movements flowed like water, incredibly practiced. The naturally perverted Eriri and the Rin Ito-corrupted pervert Megumi Kato had clearly done this many times before to force Utaha into playing these perverted games with them.
With just a few simple strokes, Utaha's body flooded with spring tides and went limp. They supported Utaha, walked her over to Rin Ito, and urged him to hurry up.
"First, the stockings... Utaha gets pantyhose, of course; this is absolutely non-negotiable. When I draw manga, I hate it the most when characters take off their pantyhose."
Consumables like stockings were plentiful at Baumkuchen Studio.
"As for the toys..." Rin Ito pulled out a pink, wired little devil vibrator and a string of modestly sized anal beads. "These two look good."
"Just this? Although Utaha Kasumigaoka is a weakling, isn't using these virgin-tier toys going too easy on her?" Eriri frowned, somewhat dissatisfied. "At the very least, stuff her full with two massive dildos!?"
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura, if your perverted self wants to be stuffed, then stuff yourself! Though I suppose it makes sense... a loose hole like yours needs two massive ones to be satisfied. I'm as tight as a virgin, so these are perfectly enough."
Utaha glanced at Rin Ito and sighed in relief... It seemed he wasn't as perverted as Eriri yet.
But it made sense.
You could tell from his and Eriri's manga: his works were light, vanilla training, while Eriri's were hardcore, extreme training. Forget normal training; she drew piercings and even body modifications.
Moreover, she rarely drew 1-on-1 scenarios. A single heroine had to be paired with at least three male leads so she could be completely filled in every hole.
Being completely filled was just the baseline.
Sometimes, even hands, feet, cheeks, and hair were utilized. Being filled from both ends was truly just a basic, unnoteworthy operation for Eriri.
"I know you guys are eager, but hold your horses," Rin Ito set the two toys aside. "The most important thing today is enjoying the convention. What if you guys can't even walk because you're stuffed with too many things? If you want your backdoors stuffed full, we can play that anytime later."
"Plus... it's actually not over yet." Rin Ito flashed a mysterious smile. "Put your stockings on first. Megumi and Eriri, you two will wear garter belts~"
Garter belts?
Eriri frowned slightly... Why specifically mention garter belts?
In terms of length, thigh-highs and over-the-knee socks aren't much different; the main difference is how they are secured.
Over-the-knee socks are secured by elastic bands or anti-slip silicone strips at the top, while garter stockings are secured by garter straps attached to a belt around the waist.
As for why Rin Ito specifically told them to wear garter belts... Obviously, because there was something else that needed to be secured by the waist belt!