Before long, a fully disguised Eriri came downstairs.
The moment they saw her, both Tanaka Masao and Sawamura Sayuri fell silent.
Eriri was still wearing her familiar green tracksuit.
Her blonde hair was tied up and hidden under a baseball cap.
Black-rimmed glasses paired with a white mask completely covered her face.
Hands on her hips, Eriri spoke proudly:
"Well? Pretty good disguise, right? No way anyone's going to recognize me like this."
Tanaka Masao nodded—then immediately roasted her.
"They definitely won't recognize you. They'll just think you're a stalker or some kind of pervert."
Hearing that, Eriri bristled.
"Like I want to hear that from you, someone who looks like a textbook perverted fat otaku."
At that moment, Sayuri stepped in to smooth things over.
"Now, now, don't fight. Sure, Eriri's outfit is a bit… odd. But if you're going to a doujin shop, this kind of look is actually pretty normal."
Tanaka Masao nodded. Last time he'd gone to a doujin store, he really had seen plenty of people dressed like that.
So he asked,
"Sayuri-san, do you have any spare masks or baseball caps? I'd like one too."
Going out with Eriri dressed like this was bound to draw attention.
She wouldn't be recognized—but he might.
So Tanaka Masao decided to hide himself as well.
Weird was fine. As long as nobody knew who he was.
"I do. I'll go get them for you."
Sayuri headed to another room to fetch a cap and mask for him.
Meanwhile, Eriri puffed out her chest like a victorious rooster.
"See? If you're going to a doujin shop, this is the correct outfit."
Not long after, Tanaka Masao had finished disguising himself and headed out together with Eriri.
As for Sayuri, she said she had other things to take care of and let the two of them go on their own.
The moment Tanaka Masao and Eriri appeared on the street, they drew everyone's attention.
There was no helping it—their outfits were just too strange.
Some people were already tempted to call the police.
Eriri noticed the situation and muttered quietly,
"I messed up… I shouldn't have gone out dressed like this from the start. I should've waited until we were near the shop and then changed in a secluded spot."
She glanced at Tanaka Masao beside her.
"Why do you look so calm with everyone staring at us?"
"Calm? Why wouldn't I be?"
Tanaka Masao looked genuinely puzzled.
"Sure, I look weird right now—but nobody knows it's me. I'm not Tanaka Masao anymore."
Hearing that, Eriri's eyes lit up.
"That's right! I'm not Sawamura Eriri either—I'm Kashiwagi Eri. Kashiwagi Eri being a pervert has nothing to do with me, Eriri!"
Her confidence instantly returned.
The two of them walked openly, without a hint of guilt, and the number of people thinking they were creeps noticeably decreased.
Plus, even with the disguise, it was still obvious that Eriri was a beautiful girl.
Some people began to speculate that she might be a celebrity or idol in disguise, trying not to be recognized.
Naturally, Tanaka Masao was assumed to be her manager.
They arrived at the doujin shop where they'd first met.
"This is the place," Eriri said, walking in ahead of him.
Tanaka Masao followed right behind.
The doujin shop was a place with a calm, harmonious atmosphere.
People spoke very little, quietly browsing for books they liked.
No one disturbed anyone else, and no one was disturbed.
At checkout, the owner thoughtfully provided paper bags to protect customers' privacy.
Eriri led Tanaka Masao to a corner and whispered,
"All right. If we wait here for a bit, you'll be able to see how your doujin is selling."
Following where Eriri pointed, Tanaka Masao saw his book displayed not far away.
Large quantities, clearly placed—easy to notice at a glance.
In just a short time, he saw several customers pause as they passed by, take a closer look—
Then, visibly excited, grab a copy and head straight to the counter.
Although the name Takeda was making its debut in this world's doujin scene, the shop had placed the book in a recommended spot.
That meant the shop owner had high expectations for it—good quality, likely to sell well.
Books placed there almost always caught customers' attention.
Even though the contents were sealed in protective plastic, people felt confident just from the cover alone.
Some customers had also come specifically because of Sawamura Eriri's online recommendation.
"Looks like it's selling pretty well," Eriri commented.
"Tomorrow, there'll probably be even more buyers."
Seeing how confident she looked, Tanaka Masao asked,
"And why is that? Is that Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's experience talking?"
"You could say that," Eriri nodded.
"Otaku culture has circles—and people who read doujinshi have their own circles too. When they find something they like, they recommend it online, and sales increase. That's how a lot of unknown but high-quality works become hits."
"Of course, that only applies to good works. If the quality's bad, no amount of promotion will earn real praise."
"Everyone's really running on love alone," Tanaka Masao said thoughtfully, recalling a certain legendary creator from his previous life known for 'working for love.'
"Powering it with love…"
Eriri repeated the phrase softly.
"That's a really fitting way to put it."
With her family background, money had never been an issue for her—drawing doujinshi really was just pure passion.
They stayed in the shop for nearly half an hour before leaving.
Tanaka Masao asked,
"Is this the only shop selling the doujin?"
"Of course not," Eriri shot him a look.
"Several shops are carrying it. This one's just the biggest, and it's in Akihabara—great location, most foot traffic. Plus, since they carry a wide range of content, even obscure niche works are stocked here. So it's not just locals—otaku from other cities come here too."
"Obscure niche works?" Tanaka Masao perked up.
"Does your humiliation genre count?"
"Ha~?"
Eriri looked like she'd been personally insulted.
"Humiliation works might not be everyone's taste, but they're hardly niche, okay?"
She crossed her arms.
"Sounds like you haven't encountered those kinds of works before—and honestly, that's probably for the best. Let me tell you, that stuff can only be described as bizarre and twisted. I have no idea why anyone would like it."
As she spoke, Eriri recalled what she'd seen before and shuddered.
Seeing her genuinely uneasy expression, Tanaka Masao understood.
That "niche" probably meant extreme even by extreme standards—far beyond what normal people could handle.
Not wanting to scar himself psychologically, he quickly changed the subject.
"Eriri, let's go grab something to eat and take a break."