Tokyo: The story begins with a confession.

Page 14

Sure enough, more and more people gathered in this little corner. People have a herd mentality. Seeing so many people here, they couldn't help but be curious and come over to see what was causing the crowd. Many people knew why they were gathered here. They couldn't see what was going on inside, but the more they couldn't see, the more they wanted to see.

Especially with the constant sound of phones taking pictures inside, it was as if some big star had arrived.

The situation attracted the attention of many others, and even alarmed the organizers, who quickly dispatched a pair of security guards to maintain order. Otherwise, if a stampede had occurred, the situation would have been disastrous.

……

Shiki Ishii is an editor at an anime magazine called "Kamirin," a medium-sized magazine in the Tokyo area. The magazine mainly interprets and analyzes currently popular works, and occasionally reports on recent hot topics in the anime world, such as anime conventions or well-known cosplay events.

He occasionally takes on articles on other popular social media platforms to earn some traffic fees. As an editor of an anime magazine, he naturally has to report on the anime conventions. This anime convention held in Shibuya Ward was quite large, so he naturally came to collect some materials.

There are just too many people in Shibuya! Ishii Shiki felt a little helpless. Although he had grown up in this city since he was a child and knew how big the population was, even he, who was used to it, was shocked by the flow of people in Shibuya. The streets were packed with people. What does it mean to have 3000 to 4000 people crossing at a traffic light?

It's practically a zombie movie, isn't it?

After finally getting into the exhibition hall, he loosened his tie and breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was only 10 a.m., there were already quite a few people inside. He didn't find the strangely dressed people strange at all; on the contrary, he felt quite friendly towards them. Besides the influence of the environment, he also had a great love for animation, which is why he chose to enter this industry.

"But as expected, nothing has changed at all..." Ishii Shiki looked around and sighed helplessly after finding that it was almost no different from the comic conventions he had attended before. Perhaps other people would find this place novel, but he had attended too many comic conventions, and they were almost all the same. Apart from the summer and winter festivals, which sometimes had some novelty, he found it hard to be interested anymore. There was no other reason than that he had seen too much of it.

However, even though that's what he said, he still had to do his job properly. He picked up the camera hanging around his neck and took a few photos, then took out a notebook from his bag and started making notes. "Huh? What's going on over there?"

From the camera lens, Ishii Shiki noticed a large crowd gathered in a corner, with more people constantly heading towards it. This unusual phenomenon immediately caught his attention. "Could it be that a celebrity has arrived, or something extraordinary has happened?" His intuition told him that there might be a big news story there!

He immediately packed up his notebook and rushed over there.

……

Kenichi Uesugi looked at the crowd surrounding him, his eyebrows twitching slightly. He felt both happy and pained. He was happy that so many people were there, although many of them had come specifically to see him, but quite a few were very interested in the wood carvings. If this trend continued, all the wood carvings would be sold out in no time.

The painful thing is that he really doesn't like being constantly stared at like a rare animal. And not only do these people look at him, but they also keep taking pictures with their phones, which annoys him a lot, yet he can't bring himself to yell at them…

Now he was actually glad that his spot was in the corner, at least there was no one behind him, and Ishida and the table were blocking his way in front of him.

"Wow, he's so handsome and cool. I want to touch his hair."

"Yes, especially his eyes, they're like black gemstones. He smiled, he smiled! Quick, take a picture, take all of them, I have to post them online!"

"I thought he would definitely become a star. If he really does, that would be great. Then I could see him on TV, and maybe there would be autograph sessions and handshake events. I can't wait to imagine it. I'll definitely buy the whole package when the time comes."

"Coming to this comic convention was definitely the right decision! Does anyone know his name? He looks like he's still in school. I wonder which school he goes to? Oh my god, I really want to transfer schools!"

A group of girls surrounded Uesugi Kenichi, their faces beaming with excitement. It was truly a case of crowds swarming together. If it were just one girl, I doubt many would dare to stare at her so openly. They would all be like little lambs, shy and hesitant, coyly accepting. With so many people around, some even started teasing Uesugi Kenichi.

Fortunately, they were still quite sensible and didn't do anything excessive, of course, they were also afraid of leaving a bad impression on Uesugi Kenichi.

However, Nagato Ryoko is now a little panicked. She originally wanted to help Uesugi Kenichi attract more customers, but suddenly she has attracted so many suitors. Isn't this just asking for trouble? She has created so many enemies for no reason.

Ryoko Nagato kept sighing and feeling that she was being a bit foolish, but she didn't give up completely. She had done such a big favor, so it wasn't too much to ask for her LINE number, right?

However, we can't go now. We should observe secretly first and wait until there are fewer people around.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Big News is in the Air

Despite nearly being torn to pieces by the girls, Ishii Shiki finally squeezed to the front of the crowd, completely ignoring the murderous stares around him. Such a scene was nothing to him; making money was the most important thing.

After squeezing to the front of the crowd, he finally understood why so many people were watching. After his initial surprise, he sincerely admired the exquisite wood carvings displayed on the table.

Seeing such wood carvings at a comic convention like this was definitely worth the trip; it felt like an art exhibition rather than a comic convention.

He walked over, picked up his camera and took many photos of the wood carvings. After studying them carefully, he was increasingly surprised. They were truly masterpieces!

After looking at them for a moment, he asked, "Excuse me, how much are these wood carvings?"

"The front row is 10,000 yen, the middle row is 20,000 yen, and the last row is 50,000 yen." Watanabe Futa bowed and smiled, maintaining perfect manners. Although sales were booming and the market was clearly a seller's market, he couldn't neglect his etiquette towards customers!

"Huh? So cheap?" Ishii Shiki was taken aback. With the craftsmanship of this wood carving, it would be an insult to the art if it wasn't sold for at least 100,000 yen. While expressing his regret, he immediately said, "Please help me wrap up these three wood carvings, thank you."

"Okay, that'll be 8 yen in total. Please take it and welcome to visit again!" Watanabe Futa skillfully wrapped up the wood carving and handed it over.

"Thank you. May I ask who carved these wood carvings?" Ishii Shiki asked solemnly after putting the bag away.

"It's Uesugi-kun, you know, the one sitting over there."

Ishii Shiki looked in the direction Watanabe Futa was pointing, and there sat an incredibly handsome young man, busy with something.

The moment he saw the boy, his years of experience told him that a big news story was definitely in the works!

No wonder there are so many people here, no wonder there are so many girls, this makes perfect sense!

Even with his decades of experience, this kid is incredibly handsome, especially his aura, which is something that ordinary people can't have. Compared to him, all the idols on TV these days could be thrown back and reworked. Plus, with such sculpting skills, he might be a disciple of a famous master. He's got a lot of potential, it would be a crime not to give him a close-up!

And it seems that no other peers have noticed yet, but once we get the interview, the magazine's sales will definitely explode!

He suppressed his excitement and squeezed through the crowd, immediately starting an interview with Kenichi Uesugi.

"Hello, is it convenient for me to conduct an interview?"

Kenichi Uesugi put down his carving knife when he saw the person who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

Seeing that Watanabe Futa and the others were able to handle the situation and that sales were extremely fast, he took advantage of the time to carve a few more. Judging from this trend, they might not last long before they were all sold out, since he had only brought less than 40 wood carvings with him, and he had already sold nearly half of them.

"No problem, what do you want to ask?" Uesugi Kenichi did not refuse. It was a good thing to be interviewed, as it could increase his popularity and help him sell his wood carvings at a higher price.

"Would it be convenient for you to introduce yourself?"

"Okay, my name is Kenichi Uesugi, I am 16 years old and currently a first-year student at Yamato Private Academy."

Ishii Shiki nodded, even more surprised. Although he already knew that Uesugi Kenichi looked young, he didn't expect him to be so young and even more talented than he had imagined. This made him even more satisfied.

"Did you carve all of these yourself?"

"Yes."

"Sugoi, Uesugi-kun is indeed a genius. To have such skill at such a young age, you must have studied under a famous sculptor, right? Would you mind telling me?"

“This wasn’t done by any famous sculptor,” Uesugi Kenichi chuckled.

"Oh! So, did you study under a famous teacher?" Ishii Shiki became even more interested.

"No, I just practiced casually on my own."

"Hiss~~ You practiced all by yourself?!" Ishii Shiki was shocked. You're telling me you practiced all by yourself? I know you're a genius, but I didn't call you a prodigy, did I? Can you really achieve this level on your own?!

"Then Uesugi-kun must have suffered a lot. To have such amazing skills without any guidance, you must have hidden an extraordinary level of hard work that is hard for ordinary people to reach. Only in this way could Uesugi-kun have sculpted such a master-level work at such a young age. It is truly admirable. Please accept my bow!"

As Ishii Shiki spoke, he became more and more excited. It was easy to imagine how much hardship and perseverance someone could endure to develop such skills at such a young age without any guidance. Such a person deserved his admiration!

As for whether it's true or false, he doesn't need to distinguish, and he doesn't think it's false either. The blessing brought by a famous teacher or lineage is amazing, and there's no need to hide it at all.

The girls watching nearby became even more excited after hearing Ishii Shiki's words, as if Uesugi Kenichi had suffered a great deal. Their eyes shone even brighter, their faces full of pity, as if they wanted to immediately pull him into their arms and comfort him.

Uesugi Kenichi: "???"

Chapter Thirty-Four: Reading Comprehension Skills (Full Marks)

Looking at Ishii Shiki bowing at a 90-degree angle, Uesugi Kenichi felt somewhat bewildered. What he said had moved him deeply. "Am I really that amazing and hardworking? How come I didn't know that myself?"

Are all the people in this country this strange? And can't they please stop bowing so much? It's so annoying!

Although he had no choice, he could only bow in return.

"Not at all, it's not that hard."

“No, you are too modest. I know you may not want to be too ostentatious or talk about these things, but your efforts should not be treated this way. I will definitely write the most impartial report for you, so that these frivolous young people can see what a true genius is and what the spirit of craftsmanship is!” Shiki Ishii said, bowing again.

Uesugi Kenichi: "..."

He was speechless. Oh well, think what you want, whatever makes you happy.

"Mr. Uesugi, I don't think I've heard of you in the industry before. Is this the first time your work has been made public?"

"Teacher? Never mind, that's true."

"No wonder. I was wondering why there was no news about your skills before. Is it because you are satisfied with your work that you decided to start showing it to the public?" Ishii Shiki had an expression that said, "I knew it." In his opinion, putting aside Uesugi Kenichi's appearance, just looking at this work, if it had been circulating before, he couldn't have been unaware of it.

"You could say that."

"I see. You only decide to let the world see your work when it reaches a point of your own satisfaction. This is the essence of the saying 'ten years to hone a sword.' Your spirit is something that people today should learn from."

???

What are you imagining? Is that what I meant?

"So, what prompted you to embark on the path of sculpture?"

"Because we're short of money, and our family isn't well-off, I wanted to earn some money." To prevent this person from making up wild guesses again, Uesugi Kenichi said very frankly.

"Oh oh oh oh~" Ishii Shiki exclaimed in surprise and then quickly wrote down in his notebook, "Because of the family's poor situation, he thought of practicing his skills hard to reduce the burden on his family. Even if he suffered great hardships, he never gave up and did his best. Is that right?"

Your reading comprehension skills are absolutely perfect, I'm impressed!

"So, is there anything you'd like to say to our readers?"

"Well, study hard and make progress every day."

“Yes, you’re right. Not everyone is a genius like you with such talent. I don’t want some people to lose sight of themselves because of a few isolated cases and blindly pursue their dreams. It’s better to work hard, be down-to-earth, and study diligently.” Ishii Yoshitaka agreed wholeheartedly.

……

Under Ishii Shiki's admiring gaze, Uesugi Kenichi reluctantly answered a few more questions.

"Okay, thank you so much for today." Ishii Shiki carefully put away the notebook and bowed in gratitude.

"Could you please give me your contact information? By the way, could we publish your photo? Of course, we'll pay for it."

"Okay, sure," Uesugi Kenichi said, only after sending him away like a plague carrier did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Uesugi, you really are amazing." Watanabe Futa agreed after hearing Ishii Shiki's words. "Yoshihara, Eita, you two should also learn from this. Stop being so carefree and irresponsible all the time. Uesugi-kun can still achieve such good grades under these circumstances. Shouldn't you two reflect on yourselves?"

"Hey, we'll reflect on our actions." Kobayashi Yoshihara and Sato Hideki exchanged a glance, wondering why the fire had suddenly spread to them. However, they weren't foolish enough to provoke Watanabe Fuuta, who was now in disciplinary committee mode, otherwise they would be nagged about all day.

As time went on, more and more people entered the venue, and business became even more booming. By 11 o'clock, all the wood carvings had been sold, especially the three wood carvings that Uesugi Kenichi had carved on the spot. The most expensive one was bought by a little girl for 300,000 yen.

Although 300,000 yen is not cheap, the little girl was clearly satisfied. She felt it was worth it to have Uesugi Kenichi carve a sculpture of herself holding hands with him, and she didn't care about the small amount of money.

Let alone 300,000, she'd dare to ask for 1 million. The saying "Nine out of ten lolis are rich and the tenth is a super-rich" isn't just a joke; she is that super-rich one.

However, she was very disappointed that Uesugi Kenichi refused to be her boyfriend. If Uesugi Kenichi had been willing to be her boyfriend, she would have dared to steal her father's bank card and hide it in a big villa.

Seeing how much she liked it, Uesugi Kenichi felt a little less guilty about preying on her. It wasn't that he wanted to, but that he couldn't refuse her.

After seeing all the wood carvings sold out, Uesugi Kenichi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his backpack and saw a bag of money, feeling that being a panda hadn't been in vain.

He glanced at it briefly, without calculating carefully, but it must have been at least 100 million yen.