At 6:30 AM the next day, Liang En and the others got up and, after having breakfast, started getting ready. Particularly, Joan of Arc even put on some makeup for the occasion.
Of course, the reason for the makeup was not for appearance's sake but because, in Japan, women are expected to wear makeup at certain important events, and not doing so would be considered disrespectful to others.
Although it might not be necessary for foreigners to follow this custom, Joan of Arc decided to respect local traditions since the hosts were considered friends of Liang En.
Undoubtedly, Joan of Arc was not very skilled at makeup, especially the styles popular in this era. However, for someone like her, simply mimicking the makeup tutorials from videos was quite easy.
"What do you think of my makeup?" After finishing, Joan of Arc turned to face Liang En. She was undeniably more beautiful than usual.
"You look very beautiful, like a quiet lady," Liang En said, gently pushing a strand of hair from her forehead to the side.
It must be said that the makeup style in Northeast Asia can transform someone to an astonishing degree, especially for someone with Joan of Arc's natural beauty. Normally, her looks would be a solid 90 out of 100, but now she could easily reach 97 or 98, making her beauty pageant-worthy if her figure was also taken into account.
After getting dressed, Liang En and the others quickly went downstairs and met up with the hotel driver, who had been waiting for them for over ten minutes. They then headed towards Akihabara.
The venue for their book signing event, Tiger's Den, is a famous ACG (Anime, Comic, and Games) chain store in Japan, with its main store located in Akihabara.
Tiger's Den is Japan's largest doujinshi market, well-known in otaku culture. It has branches in places like Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Yokohama, and Nagoya.
The main store is situated on the central road of Akihabara, primarily decorated in white, creating a very clean and neat atmosphere that attracts many female customers.
It is also unique among the many ACG shops in Akihabara for having dedicated 3rd and 4th floors for female-oriented merchandise. The 2nd floor houses the famous themed café "Cafe with Cat."
"Did we take the wrong route?" After wandering around the main store, Joan of Arc frowned, feeling that the place didn’t seem like it was hosting a book signing event.
More importantly, after exploring the place, they found a café, a floor dedicated to figures, and two entire floors for female-oriented works, but they didn’t find the area they were looking for, which should be primarily for books.
"Yes, it should be at the Tiger's Den store in Akihabara," Liang En said, frowning as he looked at the invitation in his hand. However, he soon asked a store clerk for information.
"What’s going on?" Joan of Arc asked as she walked up to Liang En, who had returned with a bemused expression after a brief conversation. Though she had heard Liang En speaking earlier, she didn’t understand Japanese.
"You guessed it right; we did take the wrong route," Liang En said, spreading his hands helplessly. "Who knew there were two Tiger's Den stores in such a small area like Akihabara."
It turned out that Tiger's Den had two stores in Akihabara: the main store and Store No. 1, and the book signing event was at Store No. 1, not the main store.
Fortunately, the two stores were not far from each other, so Liang En and the others managed to arrive at the correct location before the event started.
This was a seven-story building with a basement: B1 for adult manga; 1F for commercial manga (new manga and magazines); 2F for commercial manga (old manga);
3F for doujinshi soft; 4F and 5F for doujinshi; 6F for second-hand doujinshi and doujinshi soft; and the 7th floor, the top floor, for special events, where Liang En's book signing was held.
"There are so many people here," Joan of Arc said with a look of surprise as she observed the crowd. Each person held a series of novels, their faces filled with anticipation.
Unlike Liang En's previous book signings, almost no one here recognized them, so they managed to reach the top floor and meet up with Takeuchi Takashi without any trouble.
"It seems your works are very popular," Liang En said with a smile after shaking hands with Takeuchi Takashi and Nasu Kinoko. "I saw a lot of your fans on the way here."
"No, this should be our work," Nasu Kinoko said, stepping forward. "Without your archaeological materials and sketches for inspiration, we wouldn’t have been able to create so much in such a short time."
For many novelists, writing requires inspiration. Without it, they might produce filler content, but Nasu Kinoko was different.
Unlike some who write just to meet word counts, Nasu Kinoko would stop writing if uninspired, refusing to produce subpar work.
He was a hobbyist-turned-commercial author, and even after turning professional, he wasn’t particularly concerned about money.
Thus, he prioritized quality over economic benefits, striving to create the best work possible.
This philosophy made his works very popular. At least in terms of the Fate series, his meticulous creations earned genuine love from the audience.
Soon, the book signing began, and everyone went to the room to start signing. Surprisingly, many people asked Liang En and even Joan of Arc for autographs once they learned who they were.
People asked Liang En for autographs because he was a famous historian, archaeologist, writer, and adventurer who could paint and design jewelry, making him a legend in the eyes of ordinary people.
Hence, for most people, an autograph from a celebrity closely linked to their favorite novels was a valuable collectible, worth queuing for.
People sought Joan of Arc's autograph mainly because she looked exceptionally beautiful with her makeup and because her current status was appealing.
The book signing began at 9:30 AM and lasted until 11:40 AM, a physically exhausting task. By noon, both Liang En and Joan of Arc felt their arms growing noticeably sore.
However, compared to Takeuchi Takashi, their situation was better. Since Nasu Kinoko disliked public events, Takeuchi Takashi was the only one signing, and the volume, combined with the physical strain, left his arm almost immobile by dinner time.
"You’ve worked hard," Liang En said to Takeuchi Takashi, who was sitting with his arm hanging limply. "Is your arm okay?"
"It’s alright, but I’ll need a few days of rest," Takeuchi Takashi replied with a smile. "But I’m really happy today."
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