The beautiful and crowded Akihabara…
Home to cafés like Cat Dreaming and StarkDeer, filling the streets with young and beautiful maid girls handing out flyers.
Akihabara, land of otaku promises… technology and… femboys?
At a small stand in the central plaza, among posters of Akira, Cecilia, Aoi, and the other characters who aren't as important as Minu, Uzaki wore his hair very short, just above his shoulders.
He was dressed in a sexy bunny outfit and handed out flyers for 'The King of Parodies.'
"Support new mangaka! Grab your copy of The King of Parodies!" he shouted with excitement.
Meanwhile, at the stand, Marcus, his butler, sold Uzaki's manga to passersby… all signed by the author himself.
"New plot twist! More 'plot'… and most importantly, new femboy characters!"
A young man who was talking to some maids suddenly turned around.
"Did someone say… femboys?"
And he ran over.
"That's right, my dear friend! This manga has everything: 'plot', goth girls, tsunderes, femboys, tomboys, and much more!"
A crowd of enthusiastic young people began to gather around the stand, taking pictures with our questionable god.
The first volumes started selling out in a matter of seconds.
Uzaki happily signed every copy, smiling at his fans.
Because yes… shame and money were two things Uzaki didn't have.
"Take my manga… onii-chan," he said blinking to the spectators.
The fans fell completely for Uzaki, while the maids from nearby cafés grew more and more annoyed.
Pierce arrived with several restock workers and they refilled the shelves with the rest of the franchise volumes.
"This guy is a gold mine, he thought."
"If his story were good, it could even compete with Slime."
At that moment, while taking a sip of water, some of it slid down his neck and slightly soaked his outfit.
"Awwww… it's cold… I think I'll change outfits," Uzaki said while the fans around him kept taking pictures nonstop.
"Look at that fan service!"
"Thank you, Goddess", Pierce thought.
*************************************
Although those prayers reached the right ears, the goddess Minerva felt an indescribable secondhand embarrassment.
In her dreamlike space, Minerva covered her face, unable to keep watching what was happening through her crystal sphere.
"Goddess Minerva, I brought you lemon tea… and linden tea," said a pink-haired maid.
"Thank you, Asia… but this time I'll have something stronger."
"Bring me tequila… the strongest you can find…" she said sadly.
"Yes, master."
The maid left… just like Minerva's faith in her divine companions.
***************************************
Back in Akihabara, a Deity Bank truck collected the day's earnings.
"With all this money! I can finally increase the budget!"
"The days of eating hard bread and instant soup are over."
"A 60-inch high-definition TV!"
Uzaki grabbed a microphone, and the publisher quickly set up a small stage for him to dance and sing like an idol.
More and more people gathered to listen, and Marcus didn't stop for a single moment attending customers.
Little by little, Uzaki's manga started climbing the rankings.
"I love Uzaki! Keep it up! The rankings are skyrocketing!"
And so, after a long day of fan service, switching outfits between bunny, idol, school uniform, mafia boss, catgirl, and school swimsuit, the night finally fell.
The few fans that remained began to slowly disperse.
"Thank you all very much for your support!" Uzaki said, waving to the crowd in his school swimsuit.
Clap clap clap.
"Magnificent, Uzaki. You did it, kid…" the editor said, clapping.
The god wiped the sweat off with his arm and stepped down from the stage.
"Huff… that was exhausting… but with all the money I made today, I can finally eat some meat," he said, hugging the pile of money from the cash register.
"Good work… but that money doesn't belong to you," Pierce replied as some employees loaded the money into the armored truck.
"Huh?"
"The money from today's sales is to cover expenses: stage, printing, promotion… and the outfits you used."
He paused.
"You didn't think all of this was free, did you?"
"B-but… I worked really hard…" Uzaki said, on the verge of tears.
"Yes. And your reward is that your manga keeps getting published," Pierce replied calmly.
"No… please…"
"The royalties from your sales will be settled next month. Those are the contract rules."
Uzaki collapsed to the ground next to Marcus.
Both of them began to cry uncontrollably.
"Buaaa! Goodbye hot food! I'll miss you, honey chicken! Grilled beef!"
The armored truck drove away with all the earnings, while some employees dismantled the stage.
Pierce approached with an envelope for each of them and looked at them calmly.
"Well, here's your payment for today's work. See you tomorrow," he said before leaving.
"Tomorrow?"
"If you want to keep climbing the rankings, you have to keep promoting. See you tomorrow!"
The editor left in a taxi.
Uzaki and Marcus opened their envelopes.
Inside there were about 10,000 yen… and some coins.
…
The silence was absolute.
"Marcus…"
"Yes, my queen. I think I saw a convenience store nearby…"
"Don't quit, please, Marcus…"
"Yes, my queen. Don't worry… there isn't much of a job market either."
"Thank you."
And so, our femboy god and his loyal butler dragged themselves as best they could toward a convenience store, while debating whether to sleep on the street to save money… or at some internet café.
Finally understanding that human work was something harsh.
***************************************************
Meanwhile, in Minerva's dreamlike world…
"Asia…" she said, half drunk.
"Yes, Miss Minerva?"
The goddess took another glass of tequila in one gulp.
"Hick… remind me… hick… that if Uzaki asks me for another favor…"
She collapsed onto the grass.
"Tell him I'm not available…" she murmured before falling asleep and starting to snore.
"Yes, miss. Asia replied as she covered the goddess with a blanket.
Minerva, the goddess of the lemon, will return...