Now... count up your sins!

Some rejoiced, while others despaired.

Just as Ding Jiafang was celebrating, the person Chen Xiao had previously compared to "Light Yagami" could no longer find anything to laugh about.

He had never imagined that Catnip (Ding Jiafang) could bring in such powerful backup.

They had even turned the entire stage into their own one-group show.

"Damn it! It's always you! Always you! Why do you have to oppose me at every turn? Even when you're quitting the scene, you still have to rub it in my face!"

In truth, [Today's Flower City Rich Boy] had ulterior motives for getting involved in anime fandom. Whether in follower count or personal wealth, he completely outclassed Ding Jiafang, who was just a student.

Normally, their paths would never have crossed.

But they happened to occupy the same niche, which meant their fan bases overlapped to some extent. Inevitably, people started comparing them.

That made his ulterior motives increasingly obvious to his fans. In the end, a video in which he harshly criticized an anime sent his reputation crashing down overnight.

That alone would not have justified his hostility toward Ding Jiafang. After all, the other guy had done nothing.

But the biggest difference between reality and fiction was that hatred and hostility sometimes needed no reason at all!

The two songs Nijika Ijichi and the others had just performed onstage had also affected [Today's Flower City Rich Boy] deeply-but negatively.

The more he understood the songs, the more he felt like a rat in a sewer, without a trace of "youth" about him. His wealth and standing might have surpassed those of ordinary people, but he still could not bear the light of day!

Yes, just like how he had controlled rats to chew through the sound equipment's cables to spite Catnip...

"Wait!"

At that moment, a malicious thought suddenly welled up inside him.

Why couldn't I have a rat bite that guy?

And those four women...

They're all his accomplices! Bite them too!

At that thought, a smile returned to [Today's Flower City Rich Boy]'s face, twisted like a cackling clown's.

He quickly left the venue and casually plucked two leaves. Like a bored country kid, he walked along while blowing a peculiar melody through them.

Squeak, squeak, squeak...

Before long, several rats squeaked from the sewers at the edge of the venue.

"Yes! Follow my lead... go bite that man! And those four girls beside him!"

By then, [Today's Flower City Rich Boy] no longer cared what might happen if sewer rats bit someone. All he could think about was getting revenge on that irritating fellow content creator!

Although the rats in the south were large enough for anyone to spot at a glance, under the guidance of his piping, these rats dodged one person's gaze after another as though they had gained intelligence.

They soon found Ding Jiafang, Nijika Ijichi, and the others eating backstage.

"Bite them! Go on, bite them! Treat them as food!"

Bang-!

But with the violent slam of a door, the rats about to pounce inside were instantly knocked flying, and he lost control of them.

Perhaps the impact had knocked them unconscious.

"Damn it!"

[Today's Flower City Rich Boy] cursed under his breath.

Fortunately, he had not sent all the rats charging in at once. A few remaining ones could still get through the ventilation ducts...

"Well, well~! There really is a 'rat' in the venue!"

As that teasing voice rang out, he lost control of the remaining rats too.

"Huh?"

[Today's Flower City Rich Boy] froze for several seconds, then felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"Something's wrong... very wrong! Have I been discovered?! Impossible. That's impossible..."

Muttering to himself, [Today's Flower City Rich Boy] immediately threw away the leaves in his hands and hurried into the crowd at the convention, intending to leave.

Yet as he walked, he discovered that he had somehow wandered into a dark alley.

"H-how did I end up here?"

[Today's Flower City Rich Boy] felt as though he had encountered a ghost.

He had clearly been following the crowd toward the exit, surrounded by people. How could he have inexplicably left them and walked into a place like this?!

And besides...

"Impossible! How is this possible?! How could a ghost create a looping-path illusion in a metropolis like Magic City?!"

His words seemed to suggest that such a thing defied common sense.

Then footsteps sounded from deep within the alley.

Tap, tap, tap...

"Who's there?!"

[Today's Flower City Rich Boy] was so tense that even his shout cracked.

"Looks like this world still has plenty of secrets I know nothing about..."

Someone whose face he could not make out strolled out from the depths of the alley, holding something that resembled a television remote and tapping it like a folded fan.

"How very interesting."

Gulp...

[Today's Flower City Rich Boy] could not help swallowing.

Had I run into a criminal with superpowers?

Before he could speak, the person opposite him slowly raised his right hand, remote and all, struck a cool pose, and said:

"Now... count up your sins!"

"There are quite a few of those... no! Who the hell are you?! Why are you coming after me?"

Overawed by the other man's presence, [Today's Flower City Rich Boy] blurted out something damning before hastily stopping himself and sharply demanding the hooded man's identity.

"You were behind the rats chewing through the sound equipment's cables in the venue, weren't you?"

Rather than answering, the other man posed a question of his own.

Indeed, the person who had cornered him here was Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao had been watching [Today's Flower City Rich Boy]'s actions from the start. He simply had not expected the guy to suddenly decide to attack people with his superpower, or to reveal new information about the world in those few words just now.

Don't just spring a DLC update on me like that!

Chen Xiao could not help cursing inwardly.

It seemed he really did have the constitution of a protagonist-a trouble magnet. Whether he left home or not, trouble always found him.

"You... you're that Catnip guy's friend?!"

At Chen Xiao's question, [Today's Flower City Rich Boy] first froze, then immediately understood.

Aside from the convention organizers, only someone connected to Catnip (Ding Jiafang) would ask that question. Excluding the four girls who had performed onstage, that left only the mysterious friend who had gone backstage with Catnip...

That guy even had a friend with superpowers!

At that thought, his hatred deepened.

"Hey, can't you be a little dumber as a villain?"

Chen Xiao was not particularly surprised that his identity had been guessed. He merely grumbled quietly.

"Ha! Hahaha... then you're really out of luck!"

At that moment, [Today's Flower City Rich Boy], who had been tense and uneasy just moments before, suddenly burst out laughing.

Humanity's greatest fear came from the unknown.

Now that he knew who the other man was, there was naturally nothing to fear!

After all, how important could some penniless student's friend possibly be?

Then [Today's Flower City Rich Boy] pulled out a rough, milky-white flute, brought it to his lips, and blew!

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak...

The next instant, countless rats swarmed out of every corner of the alley and lunged straight at Chen Xiao!

"Rats again. Honestly, an alley plus a swarm of rats brings back an unpleasant memory."

Chen Xiao remained perfectly composed.

Then, right in front of [Today's Flower City Rich Boy], he raised his right hand and gently pressed a button on the remote.

The onrushing swarm of rats stopped instantly.

Today's Flower City Rich Boy: ?