Volume 1, Chapter 1: Everything’s Fine?
You are reading the official Taiyou Con light novel, Reset!!! We Tried to Run an Anime Convention… and Broke the Universe!!! Starring Sunny, Ash, Sakura, Leon and the crew as they put on the con — and save the world while they’re at it. Volume 1 is The Invasion Saga! (Note: The events and characters in the Taiyou Con light novel is a fictional story. For real convention event updates, go to our Updates.)
Taiyou Con is 31 days away. Something is lurking through the desert—and Sunny along with her friends are the first to feel it.
The Arizona morning began like any other: dry breeze, cloudless skies, and a sun that slapped you awake before your alarm could. Sunny stood outside the convention hall, staring past the Mesa public library and looking at the entrance into the parking lot.
She paced the perimeter, scribbling notes onto a clipboard while Solar floated nearby at shoulder height. They were part of the venue walkthrough crew—not glamorous, but essential. No booths. No fans. Just space, logistics, and making sure nothing fell apart before the excitement even began.
“This should be where the attendees entrance funnels in,” she said, toeing the gravel next to the bushes near the southwest wall. “Hopefully the awning provides some shade.”
Solar hovered in silence for a moment, then replied in his signature monotone. “Solution: Tell them to wear sunscreen.” Wise words from a floating robot that needed no sunscreen except a fresh repaint every 1000 years or so.
Sunny made a note to ignore that. “Well hopefully they don’t have to wait that long in line to get in.”
A few yards away, Luna nosed through the planter in the courtyard and raised her tail in alert. The corgi paused, sniffed twice, then barked once—sharp, loud.
Sunny looked up. “Something there?”
“Well, the thing is…,” Luna said, “this cactus wasn’t here yesterday.”
They all turned to look. A barrel cactus sat tucked inside the planter. It was small and normal-looking, but no one remembered seeing it the day before.
Sunny frowned. “The convention center staff probably planted it there.”
By midday, the Sun Squad had begun to assemble. Ash arrived first, silent and fast, walking down the stairs from the upper mezzanine with a folder tucked under one arm. “The same layout for the vendors as last year,” he said before anyone said hello. “That corner with the video games is going to be packed again.”
“It’s the only spot for them. We are practically out of space,” Sunny added.
Kenji showed up next, jogging across the empty parking lanes like it was a race. “Yep, building A is still far away as ever,” he announced. “If we use that building, I say we build a giant inflatable Sunny that’s 30 feet tall so people know there is something over there.”
Sakura emerged quietly from behind a pillar near the entrance awning holding a printed schedule with hand-drawn corrections. “The schedule isn’t syncing with the app. And we still need to put the cosplay gatherings in there too.”
Honoka skated in on a borrowed skateboard and nearly ran into Luna, and then she spun perfectly at the last second. “They should totally tell people not to skateboard here. The pavement is way too uneven.”
Ash didn’t look impressed. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be skateboarding here in the first place,” he chuckled.
“It’s because you,” Honoka teased, “can’t skateboard?”
Leon scrambled in last, tapping at his clipboard without much urgency. “So what’s happening? All the panel rooms are the same size and the same number of them as last year.”
Solar turned to him slowly. “That was your observation?”
“It’s accurate,” Leon shrugged. “Also, did the convention center invest in planting barrel cactus in the grass? Weird place to put them.”
Kenji stretched his legs and replied, “As long as it doesn’t block the cosplay gatherings, it should be fine.”
“We will worry about it later,” Sunny instructed, “so for now, we are just making sure we are on the same page of what is happening a month from now for the con.”
The team talked about some details and split off again for a couple of hours.
Leon lounged beneath an awning near the registration area, his eyes watching the sky and the cars rolling by in the street. If there was someone who’s always slacking, it was Leon. This planet was so interesting to him.
Solar floated past the vendor entrance doors, noting that there was nothing to report. Just another barrel cactus.
He didn’t scan but just glanced at it as he passed by the green plant. The cactus twitched slightly. Solar thought plant life in Arizona was weird and moved on.
Sakura traced her route along corridors, checking for exits and new ways to use the space. She paused when she saw a mural of Arizona landmarks freshly painted across the back hallway—and there, in the lower corner, was a cactus she hadn’t noticed before.
Strange… she thought. A barrel cactus inside the building? She looked at the mural and back at the cactus, but it was gone.
Sunny reconvened the team in the vendor hall of the convention center, the usual place for all the shopping. Today, it was empty. Just folding chairs, and a lot of empty space.
“Found anything weird?” she asked.
“Not yet,” Kenji said. “But something’s off.”
“I saw a cactus vanish,” Sakura said, quietly.
“You what?” Ash rarely raised his voice, but this caught him off guard.
“It was there. Then it wasn’t. No sound. No flash. Just… gone.”
Leon laughed, “That checks out.”
Solar made a note in his log. “Dimensional instability pressure has gotten higher over the past week. Not yet visible to the public but accelerating.”
“What does that even mean?” said Honoka. “Are you saying we should prepare for battle or something?”
Sunny exhaled and looked at her clipboard full of corrections, notes, and suggestions. “Okay. We treat this like usual. No official alerts. We prepare for the convention, but we keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”
Luna hopped onto a chair and settled beside Sakura. “Every year, something is supernatural or cosmic or whatever is happening at Taiyou Con. It’s like a season of Stranger Things. I guess that’s why it’s never boring here!”
Ash reminded everyone, “Let’s keep people calm. Con energy depends on mood.”
“We’ll manage,” Kenji added. “Just gotta punch the problem before it punches us.”
Honoka put her hand on Kenji’s shoulder and joked, “Oh, you’re so cute when you get all tough.”
“Is this what you humans call flirting?” Solar interrupted.
“Let’s focus,” Sunny said. “We start sending out information for the food trucks, tomorrow. Let’s wrap.”
Everyone headed out slowly.
That night, the city of Mesa was quiet. In front of the main convention building, the wind kicked once—fast and dry—and a barrel cactus that had stood there all day in the planter… wasn’t there anymore.
There were no sounds. Just an empty spot where green plant had once been.
In her doggy bed at home, Luna stirred in her sleep.
The countdown had begun.
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Thanks for reading the Taiyou Con mascot light novel series — a fictional story for fans!! For real convention event updates, guest announcements and more, go to our Updates.
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