V4C3 Part2

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*****

“A partner

performance?”

“Eh? Yup.”

I felt like

fainting.

“Rena-chin?!”

I hadn’t realized

before. Kaho-chan had said [eight groups of cosplayers] that time. If the

participants were eight ‘people’, they wouldn’t use that word. In short, there

were actually eight attendees with two people pairing up to participate…..

“Impossible…this

is impossible…”

The next day was Monday

morning. I collapsed at the back of the classroom, ignoring other people’s

gazes on me. It was unworthy behaviour from someone within the top level of the

social hierarchy, but it was good enough that I hadn’t fallen unconscious...

Performing on the

big stage at the cosplay show? Me who wasn’t even able to do anything when

surrounded by the three photographer ladies, huh…

However, I really

wanted to ask Kaho-chan…did she really think I could do this…? No, but if she

didn’t think that, she wouldn’t have invited me in the first place!

Still staggering,

I tried to stand up properly.

“If that’s the

case, how about you ask Satsuki-san…”

“Rena-chin is okay!” Kaho-chan said, looking directly into my eyes.

“Cosplaying together

with Rena-chin is okay.”

Uuh…

Indeed, I was the

one who had pushed her to consider it… Also, that time I recalled calmly saying

something along the lines of, “I will definitely support you as long as I’m

capable of doing it!”...

What if at this

moment I firmly answered with, “Nah, I’d only come up with those words randomly

and ended up pushing you by saying something irresponsible like that. You

should be the one to overcome it, so don’t rope me into this lol.” Could I

really say that? If I could, I would be better off as someone who deserved to

be alone for the rest of my life…

“I see. I

understand, Kaho-chan……”

The one who’d

said it was me, the one who’d said it was me…

The words I’d

said were like the hands of a clock that had already moved. I realized I

couldn’t take any of it back.

I placed my hand over

my chest, then took a deep breath. Timidly, I stared back into Kaho-chan’s

eyes.

“I might cause

trouble for you but…wait, in fact, I’m one hundred percent confident that I

would impose on you, I’m sure of it!”

“To be so confident in that aspect…”

“But still, if you’re really okay with that, umm…let me help you!”

I bowed down my

head and stretched out my hand. Seeing that, Kaho-chan laughed.

“Why are you the

one asking me? The role is reversed, right?”

“Y-you’re right but…well, since it’s obvious that I would be extra baggage for

you after all…”

I wanted to be

Kaho-chan’s strength. I also really wanted to help her, but at the same time, I

also didn’t want to be a bother for her. Kaho-chan held my hand, as if wrapping

all of these complicated feelings inside my head.

“It’s okay, you

know. Because for me, I like it best when I’m doing it together with Rena-chin.”

Since we were in

the classroom, she didn’t use the ‘cosplay’ word. She nodded at me. I nodded

confidently in response. “Yup!”

Averting her

gaze, Kaho-chan murmured, “After all, Saa-chan said she has something else to

do anyway.”

Kaho-chan? Why would you ask Satsuki-san first? Am I not your best

partner? Hey, Kaho-chan, hey!

Once I arrived at

my seat, I slumped down on my desk. I ended up promising something difficult. I

wondered if it would evolve into another series of sleepless nights up to the

day of the event…

“Err, Rena-chan, did

something happen? You’ve been looking depressed since earlier.”

Ajisai-san, who

sounded concerned about my well-being, turned around in her seat. I waved my

hand wearily.

“It’s alright, no

worries…you sure are kind eh, Ajisai-san…”

“Y-you look terrible though!”

“The thing is, Ajisai-san…”

Ajisai-san tilted

her head. “Yes?”

I snuck a secret

look in Mai's direction from my seat. Earlier, Mai had approached us and

apologized since she canceled on us last minute.

“I really am

sorry for last weekend” she’d said, referring to the amusement park outing from

the other day.

It’s alright, you had a job after all so we couldn’t do

anything about that. Hearing our answer, Mai flashed a

smile that somehow looked a bit troubled and also lonely. Even then, since I had

my hands full thanks to Kaho-chan, I didn’t have any mental space to think

about her reaction and couldn’t say anything.

No, well, I did

feel sorry since in the end I completely put everything on hold, unlike my

determination from before, but…

I lowered my

head.

“It’s just, I ended

up getting tangled in another difficult situation… And that’s kind of, I’m not

even really sure if I can do it even if I used up all my MP, since it’s one

kind of a tremendous magic.”

“O-okay.”

With an

expression like she was trying hard to understand the nonsense I spouted, she nodded

earnestly.

“Actually, if

only these things didn’t happen, I planned to give you and Mai my answer today…but

since things have become like this…I’m sorry…”

“O-okay, I see… Huh?! Eeeh?!”

Ajisai-san’s cheeks

were painted red in an instant.

“A-answer today

is…..eeehh…..? S-so that is…how surprising....”

“Eh? Y-yup…I’d planned to, after I did my best to think it over…”

At least that was

what I thought…

For a while,

Ajisai-san, who had her hands pressed to her chest, murmured, “...I-isn’t this

too soon…? There’s still a lot of time until the one-month deadline after all…”

Did you really just

say that?!

“Nah but, since I

would keep the two of you waiting at this rate, isn't it better if I do this

quickly?!”

“Y-you’re right about that but~... i-in the first place.”

Ajisai-san puffed

out her cheeks, face still red, as she glowered at me from the corner of her

eyes. Huh, did she really glower at me?!

“It makes me

happy when you say that you thought about this properly, and I can also gladly

wait if you want me to wait~.....but this isn’t something you can talk about at

school, right in the morning where everyone is present, right~....Rena-chan…”

“That—that makes sense! I’m really sorry!”

As if she was

trying to hide her embarrassed face from the rest of the class, Ajisai-san

placed her hands on either side of her face and groaned.

My yelp echoed in

the classroom right before homeroom started. Once again, everyone’s stares were

focused on me. It was extremely embarrassing!

***

From that day on,

the schedule was tight.

I kept going back

and forth to Kaho-chan’s house.

For the costumes,

we would use the cosplay of [Anima Maid!]

from back then, the cat-ears and bunny-ears maid costumes. Kaho-chan modified

the costumes down to the subtle details and made them appear even more

gorgeous.

That wasn’t the problem

at all. No, well the skin exposure was becoming a bit more extreme and it made

me nervous—I also thought that wasn’t good at all. If I was being honest, I

would definitely prefer to come on stage while wearing a full-body costume.

But there was an

even bigger problem than that…

“P-performing…?!”

“Right right, each team is expected to perform around three minutes on the stage!

After that, there will be voting at the venue and online. They’ll use the

results then for deciding the ranking!”

I stared in shock

at Kaho-chan as she showed me the video on her phone.

On the stage were

cosplayers with gorgeous costumes. There was a pair who did sword battle…and another

pair reenacting the scene from an anime…also yet another pair who was doing

something like a live performance, doing a dance…

M-me and

Kaho-chan, doing something like these…?

“You want me to

do this—an ordinary high school freshman that somehow ended up in a decent

position in the class?!”

“And so, we’re doing a special training from today!”

“By doing special training, what exactly are we going to do…? Won’t it just

change the level from [amateur’s performance] into [amateur's+ performance]…?”

“Even so! Since it would become a plus, we should do it! After all, we’re doing

this not because we don’t want to bring shame on us, but for the sake of

showing our love for cosplaying!”

Gagaan. I felt like thunder had struck

my head.

She was right… I knew

nothing about cosplaying, but I’d be satisfied as long as I could be the tool

to help Kaho-chan express her feelings.

Better yet, I

should become the best tool ever to help her!

Kaho-chan had encouraged

me when I had nothing but my insecurities. Even though she had her own worries,

she kept tugging my hands along.

The results of

the schedule until the summit completely made my mind unstable. While I was

also affected by the deadline for my answer to their confessions, I felt a huge

uneasiness, so much that I even began to lose track of time. “Even though I did

nothing, somehow my Friday night suddenly became late night on Sunday?!”

One day, I

decided to ask Kaho-chan.

“Hey, is this

really alright…? I’m not an extraordinary beauty like Satsuki-san, and I’m also

not someone with a brimming presence who naturally pulls everyone’s attention

like Mai or Ajisai-san…”

It had always

been like this. Until when would you keep becoming so anxious even though you

were already determined to do it? I was so frustrated with myself that I became

angry at myself.

Kaho-chan also

always acted like this: she always faced this cowardly me properly.

“I…I have always,

for a long time, wanted to do something with you, to have fun with Rena-chin

again.”

“Kaho-chan…”

Inside the room,

while she was using the sewing machine to fix the costume, Kaho-chan spoke, “But

at that time, you had completely become a person from another world. I thought

you already forgot every memory you spent with me.”

“That’s…”

I also had the

same thought.

Kaho-chan had

already lost every part of her from the past. She had completely grown into an

optimistic, energetic, and very adorable girl. It convinced me that someone

like me wouldn’t even enter her vision.

Even then,

Kaho-chan had invited me again.

It wasn’t like we

simply had a chat about anime and manga like the old days. Right now,

Kaho-chan had brought me into a new world—the world she was engrossed in.

It was definitely

something that resembled the moment I’d brought Kaho-chan into the world of manga.

That both of us

were doing the same thing together.

“Being with

Rena-chin is alright. Hey, I don’t know if you’ll end up liking cosplay, but, nevertheless,

it would be great if you accompany me for a bit longer, Rena-chin. Let’s play

together on top of that stage—together with me.”

Her hands on the

sewing machine stopped. Looking a bit embarrassed with a red face, she looked

up at me.

“Having fun like

the old days…no, more than those days, spending a better time together!”

“If you invite me with that passion…”

I slid towards

her and pulled her delicate body into an embrace.

“Of course I can’t

turn you down! Kaho-chan! My best friend!”

Kaho-chan circled

her arms around me. I could feel her body temperature. I smiled.

“Yaaay!

Rena-chin!”

That moment, I

finally felt that I could connect with the Kaho-chan from back then.

I definitely

wanted to make this event a success. I definitely didn’t want to see her smile

become sad. I was someone who others couldn’t rely on when I became too

enthusiastic about something. Still, I wanted to properly hold onto and protect

these feelings.

My days with

Kaho-chan had intertwined once again.

Kaho-chan was the

one who thought of and choreographed our performance. Day by day, we kept

training while also improving our movements to polish our performance. During

those days, I couldn’t help but enjoy the whole thing.

I ended up becoming

lost in it. Sometimes I longed for the clock hands to keep going, or to stop at

a certain moment.

Maybe Kaho-chan

also had the same thoughts.

Once the summit

began, these fun days would be over. That was why she might’ve thought she

wanted this moment to last. Well, as expected, all of these might be only my

mere wistful thinking, I guess?

It was just like

those times at cram school, where we sat next to each other, hoping the short

break before the class would continue—

—but even those

days finally had their end.

The day when I

arrived at a turning point in my life had finally arrived!

***

Once we entered

October, the day for the Makuhari Cosplay Summit came.

It had been half

a year since the opening ceremony. I, who had finally been able to go through

everything that happened, made it to this place at last…

The result of me

who kept running away from the battle against the small fries somehow brought

me to face the last boss while I was still at beginner level. My chest felt

like it was burning.

I promised to

meet Kaho-chan that day at the nearest station from the event venue.

It seemed like

there were also few anime-related events at the venue so the station was quite

crowded. Looked like Kaho-chan’s claim about this event being one of the

largest events in Japan wasn’t a lie.

While I was

playing with my phone, Kaho-chan finally came with her case, arriving later

than the designated time.

“Yahoo, Rena-chin! It sure is a great day

for some cosplay, huh!”

Kaho-chan had her

contact lens on and was in her normie mode. With a cheerful smile, she looked

so blinding in her sparkling, cute

everyday mode.

“Morning,

Kaho-chan. Please take care of me for today.”

“Ahaha, let’s enjoy today. Just have fun!”

She smacked my

shoulder. I felt like I could rely on her seeing her smile. I would fall for

her at this rate.

“As expected from

Kaho-chan…you look like you’re not nervous at all…”

“Well, that’s a given. A perfect socialite normie would never be nervous no

matter which scene they’re in. Since they always think they stand at the center

of the universe.”

“Is that how things go?! Well, they really do have that kind of image though!”

“But since I’m a recluse, of course it’s not something I can handle. Which is

why I tried to preserve every single one of my normie modes by staying awake long

enough to not be too sleepy for today, then quickly taking off my contacts just

before I fell asleep.”

This skill-holder,

she perfectly understood the way to use her power in the ultimate way.

“How strong…if

only I had the same skill as you where I can self-suggest myself… Like I can

instantly become a normie the moment I put my hair clip on my bangs.”

Tugging our

cases, we walked toward the venue side by side.

“If it’s

Rena-chin, you have audio hypnosis, right?”

That thing, huh…

“Whenever I listen

to it, it makes me feel strange after all…”

Well, I had listened

to it though. It might not have worked as well due to my sloppy efforts though.

Kaho-chan halted.

Huh? And then she turned around.

“Made you feel strange is…eh?”

“Eh?”

Our eyes met.

Kaho-chan blushed in an instant.

In just a short

moment, sweat started gushing from my body.

“Eh, eh?! No,

wait, Kaho-chan, what exactly are you imagining right now—I don’t have any idea,

but?!”

“Nah~...how should I put this? Um, how should I say this…when I heard something

like that straightly from my friend’s mouth, as expected, it's kinda

embarrassing right~...nyahaha….”

I really had no

idea what was going on inside her head, but she was probably misunderstanding

something!

“You have it

wrong! I was talking about your face that popped out strangely when I listened

to the recordings, and then it reminded me of the things I’d said and done

during the photoshoot. Plus, the moment I rolled around the floor after the

mess I made! So, in short, you’re wrong, okay?! I totally didn’t have any dirty

thoughts at all, alright?!”

While I was being

hasty, we made it to the venue. For a while, we couldn’t look each other in the

eyes. Did she think I’m a pervert again?! She got it wrong!

We followed the

direction of the crowd and then arrived at the venue entrance. Kaho-chan

signaled with her hand, asking me to follow after her. We walked away from the

crowd.

“Huh? Kaho-chan, it’s

that way?”

“Fufufufu, that’s right. Since we have the participant pass after all! This

entrance is for authorized use only!”

“Authorized use only!”

At the back

entrance, Kaho-chan went to the table and showed the staff her invitation.

After that, we wrote our names on the attendance list, then received two name

tags and was led inside. It made me nervous.

The name tag

under my neck had [Cosplay Summit’s Participant] written on it. We weren’t in

the world of Alice in Wonderland, but I felt like we had arrived at another

world. Well, I would be Rabbit today though. Kaho-chan would be the Cheshire

Cat, I guess…

We walked down

the corridor, and then they directed us toward the locker room.

It was quite

spacious, and it seemed like all the participants would change here. Me and

Kaho-chan had our designated lockers placed next to each other. The locker even

had a lock on it. How convenient.

The staff told us

to gather thirty minutes before the event started. After that, they left the

room.

In short, err, we

had plenty of time. Also, there was still no one here.

I wondered what I

should do now. Should I change now? I peeked at Kaho-chan.

Kaho-chan was

trying to stuff her belongings in the locker. She turned around.

“Yossha, Rena-chin! Why don’t we take a

quick look around the venue?”

“Eh, is it okay to not stay here?”

“I bet it’ll be alright! Let’s simply enjoy this like how normies do it! Go go!”

“Wa, wawawa.”

Kaho-chan pulled on

my arm and we walked along the path that led us toward the main venue.

The moment the

door opened, the heat and spotlights made it seem like we’d arrived at the

planetarium. A few stages already seemed

to be having their own events with anime corners. The whole venue was bustling.

“Somehow, this is

amazing…”

The light fixtures

sparkled like stars in the skies. This might have been the reason I had the

impression we were inside the planetarium earlier.

This was another

galaxy made of a lot of different forms of what people ‘liked’. It was so

beautiful, my breath caught in my throat.

“Ahaha, this is

amazing, right!”

Kaho-chan laughed

and tugged on my hand again. At that moment, she seemed like the star that

shone the most brightly in this new universe.

Someone who

wouldn’t lose against anyone in this place. Someone so strong, someone who

looked radiant.

“And of course,

we’re going to be part of that amazing thing, okay!”

Aah, how

stunning.

Kaho-chan always went

straight to the thing she liked.

Something that I

had once held—the glimmers I’d let go from long ago—were things Kaho-chan still

held dear even now. She was so brilliant in my eyes, I couldn’t help but envy

her. If I kept behaving this way, I might lag behind her forever.

Ever since the

beginning, since the day I started to properly consider my relationship with

Mai and Ajisai-san, since the moment when I reached out to her, Kaho-chan’s

feelings of ‘like’ that she showed, I wondered if everything was because I’d

wanted to understand.

Because I was

sure that her feelings were something that resembled that of ‘love’.

“Yup!”

As Kaho-chan and

I walked around the venue and looked at the stages, we became excited. We approached

a few booths and got to rest our eyes seeing the female guides at each booth.

We really had a trip around this whimsical space.

Since it was an

anime event, there were a lot of cosplayers strolling around the venue. While

we passed by, Kaho-chan couldn’t hold back her voice of excitement.

“Uwoo, to think that popular person is also

present!” she’d say, before proceeding to talk in detail about that person.

Because Kaho-chan, who was stanning her stan, had a higher spirit than the

usual Kaho-chan at school, she kept saying “Like,

like, I really like them, I love them~!”. I ended up laughing when I saw

her in her fangirl mode.

And so, it was

finally time to go back to the locker room.

That was the

moment when I realized that it was our turn to become those stars.

“This stage sure

seems narrower than it appeared to be, huh, Kaho-chan.”

“Yup. Even though it looked so wide from the live-stream. I wonder if it’s a kind

of technique to make it wider than the appearance? I don’t get it, but it sure

is awesome.”

Both of us had already

changed into our costumes, and we were in the middle of doing our makeup.

The locker room

was now cramped since we’d carved out a space for our personal use so we wouldn’t

bother other participants.

At that moment,

an odd shadow moved closer, which turned out to be another participant.

Ha. This is bad. I didn’t know

the proper etiquette for cosplayers… Could it be that the right thing to do was

exchanging something like a business card beforehand…?! Even Kaho-chan seemed

like she had politely greeted each of the participants before…

Crap. Did I mess

something up again? Right when I thought of that—

“We meet again, Nagipo!”

I was attacked by

a loud voice. My ears buzzed.

Kaho-chan, who

was sitting in front of me, stood up suddenly. “Mumumu! That voice is!”

What was it, what

was it? Suddenly the situation had changed into something that resembled a

battle genre. I would really

appreciate it if you stop it. It was scary after all.

“So, you’re here!

The current JC Cosplayer! Serāra・Serararāra!”

“JC?!”

That was

surprising. Along with my yelp, from every direction I could hear voices:

“A middle school

student?!”

“What sort of

person, that’s too young…!”

“Doing cosplay

using their parents’ money!”

There were a few

hostile comments also mixed in there.

Her eyes, which

looked displeased, became more irritated as she stared at Kaho-chan.

“Who the heck is

that? It’s Serara! Your eternal

rival!”

Standing in front

of us was a younger girl carrying an assault rifle, looking like a pretty

soldier.

Ah, I knew this

game! It was a character from the FPS game that I played!

Uwaa, the

costumes were really well-made. How adorable. Amazing. It made me excited.

I wondered

whether her perfect facial features and flawless lookalike to the youthful

character was due to her exceptional makeup skills.

Middle-schoolers

nowadays sure looked so mature, huh… Or could it be that this girl was a

special case? Well, I didn’t have any kouhai

I adored after all, so the one who I could use for comparison was my little

sister.

…hm? Little

sister?

Huh? This girl, I

saw her before…

“Eh?!”

While she squinted

at me suspiciously, it seemed like she noticed before I did.

“Big

Sis-senpai?!”

“Eh……………”

Practically

nobody called me -senpai, whether they

were from elementary, middle, and high school. In short, someone who called me that

was—

“Lil sis’...”

If I concentrated

and observed her, her face had changed since she’d applied makeup for

cosplaying, but this was no doubt my little sister’s friend who had come over

during summer break. Ah, that particular girl who was being so pushy?!

“W-why are you,

in a place like this…”

“That’s my line!”

It was Seira-san…or

no, right now, she was Serara-chan, and she was currently pointing her gun at

Nagipo-chan.

“You’re being unfair,

don’t you think?! Why on earth would you bring over Big Sis-senpai! You brought

an extremely tough mercenary from outside, don’t you think~!”

Uu, my chest

hurt. So Serara-chan thought of me as one of the strong characters… Before, I’d

talked a lot about being best friends with Mai, or the business card thing from

Mai’s mother in front of my little sister after all…

No, this would be

fine. Kaho-chan also thought of me as a normie after all! That was why I

shouldn’t say anything careless!

As expected,

Kaho-chan flashed a smug grin.

“Fu, fu, fu. This

is my true power. I would use any means possible for the sake of winnying.”

With her usual

way of speaking, Kaho-chan laughed cynically.

“This, this~!”

Serara-chan pulled

the trigger of her rifle in frustration. But of course, nothing fired off from

the muzzle. Even so, Kaho-chan clutched her stomach dramatically and uttered, “Guhaa.” She sure had a nice reaction.

“Now you can say

something so brazen like that… Once you see my partner, you will definitely cry

until you vomit your guts. Prepare to take off your wig and prostrate before

me~!”

Hearing that,

Kaho-chan perked up and asked, “And where’s this partner of yours?”

“It’s not time to

meet yet, so…” Serara-chan averted her gaze awkwardly.

“I see…and if

they didn’t make it, it’s disqualification, huh…Betrayal to the fans who

supported you…a huge turmoil in the internet…exile to the edge of the world…and

then retirement…”

“I don’t need your mouth that’s only spouting nonsense!”

Bang bang, bang bang bang bang. Kaho-chan’s

body turned into something that resembled a bee’s nest. I ended up delivering a

monologue in my head.

As I watched

whatever was unfolding in front of me, Serara-chan pointed her gun at me. Eh.

“How dare

you…even though you’re a beauty, someone who appeared so charming, to think

that you’re the enemy all along… You sure are betraying my heart, huh~......!”

“Uu.”

For real? So she

really thought of me like that… I-I’m sorry, I really wanted to apologize. I

didn’t want people to hate me after all!

Kaho-chan, who

was supposed to have already been killed by the gun, woke up. She stood before

me and shielded me.

“Serāra・Serararāra, you have it wrong. Rena-chin is

simply doing the things she wanted to do. It’s not something that deserves to

be rebuked by other people.”

“Stop calling me like you’re saying Bōbobo like that!”

Serara-chan stuck

out her tongue at us.

“Whatever, just

do as you like! Let’s decide this on the stage! As if I care about Oozuka Mai!

Since I’m far cuter anyway~!”

Serara-chan stomped

back to her own locker.

No, well, that

was nerve-wracking. Good grief… To think that I’d met an acquaintance in a

place like this, what a coincidence…

Next to me, Kaho-chan

slowly opened her mouth.

“Her parting words

just now really sounded like a dog that ran with its tail between its legs, meow…”

“...that’s…well, indeed.”

I nodded quietly.

Anyway, who

exactly could Serara-chan’s partner be…?

Could it be

that…this was just a mere speculation but—it wouldn’t be Haruna, right?! Spare

me from that!

We finished

preparing our costumes, then moved toward the backstage.

There, Kaho-chan

told me about Serara-chan. It seemed like they had cosplayed together before.

Then, somehow they got into a quarrel, and since then she saw Kaho-chan as her

enemy.

Forget angering

people. Kaho-chan would never make anyone feel bad in the first place. Her

social proficiency was on par with Ajisai-san after all. Which was why, as long

as she didn’t deliberately pissed off people, I couldn’t imagine anyone would

detest her, but…

With a gloomy

tone, the Kaho-chan told me, “Well, there’s a lot going on between cosplayers

after meowall…like jealousy or

resentment…” Thus, ever since then, Kaho-chan never invited anyone for a joint

cosplaying.

“It was a world

grimmer than high school…”

Sounded like

something I couldn’t survive in.

“But well, since

I like it, the moment I decided to walk this path, I no longer had any option

other than to keep going ahead even if there are troubles. Putting on my normie

armor, you see.”

“Isn’t that tiring?”

“I do feel that sometimes. I don’t really like battling with others anyway.”

Are you sure? You

almost knocked me with that stone back then though…

“But well, this

is something I want to do after all. If I’m not facing my own desires, then I

would become nothing.”

She looked up toward

the stage as she said that.

“That’s why I

really pushed myself to encourage the shy side of me. I burned up my will to

fight for the sake of facing the obstacles. Even though I might make enemies, I

wanted to become the one that attracts everyone’s attention the most. And so,

it pushed me to keep doing my best for the sake of becoming the best!”

Swish. Kaho-chan thrusted her index

finger high into the air.

I'd already heard

the real her talked before, so I knew she was putting on a false sense of

bravery. Wait, no, I couldn’t really say that everything was the absolute truth.

Since for me, I was sure that both sides of her showed her true feelings.

The Kaho-chan who

always thought she didn’t deserve to stand on the huge stage. Or the Kaho-chan

who was determined to beat every one of her rivals for the sake of being the

best. It was a matter of which side she chose to show in front of others. At

this point, the only thing I could do was to not be a hindrance for her.

After that, the

lights dimmed, and the event instructions were announced. The participants with

the highest number of votes would receive a certain amount of money and other

benefits.

Kaho-chan

whispered to me, “This event is of course going to be broadcasted through live stream.

If we manage to increase our popularity, it can boost our follower count, which

can make it possible to increase the rate of the photoshoot event. On top of

that, the whole business itself could also flourish better.”

“I see…”

I didn’t really

know how amazing the scale was, but I nodded anyway.

Come to think of

it, I wondered whether Serara-chan’s partner came. I’d scanned the room

earlier, but I didn’t know who she’d come with. As I zoned out, the briefing

came to an end.

“Errr, so in

short…we line up at the stage in the beginning, and then we go back backstage,

and it continues with each group going up on stage and doing their performance,

right?”

“Exactly! We’re so close to the real thing that this warrior (me) is

trembling.”

It still didn’t

feel real to me.

No matter how I

looked at it, the other cosplayers seemed so impressive, it was a feast for the

eyes. To think that these people were competing with me, how unbelievable….

It was just,

there was no time for me to falter. They called for us to take the stage.

At that moment, I

couldn’t hear any sound as I walked into a world basked in bright lights—

“Well then, the

contestants are gathered here today. Let’s hear their introductions in order.

Please tell us your name, the character you’re cosplaying, and anything else you

would like to highlight to the audience—”

Looking down from

the stage, I could see a lot of spectators.

A countless number

of stares. Stares. Stares. Stares.

Everyone was staring at me.

What was this?

My vision

darkened.

At that moment, I

realized.

Ah, this is impossible.

The wonderful

cosplayers began their self-introductions in order.

My vision was becoming

distorted.

This was a stage limited

only to those with ‘talents’.

This wasn’t a

place for someone like me, an ordinary high schooler who came here driven by a

series of random events. This wasn’t a place for someone so half-heartedly

doing this.

Someone suited

for this stage was either Mai or people who did their best in cosplaying, someone

like Kaho-chan. People who deserved to be acknowledged by a lot of people.

All I wanted to

do was to run away from the stage, but my legs wouldn’t budge. The time wouldn’t

stop, and it was my turn when Kaho-chan handed over the mic to me. I was stiff

all over.

“My name is

Renakoala—”

The words that I’d

repeated over and over during practice flowed out flatly like a robot's voice.

In the midst of

not knowing what I was saying, my turn was over.

I handed over the

mic to the next person. I felt like I’d just exhibited the don'ts to a lot of

people with my introduction.

I hung my head in

shame.

Aah.

To think that I

messed up in this place. What the heck had I wanted to do?

Did I want to be

Kaho-chan’s power on this stage?

Did I want to be

closer to the place where Mai and Ajisai-san stood?

Did I think that I

could like myself a bit more by standing on the stage?

The piercing stage

lights on me melted my toughened resolve.

And with this, my

heart was completely—

Suddenly, easily,

very very simply—

Torn apart.

Alright… Up on stage,

I clenched my fists and made a decision.

Once this session

ended, I would apologize to everyone. I’d tell them the truth was that I was a

pathetic recluse who deceived everyone. Then I’d ask for mercy.

And then, I would

go home to Australia. While clutching the eucalyptus tree, spending 20 hours a

day sleeping… Goodbye, human society… I would only bring my phone.

While I was still

stricken by grief, the time kept ticking.

It was finally down

to the final pair. There were 16 people on the stage, and I was the only one

who had nothing.

Aah, now come to

think of it, who was Serara-chan’s partner?

At that moment, a

thunderous applause could be heard. It seemed like it was someone famous.

Might as well

take a look at their face while I was still a functioning human being.

The one who stood

there was—

“My name is Moon.

At this event, I’m going to cosplay as Phantom from PEAK.”

She was a

gorgeous soldier with her long, jet-black hair tied up, a gun gripped in her

hands.

I clamped my

hands over my mouth to stop from making noise, but I was screaming inside.

You’re Satsuki-san!

“Why?!”

Once backstage,

both of us stormed to Serara-chan’s team.

“Ahahaha!

Defeated Nagipo!”

As if to show that

Satsuki-san was hers, Serara-chan wrapped her arm around Satsuki-san’s waist, puffed

up with pride.

“When your

previous cosplay photos came out, I came directly to her and managed to bring

her over to my side~ Now we’re even, since you also totally rely on your

partner over there, right?!”

“Gununu! Why are you doing this,

Saa-chan?! Aren’t we supposed to be in a relationship where we love each

other?! Why?!” Kaho-chan shouted things that would totally invite misunderstandings

from a lot of people.

Moon-san opened

her mouth, her face expressionless.

“I’m okay with

anything as long as I get the cash. That’s why I accepted the one who

approached me first.”

“Waaa! Saa-chan, you stupid!”

“A professional mercenary…”

Kaho-chan ran off.

I trembled before Satsuki-san, who hadn't moved a single facial muscle.

I was supposed to

feel empty just now, but due to Satsuki-san’s sudden appearance, the shock was

far too great and a lot of things ended up being blown away…

Putting that

aside, when I compared Moon-san’s beauty with the others, she really was on a

different level.

“What’s that?”

“I bet she’s a pro that was hired from a professional agency…”

“Somehow a real model appeared though…”

I could feel gazes

directed at her with those kinds of eyes.

Well, that was a

given though!

Moon-san folded

her arms and stared at me, looking displeased. Eh?!

“Anyway, you over

there. Don’t you think you’re mistaking me as someone else? It’s our first

meeting, right? I’m Moon-san, a wandering cosplayer. I don’t need any other

name.”

Even though she had

been completely busted, she still insisted on keeping this up, huh…

“Does your ID have

‘Moon’ written on it…?”

“Yeah. From my personal ID to my library card, they have ‘Moon’ written on it.”

“I see…”

I couldn’t answer

with anything else, so I put on an ‘I see’ expression.

Serara-chan

tightened her embrace on Moon-san’s arm, and then in a sweet voice, she said, “Well

then, since we’re close to our performance time, we’re going ahead~ Ufufu,

let’s go, Moon onee-sama~♡ Ah, ah,

Moon onee-sama, too fast, you’re

walking too fast! Don’t leave me behind!”

I was dumbfounded

as I watched them walk away.

But somehow…yeah.

Seeing Moon-san recognizing her own beauty and monetizing it gave me peace of

mind. I truly wished for her to continue to use her beauty and lead a happy

life.

Cheers from the

audience burst from the stage and I instantly snapped back to the present. The

feelings that had been driven away for a brief moment were pulled back by the

blinding light from the stage.

Right, I’d been beaten

down while I was on stage, and ended up getting so scared I couldn’t move my

body even an inch. That was why, to keep going on would be impossible. I needed

to tell Kaho-chan about this…

I searched for

Kaho-chan in the dim backstage.

The gloomy

feelings stabbed my stomach and spread through my body like gushing blood.

I found her. I

wondered how I should talk to her. If I frankly said something like, “I’m sorry

for not being able to fulfill your expectations,” I bet she wouldn’t forgive me

that easily. Since I’d selfishly turned my back on her like this.

My heart hurt.

But I no longer

had any other choice…

Humans had their

own limits.

Someone like me

couldn’t soar in the skies. That was why…

I found Kaho-chan

hunched in the corner. A female staff member was squatting next to her.

…? I wondered

what happened.

Without thinking

it through, I carelessly approached them.

The lady kept

bowing her head as she apologized.

“I’m sorry, I’m

sorry, this only happened because I bumped into you…”

Eh.

“Kaho-chan, are

you okay?”

I ended up

calling her by her real name. Crap.

Even so,

Kaho-chan flashed her usual peace sign while smiling stiffly.

“I-it’s alright,

totally alright…don’t worry. We’re in the middle of an event and I know you

must be busy. It was also my mistake since I stood there absentmindedly.”

The lady checked

Kaho-chan’s costume from every angle. It seemed like there had been no damage

on the costume. What a relief.

Once again, the

lady bowed her head and then returned to her duties.

It was great that

nothing had happened. No, well, it wasn’t that good but… Even so, I would

definitely never think it would be great if Kaho-chan ended up with an injury.

I had to take responsibility for my own weakness after all.

“Listen,

Nagipo-chan… You see, umm, actually I…”

It felt as bitter

as rejecting someone’s confession. There was a heaviness on my stomach.

I couldn’t do this. It was impossible. Right, if I could, I would never say those words again for the rest

of my life, but—

But, the

impossible was impossible.

I ended up

thinking that I should ask the lady from earlier to let Kaho-chan go on stage

by herself. As if she was cold, Kaho-chan hugged her body tightly.

“...Nagipo-chan?”

“No…”

While still

looking down, Kaho-chan murmured, “While I was fixing my contact lenses…we

bumped…and my lenses fell somewhere…”

Eh.

I also didn’t

move.

Right as I turned

to sprint off, Kaho-chan grabbed my hand.

“If I can make it

to the locker room, I can take your spare contact lenses.”

“You won’t make it. The crowds have filled the whole venue. You won’t make it

back here in time.”

Then, errr, then…

“Let’s look for

the contact lens then!”

“Yup…ah, but the costume would get dirty!”

Kaho-chan stopped

me as I started to crouch down to search for it.

I peered at

Kaho-chan’s face, my stomach churning like it always did on a crowded train.

At this rate,

Kaho-chan would…

“It would be

painful for you, Kaho-chan…”

I understood., Something

like normie cosplay sounded like an odd self-suggestion. But for Kaho-chan, it

was a charm she could rely on every time.

She giggled,

still hanging her head.

“It’s okay, don’t

worry… I still have the other one after all, so I still can see well…”

“Ah, err…is it okay if it’s only one side?”

“No, not really but…”

“So it’s not good after all!” I ended up shouting.

Kaho-chan lowered

her head, looking dejected.

“That’s

right…someone like me is totally not good. This is the end…”

“Kaho-chan?! Wait a minute, eh you’re joking, right? Kaho-chan?!”

“Why would I come to this kind of place anyway… Even though my cosplaying track

record was in the bottom tier. I ended up getting too ahead of myself… I bet

the livestream will be filled with hate comments…I don’t want this…I want to

cry…”

“I understand your feelings, but—!”

What was with

this situation…?

Our turn was

inching closer with each passing second, but Kaho-chan kept destroying her own

confidence with her recluse self.

Once Serara-chan

and Moon-san ascended the stage, our chance of winning would be hopeless…but

let’s put that aside for now. I also had my heart crushed from my previous

moment on stage.

This was the

worst. I felt so awful right now. I just wanted to lie down.

If things had

turned out like this, it was fine for the two of us to withdraw from the event,

right? Even Kaho-chan had become like this. You

can run when you want to run away. You don’t need to push yourself and let yourself

pile up bad memories.

Even though I

really thought that from the depths of my heart…

“Honestly, I

could understand how you feel right now, but! If you say something like that,

what should I do? I got roped into this situation?! I’m a nobody... I would

definitely get attacked by the haters, you know?!”

The words that

came out of my mouth sounded like I had yet to give up.

That was because—

I knew how strong

Kaho-chan’s feelings for cosplay were from the way she spoke about them.

“The costumes

that I made were completely not fit for display. It’s something I like doing

but am bad at…in short, the outfits aren’t fit to be seen by other people…if

it’s for the sake of wearing them, Rena-chin would be alright, but if someone

ugly like me showed up like wearing it, it would be gross, right…”

“Are you really saying that?!”

Without thinking,

I grabbed Kaho-chan’s shoulders with all my might.

“That’s, well,

yeah…”

Kaho-chan nodded

as she averted her gaze.

I could

understand the reason and I also thought that it couldn’t be helped.

But still, that

was why!

To think that she

really looked down on every hardship she had experienced until now…!

Kaho-chan, who held

her frustration before me, looked like someone who had kept holding back and

this was the backlash from everything she had to endure.

Her mouth spilled

out her dejected thoughts like the Niagara Waterfall.

“I’m just a

gloomy person after all. I’m someone who can’t really call on others for

photoshoot events, so I ended up asking for Saa-chan and Rena-chin’s help… Still,

people misunderstand my intention…the truth is, I know my own limits…

“It’s quite

hierarchical in the cosplayer’s world, you see…cosplayers at huge events and

part of the industry are basically treated like Gods, but for me, that’s just a

mere dream…at school for example, I’m only a small fry who loiters around the

popular kids…

“Honestly, the

organizer who extended the invitation to this is also cruel… if they show me this

world like a dream, I would feel on a cloud nine, right…but despite that, I

still took a week to decide whether I should accept it or not…if only I’d faced

reality from the beginning…

“In the end, you

really need to acknowledge your status, right… Even for people who say they

like baseball, they would be eager to enter a leading school, and once they

become part of the team, they would definitely get bored if they just kept

being asked to pick up balls from the ground… People have to be in a place that

suits their ability after all…

“I lack

popularity, skills, and followers. Even if I keep chasing after my dream, I

would only hurt myself…An outcast should behave like an outcast. It wouldn’t do

them any good if they disturbed other people’s sight. They’re better off living

their life by staying in the corner…

“Don’t get it

wrong, don’t be conceited, don’t ride the moment, I need to properly condemn

myself… No matter how many times my fans tell me they like me, I’m only just a

water flea after all, which is why I shouldn’t forget these thoughts…

“I really am so

ugly I hate it… I want to die… I’m also so short I’m basically a pipsqueak. I’m

also stupid. Nobody likes me. I have no dreams or any hope…I just want to quietly

erase my memories from people’s minds… I want to redo everything from

elementary school…”

I placed my hands

on her shoulders.

“Kaho-chan…”

I stared into

Kaho-chan’s eyes with a clear gaze.

“Rena-chin.”

Kaho-chan slowly

raised her face. The light that shone in her eyes was the colour of sorrow.

Towards this kind

of Kaho-chan, I—

“This jerk!”

“――?!”

Without holding

back, I struck my forehead against hers. It hurt!

“Wh-what are you

doing?!”

Kaho-chan stepped

back and pressed on her forehead. Tears welled up in her eyes. I was also the

same.

“I kept listening

to your prattle without saying anything since earlier, but you sure said a lot

of awful stuff, huh! I even thought that my chest would get torn and my organs

would spill over if I kept listening!”

“But everything’s the truth.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

I desperately clamped

my hands over my ears, lost in agony.

Every single one

of Kaho-chan’s words was like a thorn that pierced my body.

If her words were

thorns, I’d basically look like a hedgehog with every word stabbing me across

my body.

Standing before

me, Kaho-chan looked frightened. For some reason, she reminded me of someone. Myself.

Being confessed

to by Mai and Ajisai-san, getting so lost about it, and becoming filled with

dread.

“In this world, I

have something I definitely, absolutely cannot forgive…”

“Re-Rena-chin…?”

“That is someone who keeps depreciating their own value even though they

clearly are blessed with everything!”

I gritted my

teeth and crouched down until my eyes were at the same level as hers. And then

I shouted.

“What the heck is

ugly! Does every mirror in your house break or what?! No matter how you see it,

Kaho-chan is a total beauty! Are you not aware of that fact?!”

“No, but—”

“I get it. I finally get it now! Everything you said to me on that day! The

reason why you smacked my forehead while getting so angry, I finally get it! On

top of it, everything really bounced back to me so much that I felt like dying!

I’ll live though!!”

“What are you saying—”

“Listen here, Kaho-chan. You are cuter than me, you are smarter than me, you

are more popular than me in school. Now imagine, how miserable would I feel if

you depreciated yourself like you did just now?! If you’re a water flea, then

what am I? Paramecium?!”

“That wasn’t my intention—”

“Of course! But still, even though you didn’t intend to, it would come off like

that right?! For an outcast to behave like an outcast and live their lives in

the corner while not crossing other people’s sight, right?! Alright, I get it!

Argh, how noisy!”

Kaho-chan scowled

at me.

“But you—you were

confessed to by MaiMai and Aa-chan right? If you are paramecium, then is being

the First Lady of America the only way to be considered as human then?! Stop

making fools of everyone!”

“Right, of course, now I’m finally able to understand not only your mind but

also your soul! In short, this is something like that!”

This was what

they meant by grass is always greener than the other side! It really was a

great proverb!

If only people

could feel others’ grief through their lenses, I bet 90% of conflicts would be

gone from this world.

For me this past

month, I had already become so lost I could almost be knocked over.

I couldn’t help

but feel envious of Kaho-chan, who was able to keep chasing after her dreams in

the world of sparkles. I always thought that she had no worries while living days

full of joy.

But just like me,

Kaho-chan also felt envious of me. That day when I depreciated myself in front

of her, Kaho-chan must’ve also felt miserable.

I stared at her

face.

“No matter what

people say, you deserve to stand on that stage, Kaho-chan. You already did so

much up until this point, right? You don’t have to pay any attention to others.

Let’s knock them to the dust. You also want to have the greatest moment, right?

Since you like cosplaying and all, right?”

“Even though you said that…”

Kaho-chan looked

daunted. As expected, she must be frightened.

“Actually, you

really are thankful for the chance, since this is your dream, right? That’s

why, you see, please stop hurting yourself with every excuse. Just think of

every reason that allows you to stand right here. This moment is your chance.

You understand that, right? That you definitely can’t let this chance go.”

My words came out

naturally

Because these

words were things I’d always said and wanted to do for my own sake.

To have people as

lovely as Mai and Ajisai-san liking someone like me sounded ridiculously impossible

after all. As the clock ticked, I was keeping the two of them waiting for me.

I wondered how huge my sins were for that.

Instead of

feeling grave regret by declining them both, it would be better if I responded

to their feelings, even if the relationship might fall apart later. I was sure

of it.

Even I could understand

that much.

Fair arguments

built on pretty words, of course it stung my ears.

Kaho-chan cast

down her eyes as if she was suffering.

“I understand. Something

like this is really obvious without you needing to spell it out. I already

know… But still, I don’t want that… Like being laughed at by a lot of people,

getting hate, I don’t want that…”

Behind the dark

stage, two shadows—us—huddled close together.

Our turns approached

as the clock ticked onwards.

As if giving my

heart a rich amount of oxygen, I breathed in deeply.

I understood the feelings

of not wanting to be hated by people. At that moment, I realized this wretched

side of me.

I also understood

that if I kept forcing Kaho-chan more than this, it would backfire and probably

make her despise me.

“...hey,

Kaho-chan.”

In the end, I was

convinced I couldn’t go on without telling her.

If you asked me

what the reason was…

It was because

the me who ‘liked’ myself, existed only at the end of this path.

Someone who was

always here, someone who always watched over me.

Amaori Renako.

I didn’t want to

be hated by her.

“Let’s go,

Kaho-chan. I will stay right next to you.”

“You’re saying this because, Rena-chin…you have nothing to lose…”

“That’s true.”

Right now,

Kaho-chan might feel that every drop of her hardships was on the verge of

destruction. Her attachment to her hobby, the voice of her fans who supported

her, every effort she poured into this—everything.

The things that

she piled up little by little could turn into nothingness in mere seconds, like

a bubble in the sea.

Those memories

would leave a deep scar inside her mind. She might be hurt every time she

remembers that moment.

“But still, I can

imagine it.”

I touched

Kaho-chan’s cheeks gently.

Cupping her face,

I stared straight into her eyes.

“The regrets where

you chose to do nothing would always linger inside you. Actually I was able to do it, I would’ve been able to accomplish it had

I done it. You would keep repeating those thoughts to deceive yourself. I

don’t want that. No matter how miserable things might turn out, I don’t want

you to run away from things that you like.”

“Why?” she asked

me. “Why do you think that way?”

“That’s because…”

The memories of the

past half year played out inside my mind.

The series of

challenges that kept coming to me.

It was full of

things I couldn't do, and it was frustrating. I even spent a lot of nights crying

under my covers. I had run away many times, but in the end, I chose to accept

everything and faced it head on.

“Because I like

it.”

My friends.

People who

thought of me.

People who shaped

me this far.

Everyone.

Towards them—

“Since I like it,

I don’t want to betray this feeling.”

The face came to

my mind, the face of someone I held dear.

And then it was

gone in an instant. In exchange, before me, Kaho-chan’s wide eyes gazed at me.

“Rena-chin…”

Kaho-chan stretched

out her hands timidly.

“I might mess up

with today’s performance.”

“Yeah.”

“I’d already forgotten most of the things we practiced. This is really the

worst.”

“Yeah.”

“I might really, really cause trouble for you.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded my head.

“The same goes

for me.”

I grabbed

Kaho-chan’s hand, and then decided to tell her the truth.

“You see, I

shouldn’t say this to you, but the truth is, people’s eyes scare me. Since I

always think that people would think bad of me, like, how boring, just hurry and get it done, thoughts like that.”

“I see.”

“Honestly I can’t say I have the confidence to make sure that everything will

go smoothly. Even now, my hands are trembling. I also really want to run away,

and right now I feel nauseous.”

“...thank you for not running away.”

Kaho-chan tugged

on my hand.

And then she

embraced me.

“Let’s fail

together. And then, we can laugh about this while saying, that sure was the worst. Since Rena-chin is here, I feel like I'm

no longer afraid.”

“Yeah.”

I closed my eyes.

I could feel

Kaho-chan.

The sound of a

heart rapidly beating—I was sure that this wasn't only mine.

It was like we were

synchronized.

It was like

seeing my own reflection in a mirror, which might be why we were both only able

to show half our powers. But that was also why when we joined the halves of us,

we would become one.

“I’m glad you’re

with me, Rena-chin.”

The voice that

entered my ears wasn’t the voice from the usual bright and cheerful Kaho-chan.

She sounded so unreliable, her trembling voice colored in insecurity.

Still, I was sure

that the Kaho-chan right now was the girl who I’d known since back then.

I pushed myself

to smile, and then spoke in a lively tone, “Yup… I want to make special

memories, just between the two of us.”

The staff called

our name, and then we walked toward the stage.

I couldn’t stop

myself from seeing the stage, basked in the sea of lights, as the most blinding

place in this world.

Extra - Minaguchi Kaho's Story

It was true that

unlike school, there probably weren’t any rules forbidding manga in class.

Still, the girl

who sat next to her looked so immersed while reading the manga magazine she’d brought. It was like she was absorbed in her

own world.

Even the glasses

girl who observed her felt like holding her breath when seeing the girl’s

behavior.

The thick book in

her hand was a manga magazine that

was intended for boys. That girl who read the magazine kept switching her

expressions. She really had a rich amount of expressions that she displayed, it

was striking.

Finally, the girl

finished the magazine and snapped it shut. Haa.

She let out a sigh.

In an instant,

their eyes met. She’d discovered the glasses girl observing her. It was because

the glasses girl found her interesting. The glasses girl felt awkward, so she

averted her gaze.

“Ah, err, want to

read this?”

The girl handed her

the magazine. Since it was so sudden, the glasses girl ended up taking it. The

glasses girl couldn’t help but think that the girl was the type to light-heartedly

chat with people around her like this. It shocked her.

“...I have never,

read this before.”

“Eeh, really?! Then, I really recommend this…aah, but then you won’t be able to

read it from the first chapter! What should I do? Ah, then, let me bring the tankoubon next time!”

Eeeh…? And so, with that kind of

forceful manner, the glasses girl got roped in. Even then, the glasses girl

didn’t really mind it.

The manga girl

flipped back to the table of contents and started talking about which one had

the interesting story.

Well, she didn’t

really mind since she had nothing to do while waiting for the class to start,

but…

“And then, you

see this boy, I have no words other than cool to describe him…! Hey, he’s

really good-looking don’t you think?! He always behaves like this, but he’s

really considerate about his comrades, it's really filled with passionate

friendship!”

Seeing her eyes light

up like she was in love, the glasses girl couldn’t hold in her laughter, and

then she ended up getting drawn into her world.

That girl only

attended cram school for half a year and then stopped coming, and the glasses

girl felt disappointed that she could no longer talk to her. But thanks to her

influence, she ended up liking manga.

Looking forward

to Monday every week, drawing her favorite characters, writing original

characters in her favorite world.

Kaho, who somehow

ended up devoted to her otaku hobby,

started to enter the world of cosplay. It also could be said that this was

inevitable.

Her mother was

always good at arts and crafts anyway, and she had a sewing machine in her

house. When Kaho was still a child, she liked to make handcrafted items or use

beads to create something.

In the end, she

started to wonder how it would feel if she wore the same costumes as her favorite

characters… Excited, she brought up the courage and tried to sew her own

costumes. This was during her first year of middle school.

Using her new

phone that she had received from her new mother as a present, she took secret selfies

and uploaded them onto social media. After that, she received a lot of

compliments.

Kaho ended up

getting into cosplaying since it allowed her to express her love for her favorite

series, and she also could also fulfill her longing for others’ approval.

Her activities went

well, and parallel to her feelings that became stronger, her followers count

also displayed positive results. She also participated in a lot of events and

got to know a lot of acquaintances.

At the beginning,

she cosplayed with feelings of ‘fun’ and ‘like’ at the foundation.

But when the

number of events she participated increased—when her followers multiplied—those

feelings gradually changed.

It wasn’t only

the matter of enjoying things you like. She realized she also needed to put up

with a lot of hardships. She needed to be considerate of a lot of things, and she

started to be mindful of people’s way of seeing her. She started to worry about

her social life.

She understood

perfectly from the beginning that doing something like this didn’t suit her

personality at all. She was a reserved girl that always hesitated when it came

to registering for an event. She was also often feeling upset when she thought

that the costumes she made wouldn't suit someone like her.

Kaho started to

lose sight of her feelings of enjoyment and began to think she could no longer continue

as a cosplayer. Only the times where she tried to become a heroine she longed

to be, when she was able to cover the pathetic side of hers.

—if so!

At the end of her

days of agony, she had an idea. It would be okay if she kept cosplaying on a

daily basis.

It was a great

idea. She made a new version of herself for the sake of her passion, and she

started to play her part as a bright and cheerful girl.

Someone dazzling,

someone charming, a positive girl who always laughed and brought joy to people

around her. She became someone with a bit of a careless side, tried to not talk

trash about others, and became someone who was loved by everyone.

That was it.

Let’s become her.

The girl who she’d

spent half the year with.

Act like that

girl, be her.

And just like

that, starting from the day she made up her mind, she started to work hard.

That time, Kaho

didn’t imagine that once she started high school, she would once again be reunited

with the heroine she’d always looked up to.

*****

For more detailed info about the novel, click

here

Credit:

TL and everything else: Meatbun

Proofread: Lyra