OtakuMania… It was the pinnacle for regional cosplayers to participate. I know Sera can win this, but in our current state, this is far beyond our level. However, Sera might find her way home anytime, and I don't know how soon it might be.
We need to take a step forward, even if I'm facing someone who I considered a friend. Still, Rise's darted gaze told me a desperation on another level, not just aiming to win and become popular, like her life depended on it.
"What even is her problem?" I uttered, gritting my teeth before Hina Satou's Instantgram page on my computer.
"Whose problem, Kou-nii?" Sera asked, her head pivoting away from the anime playing on the nearby television.
Shaking my head, I responded, "Nothing, I'm just talking to myself. By the way, how's your lessons?"
"I've gotten the hang of it! Izumi mentioned we're currently in JLPT N4 now. I don't know what that is, but she said we're making huge progress. Since I know the vocabulary, it is a pure challenge to my memory instead."
Her smile shone bright, but mine only slanted in half, stiff. I pinched my lips tight, preventing it from trembling visibly. I would be happier for her if I didn't know these writing lessons would make Sera disappear from our lives.
Her cosplay career should progress faster than her language lessons. She should reach the top of the rankings before she can make it home. I should make a move now.
"By the way, Sera, for the next month, we will be participating in a regional cosplay contest next month. I would like to make the immediate decision, but I think it would be best for you to choose the character you want to imitate." After all, I'm only her manager. If she wanted to become a cosplayer, she should have freedom on who she wanted to cosplay.
As expected, she only responded with a long hum while pressing her chin. "You can take your time. We're not rushing," though I wanted to say the sooner, the better. The event will be held near Christmas, and we only have one month to prepare.
The moment Rise forced us to withdraw from the last competition, defeating her in the competition became my goal. This is the moment where one of the rising stars will make their debut.
I will make sure she will regret those words.
We binged-watched multiple Anime series for the day, checking for any budget-friendly yet appealing character designs. I thought this would help Sera find any characters as references, but her frown told me this wasn't the day for the answer. Everything we've seen is still fresh to her ideas.
"Sera…" I muttered, witnessing her fumble, biting her lower lip, supplemented by cycles of continuous swallowing. Maybe she overclocked? Her otherworld brain might not be able to handle this info-dump.
Bringing her twitching hand to her forehead, showing how overwhelmed she was, she whispered with a quaking voice, "Kou-nii… I would like to cosplay Shizu-sama." As expected… She resonates with Shizu-sama's similar experiences and feelings.
Following a deep sigh, I said, "I may be experiencing another mental block. I will think soon of what we should do next."
The next day, I wasn't able to interact with Rise, now that she was certain I won't reveal her secret. We're maintaining our own spaces not as friends, but as soon-to-be enemies.
If Sera maintains her Shizu-sama cosplay in the next competition, there will be no more surprise factor. I need to play through this information. Knowing what she will soon cosplay will become a merit to our team.
I walk eagerly to an appointment with Madame Rydia after class. The energy of Christmas's anticipation mizzled the vivacious stalls. As I ventured underneath the colored hanging streetlights beyond me, my footsteps synchronized with the hums of the digital Silent Night song, an angelic introduction I suppose.
Madame Rydia's store, Wuthering Weaves, also reflects the jolly vibes for the upcoming Thanksgiving season. The store logo was wrapped with LED lights as the outline, and Christmas trees with sparkling lights and balls stood beside the double doors.
Things might be busy for Madame but I'm only here to get some inspiration and references. Entering the store, I walked around the shelves and surveyed the available fabrics, convenient and more quality-inclined than renting costumes. I also don't want to trouble myself with additional fees. Creating costumes were far cheaper and would last longer.
If I would want to make Sera's clothes shine, I would rather choose satin over the others. However, the fancier it is, the more expensive it gets. I hope to create a whole satin cosplay if it doesn't affect the lighting quality of the pictures. The balance of weight also comes into picture if I prefer this material over others.
Knit fiber is the leading go-to for base layer clothing, topped by polyester, cotton, and even spandex. The perks? It stretches on all sides, favored for a tight-fitting bodysuit. Most fantasy characters utilize this kind of material for its flexibility and durability.
In terms of breathability, cotton is the most common and convenient material. Depending on the vibe that the character emits, cottons tend to lose saturation more than satin does.
Twill is also like cotton, but thicker and more sturdy, mostly used for lower parts of the body and to overlay tops including denims. Shizu-sama isn't modern enough to consider this though.
Leathers are rarely sold from this store as per the manager's request. This isn't a shoe store, but they do accept commissions to create plated leather armor, lighter than what most commissioners do.
It would be convenient if Rise also shops in this store. I would be able to see her plans and prepare for countermeasures. Just as I was thinking about this, I encountered a small girl wearing a cap and mask, flipping and pinching the edges of the fabrics to test its durability.
Ha! Told ya, Rise's here! Tapping her shoulder, I whispered, "It looks like I would still recognize you if you hid yourself."
"What? I'm not hiding myself." Pivoting her confused head at me, she exclaimed, "Who are… Wait… You're that crazy guy in Akiba! Are you stalking me!?" Her shock made her stand and step back, like I'm some lone creep.
"H–Hina Satou!?" She wasn't Rise. She had no idea what happened after the incident.
"I swear I will report you! Kazami-san, can you get this guy's contacts? We'll talk to ourselves at the police station."
"Hey, I'm sorry for what happened in Akiba, alright? I assure you I'm not even stalking you. In fact, I might've tapped the wrong person."
"No, I won't forgive you! This is the second time! Kazami-san!"
Soon, a woman in dark formal clothes approached us, her hand holding a large notebook. Kazami might be Hina Satou's secretary and from the looks of it, the one who manages her clothing. But why is Hina Satou herself choosing the type of fabric she will use?
Kazami maintained her professionalism by not showing any emotions in her face. "Sir, we do apologize for what will happen next, but I'm solely responsible for her privacy and safety. But if you're deemed a stalker, we won't tolerate this behavior."
"I'm not even stalking her! If I knew she was Hina Satou, I would've backed out immediately," I responded.
"That's it?" Hina argued, "I don't want to see this man anymore! He's harming me and my career. He might be taking pictures of me even though I'm trying to be undercover."
"We can't judge him out of pure speculation, Hina. Also, please be careful of your words. It might even be the cause of your downfall."
"Hmph! Fine, but I don't think this is right. I feel so threatened by him."
"Who's threatening who?" An adult lady's voice interrupted the conversation. As I felt a tap on my shoulder, I turned back, witnessing Madame's calm smile. "I believe there might be a misunderstanding here."
"We do apologize for the disturbance, Madame. We can't also jump into conclusions, since this accusation seems to be formed out of speculation. Based on how you're looking after the boy I assume you're his guardian," Kazami said.
"I beg your pardon too. This is the son of our precious designer, the reason why Wuthering Weaves bloomed, the one who gave birth to quality knits. I witnessed how this kid grew up, and I can vouch that he is not the stalker type." Very well said, Madame! This was far from what I expected my fabric shopping session to go!
Hina twisted her head away from me, showing distrust. "Hmph! Fine! He may not be a stalker, but I still don't like him."
"That's what everyone tells me." I'm not even affected by that overused spiel.
"By the way, Hina. Were you able to find the right fabrics for your next costume?" Changing the topic, Kazami asked her.
"I surveyed the balance between cotton and silk in a 35:65 ratio. I'm not entering a competition, which is why I need it to shine. It is my first time cosplaying an antagonist. I'm going for a 'final boss' vibe to the competitors."
"We'll be processing various styles to maintain the balance between comfortability and durability. We'll try to create it by cooperating with Madame here."
So, Hina chooses the types of fabric she wants to use? Moreover, she looks like she already knows the bigger picture of her costume, and the designers are only there to craft it to reality. It's much more than asking what she should cosplay. Now, I'm convinced she knows fashion more than I gave her credit for. The way she observantly looked at the cloth tells me she's a professional designer too.
After planning her costumes for the upcoming event, Hina looked at me like a bulb lit inside her head. Her stare soon turned into a glare as she said, "By the way, I've seen you with the cosplay elf. If you're planning to join the contest, please know that I have high expectations of this artform."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my eyebrows slanting.
She smirked before uttering, "I won't let you win easily."
The moment she left, it felt like the brightness within me soon became dimmer, like I'm facing a final boss while the dungeon torches turned off one by one. She already declared Sera and I's defeat, and I quietly reacted the way she intended, my vacant stare glued to my limp hands, followed by a long low sigh.
I became trapped in the deepest and darkest underground cave with no one to call for help. My voice echoing and bouncing back to the walls, deafening me with the silence after… Not until a shout pulled my attention back to reality.
"What are you doing here!?"
"Onee-chan…"
Madame and I rushed to the view of the entrance gates where there was a commotion. It turned out that Hina scolded a girl in different undercover clothing, but had the same eye color, face shape, and height as her. The freckles in the girl's face turned out too big to be obvious.
Hina's eyebrows furrowed at her, her flaring nostrils breathing loud. The girl in question pressed her lips, together with the familiar stooped posture, then she suddenly noticed me looking.
"Look at me, Rise! Didn't I tell you to remove that ugly makeup!?" Hina exclaimed, pinching and stretching Rise's cheeks. Was she talking to a mirror?
"I–I'm sorry, Onee-san. I didn't mean to…."
In the brink of an eye, Hina already prepared her palm to slap Rise. Just as she swung her arm, I stopped the blow by gripping her wrist. "That's enough."
"Don't touch me, creep!" Hina exclaimed, pulling back her wrists. "Don't include yourself in other people's personal business!"
"Sugiyama-kun…"
With Rise's reaction, my gaze cycled back-to-back between the two girls before me, unknowingly feeling like I'm between two similar dolls, only later realizing… they're siblings…
Not just siblings, they're twins!