"So, after you go through all that, you assemble the parts you numbered some time ago…"
"And then… we're finally done?"
"Well, then you have to design the place you're going to use to display it."
"I‐I see."
How long would it be before we're done?! Ugh, I'm tired… this is getting really tedious… and I was the one who told her to teach me, so it's not like I can tell her to stop…
"Well, that's a bit of a different topic, so in regards to making plastic models, I suppose we can stop there."
I'm relieved. I'm finally being let go…
"Hmm… I ended up talking for a long time… " Having been cheered up after talking about her hobby at length, Rias reclined back deeply on her chair. "Finishing with all the maintenance, sitting in this chair, and just gazing at my collection… and then suddenly, you realize the entire day's gone by."
"I know! That's soooo true!" And there was one person in the room who passionately agreed. "I feel that too! If all of this were Azutan figures instead, I really think I could just stay in this room my entire life staring at them!"
She seriously must be sick.
"Also! You must have other things in your collection, right!? You do, right!? Show me!"
"I know where you're coming from, but calm down, Naruko!" I caught my sister by the arms as she tried to charge at Rias like an excited bull, and I pinned her arms behind her back.
"Idiot! How could someone like you understand where I'm coming from!?"
"Dammit! You stepped on my toes!"
As Naruko and I bickered with each other, Blake ignored us and spoke nonchalantly.
"If you do have more of this collection, I would like to see too."
"Sure. But before that… "
Rias reached her arm out and gestured towards some three‐legged chairs. She seemed to be telling us to sit.
"Can you cut it out and let me serve you tea already?"
Thirty minutes later, we were in a different room in the same mansion.
"This mansion was originally remodeled to display my father's art collection. I'm being allowed to use one part of it."
It seemed that every room was a gallery based on a different concept. I had yet to find any room equipped with the normal necessities of living, but those rooms probably existed too, somewhere… right? And the room we were in right now was…
"This room is so broken down!"
"Did this used to be an arcade at some point…?"
Naruko and Blake both gave their frank impressions. It was probably deliberate, but both the floor under us and the walls had the concrete bare and showing. There was a retro atmosphere filling the entire room, and the first things I noticed were the old‐fashioned arcade machine and CRT television. There was a cable extending from the television, and connected to a black game machine I did not recognize. A toy track also wove its way between all that equipment.
"This is a room meant to recreate a scene you might see during the late Shouwa or early Heisei period. Back then, they would put arcade machines in the middle of cheap sweet shops and those shops would become hangouts for local elementary and junior high schoolers. That was a time when games like Final Attack and Golden Axe were still being actively played. Well, I guess even now, you can find places where they're still being actively played too."
How old was this girl?
"What's this black game system here?" Blake asked. If she didn't even know, then it must have been a pretty old system…
"It's a Neo Geo CD. From what I've heard, it's a frightening piece of hardware that takes three minutes to load a single match. The more relaxed gamers of today probably don't understand, but it was quite a groundbreaking achievement when people could play Samurai Spirits or King of Fighters in their own homes."
"T‐This is… this is the machine that some say is the symbol of the SNK Golden Age!? This is the first time I've seen one." Blake leaned in close stared at the Neo Geo CD with widened eyes.
I didn't really know what was going on, but this machine was probably something special to gamers.
"Oh, what's this thing?" What I caught sight of was a square glass case table. Inside the case were lined small rubber dolls that you would perhaps expect to find in Gashapon machines. They were all of things you would see in fantasy novels, like monsters and elves and knights.
"Fufufu, nice eye, Haruto-chan. Those are from the 'Neclos Fortress' toy line. They're not as popular as the Bikkuri Man Seals, but they're one of the representative toys of the Showa period and came packaged with certain food products. To people who collect these type of toys, they still enjoy a deeply rooted popularity, and are still very actively being sold at auction."
"Ahh… " So there was quite a history here. They were things from long ago, but they did look pretty cool. I could see how they would've been popular. Also, I didn't know about these "Golden Axe" and "Bikkuri Man" things she was using to explain herself, so I wasn't sure if I really understood what she was trying to say.
"By the way, you probably can't tell from across the glass, but if you touch them and warm them with your fingers, the Neclos dolls change color. I guess it's kind of like the secret emblems they put on the Transformers toys that were popular in the eighties. Changing colors based on temperature was a really trendy gimmick back then."
Seriously, how old was this girl? Was she a time traveler from the Shouwa era or something?
"What about this?" Naruko pointed to a racing car toy that had been casually set on top of the arcade machine.
Ah, I actually knew what that was. I took that bodiless blue racing car into my hands and spoke with a soft voice.
"How nostalgic… it's a mini four‐wheeler, isn't it?"
"Ohh, so you already know, Haruto-chan?"
"They were pretty popular at one point when I was a kid. But I've never really seen something quite like this…"
"Haha, I'm not surprised. That's an Avante Jr., and it's the fastest, best car in the first generation of these four‐wheelers. This toy was based on the model that they really used in the Japan Cup back then, I think. The fanatics who got into this culture from the second generation might burn me alive for saying this, but I still think that an Avante that's perfectly tuned up is the fastest car."
Why the hell was she telling me this… I mean, at this point, the only people who would actually understand what she was saying were probably all middle‐aged men. There was no way Rias could know what I was thinking, but she curled her mouth up into a ω shape and summed up.
"In anime, in games, and in all these other genres, it's just amazing how much the technology has improved. Things that people could only dream of in the Shouwa period are completely commonplace today. However, I still think that it would be a shame if we just forgot about all the things that kept us so engrossed back then, and wrote them off as 'relics.' I'm not saying we should obsess over the olden days, but in the end, fun things are fun, and worthwhile things are worthwhile. Being in this room drives that point home for me. That's why I like this place."
51They say that everyone has an internal vision for their own paradise. But right now, what stretched before my eyes was certainly Naruko's Garden of Eden.
"Wuaaaaa… what's with this place… this is such a paradise…"
My sister was clinging to a glass case and seemed to have lost her mind. She was staring fixedly at a collection that had shot her right through the heart. It was seriously a bit disgusting. This girl's fans would have a heart attack if they saw her like this.
Yes, this was the "Mahou Shoujo Figure Room." Starting from Azutan, famous characters of mahou shoujo figures such as Takamichi Nanoha, Tsukino Usagi, Kaname Madoka and etc were crammed in display cases. I couldn't really blame Naruko for getting like this.
"Hey, you, cut it out. We've been here for more than ten minutes already. Let's move to another room, okay?"
"I-I'm going to stay here a bit longer! You guys can go on ahead!" Naruko said that and showed no signs of moving from the front of the glass case. Her palm and nose were pressed firmly against the glass, and I could almost see her drooling. She was like a kid in a toy store.
"Geez… this girl is just…"
"Naruru-chan, Blake-chan, Haruto-chan. You know, I have something that's more interesting than the collection I've shown you so far."
"Huh… e-even more interesting than these magical girl figures?" Naruko's interest seemed to have been piqued by Rias's words. Rias slowly nodded.
"Yes… I feel like it's something you all would enjoy."
"Sounds interesting. What is it?"
"Let's all go… cosplay together!"
"Cosplay!?"
We all uttered in unison.
"Yes. To tell you the truth, I had some costumes made that I was planning on asking everyone to wear next time. There's a costume room next door. Fufu, Naruru-chan… you said you had an interest in cosplay, didn't you?"
"I do!" Naruko answered instantly and energetically. I remembered seeing her eyes gleam when she was looking at cosplay at Summer Comiket.
"Blake-chan, don't you also ever want to wear a different outfit?"
"That's… well, I'll wear something for you, I suppose," Blake suddenly blushed.
"Yes, I really want to try," is what one could translate her words to.
Rias clapped her hands, almost as if things had been settled. "Well then, isn't this a good opportunity? Let's all cosplay together and take a photo to commemorate the occasion."
"Ehh? We're having a photo shoot here? What should I do? I'm a pro after all."
Naruko waved from side to side and looked pretty proud of herself. Even though she obviously wanted to go and take those cosplay photos.
"… Hmph, so these are costumes that Rias picked out? That worries me a bit."
In true Blake fashion, even though she said that, she was obviously pretty excited for this. I mean, she was already loosening some of her ribbons. Hey hey, I'm in the room, so please don't strip right here…
The subject had been changed and we had all returned to our usual selves.
"Also, it's been a while, but perhaps I will also take this opportunity to show you my own cosplay."
"But you're cosplaying right now, aren't you?"
"Haha, Haruto-chan, if you say that, don't blame me when you're knocked to the floor by my beauty."
"Yeah, just keep talking."
But I definitely was looking forward to seeing what kind of outfits those three would change into.
I spoke cheerfully, "Well then, I'll wait here for you three."
"Whatever are you saying, Haruto-chan?"
"Eh?"
Rias took a look at my bewildered expression and gave me an ominous smile.
"Of course I've also prepared a costume for Haruto-chan."
… You've got to be kidding me.
The girls would change in the costume room, and then come back to the figure room. And in the meantime, I would change in this room.
"Well then… maybe I should suck it up and just change."
Man, this is my first cosplay.
"… This jacket how do I put it on?"
After a struggle, I managed to put things on, and looked at myself in the full length mirror in the corner of the room.
"Wow."
It feels a little weird for me personally to be saying this… but this costume suited me really well. I felt my cheeks suddenly burning. What was up with this hard-to-describe feeling… and this sense of excitement? As I looked at myself cosplaying in the mirror, I could feel my excitement quickly rise. I look so awesome! Huh? Is this real? Is it just me, or do I just look really awesome?
"I am the hope of the world. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am Kurama Redfox!"
And then, right then… I heard the sound of the door opening, and a chill ran right down my spine!
D-dammit, I hope they didn't hear me just now! Is it kill myself time!? Do I have to commit suicide now!? My entire body went stiff as a board and I turned around with tears in my eyes, when…
"…!"
Both of us were at a loss for words.
"You… Blake… is that you, Blake!?"
The outfit Blake was wearing also belonged to a character I knew very well. The main heroine of Magi Magi Magical Azura aka Azutan.
"Eh… Ah… A-A-A… K-Kurama…?"
I couldn't blame Blake for being surprised when she saw me either. The costume I was wearing was that of the Hero Kurama Redfox, one of the main characters of Blake's favorite Isekai show, Moonlight Fantasy. But I mean, and saying this myself is rather strange, I really looked like him but with different hair color. If they made a live action version of Moonlight Fantasy, maybe they should give me a call. Ah, but really, what was more important right now was…
We both stared at each other's cosplays. At that point, Blake seemed to snap out of it.
"P-please… don't look at me so much… it's embarrassing…" She blushed from ear to ear and hugged herself, trying to hide herself from view. She was wearing Azutan's costume. "… I told you not to look at me. D-do you want me to poke out your eyes?"
"S-sorry." I hurriedly covered my eyes with both hands. If she was this embarrassed about it, maybe she should have just not worn the outfit… maybe this was just the stubbornness of cosplayers…
"B-but more importantly… you… that costume…"
"A-ahh. This costume is…" I was a bit embarrassed, but I asked for her impressions, "H-how is it? Blake, what do you… what do you think about this costume…"
"E… Eh?"
Perhaps she was not expecting me to ask that question at all, but Blake stiffened. Azutan's costume was probably incredibly embarrassing for her to wear. Her face flushed even redder than it was before.
"I-it's okay, I guess."
Even as she said that, she glanced at me now and then. It seems Blake really liked this character, so even if it was me wearing it, she probably couldn't help looking at the costume. To be honest, it felt nice.
"Hmph, don't look so much at me. You're making me blush."
"Y-you idiot… it's not like I'm… what in the world are you saying…?"
Blake looked incredibly cute when she was annoyed like that. And then…
"What's with those outfits!? You two look really nice!" Naruko came into the room in high spirits. And her outfit surprised me even more.
"Well, either way, you're still no match for me!" Naruko picked up the hem of her skirt and twirled. The character that Naruko was cosplaying was the demon queen Madarahime, another character from Moonlight Fantasy. Naruko was wearing the costume of Blake's favorite character.
Both Blake and I were suddenly unable to speak.
"What is it? Do I entrance you?"
It's not like I'm one to talk… but what a bloated sense of confidence. It really did seem that cosplaying made people into narcissists. Although this girl was always like this.
Blake asked a question, round-eyed, "You, didn't you hate Moonlight Fantasy?
"Hm? That doesn't have to do anything with the clothes. I wanted to wear this outfit once to try it out."
I see. If it meant wearing a cute cosplay, she didn't care where the character was from.
"You… just wanted to…" Blake showed an incredibly unpleasant scowl. "Just cosplaying so casually like that… even though the true thrill of cosplay is completely transforming into a character you like… you just don't understand at all, do you?"
"Is it? Hm, completely transforming, huh…? Umm, like this?" Naruko made a peace sign over one of her eyes and winked. And she said the following in an innocent voice, almost like you would expect from a mahou shoujo character. "Mero mero I'm the cutest demon in existence, Mada-tan! I am going to defeat you with my power of love, kyuun!"
"Madara would never say something like that!" Blake exploded. When it came to her favorite character, she really had a short fuse. She was like a child here. "You bitch… I think I'm really going to kill you this time…"
"But seriously, you're also not Azutan at all! Azutan would never say something like 'You bitch'."
"I‐I'm… I never intended to become this character in the first place!"
"But wasn't it that if you don't become the character, you can't experience the 'true thrill' of cosplay?"
"Ugh… t‐that's…"
It was as if her argument had returned like a boomerang and hit herself instead.
Once she saw Blake at a loss for words, Naruko gave a small smile, "Come on, become the character and say something. You saw how Azutan acts on that DVD, right?"
"I-I don't want to… why does the Queen of the Demon like me have to… have to say such embarrassing things…?"
As Blake teared up, Naruko took out her cell phone camera and began to snap pictures.
"When did you take out that cell phone… w-why are you taking photos?"
"Well, it's a rare chance."
"P-please stop… D-didn't I tell you not to take pictures…? Are you not listening?"
"If I make a photo collection of you in that cosplay and post it on the net, I'm sure it'll be going viral."
She wasn't listening at all. I found Blake's reaction pretty cute, so even though I pitied her I didn't really feel like stopping Naruko. Naruko just continued to ecstatically snap photos of Blake in her cosplay. I guess after all was said and done, Naruko really liked Blake.
"Ahh… I'm satisfied now." Naruko wiped the sweat off her forehead, apparently finished with her task.
On the other hand, having had her picture taken so many times, Blake was now huddled on the floor, hugging her knees. Her face was completely red. Being shy and a cosplayer at the same time… how exactly was that supposed to work?
"Hey, Naruko."
"What?"
"How's my cosplay? Don't I look really cool? You can call me Onii-sama if you want." Cosplaying had made me fearless, so I asked a question I would never ask normally.
"Huh? Yeah yeah, whatever, it looks good on you."
But Naruko's response was very apathetic.
"Hey, you're not even looking, and you say that? Come on, take a proper look at me. Don't just fuss over Blake… praise me too!"
"Ugh, geez… you're like a typical noisy cosplayer… narcissists like you are just beyond saving."
"You are the last person on Earth I want to hear calling me a narcissist!"
"Anyways, what happened to Rias?"
"Eh? She was saying that she would start changing when I went out."
"Hmm."
"And remember, she was the one who suddenly told us we were going to cosplay… something feels funny."
Certainly, Rias was acting a bit weird. But I had some idea of what she had been thinking behind that "smile" of hers. When I saw Rias in her survival gear, I realized it. She… was probably quite a beautiful woman. She was always saying things like "my beauty" with so much confidence when hiding her true face with those gross otaku outfits she usually wore, but she was probably being serious. So, I was certain that she smiled like that because she was going to try to surprise us with her "real" look… that must have been her plan. But if that's the case, then it would be frustrating for me to take the bait and act surprised. Naruko and Blake might be surprised, but I would be firm and wouldn't waver. No matter what outfit Rias showed up in. Fufu, how disappointed she's going to be.
"Ah, Rias, you're here?" I heard Naruko's voice. Next I heard the door opening.
Alright… show me what you've got! Show me what you've got, Rias! No matter what, I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing me surprised!
"!"
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting."
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"
What the hell? Was this Rias? This girl was Rias? This refined-looking woman in a fancy white dress was Rias? Craaaaaap! Not good, Rias… this was seriously not good… she was extremely beautiful and insanely gorgeous! And at a glance, it wasn't even enough to call her a woman! It's not exaggerating to say that she looked like a goddess! Amazing! This was seriously crazy. There wasn't a trace of her old self. Her voice was even different. This was seriously too crazy. Whatever else happens, you all should try and understand how crazy this was, seeing this incredibly beautiful and gorgeous girl suddenly appear in front of my eyes.
"… All things considered, aren't you a bit too surprised?" My sister was shocked at my reaction.
… But come on. I was surprised half to death there… I was expecting someone beautiful to appear, but I still thought that she would have the same ω face on when she showed up. T-to think that she would change so much…
"T‐this isn't even cosplaying anymore… this is a complete metamorphosis…" Blake had also stiffened in shock, and stared at this transformed Rias.
Seeing our reactions, noblewoman Rias put a hand up to her mouth and gave us a graceful chuckle, "Watching you act so surprised makes me quite happy. It was worth revealing my true self like this." And then she grabbed the hem of her skirt and gave us an old-fashioned courtesy.
"Haruto-san, Naruko-san, Blake-san. My name is Kuoh Ryrrha. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Rias bowed elegantly. She performed that little action masterfully, and even though she was putting on an act for us, it seemed very natural. I really wouldn't be surprised if this were her real form.
"Kuoh Ryrrha… that's your real name?"
"Yes, my family come from greek"
"Also, that dress… it is the Devil Princess from the Devil x Devil anime… right?"
"… That look… is that really a cosplay? Or is it…"
Naruko and Blake both spoke with slightly trembling voices.
"Fufu… " Rias just gave us a mysterious smile, but didn't say another word. Naruko and Blake also didn't press any further.
Rias looked around at us in our costumes. "Everyone, those costumes look splendid on you."
"Not as great as yours though."
"… Thank you."
T‐this is so crazy… don't smile at me like that… it's just too much.
Rias showed us a small blush. "Dressing up like this and showing each other… it really is pretty embarrassing, isn't it?"
"Really? I don't feel embarrassed at all. I'm getting pretty excited though. Because unlike you, I'm super cute."
Yeah yeah, Naruko. After all, you don't have an ounce of shame in that body of yours. However, and I would never say this out loud, but I still thought my costume was the best. I still thought that I was the coolest person in the room. Nobody would agree with me, but this was definitely my victory. Hmph, serves you all right.
Right then, Rias said something that made me think she could read my mind.
"Haruto-san's Kurama cosplay looks just like the real thing too. That's pretty great. I almost want to be taken prisoner by him."
"Eh? I-is that so? Ahaha." Crap, I'm getting really happy. Finally… finally someone complimented me!
"Naruko-san's Madarahime cosplay is also very good."
"It can't be helped, I'm a professional model after all."
"Fufu, as expected from Naruru-chan."
There were still some traces of the otaku version of Rias in her vocabulary.
"And then, of course there's Blake-san…"
"W-what do you want? Don't look at me too much please."
Rias looked Blake up and down, and Blake blushed.
"… A perverted cat Azunyan, what an incredible outfit."
What was she, some pervy grandpa?
Blake muttered in shock, "You're still the exact same person at the base of it, aren't you?"
"Hmm, perhaps." Rias put a hand to her mouth and chuckled.
In my view… the fun of cosplay came from seeing yourself transform into someone different, like when I saw myself in the mirror back there and got all excited. And if that someone happened to be a character that you liked, it was even more fun.
Just like making doujin games and doujin manga, cosplaying in front of people and getting your photo taken was a form of self expression. And that's why, just like it had been in the club, instead of cosplaying alone…
"Everyone, let's also take a photo together, alright?"
"Ah, yes, let's."
"Sure. I'll be really nice today and let you take a photo for free even."
"Well, I guess there's no reason for me to refuse."
Instead of cosplaying alone, it was much more fun to do it with everyone together. All of us cosplayed and enjoyed ourselves. We were embarrassed now, and when we looked at these photos later I'm sure we would be embarrassed as well. And then, every time we brought this experience up in the future we would feel the same way. That's what a shared memory was.
Cosplaying together… it really sounded like something only children did. And it was embarrassing. That was probably a normal reaction. I didn't intend on denying that. But, when I did it for real… I couldn't help but think that this didn't feel too bad. This wasn't an experience you could get by just living conventionally.