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It wasn’t that Narumi minded having to set the table up by herself. She’d managed events for years without Hirotaka’s help. It just felt a little strange now, for some reason. A little off.
She pulled out her smartphone and stared at the text she’d received just after arriving at the event hall:
Sorry. Running late. ᕕ(╯°□°)ᕗ
There was nothing unusual about the text. No reason to worry.
You got distracted playing a game and forgot the time, didn't y
She began to tap out the reply, then deleted it. Hirotaka might be an obsessed game otaku, but he wasn’t the sort to be late because of one. He wasn’t the sort to be late, period.
There must be a good reason.
Is everything all ri
Another aborted reply, deleted just as quickly. If it were an emergency, he would have said more, surely? This was normal. Absolutely no reason to worry.
...So why was it gnawing at her?
“Naru-chan, you’ll scare off your customers frowning at your phone like that.”
Narumi gave a guilty squeak, almost dropping her phone as Hana’s voice came close from her right side. She’d been so distracted, she hadn’t even noticed her approach. She shoved the phone into her bag and jumped up, letting out an excited squeal at the sight of her friend’s cosplay.
“Oh my gosh! That’s the military uniform from the last color spread, isn’t it? How did you put it together so fast? So cool!”
Hana smiled, though she almost seemed to be looking past Narumi. “You should know better than to underestimate my talent.”
“I would never! Your talent is godly! Quick, take some pics with me before you attract a crowd!”
“The doors just opened. There’s plenty of time, but more importantly...”
Narumi had already pulled out her phone again. “Just a quick selfie together, Hana-sama~!”
Hana sighed, shooting a pointed glance over Narumi’s head. “Don’t blame me if you miss your chance for a dramatic entrance.”
Narumi only had a moment to feel puzzled at that mysterious remark before she felt large hands drop gently to her shoulders and turn her around where she stood. She gave a stifled scream of surprise.
Her eyes were filled with the sight of a male chest in bright blue, tailored practically skin-tight. She stumbled back a step, an automatic reaction born of a sense of self-preservation, but the distance gave her a better view of the figure, and she paused where she was as she recognized the character, letting her eyes sweep up his frame and drink in the detail.
Gold bangles were piled on over scaled blue wristguards, the well-toned arms otherwise bare. Silks were draped artfully over one shoulder, the folds falling impeccably over the blue undergarment to emphasize the trim waist where twin daggers with a serpentine design were sheathed. There was a gold-colored torc around his neck, and dangling gold earrings, too. Most strikingly, the figure’s silver-white hair framed his face like an ethereal halo, falling well past his shoulders and even longer in the back.
Narumi felt her face grow hot. “You’re--that’s the special costume!” she managed to squeak. She'd watched Hirotaka score 100 victories in a row to unlock it only a month or so ago after she'd mentioned liking the design.
She saw the figure’s eyes widen almost imperceptively, making the gold contact lenses he wore stand out. He’d really gone all out. His make-up was impeccable, contoured to exaggerate his underlying bone structure to the kind of beautiful perfection you could only find in 2D. Except...
“Did your heart skip a beat?” Hana’s playful voice tickled Narumi’s ear.
It had, and her stomach gave a small flip-flop for good measure as Hana’s words all but confirmed what she had only just realized.
“Hirotaka! This is why you were late?” Her cheeks felt like they must be burning bright red. Narumi swept her eyes over his face again, and as if to confirm that, yes, it really was him under that expert costume and make-up--Hana’s handiwork, without a doubt. But...she really hadn’t realized at first that this bishounen was her boyfriend.
“That’s right.” He flashed a V sign, his face seemingly as impassive as ever, but Narumi got the sense he was extremely pleased with himself. "Do you like it?"
"Well..." There was no use fighting it, but her voice was scarcely above a murmur when she spoke, suddenly feeling a little shy. "You look really cool."
"No need to hold back," Hana urged.
Narumi shifted the smartphone in her hand, fingers tapping nervously against the case. "Really cool," she repeated, watching his face. There, was that the hint of a smile pulling up the corners of his lips? She felt her blush begin to flare up again. Had he always been this handsome without his glasses? It must be the make-up...yet, now that she'd recognized him under the character, she found it hard to believe she hadn't realized right away. It was almost like the cosplay allowed her to see him with fresh eyes.
Narumi inhaled, trying to tamp down the fluttery feeling inside her chest. "C-can I take some pictures?"
Hana snorted, grabbing Narumi's phone from her hand. "Let me. You must want pictures of the two of you together, right?"
"No, I--!" She couldn't even get her protest out before Hirotaka wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. "Isn't this too close?"
In reply, Hirotaka took one of her hands, sending a little shiver of excitement down her spine. "No? We're dating, so it's okay. And this guy is a womanizer in the lore, so it won't sully the character." He paused. "Do you dislike it?
The question sounded oddly plaintive, and all Narumi's nervous protests went out the window. "No!" What was she even fighting against? It was normal to feel this kind of excited flutter sometimes with someone you liked, right? Maybe they'd just been friends for so long before they began dating, she wasn't used to feeling it with Hirotaka. It had only taken a little cosplay magic to stir it up.
She cuddled in against his chest for good measure as Hana snapped some pictures with her phone.
***
Narumi was grateful to see Hanako again after she’d finished packing up her table--not that there was much left to pack. She ran over to greet her, clinging to her arm. “Thank you, Hana-chan!”
Hana raised a brow. “Naru?”
Narumi gestured behind her, where Hirotaka was still surrounded by a few straggling fans looking for a picture with him. “He drew in such a big crowd! I’ve never sold out before!”
“Oh?” She lifted her chin a bit, smiling knowingly. “Well, I helped him with the cosplay, of course, but didn’t he tell you? It was Nifuji-kun’s idea in the first place. He asked me a few weeks ago if cosplay might help draw customers in to your table... I only convinced him to keep it a secret from you. It was more fun that way.”
Narumi glanced back to Hirotaka, who seemed to know to look up at just the right moment to meet her eyes, even though he wasn’t wearing his glasses. She felt that excited little shiver shoot down her spine again.
She turned to bow another quick thanks to Hana, then ran over to join her boyfriend.