Work Text:
This is so embarrassing…
When Emu said she had a job for me with mascots, I thought she meant I would work around them, not…
Ugh… At least it pays well… I guess. But I’m starting to wonder if my pride is really starting to crumble and melt under the sun for a few easy bucks. Well, it’s too late to second-guess myself. Only… seven hours and 59 minutes to go.
Morning was fine. Morning was delightful actually, I should’ve been more grateful because now that it’s midday, the sun is at its zenith, which means that I will die. For being so rich, you’d think Phoenix Wonderland would install ventilation in mascot suits, but apparently not. Or maybe Emu found a spare suit without thinking of the outcome. Either way, I might actually just combust instantaneously. I’m sweating so much I would fit right in the ocean themed rides. But no, I’m stuck in this cycle of waving and smiling and waving and smiling and… oh my god, I’m wearing a mascot head… People can’t even see me smile. Oh well…
The park is starting to get busier by the second. Saturdays… Every now and then, people make their way to the Wonder Stage, indicating that Wonderlands x Showtime is holding yet another representation of their show. And I’ll have to wait until my shift is over to go see it.
“Maybe I should sue Emu,” I say to myself, laughing, before I feel my head launch forward. I turn around in my stupidly large costume to see Emu standing there, her hands on her hips.
“Shiho! No complaining! You’re supposed to be all nico nico and fuwa fuwa!”
“Sorry, sorry,” I reply, laughing. Good thing she can’t see me rolling my eyes at her, I don’t even want to imagine what she would do to me if she did. Double shift, unpaid overtime… Yikes…
The day goes on without much of a hitch. It could be a lot worse. The heat has started to die down with the sun setting. The crowd slowly switched from kids and families to high-schoolers as time went on. Kamiyama and Miyamasuzaka uniforms fill the area. I see Kohane running with An to catch the upcoming Wonderlands x Showtime representation. Ichika, Saki, and Honami walk by me and wave. All three of them knew I would be here today, and, maybe out of pity, they decided to give me a little company. Honami even brought me iced tea. Man, what would I do without them… Even in the short five minutes they spent with me, they made my day better. As we wave goodbye (after Saki took plenty of pictures with me for blackmail), I continue to analyze my surroundings. Minori and her group are in the park doing a livestream…
WHAT?!
Oh no… This is bad… Haruka told me they would be vlogging their day, but I didn’t think it’d be here! Of all places! And I’m dressed up as Phenny the Phoenix, waving stupidly to people as they walk by. Oh god, this is where I die…
As I expected, when Haruka notices me, or rather the mascot, she squeals, most likely overwhelmed by cuteness. She runs over to me, frantically asking for a picture. Oh, how I would love to just hug her and maybe also sob in her arms because I’m stuck in this idiotic attire that is probably going to be the death of me in about two to three hours.
But I am unable to speak. Mascot’s duty. And also for my remaining pride.
Instead, I just wave both of my arms in the air as if to say yes. I can say in full confidence that Haruka just melted at that gesture. She’s probably seconds away from bursting into tears of joy.
Phenny may be a phoenix, but he has all the attributes of a penguin: a round body, small wings, round eyes. It adds to the charm, especially when your name is Haruka Kiritani and you love penguins. Now that I’m really thinking about it, this small job does have its perks… given the right conditions, of course. And those conditions are seeing my girlfriend fangirling over the costume I’m wearing.
Haruka positions herself in front of me, I’m waving around my little wings, the best pose I can afford to do with this very limited range of motions. Next to me, Haruka is making a little heart shape with her hands. Her idol shine is definitely shining as bright as ever, turning heads from passersby. Minori starts taking a picture, then two, then what probably ends up being a hundred. She’s snapping shots from all angles, even lying stomach down on the ground. I can help but chuckle a little, albeit slightly too loud. It’s typical Minori, going above and beyond for the ones she loves. Upon hearing my laugh, Haruka turns to me and looks at the mascot. But this time, rather than looking at the mascot’s eyes, I feel like she’s staring straight through the mesh-covered holes that let me see. Her gaze fixed on my eyes, she smiles at me before acting as if nothing happened. Seems like spontaneous combustion was a lot closer than I thought it would be. I feel my face heating up so quickly that it might actually be on fire. Oh, she definitely knows…
And to top it all off, Airi has been broadcasting this entire interaction to the entirety of the More More Jump! fanbase. Please, please, please, let me stay anonymous. Haruka hugs the mascot before joining the rest of her group. She turns to me one last time and smiles before leaving, reappearing on the livestream. I gaze at her for a few seconds before being quickly pulled behind the Wonder Stage by none other than Emu.
“You did great!” she practically yells at me. “Maybe I should hire you full-time!”
“Absolutely not,” I quickly retort, taking the mascot head off, then the suit. I’m wearing a simple undershirt and some shorts, but I’m still somehow drenched in sweat. I grab a towel that’s nearby and dab at the droplets of sweat on my face.
Emu looks at me for a second. “That’s Tsukasa’s,,,” she whispers to me as my face drops.
I don’t remember ever being so glad to finally be at home. I arrived before Shizuku, so I can easily sneak into my room without being bombarded with questions. After changing into my pyjamas, I lie down on my blankets and take my phone in my hands. After replying to the few messages I got that day, I open More More Jump!’s last published stream and scroll through the video until I find the moment where I took a picture with Haruka. I replay the same part a few times, enough to permanently engrave it in my mind. Not like I was going to forget it anytime soon… The segment is on its sixth replay when a notification pops up from the top of my screen. It’s from Haruka…
And there it is again. I bury my face in my pillows to hide my reddening cheeks from the watchful eyes of absolutely no one. And inadvertently, I start kicking my feet. It’s a natural reaction…