“Oh, Jun, I should probably tie your hair first.”
“All yours.”
Kai realized that she’d just need to swap wigs to change characters if her hair was tied in advance, so Jun went along with his suggestion. But at that moment, something flared up deep within Kotobuki’s eyes.
“Nakamura, may I ask that you tie my hair as well?”
“I wouldn’t mind...but Kotobuki, I could have sworn that you were plenty capable of doing that on your own.” After all, Kotobuki had changed her hairstyle with stunning prowess many times during their first cosplay photo shoot two weeks ago.
“Not at all. My mother does that for me.”
“Um.”
“My mother does that for me.”
“She’s right, Kai. She’s not switching to a hairstyle she uses all the time. This one’s hard to tie on your own.”
“Well, sure, I’ll just go with that.”
First, Kai put Jun’s hair into a tight bun and fastened it with a hairpin. Next, he nervously went to help Kotobuki, whose lovely hair was so long that it reached her lap. It was just as silky and fragrant as Jun’s hair. Kotobuki seemed just a bit pleased with herself.
Once he finished tying the girls’ hair, Kai went to a different room to change. First, he applied the natural makeup style that Jun had drilled into him. It felt a bit strange every time he did it, almost like the made-up face in the mirror was somehow not his own. However, you could say that hint of surrealism fit perfectly with a hobby as luxurious as cosplaying. Jun and Kotobuki said they were even planning to use fake eyelashes and color contacts. Kai didn’t want to go that far, though; he’d never used contacts anyway and was scared of putting things in his eyes.
Once his makeup was done, it was time to put on a costume, starting with a group DanMachi cosplay. He pulled up his white pants and fastened his deep brown boots. Next, he donned the kimono-like cloak that flared out like a skirt at the bottom. Once he tied the blue scarf around his neck and put on the bright red wig, he was finished. He was now dressed as the main character, Bell...’s partner, Welf the blacksmith.
He liked Bell, sure, but he liked Welf even more. Welf was a loose cannon, but was also a diamond in the rough. His relationship with Hephaestus was OTP-tier too.
“H-Hm... It looks like I’m dressed up for a shrine visit. I don’t seem like a loose cannon or a diamond in the rough to me.”
Well, it was all in the emotion! He just had to have fun! He had to have more confidence in his appearance than normal!!! And so, Kai solemnly swore not to make himself depressed by comparing himself to Jun or Kotobuki.
He headed toward the western-style living room where they agreed to gather. It was a good twenty square meters wide and was devoid of furniture besides the fluorescent light that hung from the ceiling like a chandelier, making it the perfect scenery for western fantasy characters. Kai was the first to arrive. It seemed like getting ready took more time for women.
While he was alone, Kai decided to get into the character of Ignis the Everburning by posing, casting the Will o’ Wisp spell, chanting “Blasphemous Burn,” and generally having fun with it. Welf was known for his stupidly huge sword, but that was naturally a bit difficult to prepare, so Kai had to settle for going barehanded. Instead, his mind raced to the scene where Welf backed up Bell by casting Will o’ Wisp and he got lost in re-enacting it. Until he heard someone coming, of course, at which point he quickly stopped.
“I’m ready, Nakamura.”
“Huh? Where’s Jun?”
“She’s still taking her time changing. I offered to help, but she suggested I go on ahead.”
It made sense that Kotobuki would have the edge in speed when it was only Jun’s first time cosplaying. Incidentally, Kotobuki’s first costume today was the Hestia outfit Kai saw two weeks ago. And two weeks later, she was still just as cute. Her bust was again stuffed full with four pads and her blue ribbon was hard to miss.
“How does your costume feel?” asked Kotobuki while Kai was lost in his admiration.
“Ah. Totally fine. It’s easy to move in.”
“Excellent to hear. My mother admitted that she cut a few corners in crafting these costumes since they weren’t meant for everyday use.”
“This is cutting corners? Well, it’s plenty fine for me.” Pros were something else.
“Also...”
“What is it, Kotobuki?” Kai tilted his head at Kotobuki, who seemed to try to say something but couldn’t find the words. Her eyes darted around as she slowly pieced a sentence together.
“Y-Y-Y-You, You look...very nice in that.”
“Ah... Ha ha... Thank you very much.” It was Kai’s first cosplay, so he appreciated the compliment, even if it was obligatory. He also felt incredibly bashful.
“Y-You’re very welcome...” Even the person who gave Kai the compliment was turning beet-red.
Wait, this is bad! Kai realized. If Jun stepped in and saw a scene like this, he’d die of embarrassment. He had to change the mood.
“Anyway, I wanna get some use out of this lighting while we’ve got it, so how about we take some test shots?”
Kai started talking like an expert cameraman. Part of it was a joke to lighten the atmosphere, and part of it was an extension of the acting that his cosplay allowed him to do. No part of it involved having the knowledge or skill he claimed, though, so he pointed his smartphone at Kotobuki and pressed the shutter button on a whim.
“Miss Model, you seem a bit stiff. Maybe stick out your chest a bit more?”
“D-Don’t make fun of me!”
Kotobuki objected, but she was undeniably stiff. It figured that the first hurdle would be for her to get over her embarrassment. Despite the fact that the moneymaker of a Hestia costume was how boldly it exposed the wearer’s cleavage (according to Kai), Kotobuki was hunched over and covered her chest with her arms. Kai wondered if she was embarrassed to have them looked at even though it was all padding, but he obviously didn’t have the guts to ask. DanMachi’s Hestia was known for being a bundle of cheer and an emotional rock for everyone else, which Kotobuki couldn’t even pretend to be...not that she could pretend to have the proportions either.