As much as I hated to admit it, Kokoro looked stunning whenever she wore otaku-approved clothes. A lot of people would be ready to look past her rough personality and fujoshi hobbies on behalf of how attractive she looked.
Well, she can be rough, but she’s a good girl, to be honest, and she even likes anime and games aimed at guys. If she started always wearing this kind of thing instead of all that flashy gyaru stuff she usually goes for, any otaku she met would treat her like a princess... Wait, why am I coming up with all these good things to say about her?
“Um... What’s with the silence? You trying not to laugh or something?! Ugh, I knew it! This is way too cutesy for me, isn’t it? I look like a total otaku-digger... Hah, I mean, I’d never wear something like this in front of my friends,” Kokoro said.
“I think my brother is just at a loss for words because of how cute you look,” Kisaki commented.
“I-It’s not...! I...! I was just thinking that it’s, you know... apt! Very apt! Any otaku guy will love it! You should definitely go with that!” I chokingly replied, mincing my words while trying to object to Kisaki’s (correct) theory.
“Seriously? I thought it was too obvious. In that case, I’m glad I bought it! Then I wonder how I should style my hair... Since it’s gonna be hot and all that, I’ve gotta tie it up, but—”
“Wh-What about a ponytail?!” I interrupted.
“Huh?”
“It’s just that, um, a lot of otaku guys like ponytails, so...” I explained.
“Oh, I didn’t know that! Huh. That’s perfect then! I just hope my hair won’t get too messed up under the wig by the time the event is over,” she replied.
Kisaki looked at her, surprised. “You’re not... going to go out with that Toppo cosplayer after Comiket?!”
“Oh, no, I haven’t asked him out or anything. B-But maybe with some luck...”
“Ah, I see...” Kisaki replied, smiling oddly at her friend’s overeagerness. Thinking about her hairstyle before telling her crush that she wanted to have dinner with him did seem a bit backwards. I couldn’t imagine Kokoro doing something so brazen as actively asking that guy out, which meant that all of this effort could very well end up being for nothing.
“I’m gonna wear a pair of cute heeled sandals to go with the sundress...” Kokoro said to herself.
“Heeled sandals?! Are you out of your mind?!” I asked, shocked. “Wearing anything but sneakers to Comiket is suicide! At least, if you have to go with sandals, go with ones that don’t have heels!”
“But none of my flat sandals fit this dress...”
“Look, it’s going to be slightly better than usual since we don’t have to line up, but even then, we’re talking about Comiket. The place we’ll be at is called the Big Sight Exhibition Center for a reason. Forget about the heels, and try to choose comfortable shoes for your cosplay too,” I told her.
“I mean, at least the shoes that go with my cosplay don’t have heels, so that should be fine. But, since you put it like that, I’ll choose some flats for the dress too,” she replied, easily convinced.
This was going to be Kokoro’s first time at Comiket, so she probably didn’t have any idea yet, but if she prioritized fashion over function, she was going to be in for a lot of foot pain.
“I think that’s about it for the preparations! I’m super pumped already! I bet I won’t be able to sleep tonight!” Kokoro squealed.
Kisaki, on the other hand, remained strangely silent. She was probably nervous about her first time selling her doujinshi at such a large event.
I needed to mentally prepare myself too, since there was quite a bit of shopping that I needed to get done while I was there, even though I’d also have to help with the booth. And yet my mind still wandered back to a certain someone who I’d be seeing for the first time in weeks—Elena.
The last time I saw her had been at Wonder Festival, when she kind of, maybe, possibly confessed to me, and I hadn’t spoken to her at all since. There’d been nothing else on my mind lately. She had asked me to forget about it, so maybe she’d just pretend like it had never happened when we saw each other.
But what if she confesses again?! I guess the first time wasn’t a confession per se, but she strongly implied that she liked me...
I was nervous about seeing Elena... but I was also looking forward to it.