Prologue: The World Behind The Scenes
TL: Akabane
***
As long as we are in the cage called a classroom, we won't be able to escape the school caste.
If you confine children to a closed place, then it's only natural that they gather in groups that share the same hobbies and values and they will have a strange boundary between each of them.
"They are cooler than us." "They are lesser than us." and so on which will eventually create a vague heirarchy.
That transparent bond will give strong confidence to some, and curses to others.
Even in sports, soccer and basketball will have a very favorable impression, and it is not uncommon for baseball players to be considered higher caste than table tennis players.
Meanwhile, otaku hobbies are also increasingly accepted by society ...... however, it is only limited to manga lovers, but if it has entered the realm of idolizing, stalking voice actors or even becoming figure maniacs, then it has become another thing ...... the deeper they dig, the more they want to stay away from it.
Being a table tennis player or a figure maniac is actually not a sin. Because it's just a judgment from other people.
However, every single person in this world has no doubts about those baseless judgments. It's amazing that there is something that can make them all go with the flow.
It's a very beautiful thing even if not all is well. If that were the case, even having a dregs hobby would look cool in their eyes.
However, a hobby was not something that was determined by such calculations. It was a curse that you had to feel asphyxiated because of what you liked.
Well, I don't care if I'm on the opposite side. If you have a strong "determination" in you, then you won't care what they say.
No matter what other people think, the place where I stand now is where I belong.
....I wonder if I look cool saying all this?
Tsukigase Sou is a first-year student at a high school. He lives firmly and quietly while carrying a heavy burden because of his hobby that feels like a curse.
***
"Sou, we're going to karaoke."
After school, when I was about to leave the classroom, I stopped because someone called me.
When I looked back, all my classmates still stayed in the classroom.
The person who called me was my friend, Naoya Koseki. He was a little shorter than me, and his floppy hair naturally caught my attention. It was because when he came to school this morning, his hair was upright.
I told him that there was white powder floating in his hair due to excessive waxing. Upon hearing that, he rushed to the restroom to clean his hair and came back soaking wet.
The whole class burst out laughing at his appearance, but it was a heartwarming laugh, and not out of malice.
"That's why you shouldn't wax too much."
When I said that, he smiled embarrassedly, and laughter ensued. This was the spring episode of my youth of high school.
He was a character who was easy to joke with and was well-liked by both the sunny and the gloomy.
He was one of my closest friends.
"Going to karaoke? Is this some kind of social gathering? I didn't hear about this before."
Even though it was only a few weeks after the school entrance ceremony, there was already a very clear circle forming in the classroom.
I didn't want to go to karaoke where everyone participated. If I sang the theme song of Ohako XVIII's "Star Dust Legends" and "Cosmolilical Angel Luna & Stella" everyone would definitely freeze.
What was the point of participating in karaoke if you couldn't sing your favorite songs freely?
"I have some business to attend to, so I asked permission not to participate."
"Wait a minute! ...You'd better come with us now."
Naoya whispered to persuade me.
"That's because Hoshino-san suggested it."
"Hoshino-san? Why would she, a top caste person, propose that?"
"I don't ...... know, but she said she wanted to interact more with everyone in her class."
A party that transcends caste boundaries was organized by the "Ice Empress"?
I tried to look at the back of the class. Then, our eyes met.
While most of the girls were chatting with each other as if they didn't care about me... she was staring at me.
Our two eyes sucked each other in which made the whole class seem to fade away because of it.
Shiori Hoshino, the charismatic girl who rules the top of this high school. The reason why she is the top is because she is beautiful and stylish. It's really amazing.
With black hair and mysterious eyes, her appearance fits the phrase 'beautiful girl who is cool'.
She wore a men's jacket with a spring border pattern, but her lower body was a soft and feminine skirt. The balance was very stylish, and I could feel a natural atmosphere in the fashion she wore.
Our high school actually has a school uniform, but we are also allowed to come to school in casual clothes. The status of the students here is judged by the clothes they wear to school.
Stylish = Fighting power, so they would all compete with each other in terms of fashion.
But on the contrary, I, who didn't care about that common sense, always wore the school uniform every day, or in other words, I was a virtuous mob.
In this high school, the school uniform is the identity of the class NPCs.
Hoshino smiled and waved her hand at me.
......Wait a minute? Did she just wave her hand at me?
Apparently, no one else saw that gesture. Did I just hallucinate?
"You'd better come with us. In this high school, you won't be able to survive if you fight the Ice Empress..."
Naoya whispered to me in a surprising tone. But, there can't be such absolute power.
"I really have business to do. I'm not trying to run away with an excuse like that."
Once again, I glanced at her. And she was still looking at me.
I felt like I was being stared at with passionate eyes.
So, with my back to her, I became the only person to walk out of the classroom.
***
I came to school by bicycle, but I only rode it to the station, not home. I parked my bike at the station and passed several stations by taking the train. I crossed from Saitama to Tokyo and got off at Ikebukuro.
I heard that the elites in the class would come all the way to this station just to buy clothes, but... my purpose for coming to this station was certainly not to visit a clothing store.
I exited the deserted alley and descended into the dimly lit basement beneath the small buildings that high schoolers wouldn't likely go to. ....... When I opened the heavy door, a light shone out. From within that light, a girl ran up to me.
"You're late, Onii-chan!"
"It's still even 10 minutes before the meeting time."
I felt relieved after checking the clock on my phone. Fortunately, I had arrived on time.
"But! You came later than me!"
This girl was my step-sister, Tsukigase Manaka, who was still in middle school. A year younger than me.
Although she was short, her appearance was very attractive. Her face was very small but her legs were long. And her eyes were big and sparkling. Since she's my step-sister, we don't look alike, but she's still a beautiful girl who looks as if she came out of an anime world.
Her face is also artist-like as she easily expresses her emotions.
I took the DSLR camera from my bag and left my bag there. I didn't want to carry unnecessary luggage.
Manaka, whose school finished early, brought a large backpack from home. Everything she needed was already in it.
The two of us, stepped into the room that had been reserved. It was a photoshoot studio specializing in cosplay.
"Now, let's start ..... and finish as soon as possible."
When I opened the costume bag, I found my homemade costume folded inside.
It had taken months to make, and it was only a few days ago that it was finally finished. However, cosplay cannot be completed with just a costume. We still need a suitable theme and the right stage.
"Take this." I said, handing the costume to Manaka.
Manaka accepts it with a short, "Yoo." and then turns her back to me and starts changing.
This place was the type of studio that didn't have changing rooms, and that wasn't a problem for us since we were brother and sister.
Meanwhile, I was busy checking my makeup kit....
"Already, Onii-chan!"
Manaka who had finished changing her costume brought her face closer to me.
Her hair was neatly arranged with ornaments. This ornament is a tool for styling real hair in order to wear a wig.
"Yosh...."
I picked up the makeup tool and poured my energy into it.
Doing makeup was also part of my job. I was responsible for further accentuating her cuteness today and exposing her mature aura.
Is there anything more fun than this?
My hobby that I couldn't tell my classmates about was turning my beautiful step-sister into a more beautiful "masterpiece".
I applied makeup to Manaka's fair skin that she had nothing to hide. Her bigger eyes made her features even more visible.
The natural beauty of anime girls alone wouldn't be able to fulfill my fantasy. Therefore, I had to do it with my own hands. That's cosplay.
All the things about my classmates, caste, the karaoke party that should be going on right now and Hoshino's mysterious behavior all disappeared from my mind while I was doing this.
With props for rent, the interior of the studio became even more crowded. I carefully adjusted the contrast of light intensity and the direction of some lights to create the ideal feel.
In the center of the stage, Manaka, who had transformed into a fairy that eliminated the boundaries between 2D and 3D, began to act.
My step sister at this moment is probably the most beautiful person in the world.
Without missing a moment, I turned off the shutter of my DSLR camera and started shooting.
The photos I took by retouching will be further coordinated with editing software... and then, they will be spread on the internet under the cosplay name "Romana Managuchi", two cosplayers who are brother and sister.
Currently, we are one of the most famous cosplayers in Japan, whose name shines beautifully in the dark world.
Yes, I've had enough of that.
A normal high school life or a bright youth, I never thought about a future where I had to worry about things like finding a girlfriend or something.
0 Comments