episode_0042

I never imagined that I would ever wear Western armor in my life.

But that’s what happened today.

Following the instructions kindly enclosed in the box, I put on the armor.

Of course, the material of the armor was not solid iron, and it wasn’t as bulky as full-body armor, so I could easily put it on by myself.

Tying a fake sword and scabbard around my waist, carrying a small shield, and finally putting on a golden wig, I finished all the work.

After putting on everything, my impression was… like I had become the protagonist of a fantasy novel.

After neatly folding the changed clothes back into the box, I touched my head feeling awkward with the wig and pulled back the curtain of the dressing room.

When I safely left the dressing room in armor, the looks of the seniors who saw me were strange.

Clapping their hands while looking at me with blank eyes, it felt strange.

“….Uh, um.”

“Wow….”

“This, this is amazing. Junior.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine! I thought a character had come to life.”

It was fortunate that cosplay didn’t feel too strange, but it seemed okay after all.

“Well then, I’ll change and come out too.”

After admiring me for a moment, the head of the department picked up his clothes and went back into the dressing room where I had come out.

There was no point in just standing there, so I moved to my seat to wait for the head of the department.

Due to the armor, I sat a little uncomfortably in my seat, and Yuseol came over to me.

“It’s fascinating. Is this made of aluminum?”

Yuseol wondered about the material as she tapped the armor with her hand.

“It seems to be a similar type because it’s light.”

Nodding at my answer, Yuseol then turned her gaze to my hair.

“Uh, th-that…. Jin looks surprisingly good with blonde hair.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah…. It’s completely different from usual….”

Listening to Yuseol’s words, I also wanted to see myself once.

There wasn’t anything like a mirror in the club room, so I took out my phone and used the camera to look at myself.

Seeing a blonde knight in armor sitting in the classroom, and realizing that the guy in that state was me.

I felt awkward all over again.

Indeed, as Yuseol said, my appearance seemed to have changed with the hair….

Why do they say men look better with hair?

Because of this wig, my current appearance was that of a blonde punk knight.

Wouldn’t this have suited Yoon Jiwu better than me?

Feeling strangely uncomfortable, I took off the wig again and held it in my hand.

Although I could feel Yuseol’s disappointment beside me, the unfamiliar feeling of the wig made my head itch, so I couldn’t bear it any longer.

How long did I wait like that?

“Behold! The appearance of the genius wizard Irina!”

The voice of the head of the department came from behind the curtain of the dressing room.

Shhh-

With a lively gesture, the figure of the head of the department, who had opened the curtain, was revealed.

“Oh….”

A natural admiration came out of my mouth.

The wizard costume, similar to a uniform, suited the head of the department’s usual image very well.

It was the appearance of a beautiful witch wearing a pointed hat.

While changing clothes, had he also done his hair setting? Unlike usual, his wavy black hair was charming.

“Hehe. What do you think, have you fallen for me?”

“…Uh. That’s not it.”

“Eek! Then it’s no good. Crowds and Irina are lovers. Junior!”

…That’s what he meant by saying that.

Listening to the head of the department’s question, I felt embarrassed inside, realizing that I had been pretending to be cool by myself.

“Alright. Let’s strike a pose!”

Led by the head of the department, I stood side by side in front of the blackout curtain.

“Put the wig back on.”

“Yes.”

With three spectators watching us, we awkwardly struck a pose.

…In truth, I was the only one feeling awkward, while the head of the department was skillful.

Unlike me, the director was already an experienced cosplayer.

“You two look good together.”

The director muttered as he took a picture of us.

“Be a bit more proactive, juniors. Come on, come on.”

He wrapped his arm around me, striking a pose like lovers.

“Wow….”

Yuseol’s mouth hung open as she watched us.

Clearly, our actions of cosplaying and posing were too obvious and purposeful.

It wasn’t Seo Jin and Yura, but just a relationship between Crowd and Irina.

Perhaps due to the warmth coming from the director beside me, the awkwardness just wouldn’t fade.

“Wait, I’m still not used to this outfit.”

I made a feeble excuse and pulled away from the director.

Sensing my discomfort, the director chuckled and backed off playfully.

“Don’t be shy, junior. The festival is coming up soon, you know?”

“Still, can we take it a bit slower…. Please.”

I don’t understand why I should be more embarrassed.

Isn’t it usually the woman who shies away in these situations….

Of course, in the subculture world, it was impossible to say that to the director who was clearly enjoying himself.

And so, I suffered in cosplaying hell with the director for some time.

I began to worry if I would be able to perform properly on the day of the event. My stiff movements in the poses revealed my lack of practice.

“Haha, what’s wrong, Jina?”

“Um, are you usually not very physical, junior?”

Yuseol and the director laughed and expressed concern at my appearance.

Even I found my situation ridiculous.

“No, it’s not that…. It’s just a bit overwhelming for me. I’ll get used to it gradually.”

“Yes. You can practice more after the holidays.”

Practice….

“…Ah. Okay.”

The director’s eyes were full of anticipation.

I couldn’t bring myself to refuse him, receiving that look.

Realizing that quite some time had passed, I decided to change back into my uniform.

Since we finished early, it would be best to go and rest quickly.

“By the way, should I leave this outfit in the club room? Or should I take it with me for safekeeping?”

After changing back into my uniform, I pointed to the box of cosplay costumes.

“Oh. Seongho will take care of it for you.”

I listened to the director’s words.

In an instant, I vigorously searched my memory to remember who ‘Seongho’ was.

…Ah! The director’s name was Lim Seongho.

I’m sorry, Director. I didn’t remember your name well.

“Director?”

“Yes. Last year, Director Seongho took care of the maintenance of the cosplay costumes in the club.”

“I see.”

…So he wasn’t just watching anime all day.

In my mind, another task was added to the director’s responsibilities.

“Just leave it on the table. I’ll take care of it separately.”

After the director’s guidance, the director took out air freshener from his bag. He seemed to have prepared thoroughly.

“Yes. I’ll leave it to you.”

I placed the box of clothes on the table.

The cosplay costume check was done.

As I was getting ready to leave, I suddenly remembered the promise I made before coming here.

“Yuseol, senior.”

I called out to Yuseol to put my words into action.

“Oh! Me?”

“Yes.”

Yuseol looked surprised, as if she didn’t expect me to call her.

“Why? What’s up?”

“Are you free today? It’s about what we promised last time.”

Yuseol brightened up at my words.

“Finally found some time? You kept me waiting for so long.”

“I’m sorry….”

It was true that I had kept Yuseol waiting for a few days, so I apologized sincerely.

“Nah, it’s okay. You thought of it now and brought it up, so I should be thankful.”

Ugh. I made a casual remark and ended up getting heavily pressured by the sharp-tongued Yuseol.

Half of it seemed like a joke, but I knew I had to stay quiet and listen to what I did wrong.

After a while, Yuseol finally calmed down and came over to my side.

“It’s a bit late for lunch, but shall we go eat something?”

“Yes. What do you like?”

“Well……”

“Wait a minute!”

Suddenly, the director appeared, dressed in different clothes, and squeezed in between us.

I looked at the director with a puzzled expression.

“Why are you doing this, Director?”

“I, I’ll come along too.”

As the director finished speaking, Yuseol muttered something while locking eyes with him.

The director avoided Yuseol’s gaze.

“…What should we do, Senior?”

Since I was the one suggesting and Yuseol was the one who made the promise, I asked for Yuseol’s opinion.

Yuseol glanced back and forth between me and the director before nodding.

“Okay…. Let’s all eat together then.”

I asked the assistant director and the general affairs manager, who were sitting quietly, for their opinion.

After a moment of contemplation, they shook their heads.

“…I have work to do.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Unfortunately, they seemed busy even on a day like this.

It would have been nice to go together as a group for club camaraderie and to divert attention if two men joined the group, but oh well.

“Too bad. It’s a good opportunity for a club gathering.”

The assistant director commented after hearing my words.

“Haha…. Then let’s go for drinks after the cosplay event ends.”

“Ah…. Okay.”

….I ended up showing my disappointment for no reason, and now I had another commitment.

“Shall we go then?”

At Yuseol’s words, we cleared our seats and stood up.

We didn’t have a specific destination in mind, but well, we could think about it as we walked.