Ch.114Episode 23. Comic World (5)

I turned my eyes to the right. There are a lot of people.

Then I turned to the left. This side is crowded too.

Damn it. There’s no place without people wherever I go.

I’m already dying of embarrassment because of this outfit. Passersby look us up and down as they walk past me and Gu Yeonhwa standing side by side.

It might be expected since we’re at an event venue, but in this utterly confusing situation, there was only one thing I could say.

“…This is insane.”

“It certainly is insane. Do you see those characters at the booth?!”

Gu Yeonhwa tugs at my coat repeatedly as she shouts. As if the crowd doesn’t even register to her, she’s jumping up and down while looking at the merchandise displayed at the booth.

Unable to contain her excitement, she clasps her hands together and says almost tearfully:

“Hwaaa~! I’m so glad we came here…!”

“Excuse me.”

While I was watching Gu Yeonhwa’s admiration, two women cautiously approached and spoke to us.

“Are you by any chance Yuuki and Kana from ‘World-Destroying Witch’?”

World-Destroying Witch?

As I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding what they meant, Gu Yeonhwa clapped her hands and nodded her head up and down repeatedly.

“Oh. You recognize us!”

Judging by the atmosphere and nuance, “World-Destroying Witch” seemed to be an abbreviation of “There’s a witch who will destroy the world hidden among the heroines.”

They really abbreviate everything these days.

“Of course!”

As I stood a step back watching their otaku conversation, their attention suddenly turned to me.

“Y-you’re so handsome. It’s like seeing Yuuki in real life.”

“Thank you.”

Being called handsome was clearly a compliment, but I wasn’t sure whether I should be happy about being compared to a character.

Still, since it was a compliment, I smiled and expressed my gratitude.

“Hmph!”

Listening to the conversation beside me, Gu Yeonhwa seemed elated as she made a snorting sound and proudly raised her nose. It was as if she was asking if she hadn’t done a good job with the cosplay.

I pretended not to see and turned my head away.

“Ah, would it be okay if we took a picture?”

“Here it comes. Photo time.”

“…Can I refuse?”

I whispered in Gu Yeonhwa’s ear so that the people in front couldn’t hear.

“No, of course not.”

As I frowned, the women standing blankly in front of us looked cautious. I swallowed a sigh and nodded.

“Yes. It’s fine to take pictures.”

The women’s expressions brightened at my consent.

“Would you mind moving to a different location?”

“No. Please take it as we are. We need to take just a few photos and then go buy merchandise right away.”

Gu Yeonhwa made a gun shape with her thumb and index finger, pointing toward the booth. The women responded with an “Ah~” as if they understood.

“Then could you strike a pose for us?”

At the woman’s words, Gu Yeonhwa subtly moved closer to me and said:

“Oppa. Oppa.”

“Yes?”

“Take out your gun and pose like you’re pulling the slide. Turn your head slightly.”

“…What?”

“I told you we need to pose for the photo shoot. Hurry, hurry!”

I looked at her with displeasure but then took the gun out of my holster. I posed as if I was pulling the slide as she said.

Gu Yeonhwa smiled with satisfaction and struck a pose holding her witch’s weapon, a staff with a blue jewel embedded in it.

She looked quite familiar with it. Without hesitation, she took her position, and the smile disappeared from her face. She put on a cold, indifferent expression.

I wondered just how serious she was about this cosplay…

“I’m taking the picture now.”

The two women began their photo shoot.

With each click of the camera, my sense of shame gradually rose, but I desperately killed my embarrassment with a thick skin on my face.

“Wow… amazing.”

The women who finished taking photos covered their mouths and admired the pictures on their phones.

“But don’t they look even better in person than in photos?”

“I’ll send you the pictures. Could you write down your email for me?”

One of the women held out a notepad and pen as if she was used to this. Gu Yeonhwa quickly took it and started writing.

“Here’s my email.”

“Um… by any chance.”

While Gu Yeonhwa was writing down her email and returning it, one of the women approached me and gently started a conversation.

“Yes?”

“Do you have any social media accounts? With this level of quality, I’d expect you to have tens of thousands of followers.”

Social media, huh.

There wasn’t much difference between social media in that world and this one. If there was any difference, it might be that the main content on social media here was about heroes.

“Hmm. Do you do that kind of thing?”

“Ah… I created an account. But I’ve never posted anything.”

Well, Gu Yeonhwa was always focused on her mother, so other people’s attention probably wasn’t important to her.

Even when she was in high school, she acted like she had chuunibyou syndrome and came to school without wearing her uniform—all those strange behaviors were to attract Michel’s attention.

She was so lonely that she considered even irritation and anger directed at her as a form of attention.

Come to think of it, it’s impressive she made it to the Academy despite doing such things.

…Is that why she ended up in the special class?

“I made it just to see other people’s reviews after going to Comic World.”

“I see.”

“That’s too bad. If you ever start using social media, would you contact me through the email I’ll send the photos to? I’ll definitely follow you.”

“Haha. I’ll have to think about that. Thanks for your interest.”

Gu Yeonhwa glanced at me as she answered. She probably couldn’t give a definite answer because she wasn’t sure if I would cosplay again or not.

The women sighed briefly in disappointment, thanked us, and left.

“I wonder how the photos will turn out?”

The photos weren’t really important.

I was already getting tired from the energy of all these people. I almost would have preferred fighting villains.

“Who knows.”

“It’s a relief though. They don’t seem to have recognized us.”

“But if these photos get out there, won’t people eventually find out?”

“That’s possible, but what’s wrong with being a fan? It’s not a crime that needs to be hidden. There are many otaku among heroes too.”

“They’re probably not the same kind of hardcore otaku as you.”

“I told you I’m not a hardcore otaku…!”

“Anyway, shouldn’t we buy the merchandise now? Won’t they sell out if we just stand here?”

I said this while glancing at the people who were hesitantly approaching us. It was a suggestion I made because I felt like all my energy would be drained if we kept taking photos continuously.

“Ah! You’re right! Let’s go quickly!”

“…I’ll wait over there. You go buy them.”

“No way.”

“Why?”

To voluntarily go into that crowd? Isn’t that crazy?

Honestly, I didn’t like it. Not only would it be hot in the middle of the crowd, but there was also a subtle smell of sweat.

It was obvious that my fatigue would increase rapidly, so what good would come from going in there?

“Can’t you just buy it and come back?”

“No. Today, our concept is… y-you know, ‘lovers’…”

As her shyness increased, so did the strength with which she gripped my coat. Deep wrinkles formed in the fabric.

Ah. So that’s the concept she’s going for.

It seemed she wanted to be thorough since we were already doing this. I didn’t mind playing along, but it seemed a bit excessive. Or was she secretly hoping for such a relationship?

Either way, it would be more fun to go along with her wishes, so I decided to comply. Even if it would be a bit tiring.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“Hehe. Yes!”

She didn’t let go of my clothes as she led me into the crowd.

She seemed to have researched the booths in advance, as she had been staring at her phone intently while we were waiting in line. There was no hesitation in her steps.

“Be careful not to get lost.”

“The hall layout seems simple enough that getting lost shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

And even if we did get separated, we could just call each other.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m saying don’t let yourself get pushed around by various people when I’m not there.”

“Pushed around? Would that happen?”

“The reason you suggested looking at merchandise in the first place was because you were worried other people would ask to take photos, right?”

Oops, she caught me.

As I gave a bitter smile at Gu Yeonhwa’s words, a person approached us from the side. This time it was a man.

“Excuse me. Would it be okay if I took a picture?”

“I’m sorry. Right now we want to look at the merchandise first. I’ll ask you later.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Gu Yeonhwa lightly dismissed the man and continued leading me.

I quietly looked at her hand gripping my coat, then tapped it gently like I did at the movie theater.

“Eek! W-what are you doing?”

She turned around, startled. She rubbed the hand I had tapped, looking puzzled.

“Don’t hold onto my clothes, hold my hand. We’re ‘lovers,’ right?”

“…Ah. Huh? Is, is that so? Really…?”

Gu Yeonhwa, stuttering like a broken cat, hesitated as she looked at my hand. She had no problem clinging to me when measuring my size, but holding hands seemed different.

Thinking it was an odd boundary for skinship, I grabbed her hand.

“And this seems safer too.”

“Y-yes, it does.”

“Let’s go.”

As I took the first step, Gu Yeonhwa’s hand holding mine tightened.

There’s no need to be so tense. If you act like that, it just makes me want to tease you.

* * *

“This is insane! Insane…!”

When it was her turn, she kept exclaiming in admiration while looking around the booth. All the while, she didn’t let go of my hand.

“I’ll take this Yuuki and Kana wall scroll, and the acrylic stand, and also… the card holder too.”

She picks items non-stop like someone buying thousand-won throwaway clothes at a market. While I was chuckling at her incredible impulse buying, the staff member spoke:

“So you’re cosplaying as Kana, right? From World-Destroying Witch.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And this gentleman is Yuuki, correct?”

“…Yes.”

“Wow. You two really match well, not awkward at all. I’m envious that you have a partner who shares your hobby.”

The booth staff complimented us while looking at our joined hands. Gu Yeonhwa smiled broadly and didn’t deny being a couple. With that, I became certain of one thing:

If I confessed to Gu Yeonhwa, she would absolutely not reject me.

While I was lost in thought, she finished her purchase and happily smiled at the shopping bag full of merchandise.

“These postcards are a bonus. Please visit us again next time.”

“Ah! Of course! Thank you so much!”

The staff smiled and put several postcards into the shopping bag. Gu Yeonhwa bowed her head deeply in thanks.

“Now, let’s go to other places too!”

“You’re really excited.”

I followed her obediently, laughing at her even higher tension than when we were browsing the subculture store.