episode_0065

Saturday.

A happy day when the weekdays end and the weekend begins.

… If it were like usual, I would have had a normal, enjoyable weekend, but today was different.

I forced myself to skip breakfast, which made me feel uncomfortable for some reason, and got ready to go out.

It’s not easy. really… .

I thought that as I lived for a long time, I experienced all sorts of things.

I never thought I would have to go to a coursers’ off-campus gathering.

It seems that the urging is in full swing as the cell phone is already buzzing.

I barely managed to take steady steps and move out of the house.

The sky was so blue and sunny that I didn’t notice it.

Even if it rains, it pours down.

Even as I was heading to the meeting place, the manager continued to text me.

I said several times that I was really going, but I guess I wasn’t very trustworthy.

… Even though I showed a lot of things that I didn’t like, I kept everything I said.

When I arrived at the meeting place, everyone had already arrived.

Everyone around me goes early.

When I saw the group waving at me, I bowed my head and hurried over.

“You are here. Junior!”

“Yes.”

The manager seemed to be dissatisfied with my indifferent attitude and patted me on the back.

“Self. Straighten your shoulders!”

“…But what do we do when we get together?“

I had never heard of an off-group meeting doing anything, so I had doubts.

“Usually there is nothing special. Just get together and talk and exchange some information… . But this time, I especially! I have a favor to ask of those attending the meeting.”

“What is your favor?”

“This is coaching from my junior. Hehehe. Were you moved?“

no.

I swallowed the dissatisfaction that I couldn’t bring myself to express out loud.

okay. Well, all you have to do is think positively and have a good experience.

When will you ever properly cosplay in your life?

… … .

He forced himself to comfort me.

Unlike me, who was dead, the manager, Yoo Seol, and the other two men seemed quite excited.

By the way, it looks like my costume is in that suitcase that the vice-president is holding.

The costume was quite bulky due to the armor, but I managed to fit it in.

“Then let’s go. It’s a little early, but there’s nothing wrong with going early.”

We followed the manager to catch the train.

The location of this meeting was somewhere in Seoul.

Perhaps because it was my first time in Seoul, I was half nervous and half excited.

I know it won’t be much different, but it’s still interesting. It’s been a while too.

Fortunately, the fictional new town we are in, which is the setting of the romantic comedy novel, is located in the metropolitan area, so we were able to head to Seoul relatively easily.

“Mmm~ Seoul air!”

… It doesn’t really feel that different.

Unlike me, who was thinking deeply about the sentiment, Yoo Seol was excited and ran around the platform.

When I look at her like that, I look like a high school girl of that age.

I followed the manager and saw the meeting place he had posted.

“… … . Manager?”

“Yes? Why are you calling me? Junior?”

“… … Isn’t this a bar?”

I was dumbfounded to see that the meeting place was so proudly designated as a pub.

“Umm~ We are minors, but the others are adults. Well, isn’t it okay to go in and out?“

is it?

Other people didn’t seem to care much either.

I hope you don’t say that I thought like an old man.

Don’t you usually feel strange? .

We naturally arrived at the pub and entered the building with the manager leading us.

When it was time to go in, Yuseol cuddled up next to me as if she was scared for no reason.

rattle-

The alarm bell on the door rang, revealing the inside of the store.

I saw a clean interior and counter.

At the counter, a beautiful, cold-looking employee was wiping cups.

Also, it looks like there are a few tables further back.

One of the tables was filled with gorgeous-looking women.

At the sound coming from the door, their eyes turned to us, and one of them raised her hand and waved at the manager who was in the lead.

“Kya~ Arara! Here here~”

… … Ah, ‘Arara’?

… Come to think of it, the manager’s nickname was ‘Arara’.

As I followed the manager closer to the table, I began to clearly see the faces of the women sitting around the table.

The three women were talking, each with a glass of beer in front of them.

… … I’ve been drinking since daytime, no, almost since morning.

We moved to the table next to us, sat down and exchanged greetings with each other.

A short-haired woman who looked overflowing with energy even at first glance, who called out to the manager and actively waved her hand. … Nickname is ‘Yumi’.

Next to them are two small women who look like twins. The nicknames are ‘Aro’ and ‘Haro’.

All three looked like college students.

As we were chatting, an employee standing at the counter brought us sausages that seemed to be a snack.

“It’s been a while since Jenna.”

“Hello.”

… Surprisingly, that person was also a participant in this meeting.

The person named Qi went back to the counter and watched us with his chin resting.

“… No alcohol. I don’t want to quit the business.”

… … I don’t drink it.

Jenna told me that she had misunderstood something from my gaze.

By the way, when I heard him speak, he seemed to be the owner of this pub.

That’s amazing. He looks so young, but he runs such a cool pub in the middle of Seoul.

I picked up a sausage and ate it while watching the manager and the cosplayers exchange greetings.

“Oh.”

This is pretty delicious.

I was curious about what product it was.

… I didn’t have the courage to ask, though.

I glanced to the side and saw that not only me, but the other three also had sausages in their mouths and their eyes were wide.

It’s moderately salty as a side dish, plump on the outside and soft on the inside, and the juicy, umami flavor spreads in your mouth.

ah. Yeah, this is… . It tastes like beer.

I internally shed bloody tears thinking about the alcohol I could not drink due to the age of my new body.

“So, is this the partner you were talking about?”

“Ah, hehe… . yes. therefore… . It’s Seojin!”

… Am I Seojin?

Even though it was a nickname, it was similar to my name so I was glad I didn’t feel uncomfortable hearing it. If I had a nickname like Lotteria Ketchup Thief, I would have been very embarrassed.

Anyway, I bowed my head in greeting as all eyes were focused on me.

“Hello.”

After my greeting, there was a moment of silence.

After a while, Jenna, who was standing at the counter, muttered something absently.

“… … The end?”

“… … Yes.”

… Introducing myself is too difficult for me.

The school didn’t tell me what to say in situations like this.

Maybe even though I learned it, I don’t remember it.

“Puh-huh. It feels like you’re having a conversation. You’re a fun person, aren’t you?”

It wasn’t particularly intended to make people laugh, but Yumi burst into laughter even though she didn’t know what kind of gag code it hit.

… They may be trying to lighten the mood, or they may simply be laughing hard.

Meanwhile. The twins, Koseo Aroharo, stopped drinking and stared at me.

“The mask passed.”

“I feel fine.”

“…yes?”

“The voice also passed.”

“You look good too.”

These two showed a slightly unusual first impression.

“But you seem a bit introverted. Is this why Arara decided to film a video in front of us today?”

“Video, huh?”

wait for a sec. Another word appeared that was difficult to ignore.

When I turned my head to look at the manager, the manager let out an awkward smile.

“Ah, haha… Ugh. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to film a video for the preliminaries today. Ho, ho ho.”

The manager covered his mouth with his hand and smiled like a young lady, but I could see his hands and the tips of his eyes shaking mercilessly.

“Ha…what happened. This is a video that needs to be filmed anyway.”

When I nodded with half resignation, the manager’s expression completely changed and he became angry.

“Oh my! He’s our junior after all!”

“Just tell me in advance next time. I won’t run away.”

“Yes. I will definitely do that.”

“The chemistry with my partner was also acceptable.”

“They seem to get along well.”

I let the twins’ comments pass through one ear, picked up the sausage, and ate it.

… Should I ask what product this really is?

* * *

Just like that, during the recent news talk at the off-group gathering of cosplayers, the male group, including me, gulped down the simple snacks that Jenna brought us, like dumb people on a honeymoon. I really don’t need to eat lunch.

I spent some time simply answering the questions that came to me from time to time.

Surprisingly, Yoo Seol, who seemed to be shy, seemed to get along well with the conversation, perhaps because they had overlapping interests.

He said he definitely wants to try cosplay next time.

hmm. Wouldn’t a character like a snow girl be a good fit for Yu Seol?

How long did it stay like that?

The manager began to talk in earnest about the business we had come here for.

“Good. Then, shall we check the fit of both clothes first?”

“Follow me with the costume.”

The manager and I took over the suitcase and followed Jenna to the staff room.

“You can change here and come out. Just leave the clothes you wore inside.”

“Yes.”

The store didn’t seem that big, but there was a staff room, a lounge, and even a changing room.

In terms of size, including the counter, the space used by the staff was larger than the inside of the store.

I bowed my head and entered the empty locker room, took a deep breath, and began to change into the prepared cosplay costume.