As soon as I entered, the person I locked eyes with was, of course, a woman in cosplay. Her outfit boasted much more revealing exposure than Trixie’s cosplay, causing me to instinctively look away.
…Was it acceptable to have this level of exposure here?
After using the restroom, I washed my hands. Since there were no people around, I tidied up my hair that I had hastily stuffed under my hat. As I stepped outside, I noticed a man dressed in cosplay coming out of the men’s restroom. I was having a hard time adjusting.
Was this how the people felt when I entered the men’s restroom before?
I still hadn’t received a call on my phone, so I wandered around looking for a secluded spot. I considered waiting outside, but realized that I wouldn’t be able to re-enter, so I gave up cleanly.
Fortunately, I found a suitable bench in a corner by the stairs. Phew, this should be fine.
Even though it was a corner, quite a few people caught my eye. Most of the cosplays were from works I had never heard of, but occasionally, I spotted cosplays from famous works I knew, like characters from LOI or characters from old boy manga that I used to enjoy.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying this place. Only I was a stranger here.
Not that I was particularly eager to fit in.
While observing people and scrolling through my phone to kill time, my phone rang. Although receiving a call wasn’t too strange anymore, maintaining my expression became difficult upon seeing the name on the screen.
[…Yes, Professor.]
[Are you at home right now?]
[Huh?]
[I’m asking if you’re at home.]
[No….]
[Then is Jae-Ah at your house?]
[….]
[She went.]
Professor Seo clicked his tongue. Had he investigated what event Jae-Ah was attending? It wasn’t exactly hard information to find. So, it wasn’t surprising that he found it, but it was honestly a little shocking that he chose to contact me about it that day.
[By the way, she didn’t go wearing that… did she?]
[I dressed her in her old clothes and took her with me.]
[Good, well done.]
I could sense Professor Seo letting out a deep sigh from the other side of the line. His tone was somewhat different from the one filled with rage before. Though I couldn’t see his face, somehow, it seemed his voice had aged a bit.
[She promised to return in three days. You don’t need to worry too much….]
[Me? Worry about that kid?]
[Well, maybe not.]
[I raised one disciple well.]
This sarcasm wasn’t directed at me. It was truly rare to see Professor Seo self-mocking like this.
[I sent some money.]
[Huh? What money?]
[Child support.]
[….]
[Relax your expression. I’m just joking. It’s for the tutoring I’ve done so far, plus the little bit for this time, so don’t worry and take it.]
[Then I won’t refuse.]
[Don’t you know what that means?]
Tsk.
[Are you quitting?]
[Yes.]
There was no need for further explanation.
[All right. Understood. How about Eun-A?]
[Eun-A isn’t really tutoring. She’s just coming to play by herself, so I don’t really have anything to say. Once she enters college, she’ll be busy in various ways.]
[…Right. That girl, the one who’s coming to your house, what’s she like? Jae-Ah’s friend.]
[Did Eun-A mention that?]
[I overheard your call.]
[…She’s… a nice girl.]
[Is there nothing more than such abstract information?]
[I think that’s sufficient. Just looking at how she’s being friends with Eun-A shows she’s really nice.]
[What?! Our Eun-A is so nice!]
Certainly, Professor Seo’s attitude toward his daughter and son was different. However, even though this conversation wasn’t a lie, it wasn’t genuine either. Professor Seo was weighing something right now. He was preparing to say something. This was like a masquerade ball, intended to revive the previous atmosphere.
[Huh….]
[Are you okay?]
[Yeah. Yeah…. Jae-Ah… I searched her room.]
….
[At first, her mother accidentally discovered something while cleaning, and she went out and searched the room.]
[Did you find anything?]
[Nothing.]
I see.
[If I searched something like a computer, it would likely be more certain, but of course, it was locked. There wasn’t anything particularly weird in the books either. There were plenty of otaku-like things, but at least I couldn’t find anything extreme.]
[What are you trying to ask?]
[What kind of story did Jae-Ah write?]
[….]
[It’s been a while since she showed me anything she wrote. Occasionally, there were writings she showed me like homework. But did she really think those were her writings? The real things she wants to write are something else entirely. What she showed me was nothing but mere emptiness, not even the shell.]
[But….]
[I know what she wants to write. She probably wants to write what she likes. But I don’t know. I don’t know if she really wanted to “write.” I never forced her. But what if my attitude itself was a coercion? What if it’s because of me that she became like this?]
Professor Seo was never a weak person. He was strong, cruel, and violent. Even now, his words were still mixed with anger toward Jae-Ah. Just as I felt when he called me that day.
But after some time passed, has something changed in him? Maybe nothing has changed at all. He always irrationally hated someone. That target just included my son, and he had merely dipped his feet in it.
[I’ve gotten sidetracked with pointless words. Anyway, I need to know. Whether it’s the writing she’s working on now or what she wrote before, you’re probably the only one who knows it best.]
[Are you… hoping I’ll tell you?]
[Yes.]
It was wrong to search Jae-Ah’s room, and it was wrong to ask me to reveal what kind of story Jae-Ah was writing. For Jae-Ah, this would be a shameful humiliation and a terrible betrayal.
Whether I revealed what kind of story Jae-Ah was writing or not, nothing would change.
Even if I indulged in such self-reflection, Professor Seo was not someone who would change his principles.
That was why he could reconcile with Jae-Ah or apologize to her. But he could never forgive her. No matter what happened, he would not allow Jae-Ah to like men, wish to become a woman, wear women’s clothing—none of it.
And if any conflicts arose again, he would raise his hand without hesitation, and in that case, the connection between them would ultimately be severed.
When I revealed Jae-Ah’s story, the only thing that would change was whether Professor Seo was doing it knowingly or unknowingly.
If I made that choice and Jae-Ah found out, she would surely feel an immense sense of betrayal. It was certain she would be greatly shocked. I didn’t know how she would change.
How much loyalty did I have left in keeping the secret with Jae-Ah? Loyalty was ultimately a consumable resource.
It would disappear and wear down.
It was time to make a choice.
[So, will you tell me?]
Professor Seo urged for an answer. I couldn’t delay my response. I had to decide whether to betray Jae-Ah with my own words.
So in the end….
~
Since the competition was about to start, I headed to the location Jae-Ah had called me to.
As soon as we met, Jae-Ah started talking about various things.
“There’s a maid café too. I went there once, and I also got to meet one of my favorite streamers in the streamer zone and got an autograph!”
“Glad to hear you had fun.”
“…? Anyway, I wish you could have gone with me.”
“Me? To a maid café? To a streamer event?”
“They say you can try on the maid café outfits.”
“You go wear it….”
I felt a bit drained, so it didn’t seem right to retort strongly. Maybe it was because of her unusual demeanor, but Jae-Ah looked puzzled.
“Is something wrong? Normally, you’d be asking if you want me to die first.”
“Nothing.”
With my curt reply, Jae-Ah seemed unconvinced, but I didn’t have to justify myself to her.
The main event was starting soon. I squeezed in with Jae-Ah’s group to secure a spot. Was the first part a cosplay competition? It seemed like only those who were confident participated, as the quality of the cosplays was impressive even to someone like me who didn’t know much.
However, I lost interest, and by the middle of it, I started to doze off with my eyes closed. They said there would be other events aside from the competition, and I just wanted it to be over quickly. I really didn’t have any… interest…
“Hey! You in the white hat!”
…But why is the spotlight on me?
“I think you were dozing off! Could you come up for a moment to wake yourself up?”
Laughter spread through the crowd. I quickly realized the situation. It seemed they were doing some audience participation event, and, unfortunate for me, I was called up for it. No, if they knew I was sleeping, they should have chosen someone else or removed me. Why drag someone who’s asleep?
Should I just keep my mouth shut and not go? Or just stand up and leave? Everyone around was looking at me. No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t easy to endure this level of scrutiny. I had to make a choice after all.
Looking to my right, I saw Jae-Ah with an expectant look in her eyes.
What are you even expecting?
I stood up and moved forward.
I stepped onto the stage.
Everyone was looking at me.
