My alarm went off, earlier than usual, to mark the start of the convention day.
The first thing I did was completely ignore the dream I had. I didn't even remember I'd dreamed anything in the first place, so the first thing I actually did was eat breakfast. And, for the first time in a long while, with my father.
I never get up early enough to have breakfast at the same time he leaves for work. Even on a Saturday, he still has to go to work. I feel bad, but it's not like I can change anything, or that he wants to change it too.
During the short time we were at the table, it was clear he was happy to have me with him.
"So, someone's going to pick you up, right?"
"Yeah, the mother of &$%"! is going to be by in about two hours."
"So you have time to get ready, just put on that costume you asked me for, right?"
"Better safe than sorry."
"Yeah, and well done."
It's normal for him to get up early for this kind of thing.
"So, is work going well?"
"Well, not much. I do so much that I don't get bored, but a break wouldn't hurt. Let's see if you can spare me some time," my father said, smiling, somewhat sarcastically.
"Hehe, even if I wanted to, I couldn't."
He sighed. "It is what it is."
"You like your job, anyway, don't you?"
"Yes."
"I'm sure you're the only one in the world who enjoys that sort of thing…"
My father is another "Salaryman," albeit with a slightly better position than usual. He's supposed to work from 12 AM to 8 PM, but he insists on putting in a lot of overtime, far exceeding the legal limits. Thanks to that, and his job, he brings home much more money than we need. He's saving almost all of it for us.
"You still work more than you should..."
"You know I want the best for both of you."
You could be spending time with Amaya instead of going to work for those extra hours...
There are times when, instead of working, he has to go to "meetings" with his boss and colleagues. I'm sure he's the only one in the entire company who doesn't drink a drop. He's tremendously reluctant to drink alcohol, something I greatly admire.
He once told me he's only had alcohol twice, and both times were horrible. That's why, not only will he never drink again, but he also hopes neither of us ever drinks alcohol, which I plan to do. It's more like a personal goal rather than me just following his desires.
"By the way, I'm probably arriving later than usual today. I shouldn't have put off yesterday's work for today…"
"You shouldn't force yourself to work so hard. You've been doing work ahead of schedule for a long time. Why don't you try having a more relaxed week sometime?"
"It's something I do for pleasure. And on days when I don't feel like going, I always remind myself that I'm doing it for you."
"You could stay with us for a couple of afternoons, for our sake."
My father was briefly surprised to hear me say that.
"...You've changed, haven't you?"
"As?"
"My son wouldn't normally say that. He loves being alone so much."
"But I am your son!"
My father let out a short, but deep, and at the same time, quite friendly laugh.
"I'm just teasing you. I like seeing you like this."
He took a brief pause before answering.
"It's not that I don't care about you. The time I have already spent with you two, even if little, is something I cherish more than my job. And even so, at work I can't stop having both of you on my mind."
"Our savings are already overflowing..."
"...If you think you have enough money, I'll start working less. I'll still get some money into it, but if you really want me to get more time at home, I will do as you say."
"Thank you."
After breakfast, I said goodbye to Dad and went straight upstairs to take a shower. The bathroom was right in front of my room.
I hope I don't wake Amaya up with the shower...
For today, I'm not going to shower with music playing. The worst thing would be waking her up, only for her to come into the bathroom with a broom and beat my clean, naked body. Again.
Would she even have the courage to look at me naked without flinching? We're not kids anymore, so it's something to keep in mind, whether we're related or not. I'd have to wash my eyes with bleach if I stumbled upon her naked body... Ugh.
I decided not to give it much thought, and since I didn't want to waste time, I went straight to the shower.
There isn't a day that goes by that I don't take a good shower. It always feels good, and it's a great way to pass the time.
When I finished drying off, I moved on to the most important part of the day.
I went into my room, grabbed the bag I'd stored it in, and went straight to the bathroom.
I dressed in a full tracksuit. A jacket and pants in shades of black, white, and orange. I paired it with a black T-shirt and a relatively strange and surreal hairstyle, but it was possible with a little hair gel.
And when I finished, I looked at myself in the mirror. It didn't take long for me to smile; this is perhaps the moment I feel happiest.
" It's…"
I tried to contain my enthusiasm, but I couldn't, and instead of finishing my sentence…
With my arm pointing at the heavens, one finger sticking out of it, and getting my hip on a weird pose, I claimed.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru! I'm a good-for-nothing who can't think of anything better to do with his miserable life than go to a convention full of people at his same level. I do have more than a dime! I have no idea where I'm going! I just know that where I'm going, and unfortunately, it isn't going to be a fantasy world! Although I'll probably see Emilia-tan. More than one. I wonder how many pictures I'll be able to take!"
Striking poses that were ridiculous to anyone who saw me, but fascinating to me, I gradually became immersed in what I believed to be the personality of the character I was cosplaying.
As soon as I realized what I'd done, I was already mortified. Even if no one saw or heard me. I hope so. I sighed.
"Well, I'd better get that nonsense out of the way."
I looked in the mirror for the second time. I was surprised, because I looked a bit like him. I'm not the same; I'm slightly thinner, and my face doesn't look that similar, especially the eyes, as I didn't look like a murderer, but that's where the magic of cosplay lies!
"I wonder what face &$%%! will make when he sees this awesome outfit."
I still couldn't completely contain my excitement. I was really excited, and I wasn't even going to the convention yet.
The last thing I packed was a black backpack, which practically matched my tracksuit, and it was one he—I mean, I—could easily carry.
"If things get tough, I'll just ask &$%"! to carry it for me and that's it…"
In the backpack, I had both my lunch and some snacks, a 1.5-liter bottle of water, and little else. I was also going to bring a cloth bag to carry the things I bought, in addition to all my savings, about 32,500 yen.
Although I'm nowhere near going to spend it all. I'll probably only spend a quarter, half at most. And I don't even have any plans to buy anything specific.
There's still half an hour before they come for me...
I decided to spend some time watching TV while I waited.
I didn't go to wake my sister, who hadn't left her room. She'd probably still be sleeping, but I wanted to make sure, so I leaped off the couch and went upstairs.
I opened the door slowly, so as not to make a sound, and yes, there she was, lying on the bed. Not only had she uncovered herself, but she was also sleeping on her pillow, which can imply two things: 1. She slept hugging the pillow. 2. She moved enough to get onto her back, on top of the pillow.
It's like those scenes where a girl in pajamas is showing her entire belly, and for some reason, she's scratching herself above her belly button. Is my sister an NPC or something?
I decided to go in and approach her.
She was still asleep, especially because she looked absolutely comfortable. For a moment, I imagined giving her a goodbye kiss, or something like that. How disgusting. I'm not saying that because it creeps me out, but because it's weird...
Gosh, I'm really a unique one, huh...
I gazed upon her sleeping face, one filled with calm, and a bunch of messy hair. It was quite funny to watch her sleep that way, but at the same time, it filled my heart with warmth.
"I'm leaving, Amaya."
I said softly, without setting my eyes off her face. I left the room, but not before covering her with the sheets of her bed. You have to have a little decency. I gave her my back and left the room, closing the door as I did so.
After a bit of time had passed by, I heard a honk, a car's horn. They were waiting for me outside. It didn't take long for me to get out and get in the car.
"You really did it..."
"Like it's something bad!"
"Well, he's really worked hard. You could have dressed like that, too, son."
"But it's just a crappy hairstyle and a tracksuit!"
"Okay, but it doesn't look bad on him, and he likes it."
"...I'll give you that much."
"See?"
As I sat in the car, closed the door, and put on my seatbelt, we started moving.
I was impatient the whole trip, even more so than at home. I barely spoke during the ride. I listened to music, as always. I love music. It was a long trip, but I knew it was going to be worth it.
Even before we got off, near the convention center, I could see people cosplaying. That only made me more excited.
A short time after that, we were able to get off.
"At this rate, I thought we weren't going to make it," said &$%!" That's because there was traffic on the way here, and we lost about an hour, although it really flew by anyway.
"At least we're here. Finally!"
"Well, guys, have a good time!"
"Yes."
"Yes!"
"… You really got into character…"
After that unnecessary comment &$%" made, his mother left, leaving us at the entrance of the place. I was a bit embarrassed by suddenly acting that way.
There was a long line, but it moved very quickly, so it didn't take long to get in. Without even entering, I could see a ton of people doing cosplay. Some were more elaborate than others, but they all had some merit.
I recognized many of the cosplays I saw, and there were many that I loved!
The first time I came here was similar, but I didn't dress up, and I couldn't even take a photo. Not because everyone rejected me, but because I didn't have the courage to ask anyone if I could take a photo with them.
The only photos I have are with the friend group, that's why I want some individual photos.
Obviously, my main focus is on Re:Zero characters. But if I see someone I really like, I'll ask for a photo. Above all, I have a few characters in mind to take a photo with.
- Well, at least that was my plan.