By the time I managed to calm down, the sky was darkening, and it was soon time to leave. We still had a little time, though, so we decided to take one last walk around the place.
" Ahh… And to think it's going to end…"
"Although you can tell we had a good time, right?"
"Yes, of course, but I'm exhausted…"
"Yeah, but would you do it again?"
"That's a given."
We've been walking all day, so it's normal for us to be tired. I'm going to sleep for at least 15 hours. I don't think it will take me more than 3 seconds to fall asleep once I hit the bed.
In the middle of our conversation, which was becoming more normal, someone caught my attention and then touched my shoulder.
This time I wasn't scared, although I wasn't expecting something like that to happen again. What a tendency people have for touching my s-
" H-hello!"
"Hey." I raised my arm in greeting to the girl who had greeted me.
She was dressed as Rem, and behind her was a Ram, who I assume is her friend. Wait a minute…
"Remember us?"
" You guys already asked me for a photo, right?"
"Yeah! It was this morning. And, I wanted to ask you something…"
Behind her, the girl dressed as Ram was smiling a bit slyly. She'd probably be amused by how flustered and embarrassed Rem was.
"Yeah, what did you want then?"
"C-can I have… Y-your phone number?"
Behind me, I could already feel someone's tail wagging, or at least they were holding back the urge to make a joke.
"S-sure, of course."
It didn't take long for me to agree, though I was nervous. I guess I don't need to explain why. Just saying I'm a virgin is enough. Mr. Virgin...
"Uh… so what's your name?" I asked Rem.
"Izumi, my name is Izumi…"
"My name is Ayame. I know you haven't asked me, but I guess I should introduce myself too." Her name was very similar to my sister's.
Now that I think about it, don't you two look alike? At least, you two have a similar appearance. Is it because of the cosplays?
"Well, my name is Riku, the one back here is called &$%"!
"You know I can say my name perfectly well, right?"
"Yeah, I just didn't feel like listening to you."
"What, you think you're a [[BIG SHOT]]?"
We fooled around for a moment before going back to the meeting.
"So, um, where are you from?" Izumi asked.
"From )#=¿!?"·( , we are both from there."
"Ah, I think that's a bit far from us. Pretty far… The name doesn't even ring any bells to me." Ayame replied.
"Well, that's quite weird, knowing that it is a city..." I said. "We'll chat later. You can give Ayame my number if you want. I'll give you his number later."
"Yeah."
" I told you to stop introducing me that way..."
"…" There was a brief silence, which Ayame was able to cut short.
"So, how did you all enjoy it?"
We chatted with them for a while before leaving. We seemed like a group of four who'd known each other for years, and I find it funny that &$%"! is the one who stands out from the group for not being dressed up as something.
We talked more about each other and about our experience at the convention. They said they hadn't been to this kind of thing before, and that they both really enjoyed it. Especially Izumi, who's supposedly shy and embarrassed.
They also told me they were sisters, and that Ayame was the oldest, at 17, and Izumi the youngest, at 15, a few months older than me, as my birthday is in December. I'm technically still 14. I'm a toddler, still. I hate feeling like one, even if I'm supposed to be one, but at the same time, I feel as if I grew up a lot, when I surely didn't.
" Goodbye!"
"Bye bye!"
They both said goodbye to us.
" See you next time, right?" Ayame asked.
"Yes! Of course!" &$%" replied.
"Take care!" I said.
Like that, our day at the convention finished.
***
&$%"!'s mother didn't take long to arrive. I feel bad that she had to drive us and now pick us up, but I don't think she cares much.
As soon as we parked, we got in and sat down in no time.
"¡How nice it is to sit down!"
"From what I see, it's been a busy day."
"Yeah, but we've done a lot of things," I replied.
"By the way, Mom, I haven't had dinner yet."
"Do you want to go somewhere?"
"No, I want to have dinner at home. I'm too tired to walk for more than 10 seconds."
"I'll make you something when we arrive. Do you want to come with us, Riku?"
"I'd also like to eat dinner at home, but thanks for the offer."
After that brief interaction, &$%"! kept talking to his mom the whole ride. He was in the passenger seat, and I stayed in the back listening to music.
"..." I gazed outside the window of the car, far into the darkness of the highway, but then up, to the brightness of the night sky, which now revealed a dozen stars.
From a certain point on, at the convention, I got used to wearing this tracksuit, with this hairstyle, and even acting like him. It felt so natural…
It was a wonderful experience. I'm already looking forward to going back next year. I don't know if I should go with cosplay... No, I have to go with cosplay. I'll convince &$%"! to dress up too.
Half of the photos I have are of guys cosplaying female characters. I love it.
The night sky was also beautiful, something I loved. She would love to see this view too.
...I wonder how much time I have left to enjoy this...
We have this year left in high school, and after that we'll probably go to the same college.
In my case, I would go to see if there is any job that I like, and study from that.
But, 4 years, huh? I feel like I'm still a kid. No, I'm still a kid, 14 years old is still super young, it's just that time passes faster.
When will I realize, in 4 years, that time has passed so quickly?
Even if I say this, it's still a long time, and it's not like everything will end the moment I graduate.
It scares me, but there's a future I have to face, and even though I don't know what it is, I know I'm going to move forward, no matter how hard it is or how sad it is.
There are many days when I get depressed, but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy, or worse, that I'm depressed. I'm fine.
If I could keep my life like this, I would. But things change. Everything changes. I can't stay still.
But I can't change 'me,' and at the same time, I can, what they see as 'me', though. If others see me differently, I'll change. If I behave differently, they'll see me differently.
Change is only valid when others validate it. That's why either part defines what a person is.
I rested the palm of my hand on the window, captivated by the stars shining up ahead, their image reflecting on my dark blue eyes, which turned sky blue when met with such shine.
...I want more people to know who I am. I've been lucky today, but would I really have met someone new if Izumi and Ayame hadn't come back? Would I have made friends on my own strength? Would I still want to change?
No. If I don't want to lose what I have now, I can't risk changing. If I do, what guarantees me that everything will stay the same?
Then, I started to feel my eyes slowly closing, but I didn't process it.
I can't risk it. I…
And when the time came, I closed them completely, losing sight of the night sky.
...I don't want to change.