Takashi stifled a yawn as he helped his daughter move some boxes into her booth. After setting one down, he stood up and stretched, cracking his back. "Argh... I'm getting too old for this."
Chihiro adjusted her glasses and idly flipped through a ledger, scribbling some notes on the margin. After that, she looked back and said, "And that's why I told you to retire earlier, Papa. Didn't I tell you that I made good money already?"
Takashi glanced at some of the... 'merchandise' sticking out from the boxes that Chihiro planned to sell. "You did. But I didn't think you made it selling 'this.' Not that I have anything against it... You're practically a grown woman, after all. But your old man's still a bit traditional..."
Scantily clad women in ambiguous positions. Some women who weren't clad in anything at all and in clearly unambiguous positions. And those were only the more tame merchandise sitting at the top. Takashi didn't even want to take a look at what might be kept in the unmarked boxes his daughter wanted him to leave in the back.
"Mm." Chihiro nodded. "That's true. But Papa is open-minded, so it's fine."
"...Papa's a bit worried that his daughter might have become a bit too open-minded. Though if you know about, uh... 'that' stuff, I suppose I don't need to give you the talk or warnings."
"Yes. I'm well aware of the dangers involved when it comes to handling disgusting otakus who like leering at underaged girls and fantasize about taking them home."
Takashi coughed. "That's a bit, uh... Well, I suppose if you know... it's fine?"
Clearly Takashi hadn't been spending enough time with his daughter if she knew all of that without him telling her. Though it was good that she was aware... he was kind of concerned on how she became aware...
"You never kept your notes very well hidden, Papa."
"Huh? Did I say that out loud?"
"No. But I'm not Papa's daughter for nothing."
Takashi blinked and then chuckled. "Well... That's true. I suppose it's inevitable considering my job. Though it looks like I might need to do a lot of apologizing in front of your mother later..."
It seemed like his daughter had lost her innocence quite a while ago then... which would explain her maturity. And she seemed fairly level-headed, so it worked out in the end, but...
Well, it still didn't sit well with Takashi.
"In any case," Chihiro said. "Are you sure that you're fine lingering around here, Papa?"
Takashi stretched and looked around.
It was still early in the morning, with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Even so, there were a decent crowd of people setting up booths as well. But a certain booth in the distance was still vacant.
"It's fine. It seems like John still hasn't arrived yet."
The booth for Project MirAIs was already filled with boxes since Bai and Qing dropped them off earlier, but it hadn't been set up yet with the banners or merchandise.
There wasn't any need to rush though. There were still a few hours until the gates would open, so Takashi wasn't expecting John to be around for a while, considering he had an expectant wife. Even if it was important, surely he wouldn't-
"Whoa." Chihiro's voice echoed and she turned to the side. "Seems like someone's serious about their cosplay."
"Hm?" Takashi paused and then followed his daughter's gaze.
It seemed like he wasn't the only one either. But then again, considering the person walking over, he'd be more surprised if there was someone that didn't.
A regal black suit of armor with gold trimming. A billowing black cape with a crimson interior, gold trimming along its edges, and a towering collar that reached half-way up the armored figure's helmet. And that helmet was elaborate as well. Five black spikes that looked almost like a crown, a circular glass panel in the middle that was blacked out to cover the face... And flickering words passing along that glass panel, like a computer display.
In short, a super high-tech and elaborate cosplay that no doubt reached into the hundreds of thousands of yen to make considering that the gold trimming seemed to be in real gold and that the helmet seemed to be a functional smart helmet.
But that wasn't enough to be impressive. There were plenty of people who walked around with expensive clothes, and cosplay wasn't much different from that.
Takashi had seen plenty of those people in his career. No, what made the figure stand out was the presence.
That outfit was one suited for an emperor. While futuristic, it looked like one a ruler would wear while stepping out onto the battlefield. And the person wearing that outfit carried exactly that sort of presence.
A calm, controlled stride. An air that demanded attention, but not overtly. It was the sort that was simply undeniable, drawing the eye even against attempts to look away.
But more than that... he was dangerous. Sharp, like a drawn blade. A presence that Takashi had only felt from people in the criminal world who had gone through countless life and death encounters.
A presence that couldn't be faked.
"Hm? What is it, Papa?"
Chihiro called out to him.
That broke Takashi out of his trance and he realized that he was standing. Not only that, but he had subconsciously picked up a box cutter.
He blinked and then shook his head. "Nothing, Chi-chan."
She adjusted her red glasses and then noticed the box cutter in Takashi's hand. Seeing that, she frowned and looked back at the armored figure. "...Is he dangerous, Papa?"
Takashi hesitated.
This was a public area, so it was unlikely that guy was here to cause trouble. And considering how expensive that suit was, that figure wouldn't want to get it damaged. Not only that, but it was genuine cosplay. While from a bit of an older Anime, Takashi recognized it as being from one of the mecha Anime in the mid 2000s.
But that presence. That dangerous aura...
The figure moved. Turning towards Chihiro's booth, he started walking forward with calm and deliberate steps.
Was it because everyone else sensed the figure's sharp presence? Were they curious about who the person was? Or were they just glad they didn't have the figure's attention?
Takashi didn't know, but he also didn't want to take any chances.
Before the figure could get close to Chihiro's booth, Takashi walked around to intercept the figure. But he made sure to leave his box cutter behind to not escalate the situation.
Chihiro didn't move or say anything, but Takashi could sense her eyes on him.
Dead silence. The soft murmur and complaints from people setting up was gone. Cut off entirely.
And then Takashi arrived in front of the figure. And now standing so close, Takashi's critical eyes took in the details that he couldn't see before.
The black armor wasn't just for show. There were faint scratches and dings that could only have been received from actual use. Cuts along the neck, a few dings near the heart, dents in the torso that looked to be bullet marks that had been buffed out... All of it, damage that showed the armor had seen combat. And not damage added for effect. No, these were the sorts of marks that came only from being in real combat situations.
Realizing that, the pressure from the figure in front of Takashi seemed to intensify. Paired with the fact that the figure loomed over him because of the figure's height, and the emotionless mask that continued to flash with unreadable words and messages on the glass panel... It was dangerous.
But even so, Takashi didn't waver. After all, he had just recently faced another dangerous individual on his deathbed. And one superhuman enough to have to execute himself.
So, putting on a soft smile, Takashi looked up at the figure and said, "May I help you?"
Silence.
Takashi felt sweat drip down his forehead.
And then...
"Gah! Dammit. How do I turn on the speaker again?"
A frustrated voice that completely betrayed the composure from before. Even so, it was low and scratchy. Modulated by a voice changer to be unrecognizable.
"...Huh?" Takashi blinked.
"Oh? You can hear me? Wait, I forgot this thing has a voice changer..." The figure reached around with his left hand and then tapped something on the back of his helmet. With that, the black metal on the helmet withdrew, turning it into just a mask. And then the figure took the mask off, revealing a handsome foreigner with clear blue eyes and slightly ruffled golden hair. "There we go."
John sighed and tucked the mask under his arm. "Forgot how stuffy that thing is... Anyway." He turned towards Takashi and said, "Glad to see you're here already. I think I'm going to need all the help I can get to set this booth up... Hope you don't mind, Takashi."
Takashi blinked again and then sighed.
"...What?"
Takashi shook his head, not bothering to respond. But his daughter did.
"Mister John," Chihiro said. "...Has anyone ever told you that you overdo things too much?"
"Heh." John chuckled and said, "If you think this cosplay is over the top, just wait until you see my car parked outside. Anyway..." He looked towards the Project MirAIs booth and slumped, completely erasing whatever cool composure he gave off before. "...Might as well get started. It's going to be a long day..."