Chapter 48: Marin Kitagawa's Dream of Cosplaying Together
After a while, Eriri returned with Mashiro, and the scene instantly felt much livelier... or so one might think.
Shunsuke was certain that if Mashiro and Koizumi were left together, the two of them could go an entire day without speaking a word.
Eriri tried her best to liven up the atmosphere, even breaking her usual reserve to bring up manga-related topics. But as for ramen...
As a sheltered young lady, Eriri rarely ate this kind of food.
Just the slurping sounds one had to make when eating ramen, the inevitable splashes of soup, and the strong smell of garlic—any one of these was enough to make her uncomfortable.
After all, not everyone could be that kind of person.
Koizumi, the ramen fanatic, might occasionally join in other topics, but when she was waiting for ramen, it was impossible to pull her attention away from it.
Shunsuke had no choice but to quicken his own pace. The best time to talk to Koizumi was when she was blissfully enjoying her ramen; then he could try to involve her in the conversation.
...
"Eriri, could you help me set the dishes on the table? I'll go call Mrs. Izumi and Sagiri."
Shunsuke took off his apron, casually gave the instruction, and headed upstairs.
"I'm a guest too, you know," Eriri muttered under her breath, but still dutifully went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
Shunshuke reached Mrs. Izumi's door on the second floor, and with his heightened senses, he thought he could faintly hear something from inside.
Hopefully, Kitagawa wasn't up to anything strange.
He knocked on the door.
The sounds inside abruptly stopped, creating an oddly suspicious silence. After a moment, Mrs. Izumi opened the door, but only a small crack, her face slightly flushed.
Shunsuke was momentarily flustered, his mind wandering in all sorts of directions.
"Shun-kun, don't get any strange ideas. We weren't doing anything weird," Mrs. Izumi said, glancing back into the room as she uttered that classic line.
"ZA WARUDO!"
Shunsuke stopped time, then maneuvered The World through the door to peek into the room.
Inside, Marin Kitagawa was... hurriedly saving her game?
The World looked at the screen. The two weren't playing Wet Girls 2 as he'd thought but were actually on an otome game, a dating sim targeting female players. Right now, they were in a heated scene with a character who looked remarkably like him.
"Sorry to intrude."
Shunsuke released his stand ability.
Playing an otome game at thirty—it was indeed something one might prefer to keep hidden.
He understood everything now.
After saving her progress, Marin closed the game, lightly patting her flushed cheeks and signaling to Mrs. Izumi.
Mrs. Izumi opened the door with an expression that seemed to say, "See? Nothing to see here."
Shunsuke believed her.
Next on his list was Sagiri.
He knocked on her door. "Sagiri, it's time to eat."
"Not coming," came her muffled response from inside.
"What's wrong? Who upset my little angel? Tell me, and I'll give them a good talking to," he said, although he knew full well that he was the "culprit."
"It's you, Onii-chan. You keep bringing over so many women," Sagiri complained, sensing that Shunsuke was on her side.
"Sagiri, that's not very polite. Come out, say hello, and let's all eat together," Mrs. Izumi gently encouraged, taking one for the team.
"No, no, really, I'm an uninvited guest. Sorry for the trouble," Marin said with a quick wave.
Sure enough, Sagiri's temper flared after Mrs. Izumi's words: "I don't want to!"
Mrs. Izumi gave Marin an awkward smile. "Sorry, Marin, Sagiri's a bit shy."
Marin? Shunsuke raised an eyebrow. They're getting close quickly, aren't they?
Marin nodded in understanding. "I was the same way back then. It's totally normal to be sensitive at this age. I still prefer staying home, gaming, and watching anime. It's just more comfortable."
No, no, no, Shunsuke thought to himself, you might think you're just a shut-in, but you're worlds apart from that.
Mrs. Izumi let out a nervous laugh, recalling how long it had been since Sagiri last left the house.
This world's Sagiri wasn't quite as withdrawn as her original counterpart, but her homebody nature was still the same.
Shunsuke figured the last time she went out was… probably the last time he could remember.
Inside her room, Sagiri bristled at Marin's "fake recluse" comment. She didn't say a word but stomped her foot on the floor in frustration.
"Sagiri," Shunsuke scolded, frowning. "Didn't I tell you? If you have something to say, communicate properly. Don't stomp. It's rude, and we can't understand what you mean."
Despite being indulgent with Sagiri, Shunsuke wouldn't let this kind of behavior slide. Overindulging her would only harm her in the long run.
Having to experience the pains of parenting at such a young age, Shunsuke felt a pang of exhaustion.
It's all Mrs. Izumi's fault for being so inept.
Mrs. Izumi looked utterly perplexed as Shunsuke gave her a disapproving glance.
"S-sorry."
Sagiri's voice came through the door, quiet and obedient.
"There, I knew Sagiri's the best. I made your favorite tonkatsu today. It won't taste as good if it gets cold, so come eat."
"...Alright."
Slowly, Sagiri opened the door and, with her head down, cautiously stepped out.
"Ahh, is this the teacher's child? Kawaii!" Marin gushed, "Sagiri-chan, would you like to cosplay with me? We could do Shion-tan from Princess Blossom Blaze!! She's so cute!"
Boom!
Sagiri instantly retreated back into her room, slamming the door shut.
Shunsuke shot Marin a sidelong glance. "Are you some kind of fangirl? Why do you try to cosplay with every cute girl you meet?"
"Well, I don't have many friends in the cosplay community," Marin replied, a bit dejected. "And Sagiri is just so adorable! She'd be perfect for a Princess Blossom Blaze!! cosplay. Don't you think so too, Mrs. Izumi?"
Mrs. Izumi clasped Marin's hands enthusiastically. "Exactly! Sagiri is so cute. I've wanted to coax her into some younger character cosplays for ages, but she's always refused. Now that she's getting older, if we don't do it soon, it'll be too late!"
Without hesitation, Shunsuke gave Mrs. Izumi a karate chop to the head. "With Sagiri's shy personality, bringing her to a cosplay event is practically a death sentence for her!"
With the combined allure of Mrs. Izumi and her daughter Sagiri cosplaying together at a convention, the fanboys would probably be blown away on the spot. It might even make it onto the trending topics on Japanese Twitter the very next day.
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