On Saturday, Akira brought Sajuna to Wakana's house.
"Wakana, did you get the message I sent you?" Akira asked. He had sent some cosplay-related information to Wakana yesterday.
Of course, he also hadn't forgotten to ask Marin to inform Wakana about flower princess!! flame! After all, it was also a way to deepen their relationship.
"I've mostly figured it out!"
"Then should we call Kitagawa-san over to discuss it together?" Akira asked. He had originally thought Wakana would already be with Marin.
Looking at it now, it still seemed to be Marin taking the initiative.
"Oh, I'll message Kitagawa-san now."
Wakana sent a message to Marin on LINE, then motioned for Akira and Sajuna to wait inside.
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
Kitagawa-san's boisterous voice followed immediately. "Gojo-kun! I'm here!"
"Eh, where's Gojo-kun?"
Then Marin's questioning voice came through again. "Eh? Akira-kun is here too?"
"Don't ignore me." Akira felt a vein pop on his forehead. Wakana had clearly mentioned his visit in the message.
Why did Marin still sound so surprised?
Could it be that she thought Wakana contacting her meant a private at-home date and rushed over without thinking?
Judging by her reaction, that possibility was very high.
After seeing Akira, Marin noticed Sajuna nearby and immediately rushed over.
"Sajuna, Juju-sama, we're doing group cosplay together!" Marin stood up and made a cheering pose. "Seriously, I'm so happy!"
"Kitagawa-san is a bit too energetic, isn't she?" Akira complained to Wakana.
"Yes, yes, she is." Wakana nodded in agreement, a few drops of sweat forming. Kitagawa-san was always overflowing with energy.
"Eh, what was Gojo-kun calling me for again?"
Marin looked bewildered, putting on an innocent expression.
"Don't ignore my messages, Kitagawa-san!" Wakana stomped his foot in embarrassment.
How did Kitagawa-san, who was usually so attentive, become like this?
"I'm sorry. I was just too happy to hear I was coming."
Thinking it was a date at Gojo-kun's house, she had rushed over without even reading the message carefully.
With an apologetic smile, Marin began listening as Wakana explained today's plan.
"So today is about preparing for group cosplay?"
"Mm." Akira nodded. "Since we're cosplaying together, we need to decide on the characters first so Wakana's preparation goes smoothly."
"That's true."
Wakana nodded. He hadn't experienced group cosplay before, having only made outfits for Kitagawa-san individually.
"Sajuna."
Sajuna nodded. "I'd like your help making the outfit Nikaido Shion wears as Black Lily."
"The corrupted state?" Wakana asked curiously.
"Yes. I already have her magical girl outfit from before corruption, but the Black Lily costume is very rare on the market. Even if I buy one, it's hard to adjust myself, so I need a custom-made cosplay outfit."
"I really want to see Juju-sama cosplay Shion!" Marin said with sparkling eyes.
An inexplicable sense of hostility rose in Sajuna's heart.
"If you like it so much, why don't you cosplay her yourself?"
"No, I can't." Marin replied immediately. "I can't do that cosplay."
"Because I don't have Juju-sama's height. If I forced myself to cosplay Shion, wouldn't it ruin the image?"
"Some people say that as long as you like a character, you shouldn't care what others think."
"But I believe that if you truly like something, you shouldn't damage that image."
"If you cosplay something you clearly don't fit, wouldn't that ruin other people's enjoyment?"
Marin said all this with a bright smile, as if it were completely natural.
Sajuna froze. Akira gently stroked her head.
Five seconds later, Sajuna's cheeks suddenly turned red.
"That's obvious!"
After saying that, she buried her face in Akira's chest, refusing to let anyone see her.
Akira gently held Sajuna and patted her warm back.
Seeing Wakana and Marin's confused expressions, he explained, "Sajuna feels like she misunderstood Kitagawa-san and got embarrassed."
Sajuna's faint voice came from his embrace.
"She's clearly not someone you could dislike. I shouldn't have misunderstood you."
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
Akira gently kissed Sajuna's hair.
"What's wrong?"
"Huh?"
Looking at the bewildered Wakana and Marin, Akira couldn't help laughing.
"By the way, Akira-kun and Juju-sama are really close now, huh?" Marin asked curiously.
"Because we're a couple. Isn't Kitagawa-san also very close to Wakana?" Akira replied matter-of-factly, giving Wakana a perfect assist.
Wakana jumped up and retreated several steps, his face red and steaming.
"Kitagawa-san and I are just friends. We're not that close."
"Right, not very close."
Wakana continued deceiving himself.
Akira commented calmly, while Marin cupped her cheeks, eyes full of hearts, and giggled.
"Hehe. Akira-kun said Gojo-kun and I are close too."
"Hehe."
Marin looked exactly like a girl in love.
No wonder the manga was titled My Dress-Up Darling.
There was even another translated title centered around Wakana.
Love on a Dress-Up Doll.
Even though they were already adults, the love around them was still very pure.
"So, Kitagawa-san, do you have a character you want to cosplay?" Akira interrupted their infatuation and brought the conversation back on track.
Marin looked embarrassed and hesitated. "I want to cosplay Sister Onio. I just don't know if Juju-sama would agree."
"I have no objections."
Sajuna's voice came softly from Akira's embrace.
"That's great!"
Marin raised her arms in a victory pose.
"Then where should we take the photos?" she asked. This time, it wasn't for an anime convention, so they needed to plan a location.
"Sajuna and I are planning to go to a photo studio. Do you have any other ideas?" Akira said.
"A photo studio!"
Marin's excited voice rang out. "One of those places that take all sparkly photos?"
"Then let's go together. I've never been before."
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
Kitagawa-san was already lost in her own happy imagination.