Marin-chan’s Cosplay

“Aoi, let’s kiss like we did yesterday?”

“…I won’t.”

“What! Why not?” Marin-chan stomped her feet on the sofa in protest.

“That was more of an accident, or rather, it happened because we had to…”

“I don’t want to think of it as an accident between us!”

“It’s not like that…”

“I want to kiss, I want to kiss, I want to kiss! …If we can’t kiss, then let’s go on a date?”

“…What if you meet someone else?”

“Don’t worry about it! Just wait for me!” Marin-chan exclaimed as she ran off.

◇One hour later

“Now no one will know, right?” 

I was left speechless by her sudden transformation, as if she were a completely different person.

“I bought this thinking I’d cosplay someday, but I never imagined I’d get to use it now… Huh? Could it be that you prefer this kind of thing?”

“It’s not like that…”

“Forget the disguise, then! It seems fun, and I’ll even adjust my speech to match the appearance,” she said, clearing her throat and then putting on a lower voice than usual. “Shall we go, Aoi-kun?” with a sadistic smile.

“Wait!” My protest fell on deaf ears as she dragged me outside.

“I wonder where we should go for a first date. Maybe the aquarium or the movies?”

“Those are pretty standard… And aren’t you getting a bit too close?”

“Are you misunderstanding something? I think it’s same as usual,” she said, leaning even closer.

Clearly, she was doing this on purpose…

“You’re thinking about something naughty right now, aren’t you? You’re really just like a monkey,” she teased.

In fact, she seemed like a completely different person, making me feel like I was cheating…

“I’m not thinking about anything like that…”

“Are you sure?”

As we conversed like that, we eventually arrived at the station.

“We’re here. So, from here, will you be escorting me, Aoi-kun?”

“What kind of request is that?”

“Improvisation is important for humans, you know? Relying too much on a script can be troublesome in life.”

But I’ve never been on a date before.

In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever hung out with a girl properly.

“S-so, then, shall we… go grab something to eat?” 

“Zero points. If you’re a man, a love hotel is the only option.”

“I’m not some damn playboy!” I couldn’t help but retort loudly in front of the station.

“…You’re so loud. Are you planning to keep up that energy even at night? It seems like it’ll be an intense night,” she replied.

“…Never mind. Let’s just go watch a movie for now, Marin-chan.”

“Marin-chan? My name is Mecha Kawaii Marin. Try saying my full name,” she said, engaging in such banter until we were approached from behind.

“Um, excuse me…! …Are you Yamaguchi-kun?” It was Shichiya-san who was there.

“Oh… Shichiya-san…”

“Yeah… Um…” Shichiya-san looked at Marin-chan nervously.

Phew, that was close!! Good thing I’m in disguise!!

“…Shiozaki-san, right?” 

“Huh?” Our two voices overlapped.

“Shiozaki? Who’s that?” I said, sweating nervously.

“Huh… Why are you lying…?” 

“I’m not lying.”

“But… that ring…” Shichiya-san pointed at Marin-chan’s ring.

“Ah…” Marin-chan let out an uncharacteristic sound of surprise.

◇

“…So, Shiozaki-san’s husband is… Aoi-kun, right?”

“W-Well… Yeah, that’s right.”

“…Married… But your surname hasn’t changed, has it?” Shichiya-san murmured sadly.

“Y-Yeah… It’s because things would get complicated, so I haven’t told anyone at school yet…”

“…So, does that mean I’m the only one who knows, besides you two?”

“W-Well, yeah…”

Then, after looking down for a moment, Shichiya-san showed a somewhat adorable smile and said, 

“I see… Then, could I have Aoi-kun in exchange for keeping quiet?” (TL: Oooohhhhh)

“…Huh?”