Chapter 26: Cosplay

I went alone to a certain company to meet with one of our clients for a business discussion.

Once the meeting ended, I stepped out of the building and glanced at the clock.

“It’s already noon, huh…”

Before heading back to my office, I figured I might as well grab some lunch. As I looked around, I noticed a familiar-looking black Benz parked by the curb.

Could that be Shachou’s car? I wasn’t sure, and if it turned out to be someone dangerous, that’d be bad. So I walked over casually and peeked into the driver’s seat.

Sure enough, there was Shachou — cigarette in her mouth, fiddling with her phone.

“Shachou.”
“Hm?”

When I called out, she looked up.

“Yo.”

“Oh, Eromi, huh? What a coincidence.”

“Yeah. You working?”

“Nah, just finished talking business with another company president. You’re… on the clock, huh?”

She gave a knowing nod, her eyes flicking over my suit.

“Pretty much. Just finished my meeting and was about to grab lunch.”

“Same here. Been looking for a place around here. Wanna eat together?”

“Sure, why not.”

“Alright, hop in.”

At her invitation, I walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in.

“Hang on, I’m checking for a spot now,” she said, glancing at her phone. “Still, feels like this is the first time I’ve seen you in a suit.”

“Maybe. Do I look competent?”

A career woman, maybe?

“Nah, you look like a loli.”

“A Shachou who gets excited looking at a loli’s thighs, huh.”

“My eyes just happen to wander.”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s only natural to look at that kind of thing.”

I mean, I end up glancing at her legs and chest too. Can’t help it — that’s just how people are.

“Right? …Still, there’s not a single decent place around here.”

“Ramen’s fine. Haven’t had any lately.”

“True… haven’t gone in ages.”

As we’d talked about before, ever since things changed, it somehow felt awkward to go to a ramen shop alone.

“Something happen?”

“Not really. Let’s just go to a ramen place.”

“Let’s do that.”

Once we decided, Shachou started the car and drove to a nearby ramen shop. After parking, we went inside, bought meal tickets from the vending machine, handed them to the staff, and took a seat at a table.

“What’d you get, Shachou?”

“Miso ramen. You?”

“Soy sauce. Can’t do the set anymore.”

“Right? Used to be automatic to get the fried chicken set or fried rice set, but now? No way.”

Guess Shachou was the same. Not because of age, of course — but because our genders had changed.

“Can’t fit it anymore, huh.”

“Yeah. Especially you, being all loli and stuff.”

As we chatted, our ramen arrived, and we started eating.

“Mmm, good.”

“Yeah. Been a while.”

“You don’t eat ramen at home?”

Cup ramen counts too — or even homemade.

“Nah, not really. You?”

“Lately, Kana-chan’s been cooking for me, so no ramen.”

When I was alone, I used to eat it all the time.

“What about lunch?”

“She makes me a bento. Not today since I was out, though.”

“She’s a good girlfriend. You better treat her right.”

“I did — so well that she’s not a virgin anymore.”

Not that I mind.

“…Can’t even respond to that. Last time I saw you two, you both looked like these innocent little loli girls.”

“Shachou, you kinda have a thing for lolis, don’t you?”

She does say “loli” a lot.

“Not really. I just prefer younger girls, that’s all…”

“You like uniforms too, right?”

“Don’t phrase it like that.”

Always trying to dodge the question, huh…

“You got turned on when you saw my photo, didn’t you?”

I’d shown her a picture of me in a sailor uniform before.

“I did think you looked cute.”

Man, she really is the type to hide it.

Alright then.

I slurped my ramen, quietly hatching a plan in my head.

Afterward, Shachou gave me a ride back to the office, and I returned to work.

“Hey everyone—if it’s cosplay, what kind do you like?”

I arrived late at our usual family restaurant, sat down, and threw the question out.

“Hold it right there!”
“Wait, nya!”
“Please don’t just start the conversation like that.”

All three of them stopped me at once.

“What?”

“Uh, Tama.”
“Tama-san, if you would.”

Shachou and Chihirochi left it to Nyako.

“Why me, nya… whatever. Eromi, what’s with that outfit, nya?”

“My high school uniform. Cute, right? Honestly, I’d say I picked that school because I liked the sailor uniform.”

Well, truthfully, it was for the academics.

“I’m asking why a twenty-six-year-old is wearing a sailor uniform, nya.”

“For the topic I just mentioned.”

I wanted to ask everyone about their favorite kind of cosplay. If I started that way, maybe Shachou would naturally tell the truth too.

“…Where exactly did you put that on? You changed in the restroom earlier, didn’t you, nya?”

“I wore it from home.”

“You’ve lost your mind, nya.”

“Nyako, you’ve worn something similar before, haven’t you?”

I’d seen it displayed in Nyako’s house.

“That was for work, nya. Don’t you feel embarrassed?”

“Not really. Nobody cared all the way here.”

I’d walked, taken the train—no one batted an eye.

“This one’s sense of normal is completely broken, nya. What part of you is even remotely ordinary, nya?”

“I’m just a normal high school girl.”

“You’re twenty-six, nya. You’re a decade too late.”

I don’t even remember wearing it ten years ago, though.

“Don’t worry about it. Just think of me as a TS bokukko loli high school girl (26 years old).”

“Also a sadistic masochist and a trained non-virgin, nya. You’ve got way too many traits.”

You’re one to talk.

“Whatever. Anyway, everyone’s favorite cosplay, right? I like yukatas.”

“Not the sailor uniform, huh…”

Nyako sounded genuinely dumbfounded.

“I just like summer. What about you, Nyako?”

“Tama likes swimsuits, nya. Not underwear—swimsuits, nya.”

Yeah, I get that.

“What about you, Shachou?”

“Hmm… probably uniforms.”

See? I knew it. Finally honest.

“Do you get turned on seeing me like this?”

“Sorry, but I’m more shocked than anything. You’re doing something I could never bring myself to do.”

Pathetic! Some Shachou you are!

“What about you, Chihirochi?”

“I’ve never really thought about it… hmm…”

Well, she’s still a high schooler.

“Actually, since Chihirochi likes gals, wouldn’t just a normal school uniform work, nya? I mean, you wear one yourself, so it’s kinda neutral, nya.”

I mean, yeah—she’s still a student. It’s not weird.

“Ahh, maybe…?”

Chihirochi looked halfway convinced.

“Chihirochi—maji manji!”

Yaaay.

“I feel like that’s… wrong somehow.”
“You sound like an old man, nya.”
“More like a call girl.”

Shut up, all of you!