Sunday morning sunlight had just spilled over the windowsill when Okabara Kyogumichi's phone rang with an urgent chime.
The name "Kitagawa Marin" flickered on the screen, and before he could answer, a vibrant voice full of energy came through the receiver: "Kyogumichi! Wake up and get ready! The comic convention opens at nine, we need to get in before it gets too crowded!"
Kyogumichi rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up, the sky outside the window was clear blue.
"Got it, I'll be ready in a minute," he replied helplessly, already imagining the girl's excited expression.
When he arrived at the agreed-upon subway station, Kitagawa Marin was already waiting at the ticket gate.
She was wearing a white lace blouse and a plaid skirt, her hair tied in a high ponytail with a pink ribbon at the end, and she carried a huge suitcase, looking particularly eye-catching.
"Kyogumichi, over here, over here!" She waved excitedly, the wheels of her suitcase making a light sound on the ground.
"What's in your suitcase?" Kyogumichi asked curiously, looking at the suitcase that almost reached the girl's shoulder.
"It's a secret! You'll find out later!" Kitagawa Marin blinked, speaking mysteriously, "Let's go quickly, there are autograph sessions with super popular guests today!"
The comic convention was already bustling with people, colorful cosplays weaved through the crowd, posters of various anime merchandise covered the walls, the theme songs of popular animations played from loudspeakers, and the air was filled with the scent of popcorn and the unique ink smell of anime merchandise.
Kitagawa Marin immediately pulled Kyogumichi excitedly into the crowd, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
"Look at that cosplayer! It's Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica! The props are so realistic!" Kitagawa Marin pulled Kyogumichi to a stop in front of a purple-haired girl, excitedly taking out her phone to take pictures, "Kyogumichi, let's take one too!" Before Kyogumichi could react, she tiptoed and linked her arm through his, making a cute peace sign for the camera.
Kyogumichi looked at the girl's bright smile in the photo, shaking his head helplessly, but couldn't help but save the photo to his phone. Kitagawa Marin suddenly remembered something and pulled him towards the rest area: "I'm going to change clothes, wait for me here!" With that, she rushed into the changing room with her suitcase.
Not long after, the changing room door opened, and a girl in a purple Lolita dress walked out.
The purple lace dress accentuated her extremely slender waist, revealing fair calves beneath the hem, and looking up, one would see two patches of snowy white—it was Kitagawa Marin, who had changed into her cosplay.
Kyogumichi felt his blood rush a little, thinking: "This big, how is that possible? She must have padded it, right? Right, right, that's right."
"How is it? Does it look good?" She twirled in place, the skirt flying up to reveal a playful white lace trim.
Kyogumichi calmed down slightly, "It looks really good, it suits you very well!"
"Hehe, I even made some modifications based on Shizuku's photos, now I feel like I've truly become Shizuku!" Kitagawa Marin said proudly, then suddenly leaned close to Kyogumichi and whispered, "Actually, I'm wearing safety shorts underneath, so no need to worry about flashing~"
"Who was worried about that!" Kyogumichi coughed pretend, drawing good-natured laughter from the surrounding cosplayers.
Kitagawa Marin, however, didn't care, pulling him to continue browsing the exhibition, stopping from time to time at various merchandise stalls. She picked up a headband with cat ears and put it on Kyogumichi's head: "Wow! Kyogumichi looks so cute wearing this!"
"Take it off quickly!" Kyogumichi quickly removed the headband, but the girl held his hand down. "No way, just for a little while~" Kitagawa Marin cajoled, her soft fingers inadvertently brushing against Kyogumichi's hand, bringing a tingling sensation.
Passersby around them laughed and took pictures, and Kyogumichi only felt a little embarrassed, but ultimately relented helplessly.
When they reached the costume material section, Kitagawa Marin was immediately drawn to the various laces and fabrics, squatting in front of a stall, carefully selecting.
Sunlight streamed through the skylight of the venue onto the girl's focused profile, long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyelids, her serious demeanor a stark contrast to her usual liveliness.
"Kyogumichi, look at this!" Kitagawa Marin held up a piece of light purple lace fabric, exclaiming excitedly, "It would look so good for the hem of a dress!" She gestured the length, but accidentally brushed the fabric against Kyogumichi's cheek, carrying a faint fragrance.
The girl immediately realized what had happened, her cheeks flushing slightly as she apologized: "I'm sorry!"
"It's okay." Kyogumichi shook his head, looking at the fabric in her hand, "It really suits you."
Around noon, as they were eating lunch boxes in the rest area, Kitagawa Marin suddenly said mysteriously: "Next, we're going to participate in the couple cosplay competition, Kyogumichi has to change clothes too!"
She opened her suitcase and took out a black butler uniform, "I specially prepared this for you, the size should be right!"
Kyogumichi looked at the exquisite silver buttons on the butler uniform and sighed helplessly: "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."
"Please~ Just play along with me!" Kitagawa Marin clasped her hands together and cajoled, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, "There's prize money if we win the competition, we can buy more materials to make clothes!"
In the end, Kyogumichi couldn't resist the girl's persistent pleas and changed into the butler uniform. Surprisingly, the fitted tailoring made him look exceptionally tall and straight, and the black tailcoat shimmered softly under the lights.
Kitagawa Marin looked at him, suddenly covering her cheeks: "Wow! Kyogumichi is so handsome! Much more suitable than I imagined!"
On the competition stage, Kitagawa Marin pulled Kyogumichi to perform a simple dance, her Lolita skirt fluttering with their movements.
During a spin, she accidentally stepped on her skirt, and her body fell backward. Kyogumichi quickly supported her waist, and their distance instantly closed, their noses almost touching.
Kitagawa Marin's breath gently brushed Kyogumichi's cheek, carrying a faint strawberry scent, and both of them froze.
Loud applause and whistles erupted around them, and Kitagawa Marin finally came back to her senses, standing upright with flushed cheeks, but she quietly whispered in Kyogumichi's ear: "Your heart was beating so fast just now~"
Clearly, after getting familiar, Marin-chan had become a little mischievous.
Although they only received a consolation prize in the end, Kitagawa Marin was still exceptionally happy, grinning from ear to ear as she hugged the merchandise prizes she had won.
As they left the comic convention, the sun had already set, casting long shadows of the two of them. Kitagawa Marin had changed back into her casual clothes, but still tightly held Kyogumichi's arm, humming an anime theme song with light steps.
"Today was really too much fun!" Kitagawa Marin stopped and said earnestly to Kyogumichi, "Thank you for coming to the comic convention with me, Kyogumichi is the best!"
"As long as you're happy."
Passing a snack stall, Kitagawa Marin bought two skewers of takoyaki and handed one to Kyogumichi: "Try it, this place's is super delicious!" She took a bite herself, and some sauce accidentally got on the corner of her mouth.
Kyogumichi instinctively raised his hand to wipe it off for her, his fingertips touching the girl's soft lips, and both of them froze simultaneously.
The air seemed to stand still at that moment, and the surrounding noise became a blurred background sound.
Kitagawa Marin's cheeks instantly turned crimson, her big eyes filled with surprise, but she didn't pull away. Kyogumichi also froze in place, a warm sensation lingering on his fingertips, his heartbeat involuntarily accelerating.
"Um..." Kyogumichi was the first to break the silence, withdrawing his hand somewhat awkwardly, "Sauce got on your face."
"Oh, oh! Thank you..." Kitagawa Marin lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, but her ears were so red they looked like they might bleed.
On the subway ride home, both of them were somewhat silent, yet they tacitly didn't create distance between them.
"Kyogumichi, next time there's a comic convention, can we go together again?"
"Okay."
"I want to cosplay Mitsuha from your name! Can you make the clothes for me?"
"Whatever you want."
The subway's arrival announcement interrupted their conversation, and Kitagawa Marin, carrying bags full of merchandise, walked out of the station side by side with Kyogumichi. Moonlight bathed them, casting long shadows.
As they said goodbye at the intersection, Kitagawa Marin suddenly tiptoed and quickly kissed Kyogumichi's cheek: "Goodnight~" Then she ran home with a flushed face.
Kyogumichi stood frozen, his hand touching the kissed cheek, feeling the lingering warmth, a smile involuntarily curving his lips.
The stars in the night sky were exceptionally bright, as if witnessing this moment. He took out his phone, looked at the photo of him and Kitagawa Marin, and secretly looked forward to their next comic convention date.