The weeks leading up to Winter Comicon are a blur of intense preparation, heightened paranoia, and increasingly elaborate attempts to manage my existence according to the "Rui Hinamata Co-Management Treaty & Ichigo Threat Response Protocol" (a ridiculously long title Miki actually put on a shared document). "Team Rui: Threat Assessment Division" operates with the covert inefficiency of a squirrel trying to conduct international espionage using only interpretive dance.
Kenji's online stalking of Ichigo yields nothing substantial beyond Ichigo's apparent preference for matcha lattes over regular lattes (classified as "Potentially Significant - Indicates Preference for Complex Flavors?"), his attendance at a university fashion show ("Reconnaissance? Or Genuine Interest in Pleats?"), and a blurry photo of him possibly petting a cat ("Weakness Identified: Feline Charm?"). Miki's official background check hits multiple dead ends, confirming Ichigo/Izumi Sato's existence but revealing little beyond publicly available information and an impressive academic record in theatrical costume design ("Subject is highly skilled and academically validated. Threat level potentially elevated.").
Rina and Haruka pour their energy into creating jaw-dropping new costumes designed to utterly annihilate LUNA on the Comicon stage. Rina's "Ice Phoenix Ectiqa" is a fiery contrast to the winter theme, radiating power. Haruka's "Snow Wraith Hime-Hime" is dark, ethereal, and hauntingly beautiful. Their rivalry is channeled into their craft, resulting in some of their best work yet. Simultaneously, they enforce my "proximity control" schedule with draconian rigor, ensuring I am never unsupervised and constantly reminded of their presence through passive-aggressive scheduling adjustments and "helpful" check-ins. My free will is a distant, cherished memory, like dial-up internet.
Aiwa remains an enigma wrapped in a paradox. At school, she is mostly shy Aiwa, though her LUNA-Lite persona flashes more frequently now, especially during Cosplay Club activities where she proves herself an invaluable technical resource and occasionally shuts down Kenji's more idiotic schemes with chilling efficiency (much to Rina and Haruka's grudging admiration and renewed suspicion). Our secret friendship continues via text, but my own paranoia about Ichigo/Izumi, combined with the constant surveillance from Rina and Haruka, makes me hesitant, distant. I am terrified of accidentally revealing something, either about Aiwa or about my own confusing feelings. Aiwa seems to sense this withdrawal, her messages becoming less frequent, tinged with a confused sadness that makes me feel like a complete jerk. I am failing miserably as a friend, a spy, and possibly a functioning human being.
Finally, Winter Comicon arrives. The Tokyo Big Sight convention center is a swirling vortex of humanity, a deafening roar of excitement, J-Pop, and overpriced merchandise. The air is cold outside, but inside, it is thick with the heat of thousands of bodies, flashing camera lights, and palpable anticipation. This is the biggest event of the year, the ultimate battlefield for cosplay supremacy and my personal sanity.
Ectiqa, Hime-Hime, and LUNA are the undisputed headliners. Their booths are positioned in a "triangle of power" in the main hall, designed by the organizers for maximum crowd flow and, undoubtedly, maximum dramatic tension. Rina, as the magnificent "Ice Phoenix Ectiqa," radiates fiery power amidst a backdrop of sculpted, translucent ice flames that somehow look warm. Haruka, as the haunting "Snow Wraith Hime-Hime," commands attention from her dark, ethereal booth decorated with bare, frosted branches and subtle, spooky fog effects. Aiwa, as a breathtaking "Aurora Princess LUNA," shimmers with internal light, her costume an impossible blend of fiber optic fabric, programmable LEDs, and delicate, crystalline armor. Her booth is a miniature celestial observatory, complete with projected stars and swirling nebulae. They are all at the peak of their craft, goddesses holding court, ready for the inevitable showdown.
Ichigo's booth is nearby, a sleek, minimalist setup designed to look like the high-tech cockpit of his chosen cosplay for the day: 'Ace Striker Kai' from the ultra-popular mecha anime 'Galaxy Force Zero.' He looks impossibly cool in the pilot suit, perfectly embodying the stoic, handsome, slightly arrogant ace pilot. The crowd around his booth is enormous, rivaling even LUNA's in sheer density and volume.
My role today is clear, drilled into me by Rina and Haruka during numerous "briefing sessions": Bait. I am to remain visible, hover near strategic locations (mostly near Ichigo's flight path between his booth and the main stage), project an aura of "approachable vulnerability mixed with intriguing competence" (whatever that means), and report any and all interactions with Subject Ichigo immediately back to Command (Rina and Haruka, via frantic texts to Miki). I feel less like bait and more like a tethered goat wearing a sign that says "Free Handler, Mildly Confused."
I spend the morning dutifully "hovering," fetching water for Rina (while dodging her attempts to "fix" my hair), adjusting Haruka's cloak (while enduring her critiques of my posture), occasionally making brief, awkward eye contact with Aiwa across the hall (which results in immediate, intense blushing from both of us, probably caught on seventeen different fan cameras), and generally trying to look as "approachably vulnerable" as possible, which mostly just involves me looking stressed, sleep-deprived, and vaguely lost.
Ichigo is playing his part perfectly, charming the fans, posing for photos with effortless cool, being the epitome of cosplay superstardom. He occasionally glances in my direction, offering those infuriatingly ambiguous, charming smiles that send Rina and Haruka into silent, furious texting fits on the Team Rui chat.
Rina: HE SMILED AGAIN! LOG IT! CROSS-REFERENCE WITH PREVIOUS SMILE DATA! IS IT A 'GENUINE INTEREST' SMILE OR A 'MANIPULATIVE SCHEMING' SMILE?!Haruka: Facial muscle analysis inconclusive. Recommend continued observation.Kenji: Maybe he just thinks Rui has nice teeth?Miki: Everyone, please maintain professional decorum.
Around mid-afternoon, the moment arrives. Ichigo finishes a panel on the main stage and begins making his way back towards his booth, cutting directly through the crowded area where I am currently "casually" pretending to examine a vendor display of keychains. This is it. Bait deployment.
Ichigo approaches, moving through the crowd with the practiced ease of a celebrity navigating paparazzi. His eyes scan the area, and then they lock onto mine. He changes course slightly, heading directly towards me. Rina and Haruka, watching from their respective booths like snipers, both tense up. Aiwa subtly adjusts her position, angling herself slightly to get a better view. Kenji ducks behind a giant inflatable anime character, ready for action (or fainting).
Ichigo stops right in front of me, that infuriatingly charming smirk playing on his lips. "Rui-kun," he greets me smoothly, ignoring the sudden drop in temperature caused by the combined glares of Rina and Haruka. "Fancy meeting you here. Enjoying the chaos?"
"It is… lively," I manage to say, trying to remember Haruka's instructions about microexpressions (is his eyebrow twitching? Is that deceit?!).
"Indeed," he says, leaning in slightly, lowering his voice. "Almost makes one nostalgic for the quiet solitude of a cybercafe, does it not?"
My blood turns to ice. Cybercafe? How does he-? Izumi. It has to be Izumi. My brain is screaming.
Before I can respond, before I can even process the implications, he claps me lightly on the shoulder. "Duty calls," he says, his smirk widening as he glances towards Rina and Haruka. "Try not to get caught in the crossfire."
And then, he is gone, disappearing back into the crowd towards his booth, leaving me standing there, completely reeling.
He knows. He knows about Izumi. Which means… he is Izumi? Or he knows her? Or he hacked my cybercafe account?!
My phone buzzes violently. It is the Team Rui chat, exploding with frantic messages.
Rina: HE TOUCHED YOU! WHAT DID HE SAY?! REPORT!!!Haruka: Physical contact initiated. Proximity breach. Analyze verbal exchange for keywords! Cybercafe?! What does it mean?!Aiwa: Rui-kun?! Are you okay?! *Kenji: CODE RED! THE BAIT HAS BEEN NIBBLED! I REPEAT, THE BAIT HAS BEEN NIBBLED! DEPLOY COUNTERMEASURES! (What are the countermeasures?!) *
Ichigo, or Izumi, or whoever the hell he is, just casually dropped a massive bombshell, confirmed my deepest paranoia, and then walked away, leaving me to deal with the inevitable, explosive fallout. The bait is not just set; it has been taken, chewed up, and spat back out into the middle of a war zone. This Comicon just got infinitely more dangerous.