Chapter 228: Embarrassment

Next, I encountered Rose and Isabella, who were wearing some kind of masks I couldn’t quite figure out, and Yato, who was dressed as an adorable dragon.

Rose and Isabella’s costumes were hard to describe but gave off a shaman-like vibe.
Since they were just wearing masks, it wasn’t entirely clear if it counted as a full costume, but it was meaningful enough that they participated.

Yato’s costume was an anime-style dragon, with a cute, chibi-like design.
I had a slight hesitation about a dragon cosplaying as a dragon, but the quality was undeniably high.

“Whoa! …Sato!? I thought you were a zombie!”

“Well, I am wearing a zombie costume, so I suppose that’s accurate.”

“…Amazing. If I’d encountered you outside, I definitely would’ve screamed.”

“Your lifeless eyes are perfect for a zombie. You have a real talent for being undead.”

It was hard to tell whether I was being complimented or insulted.
But since it was praise for my cosplay, I decided to take it at face value.

“Thank you. The three of you also look amazing. Yato’s a dragon… Rose and Isabella, what are you dressed as?”

“…A magician. The villain from an old elf tale.”

“I thought it would be better if it were a princess and a knight, but Rose insisted on being the magician. The mask quality is top-notch, but it doesn’t really convey anything, which is frustrating.”

“…It’s such an interesting story. I can’t believe it’s not more well-known.”

“Ha ha ha! Who cares about the villain from some obscure story! Rose has no taste!”

“…I don’t want to hear that from Yato, the dragon cosplaying as a dragon.”

“What!?!”

The two of them argued, playfully punching each other.
I wasn’t against Rose’s idea, but personally, I would have preferred the princess-and-knight pairing.

Rose as the princess and Isabella as the knight—that would have been amazing, no doubt.
Conversely, Isabella as the princess and Rose as the knight would also have been great, and I would have preferred that option.

“But at least Velvet understood!”

“…I get along with Velvet.”

“Rose was unusually chatty, even on a first meeting. I could hear the conversation, but had no idea what they were saying. That was scary.”

Rose and Velvet definitely seem to have good chemistry.
I don’t know what they were talking about, but if it was manga, I’m sure they’d agree on everything.

After a brief chat with the three of them, I wandered around looking for the next person.
Since Velvet came up in conversation, I wanted to meet her next.

While looking for Velvet, I ran into Lua and her group coming from the opposite direction.
Lua was dressed as a princess, Joel in a butler outfit.

Portia and Lois were in maid outfits, and Brittany appeared to be a bodyguard or heavy knight.
It was a princess-themed group centered around Lua, with high-quality costumes and a sense of story—it looked really fun.

“Lua, you’re dressed as a princess!”

“Sa-Sato! Don’t say it out loud, it’s embarrassing!”

Lua immediately hid her face with her hands.
She was clearly embarrassed; her ears were bright red.

“You look so cute, though! Don’t hide it!”

“Yes! Our costumes rely on you, so walk proudly!”

“I-I don’t care! I said I didn’t want to do this!”

“You lost at rock-paper-scissors, Lua!”

“Exactly. It was a fair decision.”

“I-I don’t care! I’m still wearing it!”

Apparently, Lua lost at rock-paper-scissors and had to wear the princess costume.
I had never seen her wear a skirt before, and her embarrassment was palpable.

But she looked beautiful, and the dress suited her perfectly.
Her shy reaction was actually quite charming.
This… was a delightful sight.

“Lua, it really suits you.”

“Exactly what Sato said! You look great, so walk proudly for us!”

“Shut up! Don’t say it suits me! Sato, go over there!”

Lua shooed me away, so I reluctantly left.
If I stayed any longer, she might have bolted.

In the end, everyone had a unique costume, and the combination of variety and quality made it extremely entertaining.
The costume event wasn’t over yet, but following the cooking competition, maybe the second cosplay contest could be officially held next time.