Chapter 38: The Main Event

And then, the moment of the main event arrived.

“The GalColle is finally reaching its climax! For the finale, we have none other than the supermodel Keina Kobe gracing the stage! With an inhumanly perfect figure and an alluring, melancholic aura, she’s taken part in many high-fashion brand collections. But this will be her first time walking a runway in Japan! The brand is designed by the mysterious designer ‘V’, and it’s called V’s Buizu! Amazingly, this designer is a disciple of the living legend herself, CELENA! This will be the first show by that disciple. What kind of performance will we see? The theme this time is ‘Variation – Change!’”

Backstage.

We were waiting in the wings, standing by for our cue.

“Each look in this brand has its own theme. The first theme is ‘Venus’. Making her entrance is the world-renowned supermodel, Keina Kobe!”

“I’m off~,” Keina said, waving her hand casually as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

But the moment she stepped onto the runway, the atmosphere completely changed.

The audience collectively gasped. The venue went so quiet it felt like you could hear people’s heartbeats.

Unlike when Mika made her appearance, this wasn’t awe from recognition — it was overwhelming presence that left them breathless.

A white mermaid dress adorned with golden embroidery. The glossy fabric caught the wind and shimmered brilliantly as it moved, exuding elegance and glamour.

Her stride was calm and majestic — there was no mistaking it. A real supermodel was walking.

“She’s incredible…”

“It’s like a goddess is walking…”

“But haven’t we seen this outfit before?”

“Yeah, this version is way better, but it does look familiar…”

Amidst the praise for Keina, we could hear some audience members notice the resemblance to a previously shown dress.

Keina reached the center of the stage and stopped.

Then, she unfastened the shoulder straps.

Suddenly, the dress transformed into a pitch-black gown.

There was a hidden black dress layered inside, and by removing the straps, the outer dress dropped and became the skirt of the black dress.

It was designed to represent Keina’s duality: the professional model on the runway and the lazy, laid-back Keina I know behind the scenes.

“Whoa, amazing.”

“She looks completely different now…”

“She’s stunning…”

Turning around, Keina switched to a fierce expression and strut, in stark contrast to her earlier graceful demeanor.

Transforming herself to match the outfit — this, without a doubt, was the essence of a model. It was a breathtaking walk.

“The second theme is ‘Vivid’ — now entering is the top male-role star of the all-female revue, none other than Suzu Takarazuka!”

“That’s a tough act to follow… Well, I’m off.” 

Suzu said, though she didn’t look the least bit fazed.

With each step Suzu took, the audience let out gasps of admiration. Her powerful presence captivated everyone.

She wore a full lace white suit. With her hands in her pockets, striding with broad shoulders, she looked incredibly cool — quite possibly the best-suited person in all of Japan.

“She’s so cool…”

“Too handsome…”

“Suzu-sama! Look over here!”

“She looked at me, ahhh!!”

“She looked at me, not you!”

Suzu reached the center of the stage and spun around once.

Suddenly, the suit transformed into a dress.

It was a clever mechanism: one button cinched the jacket’s waist, and slits in the pants opened up, turning them into wide-leg pants that looked like a dress.

It was inspired by the dress she wore during our amusement park date when she played the role of a boyfriend.

“Wait, that’s adorable!”

“She transformed from a cool guy to a cute girl!”

“It’s white, but somehow so vibrant!”

I deliberately avoided using colors to let Suzu’s natural charisma shine. It was a walk that beautifully revealed a new side of her.

“The third theme is ‘Victory’. Making her proud entrance is the center of top idol group Asterisk — Asuka Ashiya!”

“I’ll go show everyone how amazing Go-kun really is.” 

She said.

Despite being an idol whose job is to shine in the spotlight, Asuka always thinks of others first. She’s truly kind like that.

Asuka’s entrance was met with explosive cheers. Some people even shouted her name in coordinated calls.

She wore an elegant, all-white outfit in a “mass-produced” girly style. But with her sheer cuteness, she transformed it into something unique and one-of-a-kind.

“She’s too cute!!”

“Asuka-chaaan!!”

“We love you!”

Asuka waved cheerfully as she walked the runway. When she reached center stage, a single spotlight shone on her.

Then, the pure white outfit began to change color.

The fabric was designed to react to UV light, revealing vibrant hues.

This expressed how Asuka, having risen to the top in the competitive world of idols, shines the brightest when she’s under the spotlight as the center.

“She’s sparkling!”

“Asuka-chan, you’re glowing!”

“Amazing, just amazing!!”

“She’s so cute…”

Amid never-ending cheers and applause, Asuka returned backstage.

“The fourth theme is ‘Virtual’! Let’s see… a surprise participant? But apparently, her cuteness is certified! Please welcome Tsukiyo Himeji!”

“That introduction was written by you, right, Sakasegawa-kun!? What do you mean by ‘her cuteness is certified’!?”

“Hmm? But it’s true that you’re cute, isn’t it?”

“Ugh, st-stop…”

“Himeji, don’t space out! It’s your turn now!”

“Ah—wh-whoa!”

And so, Himeji-san nervously walked the runway.
Since all the previous participants were celebrities, the sudden appearance of an unknown face threw the audience into confusion.

Her outfit was a modern take on the traditional Japanese kimono.
That style matched Himeji-san’s beautiful black hair perfectly.

“Who is she?”
“No idea, but that figure is insane.”
“She’s super cute.”
“So pretty…”

The atmosphere in the venue shifted dramatically. Her proportions, her cute face—everything was perfectly in place.

Though she had started out walking awkwardly, the warm cheers from the audience seemed to ease her nerves.
As she walked, the plain white kimono began to show patterns.

From Shōchikubai (pine, bamboo, plum) to Seigaiha (wave patterns), Kikkō (tortoiseshell patterns), and Ichimatsu (checkerboard patterns), traditional Japanese motifs began to appear.

This was done using projection mapping onto her outfit, making the patterns change dynamically.

“Whoa, that’s amazing!”
“How are they doing that?”
“Hey! Who is that unknown model? Scout her right now!”
“She’s too beautiful!”

The idea for this outfit came from imagining Himeji being able to take on any form in a virtual world.
I guess deep down, I really wanted her to walk the runway, so I created this piece for her.

At this point, no one in the audience was saying anything about her looking like someone else.

“And finally, the fifth and last theme: ‘Venerable’! Let’s see… another surprise participant? ‘Burn that noble figure into your memory’? Please welcome Iori Iorigi!”

“Wha—No, I mean, Iori Iorigi, go break a leg out there!”

“Iori Iorigi, you’re adorable!”

“Iori Iorigi-kun? Or is it Iori Iorigi-san? Do your best!”

“Ioriiiin, that outfit looks amazing on you!”

The missing model had finally been found.
Well—more like captured.

“Everyone’s messing with me, aren’t they!? What’s with that introduction!? ‘Burn that noble figure into your memory’—seriously!?”

The fifth model… was none other than me.

“Language, please. Iori Iorigi is a girl, after all.”

“Yes sir. Iori Iorigi will do her best~”

(How… how did it come to this!?)

Despite my inner turmoil, I had no choice but to start walking the runway.
Wearing a half-twin wig, full-on girly makeup, and dressed in a style somewhere between ‘menhera’ and ‘lolita.’

(Walking like this in front of 30,000 people is way too embarrassing!! Will this really be okay!?)

Still, I couldn’t let the show fall apart.
Forcing my biggest smile, I began to walk.

“Kyaaaa!”
“Wait, look at those eyes!”
“Those legs are gorgeous…”
“Ahh… so divine…”
“Too cute!!”

…Huh? This reaction is not what I expected.
Actually, this is kind of fun!

I skipped along the runway, even though the outfit had no gimmick.
It was simply a style packed with everything a girl might find cute.

And maybe… the real gimmick was that a guy like me was the one wearing it.

Once I reached the center of the stage, overwhelmed by the cheers, I got carried away and blew a kiss.

(Oh no, a guy blowing a kiss must look super creepy…)

But before I could panic too much, the crowd exploded with screams.

“Kyaaa! Do it againnnnn!”
“So cuteeeee!!”
“Yes!! YESSS!!”
“This is the best!!”

(It’s so loud, I can’t even hear what they’re saying…)

Feeling like I’d just made a huge mistake at the end, I walked back down the runway, reflecting quietly to myself.

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