Was it possible that I was all wrong? She didn’t have a shock not because she knew me, but only when I entered her private space. Hina Satou, the top ninth cospyer in the Regent of Gmour rankings, was a complete stranger to me. Shaking my head, I already gave my surety that her face shared the exact complexions with Rise’s. However, their personalities were the exact opposite behind the camera.
“Mmm! It was so delicious! Nothing beats Go! KARE!” Sera excimed after swallowing the curry we ordered. She, specifically her long ears, caught the attention of everyone in the Go! KARE fast food chain. It wasn’t a big deal to us since it was Halloween.
“Do you know, Sera? Curry is one of the most common meals in Japan. You can learn the recipe from Mom if you ask her.”
“Really!? I’ll look into it soon,” she replied proactively. After a quick bite, she asked, “By the way, who was the girl you approached earlier?”
I rested my jaw over my csped hands, supported by my elbow on the table. Gazing at the cospyers across the huge gss window, I uttered, “I mistook her as my friend. She’s Hina Satou, one of the cospyers standing on top of the Regent of Gmour rankings. Do you still remember?”
Looking up, she replied after a short pause, “... Only her name, but I didn’t see her face. I heard your shouts though. It feels like you’ve been with her recently.”
“I only tried to confirm something. Don’t sweat it.” But did I really get it? Fumbling, watching Sera eat with narrowed eyes, I was left with more unanswered questions. Specifically, what does she mean she didn’t have any cssmates?
Sera finished two meals, both in different fvors. With me, she left the fast food chain and rubbed her stomach with a high chin and exposed neck. Seeing her satisfied flushed out my worries. Walking around, we encountered countless cospyers surrounded by people and camera fshes.
Most of the cospyers costumed Miku, Kaisen, JUMP characters, and even the recently famous Momo. However, most of the ones that stood out were the unique ones, like the Kaito magician we encountered. As we watched him, he showed us an impactful performance with limited resources. He even made cash turn into a pigeon, pulled a long pole from a small pouch, and showered us with cards from nothing.
“So, magic exists in this world?” Sera asked me.
“Don’t get fooled. They’re calling it magic, but it’s only a trick to impress children.”
Stooping down, Sera muttered, “Hmm… There’s really no magic in this world. These performances wouldn't be possible if this world had one.”
“Sad truth, it was only everyone’s dream. I’m already lucky, that brought us this eversting peace.”
“In our world, peace is only everyone’s dream.” I think I’m already an adult, realizing how content I was with the world’s current situation. If I got Isekai-ed, even though healing was easy, I didn’t want to experience the feeling of my foot getting detached everytime.
We continued our journey to the streets full of crowds, expining to Sera what Halloween was. Unlike st year’s event, in which the infamous incident happened, public officials continuously circle the town, protecting citizens from upcoming danger. We’re lucky we didn’t join st year.
While walking, Sera sensed a woman in white behind us. Turning back completely, she flinched and squealed like a siren, her hand flying before her mouth. “KYAAA!! GHOST!”
The ghost didn’t react a bit. Realizing there wasn’t any malice, Sera’s squealing stopped, followed by my hard ughter. “There’s no ghost in this world! That’s cospy too.”
Trembling, she pointed towards the ghost and excimed, “But… She’s not even smiling!”
“Oh…” I acted unaware for a second. Covering my face with my palm and surprising her with a huge grin, I shouted, “Happy Halloween!”
“Stop teasing me!”
Few walks after, we encountered a topless Devil Syer cospyer. Though he suppressed the cold he felt, his puffed body prevented him from doing so. Every muscle shouted strength through its solidity, completely imitating the character’s figure. We approached him for a picture, but Sera averted her gaze out of concern.
“Uhm… It’s too cold outside. Do you have any clothes with you?”
I tapped Sera’s shoulder and clicked my tongue, shaking my head. “Tsk… Don’t you know, Sera? Muscles are also cospys!”
We gathered countless pictures, memories in her dictionary. A few distance away, Sera suddenly embraced my arm and hid behind me. Before us, a man in a tuxedo held a controller while controlling a robot dog. It didn’t have a head and wasn’t aware that for each step it did, countless crowds chased it for pictures.
“Look! A strange wolf!”
“Wolf? Don’t you have dogs in another world?” Unlike her naming convention for cats, wolves were far more accurate.
Narrowing her eyes at me, she asked, “Dogs? Are they wolves made of metal?”
“Ugh… I don’t know how to expin it,” I replied, pinching my forehead. Seconds after, a cospy dog, held by a civilian’s leash, passed before us. Then I realized, Show, don’t tell was better than expining. “Oh, there! That’s the real dog. Let’s approach it.”
We approached the dog, where its owner stopped walking and greeted us with a great Halloween. The dog currently wore a superhero suit, and it was freaking cute that I couldn’t resist rubbing its head.
Sera leered at the dog, her narrowed eyes rapidly blinking. After swallowing, she said with a tensed voice, “They look like wolves, but smaller. They’re also not hostile.”
“They’ll bite you if you offend them, but they’re friendly. Want to pat him?”
Inviting Sera to a new learning session, she sat beside me and faced the dog. Her hand slowly reached the dog’s forehead, hesitation stopping her for every heartbeat. When the tip of her finger reached its fur, she flinched, pulling back out of reflex.
I ughed, which repeated the same squeal from earlier, “Stop teasing me!”
“Don’t worry! Just be kind to him. He won’t bite you,” I advised.
Coughing, she replied with sheer confidence, “I–I’ll try again. I’ll be careful.”
Taking a deep breath, she reached out the dog’s forehead without any shaking, just pure focus. As she exhaled, her palm rested at its braincase for a few seconds. She tried to grasp her safety, but after assuring it, she started rubbing it gently like I did.
The dog stared at her, bathed in complete innocence and wonder. As I gaze at Sera, I could see her expressions change from defensiveness to softness. Her glossy bright eyes were completely glued to it, her lips parting and pupils enrging. Soon, a bright smile gradually appeared on her face.
It had only been weeks to reminisce when I first met Sera. Her expression changed the same way back then, once defensive at me. But the moment I knew her more, she became more open and reliant on me. Every time I saw her smile, it felt like I was rewarded.
Just from a moment of fshback, I realized that both her hands pinched both the dog’s cheeks. “How gorgeous! I wish I had one.”
“You’re becoming spoiled. Mom won’t allow you.”
We came back to the same spot where Hina’s performance was, but it was already over. Still, the crowd remained packed as local cospyers took over. There seemed to be no pce for us to wander anymore. Instead, I led Sera to the nearby Hot dog cart beside the streets.
“Let’s eat some hotdogs.”
“... Hot dogs!?” Squealing, her eyes bulged. Since Mom always cooked us healthy meals, she hadn't eaten convenient foods aside from the Chinese bun I first gave her.
“I know what you’re thinking. They’re not cooked dogs. It’s just a naming convention.”
As I ordered two Teriyaki Japadogs, the stall vendor immediately gave us our orders. Witnessing how she handled the stick, I was amazed at how adaptable she was. We took each other’s bite, both swallowing until the fvors scattered in our mouths. Sera cringed with a long ‘Mmm,’ her shoulders tightening from the bance of sweetness and spice. My bad. If she got addicted to this, she might get fat.
Half of our hotdogs consumed, a scene nearby caught our heed. A group of Yakuza passed through the streets, and their leader bumped onto a girl wearing a mask and a hoodie. She fell down the ground straight, her notebook sliding away from her, but the Yakuza didn’t even care.
No one would dare face a Yakuza head on, hence the people only gave space, not trying to help the girl. The Yakuza’s katanas were already a huge threat to peace. If I knew the social standings of their group, I would also let them vanish first before helping them. However, Sera disappeared from my side.
“Say sorry! You pushed a girl! She got bruised because of you!” Furrowing her eyebrows, Sera helped the girl to sit straight and shouted at the Yakuza’s, causing me to rush at her while panicking.
As I reached her, I whispered in a high tone shrill voice, “You shouldn’t have done that!”
The group halted and turned back at us. My nerves froze and my chin unconsciously trembled as I excreted cold sweats. Due to my condition, I couldn’t escape with Sera the moment I wished to. The leader looked down at us with a high chin, his nostrils fring.
“Huh!? Ya sayin’ somethin’, d?”
“Don’t you realize what you did? You hurt a girl! With a lot of people around, don’t you want to apologize?” Sera compined, her eyes protruding at them. It was a near-to-death jaw-dropping moment for me! She shouldn’t have done that! And I would like to say to stop, but it was too te.
“Me? Apologizing'? Ya know who you’re talking to?” The leader smugly asked as the group withdrew their swords. I only embraced Sera to protect her from the danger. Closing my eyes, the pain of losing a limb won’t hurt if I save another life again.
The sudden silence filled the air. My ears deafened, only able to hear the far distant broadcast of advertisements. Am I dead? Curiosity filling my mind, I opened my eyes only to witness the most familiar person standing before and protecting us.
“Mom!?”