Chapter 138

It might be a bit awkward for me to say this, but anyway, I’m quite pretty and have a rare hair color. The audience in the distance might not easily recognize me because of my hat, but the host right in front of me surely wouldn’t miss noticing my hair color. They probably think it’s cosplay, at least so far.

“Wow, the white hair and hat are an impressive sight! What character are you cosplaying? Unfortunately, I’m not well-versed enough to recognize it!”

Of course, that’s the case. It’s not cosplay.

“It’s not cosplay.”

“Pardon?”

“I said it’s not.”

My small voice echoed through the microphone, and soon I could hear the murmuring of the audience. Well… I can understand that. There might be a few people among them who recognize me. I didn’t particularly want to reveal my identity, but I hadn’t prepared an excuse for such a situation.

“Ah, I see!”

At this point, the host might have realized who I was. It wouldn’t be surprising since there aren’t many famous people with naturally white hair in this country. Thankfully, the host was hesitating and choosing their words carefully rather than probing deeply.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like this was the kind of event where I would have to sing a song. Looking at the lottery box next to me, it appeared to be a simple show where the person whose seat number was drawn would receive a prize.

“I just need to draw this, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

I casually spoke to the flustered host and reached into the lottery box. I grabbed a plastic capsule from inside. When I opened the capsule, a piece of paper with the name of the prize was written on it. This is…

“A game console?”

It was the name of a very famous game console that I also knew. Looking up to see the audience’s reaction, it seemed I had indeed drawn a winning ticket. Although it wasn’t something I particularly wanted or needed, it wasn’t a bad deal if it was free. Up to this point, at least.

“Congratulations! We have a second place winner here! So, will you take on the challenge?”

“Challenge… what?”

I had relaxed a bit thinking I would just receive a gift, but now I was hearing something strange. What challenge? Wasn’t this just about drawing a prize and calling it a day?

“The person who drew the winning ticket can participate in a challenge to claim their drawn prize. Although we call it a challenge, it’s not like there’s a specific mission! You could say it’s a talent show! You can sing or dance! Naturally! There are no penalties for failure. Just participating will ensure you receive a prize! Of course, you can also choose to withdraw, but in that case, you’ll only receive a cultural gift certificate as a participation prize!”

“I’ll pass.”

I had no intention of acting like a fool on stage. Honestly, I didn’t really need or want the game console. No, I didn’t even need the gift certificate. If they could just send me home, that would be great.

But my quick refusal immediately chilled the atmosphere on stage, and the audience began to jeer. I could understand their feelings, but I couldn’t help but feel irritated. And wait, isn’t Seo Jae-Ah in on this too?

“Right now! Just singing a song or even dancing a little! A brand-new game console for free! Wouldn’t it be a shame to give up now?”

“I think that model has been out for at least three years.”

“No new models have come out yet.”

Their words were like a flood. It felt almost like a comedic interplay, as laughter erupted among the audience. I let out a sigh in response to their reaction. What on earth am I supposed to do? Sing a song? Or dance? Is there even any accompaniment?

Why are we even having this talent show here? It’s not like the typical couch-dwelling otaku would come out and perform. Of course, those who come to such events in cosplay aren’t likely to be couch-dwelling otaku, but I am someone who lives like that. These kinds of events should be for those who participate.

Though my desire to withdraw didn’t change, if I actually gave up here, it wouldn’t be that simple… right? Still, the escalated tension of the event would completely dissipate, and I would draw all kinds of malicious glares.

Looking at the audience from the stage made me feel pressured in many ways. The attention was already drawn. Should I just… sigh.

“…Is there any accompaniment?”

Eventually, under the pressure of hundreds of eyes, I raised the white flag. The host pretended to wipe sweat off their forehead as if relieved. It was nice that they felt that way, but did they really have to show that much relief?

I’d have to sing some random song. I didn’t know many songs, and there were only a handful of songs I knew the lyrics to. And there were almost no songs I could sing here. So the song I chose ended up being:

“Find the secret key~”

I couldn’t help it. It was the only thing that came to mind.

And my singing sounded terrible even to my own ears. It made sense since I had hardly sung at all before, but seriously, this wasn’t it. The unique stage environment probably played a role as well.

As soon as I finished singing, quite a few people started clapping, almost as if the hall was resonating with it. Why on earth? Why were they clapping for such a song?

“Thank you for the song! It might be a bit unfamiliar to the younger crowd? However, masterpieces transcend time!”

Is that old of an anime? Well, whatever. I was just relieved it was over. I received the prepared prize from the overly enthusiastic host.

When I got my prize and returned to my seat, I felt the intense gazes of those around me, just as I expected. As soon as I sat down, Jae-Ah, who was seated next to me, smiled and immediately spoke to me.

“Your singing was great!”

“Shut up, seriously.”

You were jeering earlier, weren’t you?

It felt like I had aged a year in the short time it took to sing one song.

Though the event continued after I returned, the stares from those openly watching me and those sneaking glances were annoying, so I just closed my eyes. I had just woken up, and now it was noisy enough that I couldn’t fall back asleep, but at least if I closed my eyes, I wouldn’t see anything.

An hour or so passed, and the event concluded. Although I could still feel stares around me, I didn’t react. Thankfully during the move, Jae-Ah’s friends helped shield me and dispersed the gazes.

Since it was winter, the sun set early, and the sky was dark. It seemed that was the end of the events.

We moved to the changing room and waited outside with Jae-Ah for a moment, and soon everyone from our group came out, having changed from their cosplay outfits into ordinary clothes.

Dressed in regular outfits, everyone appeared quite normal. Even Trolley and Elephant, who had been in drag, now looked like ordinary adult men, and Trixie was the same. However, the outfit of the guy, known as Bean, who had dressed in the most typical cosplay was completely unexpected.

“Isn’t the cosplay over?”

“Oh, this is my everyday clothes.”

He looked like an ordinary man, and Bean, whose character was a male, ended up in women’s clothing after the cosplay was over. It really didn’t look like a cosplay outfit at all; it was simply ordinary women’s clothing. I had thought he had quite a delicate face even while in cosplay, but now that he was in women’s clothing, unless closely inspected, it seemed difficult to tell he was a man. You’d know immediately if you heard his voice, though.

I was a bit surprised, but ultimately, he was someone I wouldn’t meet again. I restrained my reactions to avoid being rude, and Bean didn’t react much either. Judging by the fact that everyone, including Jae-Ah, seemed completely unfazed, it seemed they all knew.

Now it was truly over. It meant it was time to part ways. Naturally, Jae-Ah’s friends suggested going out to eat together afterward. It might feel a bit disappointing to end it this way. However, I had no intention of allowing it.

Jae-Ah sent me a desperate look, asking if she could come with me, but that really was pushing it. I was already at my limit, and the promise I had made only extended to this point.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can join you afterward. Plus, since Jae-Ah is a minor, she wouldn’t even be able to drink if she joined.”

“Ah, that’s true, but still, it would be nice if we could all go together. Can’t we make an exception for just you, Jae-Yu?”

On this matter, I wouldn’t give in. Jae-Ah’s friends made a good first impression, and they seemed nice. But that didn’t mean I could fully trust them based on this short encounter.

And sending a minor alone to a drinking party was out of the question. Even if Jae-Ah’s friends truly were all good people, drinking was a hard line that shouldn’t be crossed.

“I still think it’s a bit much. I’m really sorry.”

“Um… I’m sorry. If you say it’s not okay, then it’s not.”

“It can’t be helped~ I still enjoyed today. Let’s definitely cosplay together at the next event.”

“Sure!”

With promises of a future meeting, Jae-Ah and her friends exchanged goodbyes, marking the end of our schedule. Now all that was left was to head home. And in three days, Jae-Ah would be leaving. After that, it would all be over.

Everything is over.

Jae-Ah stood there, oddly still, watching the direction her friends had disappeared. Did she really want to go that badly? What was she waiting for? I remained silent, not bothering to say anything.

When Jae-Ah turned her head, there was an expression on her face that seemed to reflect resignation. What exactly was she resigning from? What was she giving up? I couldn’t know.

However, I could understand that it likely wasn’t anything good for her personally.

I wouldn’t tell her not to give up. Life is about compromises. We endure and live on. There are no exceptions. Some people might endure a little less. Some might endure a little more. Every choice comes with a fitting, though unfair, consequence.

This surely wouldn’t be anything good for you. If you truly wanted that, I couldn’t stop you. But this is the reality. At least, it was so in an ordinary world.

Everyone lives like that. If we can’t know the weight of those consequences, sometimes giving up, running away, or resigning can be a wise choice. I don’t know if this is the right world. But everyone lives that way. And this kind of world was the ordinary world.

Ordinary is the most violent concept in the world.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

I hope you bend like that, just as you are, and become ordinary.

~

The next day, someone posted a video of me singing on the internet.