As Free as Flying Birds

“8:45 AM… Quick! It might be Mimirin’s turn by now!” I exclaimed, clenching the driver’s seat before me. My face was scowling, my lips pursed near my hard jawline. Sera sat beside me unnaturally still and clasped her hands together. We’re currently inside the maidreams truck used by the cafe to transport maids for home service. We exclusively used it as per Miss Yuriko’s suggestion, but the reckless driver… was Arisa.

“Stop complaining!” Arisa shouted, gritting her teeth. Her eyes glared at the road, her fists clenching over the steering wheel. Though she tried her best overtaking the other vehicles, we weren’t able to bypass the red traffic lights. “Do you want us to cause a domino collision on the road and pay ten-million worth of fine!? I’m doing my best here, and you’ll contribute by being quiet!”

“Woah, calm down, lady! You seemed experienced in accidents. We might be the same age now. Do you have a driver's license already?”

“Student license, offered to me by Miss Yuriko for some reason, and didn’t I tell you to be quiet?” After the traffic lights went green, the vehicle accelerated hastily and pulled our body backwards.

“Wouldn’t it be more of a problem if you collided with a vehicle using a ‘business’ car?”

“QUIET!”

Arisa was easy to tease. Even though she still wore her maid dress, her cuteness vanished, her mask faded. These are some people eligible for me to talk with. I’m assured she won’t take Sera’s kindness for granted, and she will tell her all the truth. Maybe she was the first outsider who’ll understand Sera’s situation.

The time was ticking. I wished the program had a technical difficulty so that we could reach our spot. Then I noticed Sera paced out, staring straight to nothingness. I asked, “What’s wrong? You look pale.”

“… Kou-nii, once we’re there… What should I do?”

Huh!? Wait… Didn’t I tell her? My head suddenly overflowed with thoughts. What did I do the whole week? I introduced Shizu-sama to Sera through a movie, managed her costume, and even asked the professionals for advice. But how does cosplay contests really work? I didn’t do any research, and even though I witnessed countless cosplay contests, I never paid attention to the program.

We didn’t have time to practice the actions anymore. The time I planned to watch the first-in-line contestants was taken by this absurd incident. I do want to join the contest as an experience, but if we don’t do anything on stage, will I just taint her name and embarrass her? No, I will be the one who will take the embarrassment, showing that I failed my dream in front of Mimirin.

I’m a failure as a manager… At this very last moment, my limped hands trembled unconsciously. If only I had planned this before, we wouldn’t go through this problem again. I want to go back… I thought this would be my biggest happy memory… This will be my biggest nightmare soon.

We reached the venue on time, and Mimirin’s performance made the crowd’s cheer echo outside the place. Our vehicle even caught some audience’s attention. Arisa intended to open the door, but she noticed my trembling lips and chin. “What happened to you!? We’re here!”

The broadcast from the stage speaker announced, “For the next contestant, she was lucky to get the last spot in the competition. Usually, this spot is reserved for superstars. Mimirin just revealed her identity from the online world, but would the next contestant be another revelation? Or the birth of a new cosplayer? Let us call the cosplayer who will present us with the appearance of the perfectly symmetrical face of Shizu-sama!”

“Arisa, did I say something wrong?” Sera asked, wrinkling her brows out of her concern for my sudden mood shift.

“Dude, what is wrong with you!? You’re in a rush right? Don’t delay us any more. They’re already calling you,” Arisa complained to me, her teeth gritting.

I don’t know what we'll do. I couldn’t say it. I forgot this was a contest, not a showcase for models. No training was made. I’m solely obsessed with perfecting Shizu-sama’s clothes while neglecting the performance. Sera doesn’t know Shizu-sama well yet, and I bet she can’t pull out an accurate on-the-spot performance.

“I want to quit.” The wrong words came out of my mouth. I’m not even thinking of it. I don’t even know where it came from. Fear perhaps? Blinking rapidly, my shoulders tightened, my breaths bursting in and out.

“Shizu-sama, are you here? Uh-oh! Some audiences were already leaving! Don’t you want to see the final winners of the competition? I am also expecting Mimirin to be the winner, but that’s just my opinion. Though I’m not a judge, I assure you there is no bias in the decisions here.”

Sera and Arisa flinched back, their eyes widening. Arisa soon spoke through her teeth full of forced restraint, “Are you kidding me? Really!? Now that you caused us too much hassle and involvement, you’re backing down? What a coward you are!”

“Once she goes up there, she’ll only be shaming herself. This is too much of what we had planned. I hope you understand what might happen.”

“Hmph! What are you afraid of? Failure? That things won’t go the way you expected? If you don’t fail, how will you move forward?”

It felt like a knife was thrusted through my heart the moment she mentioned it. I’m afraid of failure. I don’t want to shame myself any more. The moment that incident happened, I looked at myself as a pitiful and shameful display. Hence, the reason I’m not succeeding in my life… The reason I’m lost.

It’s not that there is no path for me towards my future. There was, but it wasn’t completely a comfortable land I needed to step into. It seems that for me to move forward, I will risk my life swimming across broken bridges and escaping sharks. My mind was completely swarmed with concerns I couldn’t handle, but… It soon stopped the moment I felt Sera clasping my hands.

“Last call, Shizu-sama!? Where are you? Just to share, Is it only me, or FCO5 fans are swarming Akiba now? That’s strange…”

“Kou-nii… Just tell me what I should do. I will handle the rest.”

I felt the warmth of her hands taking over the coldness within my body. Everything felt peaceful after witnessing a weightless gaze from her sparkling eyes. The trembling from my loose limbs stopped. My pulse slowly cycled back to normal.

I suddenly realized, I might be lost… but I’m not alone. Sera was also lost, sleeping inside a dangerous public place, inquiring the public a way home, and even becoming a victim of abusers. But she didn’t care what happened to her as long as she could go back home. I could sense her fear the first time we met, but she didn’t give up. The moment she ventured into this world, everything was already uncomfortable to her.

I soon inhaled a large amount of air and exhaled it slowly. She depended on me for this event, and though I personally requested this to her as a favor, I also want her to experience that she was accepted in this world. Fork it! I opened the car door and brought her out while holding her hand. Facing her, I said with a soft tone,

“Tell us more about you, my Shizu-sama.”

“Alright! It looks like Shizu-sama won’t make it to the contest. Let us proceed with–”

“WAIT!” My shout halted the announcer’s statement. Soon, a staff member of the contest approached the host and whispered directly in his ear. The moment he left, the host coughed and pointed the microphone before his mouth.

“Sorry for the long wait! Are the audiences still alive! If so, I also wanted to be surprised now! Will the real Shizu-sama appear before us? Fun fact! Shizu-sama is one of the goddesses of FCO5 that had a perfectly symmetrical face that followed the golden ratio measurement. Many attempts were made, but thick makeup won’t make up for her attractiveness, hence she is difficult to cosplay. But we have a new challenger! Let us welcome, Shizu-sama in FLESH!”

“Are you ready, Sera?” I asked, holding Sera’s hand as we faced the carpet, surrounded by chairs backstage. Cosplayers who were waiting for the judges’ decision were waiting on the chairs together with those who accompanied them.

Sera gripped my hand tighter and responded, “I know myself more than anyone, K… Magnus Kou.”

I smirked and faced forward, initiating the walk. For the first time, I will fully depend on Sera’s capabilities to perform. I don’t know a bit of her background, but if she was confident on what she would do, even if we fail, I had nothing to worry about. After all… We tried our best.

While walking her towards the stage, I felt a familiar gaze. Her eyes once widened, soon turned sullen. She was surrounded by her own guards and her manager, but the character she portrayed was… the teenage Mahou Shoujo Momoka. She was Mimirin!

I suddenly felt a tingle on my spine, witnessing the first cosplayer I adored back when I was a kid. Though she only appeared online, her fans including me would be excited to see her too. It’s a disappointment I was not able to watch her performance, but my desire to approach her didn’t vanish. Though I still adore her, this point of time made me break my promise to her.

She shouldn’t be able to distinguish who I was, but why was her eyes fixated on me!? Did she remember our encounter at the hospital? That’s already years ago! I don’t want to ignore her, but I need to prioritize guiding Sera towards the Stage.

“Kou-nii, what happened?” Sera asked after she felt the sudden shaking of my arm.

“N–Nothing, just a shock from a memory. Anyways, aren’t you feeling scared that you’ll face too many people?”

“I believed you when you said they will accept me for who I am. I trust you.” She was never treated like a monster in this place. After all, she experienced life in Akiba, ate delicious meals in the curry store, and made a new friend she could rely on. I assured her everyone will accept her even though she was an elf from another world.

“I believe you too, Sera.”

I let go of my grip the moment we reached the stage. Sera stepped up the stairs with a strong posture, shoulders back, chin high, like she was telling me it will be alright. At that moment, it felt like I'd seen a goddess surrounded by bright light from heaven. My face flushed after I witnessed her character synchronizing with Shizu-sama… the behaviors of a lost girl.

She walked at the center of the stage with a frown, her hand on her chest. Just her saddened face made the audience giddy. Everyone stared at her incredulously, their eyes bulging, some heads shaking in disbelief and believing that the real Shizu-sama was put out of the screen. Unexpectedly, everyone’s shock made the atmosphere quiet, no microphones needed. Sera might’ve intended it this way.

She kneeled on stage and prayed, her face staring up at the sky. Even I couldn’t believe that her soft tone echoed across the place.

“Wandering through a world unknown, suns die, shadows stretch, and winds have blown. The roads are tangled, paths are lost, each turn I take, I count the cost. I’m a stranger to this land, my footsteps do not match the sand. Eyes glances and wonder why. My presence seems to pass them by. I’m crying but why?

“Father, I call your name, for all the world feels lost and tame. Everywhere I go, I long for roads I used to know, the scent of rain, the soft earth’s glow. Venturing through alleyways of danger, I was also called a monster. Lost I feel, and far from home, I don’t know where I belong. But… I walk this world, no longer alone.

“A hero opened his door, where memories paint the floor. Believing my paths soon will meet their ends… it won’t. I ate curry and met new friends, myself standing still whatever challenge fate sends. No mask to wear, no role to play, just hearts that beat in a shared display. Until my world fetches me with a sleigh, this is where I temporarily wish to stay.”

She stood up, faced the audience, and opened her arms. Her eyes closed, but her tear-flooded face doesn’t show a mark of ruined makeup. With a fierce tone, she declared her inclusion to the society not only as Shizu-sama, but Sera herself. “Let all hear our words, as free as flying birds. For my prayer turned into a song, belongs to the world where we belong.”

The silence lingered for seconds until Sera slowly opened her eyes. The cheers and applauses of the crowd graduated to maximum volume in a blink. Every face I’ve seen showed a soft expression. When I heard her speech, it felt like I’m lifting heavy weights of burden in kilograms. All felt awe and sympathy in how she made Shizu-sama’s story realistic, but only I knew it was her own story.

The host emerged from backstage and stole Sera’s spotlight. “What a delightful speech! It made me feel like I’m Isekai-ed for a moment and I’m watching Shizu-sama pray within the temple! What do you all guys think!? Did her speech move us all!? After all, I do, and I want to help you find your home too, my Goddess! Give it a round of applause for Shizu-sama!”

This spectacular view wouldn’t have happened if I quit. I nearly cried when she said that. That hero, it might be us that she was referring to. But she never knew who the real hero was. If she wasn’t here, I wouldn’t have experienced being a cosplayer manager for once. My dreams would have crumbled, and I still feel lost.

Now that she saved my dream, it is now my turn to bring her back home.