The cosplayer's finale! So...what to we do now?

Lafon walked on stage, waving to the crowd as we cheered her on. I had just seen the full outfit a few days ago, but on stage, it had another layer of vibrance to it. To be fair, the dorm room lighting is pretty bad. But the way Lafon carried herself on stage…no one would say she was a newcomer.

“So pretty!!!!” Sato gushed, as Watson was busy clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

Indeed, she captivated all of us as she entered. As she approached the center, she carefully removed the glove from her right hand, revealing the mechanical hand. I assume she may be saving the dramatic reveal of her whole arm during the performance–

The crowd gasped and roared to life once again as she showed the complexities of the mechanical hand.

She moved her left hand as if to start rolling up her right sleeve, though she stopped and left the sleeve in place. She gave a quick smile and placed her index fingers to her lips to shush the crowd.

This wasn’t even the performance, and I was afraid the crowd would eventually go ballistic.

“And last, but certainly not the least, from Kyoto, last year’s World Cup winner, please welcome Aoi-chan as Kumiko, the breakout idol from IDOL☆STARS!”

The cheers equally matched Lafon’s entrance, as a woman wearing a bedazzled dress identical to the show’s character came out with marked enthusiasm.

The cosplayers did one more round of showcasing before returning backstage for the individual performances to begin.

Toro-sensei once again rolled out and showed his swordsmanship synced to the video of his character battling ten warriors at once. His use of stage ninjas was clever too, both as the warriors he defeats onstage and as his fallen brothers in a scene where he walks amongst a graveyard.

Aoi-chan rocked everyone in the crowd with a live singing performance of Kumiko’s character song — people brought out their penlights and cheered on like an actual idol concert.

It finally came to Lafon’s turn. I had not perceived these performances to be of such high caliber — even with Lafon’s craftsmanship likely earning top marks, it still depends on what she does now.

The stage went dark, the video screen in the back showing the Parisian night as Lafon walked on stage, the spotlight following her. As she neared the center, two stage ninjas followed her.

“Azure, watch your back–”

Ah, this is the penultimate fight between Azure and the assassins as she pursues the corrupt minister.

As the stage ninjas pointed their weapons at her, she crouched and jumped into the air like a gymnast, moving backwards as the two men found themselves now in front of her and in danger. The audio blared two slashing noises, and the stage ninjas collapsed to the ground.

“Impressive, Azure. But how much more can you endure?”

Similar to Toro-sensei’s performance, Lafon battled several more foes with grace. Until a loud bang and smoke filled the stage. As Lafon was on the floor, a man wearing a black tuxedo entered the stage; his hair matched Lafon’s hair.

This scene was the reveal of the minister’s true identity–

“Azure. You exceeded my expectations. But it’s time for the fun and games to end.” The man spoke Japanese quite fluently—it was apparent he wasn’t a native speaker, but impressive nonetheless.

Wait…I’ve seen this guy before….

In the car, from the first convention as Lafon dragged me into the backseat….wasn’t he the driver?

“Last chance, Azure. My dear sister.”

The minister was Azure’s older brother in the show…but for a moment– nah, can’t be, that can’t be Lafon’s actual older brother?

Lafon scoffed, standing back up and ripping off the fabric to reveal her mechanical arm in its full glory. The crowd, once again, was stunned at the arm’s ingenuity and attention to detail.

The two fought, dodging each other's attacks, sliding across the floor, jumping past each other’s jabs, as if they were dueling to the death.

As the battle concluded, with Azure standing victorious, she spoke with conviction and poise.

“Adieu, mon frère.”

The lights dimmed, and the crowd went bonkers.

“OMG!” Sato squealed and screamed in ways I had not yet imagined were possible as everyone couldn’t contain their excitement from such a performance.

***

“Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful performances. Again, we welcome all the contestants to the stage!”

“In third place: Nanami-chan!”

“In second place: Aoi-chan!”

“And in first place, our winner of AnimeTokyo’s Cosplay National Championship is….”

The audience waited in anticipation.

Eris-sama.

Gotta be Eris-sama.

I spotted Lafon on-stage, standing firm, although her eyes wandered back and forth…she was nervous as well!

The announcer opened the last envelope, and with a growing smile, she spoke into the microphone.

“Eris-sama!”

Lafon gasped as the other contestants clapped and congratulated her. The audience, well, did go ballistic.

Sato might have wanted to rush the stage and hug her right this instant, yet she contained herself to jumping up and down, holding hands with Watson as they both jumped up and down. That’s sweet–

She turned around and went for the bear-hug maneuver, almost sending me off balance into the seats- gah, Sato, save that for Lafon–she’s the athletic one!

Seeing her happy was rewarding in its own way; she deserves it, though all that hard work and her unparalleled skills in metalworking and electronics…

I was also really happy about it; that sense of accomplishment, of a job well done….

No, maybe that wasn’t quite it…

Before I could ponder this further, I was interrupted by another roar of applause. Lafon received her award and posed in front of us one more time, raising her mechanical arm high in the air.

The crowd became one in voice and spirit as we shouted, “Eris-sama!!!!!!!”

***

The rest of the day felt like a blur. We lined up for the photo-op, thanks to our tickets, and were able to take a photo with Lafon. Sato had to resist every urge to embrace her, as we had to quickly escort her away before she became a chummy mess.

About an hour later, while we checked more stalls out, Lafon texted us that she was all ready to meet up with us. Near the concourse, we spotted her with her signature beret. She turned around, revealing quite the get-up: an unassuming hoodie and sweatpants, sunglasses, and a mask.

She was totally in incognito mode!

“Eliseeee!!” Sato rushed her and squeezed her tightly in her arms. I originally thought Lafon was immune to these emotional attacks, yet eventually she melted in her warm embrace.

“We’ll talk more after the convention,” Watson giggled, and I gave a thumbs-up in agreement.

The live concert, similar to the first one we’ve been to, albeit with a smaller crowd, was quite enjoyable. The hours passed, and before long, we were exiting the convention center, the sky already transitioning to night.

“Alright, time to celebrate!!” Sato cheered, now that we were out of sight of the larger crowds. “Elise, pick where you want to go for dinner!”

“Yeah! Also–” Watson leaned in. “Who’s the guy with you in that performance? He was so cool!!”

“Ah…that’s my brother.”

He was actually her brother! My suspicion was right….

“Iwasaki, I believe you met him before–”

“Wait, Iwasaki-kun?? When? Where?”

“The first convention right…he was driving—”

“Yup.” Lafon nodded.

“So, what’s he doing in Japan?”

“He works at the embassy.” That explains his Japanese fluency.

As Watson continued to question Lafon, I sighed as I cruised in the back. I suddenly felt a light jab to the side, with Sato appearing on my left.

“I didn’t know you and her brother had met already,” she teased.

“Well…at the time I didn’t think it was her brother, only when I saw him again on-stage…” I defended myself.

“Anyways…can’t believe it all worked out.”

“Right. It really did.” I looked up at the sky, feeling happy, but something had settled in my stomach as well.

I thought back to the hours spent in that meeting room, scouring through diagrams and parts, sorting through the materials, exchanging jokes and jabs at each other’s gaffes…then there were the late-night runs to the convenience store for snacks, or the izakaya for an actual meal. The trips to Akihabara for materials.

Sure, the final product being successful sure was satisfactory…yet the time spent working with her was the most enjoyable part. That meeting room was a secret world stowed away, only we knew about. 

I concluded that going back to a ‘normal’ routine would leave me missing those times. Not to mention--

“Earth to Iwasaki-kun–”

“Oh, sorry, just thinking how fun it was.”

“Same,” she nodded. “It was fun. The beginning of a fun journey–”

“Beginning?”

“Of course!” she looked up and pointed at the moon. “Remember? My dreams of aeronautics, sending people up there, and further!” She lowered her hand and continued walking, swaying side to side ever so slightly. “It’s a long way away right now. Even if you don’t realize it, you’ve been helping me on this goal already...and it’s not gonna stop after today.”

“How so…”

“I’ll have more building to do eventually, whether from the classes I take, to pet projects, you know.” She skipped ahead. “That room is a nice workshop, and with you there…and…”

And?

“And…okay, I barely passed Japanese, and it was so hard!! So, at minimum, I need help in that,” she admitted.

I sighed. For some reason, that answer gave me a sense of relief. “Sure. I’ll be there.”

“Hehe, means you’re stuck with me and my astrophysics rants–“

“Stuck with you?” I raised my eyebrow. “There are many more workbooks in your future, and it’s not just Japanese; you’re stuck with me now.”

“Ahaha…maybe not the workbook—“

“Too late—“

“Iwasaki-kun…”

As we picked up our pace to join the other two on their quest to find dinner, I felt relieved. Sato was right; the fun was only beginning. Looks like that meeting room will be of use for the foreseeable future. The common room too, for studying purposes.

Sato moved ahead, the moonlight illuminating her hair as it flowed back and forth in her attempt to catch up with the group.

Two months ago, I assumed the 7th floor of that dormitory would serve no other purpose but as a hallway to my dorm room, but it turned out to be a place to study, hang out, and make friends. And…

A place where my feelings for her began to grow.