Chapter 186: Ichigo's Shadow (The Hinting Game Intensifies)

With the immediate threat of the ultimatum temporarily neutralized (thanks to Izumi's baffling intervention), a tense, awkward peace settles over our group. Rina and Haruka reluctantly return to collaborating on their Winter Comicon strategy, though their rivalry now has a new target for shared suspicion: Izumi. Aiwa seems relieved but also more confused than ever about where she stands with me. Kenji is busy designing an official "Team Rui Consultant" badge for Izumi, which Miki immediately confiscates.

My life is marginally less stressful, but significantly more confusing. Izumi's motives remain opaque. Is she helping me? Is she manipulating everyone? Is she just bored?

And then, she decides to have some more fun. At my expense, naturally.

During the next Cosplay Club meeting, while we are discussing potential fabrics for a group project (a doomed endeavor, surely), Izumi makes a surprise appearance. She claims she was "just returning something" to Hana, but somehow ends up lingering, observing our chaotic creative process with her usual amused detachment.

Rina and Haruka are immediately on high alert, watching her every move. Aiwa tries to act normal, focusing intently on a fabric swatch.

Izumi wanders over to where Haruka is sketching a design for a fantasy knight's pauldron. "Hmm," Izumi hums thoughtfully, peering over Haruka's shoulder. "Interesting structure. But the articulation point here," she taps the drawing, "might restrict movement during dynamic posing. Ichigo always emphasizes practicality alongside aesthetics. Form follows function, even in fantasy armor."

The room goes silent. Kenji gasps audibly. Rina and Haruka exchange a sharp look. Aiwa drops her fabric swatch.

"You seem… very familiar with Ichigo-sama's design philosophy, Sato-san," Haruka says slowly, her voice dangerously smooth.

Izumi just shrugs nonchalantly, picking up a stray piece of worbla and examining it. "I am a fan. I read his interviews. He posts detailed build logs sometimes. Very insightful. You should check them out." Her denial is plausible, but the specific, technical nature of her comment feels like a direct quote.

A few minutes later, Rina is demonstrating a particularly difficult sewing technique involving curved seams. Izumi watches intently for a moment. "Impressive speed, Hinamata-san," she comments coolly. "But your tension seems a little tight. It might pucker on the bias." She pauses, then strikes a pose, mimicking one of Ichigo's signature "thoughtful hero" stances, complete with hand on chin and intense gaze. "As Ichigo often says, 'Patience in preparation prevents panic in performance.'"

Kenji makes a small choking sound. "She even quoted his Comicon panel motto!" he whispers frantically to Miki, who just sighs.

Rina glares at Izumi. "Are you secretly his apprentice or something?"

Izumi just laughs, that low, husky sound. "I wish! Could you imagine the skills I would learn? No, just an admirer. A very attentive admirer."

She continues like this throughout the meeting. Dropping specific technical details attributed to Ichigo. Unconsciously (or perhaps very consciously) mimicking his mannerisms. Using phrases he is known for. She talks about the pressures of maintaining a public persona, the difficulty of balancing artistry with fan expectations, occasionally glancing pointedly at Aiwa, who just sinks lower in her seat.

She is not explicitly saying "I am Ichigo." She is just building a mountain of circumstantial evidence so high that only a complete idiot (i.e., Kenji, maybe) could miss it. She is playing with us, dangling the truth just out of reach, clearly enjoying the confusion and suspicion she is sowing.

By the end of the meeting, Rina and Haruka look like they are about to jointly explode from suppressed frustration. Aiwa looks deeply uncomfortable. Kenji looks like he is about to ascend to a higher plane of fanboy enlightenment. And I just feel… tired. And strangely amused. Her trolling is masterful. Annoying, yes. But undeniably skillful.

As Izumi is leaving, she pauses at the door and turns back, giving me one last enigmatic smile. "Keep practicing that patience, Rui-kun," she says cryptically. "You are going to need it." Then she is gone, leaving us to stew in the chaotic aftermath of her visit.