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Today was the day.
Mary had been preparing for this day for months.
The weather appeared to be on her side when she got out of bed, she sent Ririka a quick good morning text, as well as messaging her group, and then headed to the shower.
She couldn't contain her excitement whilst she ran through the details in her mind, a mental to do list as well as a physical one on her phone.
"Everyone will be there at the meet up spot by the entrance" she muttered under the stream of hot water, "11 AM by the latest. Good thing the venue is close by".
The last few months of agonising and planning had led to this moment.
When the blonde was done, she headed back to her room and looked at the outfit she had hung up on the back of the door, grinning from ear to ear.
The outfit in question was a short red kimono adorned with a black obi, sleeveless and backless, with spaghetti straps which crossed over.
Tassels, cherry blossoms and bells were embellished on the material and made up the accessories, so Mary knew it could take between 5 to 20 minutes to get dressed, so she got to work.
"Alright, let's do this".
Part of the fun was this segment of the process, watching all her hard work and planning come together.
So, that 20 to 30 minutes spent on doing her make up and putting in her contacts after placing her golden hair in the wig net was worth the effort.
She looked in the mirror, admiring her handy work and felt like her personality wanted to burst out, chaotic and carefree.
The fluorescent pink contact lenses with a light-coloured butterfly detail beneath the pupils, and tiny black dots under her eyes, as well as a small cherry blossom tattoo stencilled in on her right collarbone; everything was falling into place.
Following this came the final touches like putting on the dark brown wig with pink tips which came to her hips, pulled up into two high twin tails and secured with crimson ties.
She checked her make up, and then her outfit to make sure everything was in place, such as the detachable sleeves and her red nail polish being perfectly applied.
Mary stood up and went to the mirror in the corner of the room, doing a quick twirl and taking in her transformation as she ran a hand down the kimono, smirking at her reflection.
Cute, mischievous, chaotic.
"Perfect".
It was all going smoothly so she readied the last of her things like back up make up, brushes, extra clothes and placed them into the box shaped plastic folding trolley.
Feeling ready, Mary slipped on her shoes and a thin jacket over her outfit till she got to the venue, and then stepped out of her apartment.
As soon as she left, the persona of Saotome Mary was locked away for now, allowing her to embody the transformation fully.
So with a self-satisfied smirk, Mary went on her way and was in high spirits, unaware of the three pairs of eyes watching her.
***
"She told me she had exams to study for this weekend which is why she couldn't meet me".
Sayaka and Kirari looked at the backseat to see Ririka in the middle, her bright blue eyes lined with betrayal.
"She just texted me that she loves me a few hours ago".
The monotonous statements were both harrowing and heart-breaking.
"But..this girl..she.." Ririka continued, her gaze fixated on the brunette, walking with such a glow, "Just left Mary's".
Sayaka gulped from the driver's seat, "I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation?".
"Of course. Mary is cheating on my sister" Kirari sighed, leaning her elbow on the window, "Is she wearing clothes under that jacket, Sayaka? I can't tell".
"Follow her".
Sayaka glanced back at the older twin, "Really? I don't think that's-".
"Sayaka, follow her" Ririka asked, almost pleading, "If this girl is who Mary is seeing behind my back, then I need to..".
Sayaka was given two different answers and of course, her lover's was ridiculous.
"Strangle her".
"Talk to her".
Kirari chuckled, "I am being figurative, Sayaka. Don't look at me like that. Also, we are going to lose her so you should leave now".
Sayaka shook her head as she started the car and kept on the brunette's tail whilst glancing at Ririka through the rearview mirror.
"I should have known. Mary has been so distant lately" Ririka said wistfully, "She is always on her phone too".
"I think that's her short attention span" Kirari quipped.
"Kirari!".
"Again, I'm joking" the younger twin smiled, "Okay, let's be realistic" she relented, "I thought things were going well between you two. It has been a year".
Ririka mulled over this too, "Perhaps she is tired of me. Compared to her, I..".
She drawled off when taking in the aura of the girl.
Energetic, attractive, expressive.
Maybe Mary's patience had ran out in terms of Ririka opening up, chasing her into the arms of this confident brunette strutting down the street like she owned it.
The make up and clothing in Mary's apartment she didn't recognise, the hushed conversations on the phone, the perfume which wasn't Mary's usual.
Ririka had seen the signs but refused to accept that Mary would cheat on her; such a thing wasn't Mary's style.
And yet, she had witnessed with her own eyes a random girl walking out of her girlfriend's apartment in the morning.
"I'm sure we'll get to the truth of what is going on soon" Sayaka tried to reassure, "She's probably just a friend".
"Is that so? And if I had a 'friend" leave my place in the morning like that and I lied to you, would you think the same?" Kirari challenged her girlfriend, "Well, Sayaka?".
Sayaka grit her teeth and floored it.
However, the destination was something none of them had expected.
"What is this place?" Ririka marvelled as they parked up.
It was bustling with people in an array of outfits, some elaborate and others engaging, groups of people walking in particular formations.
Just what kind of girls was Mary into?
"Is that chainsaw on their head real?" Kirari enquired.
"Of course not" Sayaka replied, "I think?".
Ririka jumped out of the car, "We're losing her".
She ran off into the venue as Kirari and Sayaka chased after her, trying to avoid the crowds.
***
Ririka kept her eyes focused on the brunette whilst ignoring everything around her, the costumes, the clamour, the collisions.
She had to know why Mary had betrayed her with this girl.
The brunette had stopped and had her back to Ririka, talking to a group of people whom were also dressed up.
"You have 10 seconds.." she said in a theatrical and condescending tone, "10, 9, 1".
"Sao, your impression is perfect!".
"Tell me about it, it's scary how much you sound like her!".
The group were thrilled by the words for some reason which grated on Ririka's nerves, not to mention that that voice was not doing any favours.
"Rules, societal dos and donts, all these made up human moral codes..I've given it my all, but I can't seem to shirk them!".
How could a girl like this so called Sao, who felt this way, ever attract someone like Mary?
Just as Kirari and Sayaka reached her, Ririka placed her hand on the brunette's shoulder, now free of her jacket, and turned her around aggressively .
Pink eyes met blue, the former widening.
Ririka got up in the shorter girl's face, "You..what were you doing at Mary's place?".
"Huh?!".
"You are the reason Mary has been distracted. You made a pass at her, didn't you?".
Sayaka reached for Ririka and pulled her back as the brunette was speechless, her mouth opening and closing, trying to respond to the accusations.
If Kirari and Sayaka were not holding Ririka back, Mary knew she would have been deceased.
Mary's friends looked at her, "Sao, who is Mary?".
"It's just a misunderstanding" Mary laughed sheepishly, "I don't know a Mary".
The lie just aggravated Ririka further, "I saw you leaving her place".
A friend placed her hand on Mary's shoulder, "I didn't know you were seeing anyone, Sao! Is this Mary a cosplayer too?".
If Mary wasn't in danger, she would have found this situation amusing.
"Listen, you've got the wrong idea!".
Ririka scowled, silver hair falling down her chest as she leaned in while a crowd gathered, "I don't think so. Mary is my girlfriend, do you know this?"
"Oh, I wonder if this is an action scene!" someone else in a demon costume pointed out.
"Right?!" another chimed in, their black sword in their hand, "Looks fun!".
Mary swore in her head as she looked at Ririka's angry and distraught expression, something she hadn't seen before.
In hindsight, telling Ririka about her hobby would have avoided a situation like this.
Kirari looked amused yet irate and Sayaka was close to passing out.
"Let's just go somewhere and talk, okay?" Mary said whilst staying in character, "I bet we can clear this mess up without messing up our roles" she smiled wryly.
"Roles? Do you mean your role as the other woman?" Kirari scoffed.
"It's a joke" Mary replied,
"I fail to see what is so funny about this" Ririka glared.
"Uh, I dig jokes".
Mary stepped back, "This is bad, this is so bad".
She glanced around as she saw a bigger crowd forming, those whom were familiar with her lines and were cheering.
Mary decided that the best thing to do was just to get them all out of here so she grabbed Ririka's wrist and pulled her towards the doors which led to the stairwell.
"Sorry, Ririka!" she said inwardly as the girl yelled at her, "I messed up!".
The convention she had attended was teeming with activity with fellow cosplayers, booths and gaming stations, crowds flocking and mingling about their shared interests, something that Mary had been looking forward to.
She hadn't expected it to turn out like this.
On the positive side; her cosplay had been flawless.
On the negative side, her girlfriend thought she was cheating on her.
***
As soon as they got to the stairwell, Mary let go of Ririka just as Ririka was about to shake her off, and probably lunge for her.
"Ririka, it's me!".
Recognising the voice now, Ririka, Kirari and Sayaka all just stared at Mary with various degrees of shock.
Ririka approached her, "Mary?".
"Yeah" Mary grinned, "Look".
She lifted the edge of her wig near the side of her head, showcasing the blonde hair beneath and Ririka visibly sighed with relief.
Reaching for Mary, she wrapped her arms around her, the embrace tight whilst Mary did the same.
"I'm sorry if I worried you, Ririka".
"Worry would be an understatement" Kirari smirked, looking the blonde up and down, "I wouldn't have had you down as being into cosplaying".
"You got a problem with that?" Mary frowned.
Before Kirari made any comments, Ririka turned around and gave her the look.
"I am just saying I did not think that you would be into it".
Sayaka had to agree, "Just out of curiosity, what character are you playing?".
Mary reached down and retrieved her phone from her case, "Sparkle from Honkai: Star Rail".
"That game you like to play?" Ririka asked.
"Yeah, she's one of my favourites. Kind of reckless, sneaky and cute".
They all leaned into the screen, comparing the character's look to Mary's rendition.
Kirari grinned, "Well, sneaky and reckless you do pull off".
"And cute" Ririka added before taking Mary's hand between hers, "Why didn't you tell me?".
"Oh, well..it's just kind of private thing, you know? I wasn't sure what you would think of it".
"Mary, if it's important to you, then it's important to me" Ririka insisted, "Also, you do look really good".
Now that she knew it was Mary, she could see more of the blonde's features beyond the accessories and make up, so the ensemble did suit Mary.
Ririka then glanced away, feeling guilty, "I'm sorry for thinking that you would cheat on me, Mary".
Mary placed her hands on her girlfriend's face to get her to look her way, "It's my fault. I should have been honest about it all" she stated, recalling the anguish on Ririka's expression, "As if I would want anyone else when I have you".
Hearing this elated Ririka, her cheeks reddening slightly and heating up under Mary's hands.
Kirari, unable to help herself, threw out another sarcastic remark, "Even as another character, she is rather cloying".
"That's it, I'm about to make Ririka an only child!".
Just as Mary escaped Ririka's arms, the door to the stairwell opened, a tall cosplay clad figure stepping through, her eyes on Mary.
Long and curled silver hair which was violet toward the end, as well as violet eyes blended with red and yellow were complimented by her purple and black bodysuit, completed with a veil.
"There you are, little lady" the newcomer smirked, reaching for Mary, her gloved hand going under Mary's chin, "I was told that my Masked Fool would be here. Come, Mary, we should head to the main stage".
"Sachiko! Not now!".
"Mary, who is she?" Ririka asked, her tone low and hand on Sachiko's wrist, moving her away from Mary, "Why is she calling you hers?".
"It's not what you think, Ririka!".
Kirari and Sayaka watched the chaotic scene unfurl with the former insisting that they should try to cosplay next time, to which Sayaka almost had a meltdown hearing.
Meanwhile, it would take Mary a while to calm Ririka down again after explaining to her that her friend, Sachiko, was cosplaying one of Sparkle's love interests, Black Swan.
Suffice to say, it would prove to be the most strenuous event Mary had attended in a while.