Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Offline Meetup #2
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Just like last time in the clubroom, I managed to change into the costume on my own without much trouble.
Having worn it once before helped, so I was able to don the armor even faster than last time.
I pulled on the gloves snugly and ran my hand over the chestplate of the armor.
In the mirror, the spotless gauntlets looked pretty cool without a single fingerprint.
Once fully geared up, I stepped out of the changing room and returned to the staff room, where Jenna was waiting for me.
Looks like the Club President still hasn't come out yet.
The clanging sound of my armor and shield bumping together made Jenna, who had been looking at her phone, turn her attention to me.
"Hm? Oh..."
"I-Is it okay?"
"Well, what should I say... Your features are sharp to begin with, so I thought blonde wouldn't suit you at all, but it actually gives off a pretty boy vibe that works really well."
She said something embarrassing without a flicker of expression on her face.
Jenna stood up from her seat and circled around me once.
"This has a pretty good level of fidelity. And you're a good model too."
"...Thank you?"
"No problem."
I felt a little shy at Jenna's admiring nod.
...I'd been trying not to think about it, but this woman was basically a total stranger—we'd only met less than half a day ago.
But if the awkwardness was just on my end in this two-person situation, Jenna seemed totally fine and even asked if she could take a picture, showing real interest in my cosplay.
"Hey, want to do a team cosplay with me sometime later?"
"...I'd prefer if this was the last time, if possible."
"Really? That's a shame. But if you change your mind, give me a call? Mind if I put my number in?"
"Ah. Sure."
Before I knew it, I'd handed over my phone and we exchanged numbers.
I just didn't have the guts to turn her down to her face...
And so, until the Club President came out, Jenna proselytized to me about cosplay.
Club President... please come out soon.
A moment later, the Club President we'd been waiting for appeared in the staff room.
She'd taken a bit longer again because of her hair.
Her usual neat bob had transformed into soft waves.
The door to the modern staff room swung open, and out popped a witch from a fantasy world.
"Ta-da! Irina has arrived!"
"Wow."
"Ooh."
The Club President didn't seem satisfied with our soulless claps and cheers, swinging her staff around.
"Ugh! What's with that reaction?"
"I'm kidding. It suits you great."
Jenna's smooth consolation calmed her down.
Having seen it once before, I wasn't all that impressed, honestly.
...Better keep quiet and not say anything unnecessary.
Anyway, with the Club President here, we followed Jenna back to the pub.
In front of the door leading to the counter, Jenna stopped us.
"Alright. Shall we practice our entrance first?"
"......?"
Wait. Already starting?
"Arara will handle hers fine on her own... Seo Jin, right? For now, let's just work on your pose."
Jenna grabbed my arm and positioned me in front of the Club President.
"Grandpia's Crowd is usually a cheerful guy, but he gets serious in battle. So let's go with a concept where you protect Irina as you enter."
"Yes. Got it."
"I know it's nerve-wracking. But it's better to practice this stuff while you can. We'll have to repeat it a bunch for the video anyway, so give it your all."
Maybe sensing how stiff I was, Jenna chuckled and tried to ease my tension.
"If this kind of acting is too tough, there are other options. Let's take it one step at a time."
I nodded.
Jenna entered the venue first, and I raised my sword and shield in front of the Club President, standing protectively in front of her.
"Like this?"
"Yes! You look so reliable!"
I was protecting her, sure, but since it was just the concept, I couldn't fully block her view, so from her diagonal angle, the Club President tapped her staff and clapped—or something like it.
As I shifted around a bit to find a good stance, Jenna's voice called out from inside.
I locked eyes with the Club President, we nodded to confirm, and I turned the doorknob, struck my pose, and pushed the door open with my body as I entered.
With the most serious expression I could muster... protecting the Club President, protecting Irina...
Coming out the door by the counter, we saw the meetup group seated around like an audience.
I instinctively kept my distance and took position near the center.
I struck the pose I'd tried once when first putting on the outfit last time.
Freezing in place like that, cheers erupted from the audience seats.
"Whoa! What the heck. You're good!"
"Eyes pass."
"Gaze handling is solid too."
"Oho."
Hearing that, the tension melted away from my body, and my pose fell apart.
Immediately after, a wave of embarrassment hit me, and I hid my face behind my shield.
"Aww, why? You looked cool."
Yumi gave me a voice full of regret.
This is still my limit for now...
The Club President supported me as I hid my face.
"If you just practice getting a little more shameless, you could do great on stage too."
"Woo~ Show us that handsome face~"
It took quite a while for my embarrassment to subside.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After that non-show show, we sat back down and chatted.
"When you came in, pushing the door—that was your idea?"
"Yeah. Sort of."
My hands were awkward, and trying to cover the front with the shield made it natural to push in like that.
"It was good. You were trying to think like Crowd, right?"
"You could... say that."
Jenna leaned her cheek on her hand on the table as she spoke.
"Hmm. Looks like method acting practice would be good for you."
"What's that mean?"
"Simply put, just imagine you're that character. That's method acting."
At Jenna's explanation, Yumi chimed in with more details.
"On the flip side, some people blend the character into themselves. But that'd be tough for you, right?"
My natural self is pretty introverted, so melting it into stage acting would probably be hard.
I nodded, and the cosplayers huddled together, whispering among themselves.
Taking the opening, the Club President and Yu Seol spoke to me.
"Junior, no need to worry too much. There's still plenty of time before prelims end. You don't have to push yourself like we're finishing everything today."
"Yeah, yeah. You're already doing great, and you look super cool. Have some confidence."
I thanked them for the encouragement.
"Thanks. Don't worry. I'll do my best."
I didn't know how it'd go on a real stage yet, but in front of people I knew like now, I felt like I was getting decent.
Keep practicing, and it'll improve.
Hearing that, the Club President let out a relieved sigh.
"Good. You're not mad, right, Junior?"
I gave the Club President a bright smile.
She smiled back at me.
The blonde knight and the black-haired mage exchanged smiles.
"The Club President buys lunch today."
".........Sure."
...Not letting that slide so easily.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We threw ourselves into practice until late lunch time.
Having arrived before lunch even started, it was clear we'd been at it for quite a while.
In the middle, even when I asked if this was really practice or just a playdate since we'd gathered to have fun, their passion didn't waver.
Yumi handled analysis.
The twins gave pointers.
Jenna did corrections.
The four of them took turns hammering at me relentlessly, no breaks. This Spartan style was how you improved fast, apparently...
I worried Yu Seol, the Vice President, and the Treasurer might get bored, but Yu Seol actively joined in, giving advice from an audience perspective.
The Vice President and Treasurer watched for a bit, then worked on their laptops to pass the time.
And so we kept going with video shoots, posing, and acting practice until we were drained.
By the mid-to-late practice, I even felt a sense of accomplishment seeing myself improve, feeling pretty proud.
...But right after, as I wondered what fame and fortune I was chasing to spend my weekend like this and my mind started drifting into a daze, Jenna finally called a halt.
"A bit late, but shall we do lunch?"
The words had barely left her mouth when the Club President and I collapsed to the floor, leaning on each other.
"Ughhh..."
"Haaa..."
If even I was this exhausted, the Club President must have been wrecked.
As we crumpled to the floor, Yumi approached with a sly tone.
"Oho. Starting couple acting already? I was planning to save that for after food."
Hearing that, I reflexively turned my head and met the Club President's eyes.
Startled by how close she was, I jolted upright.
The Club President was being pulled up by Yumi grabbing her hand.
"Oh my. Arara, your face is all red~"
"U-Ugh. D-Don't..."
"Hehe. Both of you, go change. No more wearing these today. Gotta eat too."
Glancing at Jenna after Yumi's words, she nodded and waved us off.
"We'll pick the lunch menu! No picky eaters, right?"
Too wiped to reply, the Club President and I just nodded faintly and headed to the staff room.
As the door closed, leaving just the two of us in the quiet little hallway, only our footsteps echoed.
I broke the silence and asked the Club President.
"...You okay?"
"Y-Yeah? W-What do you mean! N-Nothing's wrong at all! Y-You're the one who got surprised, right, Junior!?"
"......No, I meant are you tired."
"........."
The Club President's face flushed bright red again, and she bolted to the changing room.
In the now-silent hallway, feeling awkwardly sheepish myself, I headed to the next room over to change.