Cosplay Magical Girl (2)
Me, dressed in a cosplay outfit blending white and pink.
I strike a pose, gazing at my reflection in the mirror.
How the hell did it come to this?
If I could rewind time just a bit...
Not long after Jootak's outrageous cosplay contest kicked off.
The only real change in the MagGal forums was the occasional uploads of cosplay pics from dudes who barely qualified as "magical girls." Otherwise, things were even more peaceful than before.
The hardcore haters who used to trash magical girls nonstop had all gotten banned by Jootak, so there wasn't even anything worth fighting over.
I kept browsing the forums as usual.
Right now, I'm researching the correlation between titles and views...
Lately, instead of my usual crap posts, I'd been dropping trendy bait to hook 'em.
This one was sure to get the magfags biting with some hilarious reactions.
"What the—"
But minutes passed after I posted, and no matter how many times I refreshed, zero comments.
No way.
Even if all I ever posted was garbage, I'd never gone without comments.
And this was peak hours on MagGal, when posts flooded in like crazy.
I frantically checked the forum.
Everyone had suddenly pivoted to heated, sleazy debates about the cosplay contest.
"What the hell's going on?"
The hot posts tab showed one entry buried under an absurd comment count.
Yep.
"No... My post got buried by this crap?"
First off, I was pissed that my post got overshadowed by some low-effort cosplay pic with zero respect for magical girls.
Then, seeing that garbage rack up recs, hit featured status, and get hailed as next gallery lord? That was rage level two. What were they smoking?
Maybe time to quit the forums for a bit.
"Tch, fake-ass magical girl."
Like, throw on a frilly dress with hearts and boom, magical girl cosplay? Please.
That pic had no soul. No emotion.
You gotta capture that love and hope vibe, y'know?
"...This is pissing me off."
I snuck another peek at MagGal.
MagGal was flooded with mentions of that cosplay chick.
New posts were all Jootak praise or cosplay girl worship.
And that hot post's recs and comments kept skyrocketing.
I'd never hit numbers like that.
"...Cheating with a pic like that for recs?"
I bit my nails.
Stamped my feet.
Honestly? Jealous. And annoyed.
Then it hit me.
To defend magical girl honor, I had to take down that lame fake.
With years as an actual magical girl, it'd be a breeze.
Yeah. This wasn't just cosplay. It was a battle for my beliefs.
"Can't forgive this."
I shot up from my seat and headed straight to Keter.
Keter was in his room, fiddling with Ar.
Ar just whimpered helplessly—no resistance left.
Guess it really became a comfort doll. At least it's useful somehow.
Anyway.
"Keter."
"What is it, miss?"
"Nothing big. Get me a magical girl outfit—something totally different from my style."
"...I don't mind, but didn't you say you never post magical girl stuff on EsoStar?"
"Not posting on EsoStar."
"Then where?"
"There's this cosplay contest. I'll cover my face anyway, so no worries."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Time to crush that fake magical girl thoroughly.
I'll show 'em the real deal.
.
.
.
.
A bit later, Keter brought a magical girl costume.
Wonder where he keeps sourcing these outfits from.
"Hm." I held up the cute, lovable white-and-pink ensemble.
I wore flashy stuff for transformations too, but.
Putting it on myself? First time, and it hit different.
"...Me, in this?"
"You insisted on wearing it yourself this time."
"Right."
No time for embarrassment.
The magfags were still simping hard over that disrespectful pic.
Had to show 'em what a real magical girl is.
Face covered, no one'd recognize me.
Swish.
Frills tickle my shoulders. Tie the ribbon, smooth the skirt. Fit was decent.
What can I say—lately I've realized girls' clothes feel comfier. Body's female now, duh.
Plus, spending most of the big subjugation transformed? I'm used to it.
If everyone'd chill, maybe I was overreacting.
I finished dressing and glanced at Keter.
"How's it look?"
"Perfectly adorable and beautiful. I want to take a photo right now. May I?"
Keter got all excited.
Ugh, that's why it's uncomfortable.
"Do whatever."
Keter whipped out his phone from his pocket and snapped me.
"Shall I help with the shoot too?"
"Nah. I'll handle it solo."
His advice and high-res camera would make it flawless, sure.
But no.
This was my battle of conviction. Recycled the spot from my Keter pics.
Mobbed up my full EsoStar-honed skills for the perfect magical girl cosplay shot.
"That's me."
Satisfying results.
Recs exploding like mad.
A few posts compared me to the cosplay chick, but the tide had turned. Everyone predicted I'd take first.
No way some soulless fake could beat a real magical girl's heartfelt cosplay.
Bye-bye, normie born in the age of magical girls.
"...Tch, whatever."
But something felt off. I clearly won.
Deep down, reality crashed in.
"Did you enjoy yourself, miss?"
Keter sidled up with cookies and milk.
I grabbed one and popped it in my mouth.
Nom nom.
"...Yeah, it was fun, I guess."
EsoStar too—getting recognized feels good.
First time hitting hot post status ever.
Maybe that's why it hit so nice.
"Since you're on a roll, how about modeling? EsoStar's getting steady ad inquiries. I can filter and show you interested companies if you'd like."
"Not... quite there yet."
"Understood."
Polite reply, but his face screamed regret.
Modeling's a stretch, even for me.
EsoStar's embarrassing enough—can't have my face sold to randos.
Not hurting for cash, so no real reason unless for kicks.
Anyway, done deal.
First place was mine.
Prize money? Nowhere to spend it. Maybe splash on runner-ups.
Wonder how they're praising me now—I checked MagGal.
"Huh?"
The rest is the gallery lord's decree.
In an instant, me and the cosplay chick became total nobodies.
No more mentions of us.
MagGal overflowed with Seoyeon worship.
"...That's cheating."
Next time I see Hong Jia, she's getting decked.
Dragging Seoyeon into kids' play like that.
And so, the magical girl cosplay contest ended anticlimactically—thanks to actual magical girls.
Hongwol.
Guild master Irumi thrashed her short legs in fury, staring at her phone in the office.
The reason? Her big-deal cosplay pic had gone to waste.
Irumi was a diehard otaku who loved anime and manga, so cosplay was her jam.
She even commissioned her own outfits.
But guild master duties kept her from public events.
Then MagGal offered a chance to flex anonymously.
"No... This can't be real? Why's Absolute Sword entering?"
At first, everyone hyped her up.
Then MagicalPunch showed up, threatening her spot.
And Absolute Sword joining? Total game over.
"...Wait, MagicalPunch?"
A memory flashed.
Kim Siu from Heukryeon—always treating newbie guild master Irumi like a little sis—came to mind.
Total fanboy for Residual Shadow, he'd drilled her hero tales into Irumi's ears.
Specifically—Residual Shadow smashed puppets with magical punches from her gauntlets.
Irumi dove back into MagGal, eyeing MagicalPunch's post.
Face hidden, angle off, not a perfect match.
But similar.
...Nah, it had to be.
First place Absolute Sword, second Residual Shadow? Shocker.
Irumi sighed.
"Why the hell are real ones crashing a cosplay contest?!"