"Tell me your answer…"
"Dio-kun… I…" Kitagawa Marin lightly bit her lip, a flicker of struggle in her eyes before it turned into resolve. "I'm willing!"
"Then watch this Dio's heroic figure from the audience." Diego turned and left to speak with the staff about entering the competition.
"So, Dio-san, are you going to take her body measurements?" Kita Ikuyo poked her head out to ask.
Inui Sajuna chimed in from the side: "Of course he has to!! If you make a cosplay outfit using standard off-the-shelf sizes, some parts just won't fit properly and will look super weird!"
"But is Dio-san really confident enough to just pick out fabric like that? I seriously can't picture him working a sewing machine…"
…
Hm hm hm~ Everything's under control. Kono Dio really is the strongest.
(He had idly flipped through a "even monkeys can make cosplay outfits" tutorial in the library earlier, the absolute trash.)
Diego put on a pair of half-rim glasses, took off his hat, slicked his hair back, and tied it into a single ponytail with a rubber band.
"Now there won't be any annoying interruptions. Conventions really are great—even vertical pupils get mistaken for colored contacts…"
"Time to give that girl who looks like a female version of me a surprise…"
Scary Monsters… The World…
Scary Monsters' dynamic vision had already memorized Marin's three sizes. The World could handle the fiddly pieces. Making two cosplay outfits in five hours…
Piece of cake…
With that thought, Diego began dancing the scissors across the fabric. The originally square pieces were quickly cut into the right shapes and dimensions.
With a unique perspective and practiced technique, his nimble hands darted between needle and thread.
Amid the hum of the sewing machine, the fabric was cleverly pieced together, meticulously crafted to fit the body perfectly.
Two hours later…
"Done." Diego held up the two outfits with great satisfaction, admiring them closely. "This Dio really is number one at everything!"
This went so smoothly thanks to you, Mabel.
After all, during our adventures I had to constantly sew up your torn beast robes for you. You were a huge help.
Time to change…
…
On stage, Diego made a dazzling entrance in his vampire cosplay, basking in the gazes of the crowd.
Because of the five-hour time limit, unless someone was an experienced professional tailor, most people could only manage a somewhat crude outfit at best—some didn't even finish.
By comparison, the cosplay outfits Diego made stood out like a crane among chickens. The difference was obvious.
Victory… another expected win.
"Whoa, Dio-kun, this is bad… super bad… I can't calm down… Is this really Dio-kun? So handsome!"
"Right—phone, phone, photos… I want to take pictures!! Ikuyo-chan! Quick, take one for me!!"
Kitagawa Marin's face was flushed red. The moment Diego emerged from the crowd she grabbed his arm, her body trembling nonstop.
"Marin-chan is the type whose courage gets abnormally huge when she's hyped up." Kita Ikuyo took out her phone and started snapping photos of Kitagawa Marin striking poses.
"He actually made it… You've got skills!" Inui Sajuna stared wide-eyed at Diego's outfits, her gaze frantically scanning up and down. "This level of finish… in just five hours?!!"
"Yeah, pretty impressive, right?" Diego gave her a thumbs-up and grinned at Inui Sajuna.
"Super… super strong!!" Inui Sajuna excitedly grabbed Diego. "Hey, could you make a cosplay outfit for me too? If it's you, I'm sure… I'm sure you could achieve exactly the effect I want!"
"Huh? No."
"Why not? I'll pay you properly! You just agreed to make one for her so easily—why not me?" Inui Sajuna pointed at Kitagawa Marin beside her.
"Payment, huh… Sounds tempting."
"Right? Then—"
The next second, the mood flipped completely.
"But I refuse!"
"Nani?!"
"One of the things kono Dio loves most is saying 『NO』 to people who think they can order this great one around. Everything this Dio does is to make himself feel at ease and pleased. So I'm not going to accept your request."
Diego wagged his finger, rejecting Inui Sajuna's plea. "Marin, Ikuyo, let's go! I've got a surprise for you two."
"Wait! Can you at least give me a reason? What's the difference between me and her?" Inui Sajuna grabbed Diego's hand as he started to leave. She had a strange premonition—if she let him go now, they might never meet again.
"Even if I told you, what would change… Tch, fine." Seeing Inui Sajuna's expression, Diego realized she wouldn't drop it unless he gave her something.
"Being clingy isn't exactly a virtue, miss. Can't you tell? This girl and I are similar in some ways. I just want to help her—that's all. There's no deeper reason, and there's no real difference."
A trace of nostalgia crossed Diego's face as he spoke again.
"It's simply an action taken out of the desire to help her. That's it. Until we meet again."
With that, Diego left the convention site with Kitagawa Marin and Kita Ikuyo, leaving Inui Sajuna standing there, helplessly raising her right hand in a futile attempt to stop him as he walked away.
"…Just out of the desire to help her?"
…
"That was pretty bold, Dio-san! Almost like a confession." Kita Ikuyo patted Diego's arm and gave him a thumbs-up.
"So, will you go out with me?" Diego tilted his head and grinned at Kitagawa Marin.
"Sure." Kitagawa Marin returned a bright smile.
"Ahahahaha, just kidding!" ×2
"Now I really think you two are scarily similar sometimes." Kita Ikuyo hugged the giant fufu and grumbled.
"Come on, come on, let's go. We're almost there." Diego waved it off casually.
"Um… where exactly are we going right now…?!?!" Kita Ikuyo couldn't help asking.
"My place."
Not long after, they arrived at the residence SPW had prepared for Diego.
Looks like last time's warning worked. The pinhole cameras, bugs, and the people watching from high-powered binoculars nearby—all gone.
I was hoping to smash some stuff… too bad…
"Ta-da-da-da!" Diego pulled out a cloth, covered his hand, and—presto—like a magic trick, produced Kuroe Shizuku's outfit.
"Hm—?!!!" Kitagawa Marin's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the clothes in Diego's hands. For a moment, shock left her speechless.
"Two outfits in five hours?" Kita Ikuyo covered her mouth, equally incredulous.
Diego put on an expression that practically begged for more praise and began to boast:
"Well, most people can't do it. Five hours is barely enough for an experienced tailor to finish one outfit. But who am I? This Dio! I just glanced once and memorized Kuroe Shizuku's outfit perfectly in my mind…"
"I deliberately chose heavy, textured fabric to highlight this young miss's attire. For better aesthetics, I used a larger petticoat for the skirt hem…"
"Right now it's just the clothes. I looked up Kuroe Shizuku's shoes online—there are stores specializing in gothic Lolita styles. We can go buy them in person later…"
"The rest of the small accessories can't be perfectly made with the materials provided here. Since it's your first cosplay, I wanted to recreate it as accurately as possible, so I haven't started on those yet. We'll buy them together when the time comes. Oh right, and the wig…"
"There are some downsides, though. Look here… It'd be better if the organizers had provided that… And next is this—"
Thump thump…
This is super bad ahhhhhhhhhhh—————!!! If this keeps up I'm really going to fall for Dio-kun! Kyun!
The way he gets so serious and confident when he's working, and how he talks nonstop about it…
Wait wait, Dio-kun is so cute right now! What's going on—?! I'm seriously so moved, I don't even know what to say…
After enthusiastically lecturing for a full fifteen minutes, Master Dio finally noticed something: Kita Ikuyo was lying on the floor crying like Sun Wukong under the tight-band spell, while Kitagawa Marin sat there red-faced, covering her cheeks and staring blankly, lost in thought.
Seriously, not a single one of them is listening to this Dio's brilliance…
"Ahem. Anyway, Marin, try this outfit on. My taste is flawless, but just to be safe. It should fit you perfectly."
At those words, Kita Ikuyo's soul was yanked back from heaven. She looked at Kitagawa Marin with sparkling excitement.
"Marin-chan~ Hurry and try it on! I can't wait!"
Click-clack click-clack…
"Marin-chan? Why are you crying?"
Diego handed her a tissue, motioning for her to wipe her tears.
"Sniff… I… I'm… fine… I'm just so touched… We only met today, but you went through all this trouble for me…"
Diego propped his head on his hand, unsure what expression to make. He forced a stiff smile, took the tissue, and gently wiped Kitagawa Marin's tears for her before handing her the outfit.
"It's fine… We made a promise, right? You're going to be my personal dressing doll. It's a rare chance—go ahead and try it. You've been looking forward to this for so long, so enjoy it."
"Okay… But Dio-kun, you didn't actually take my exact measurements, right? What if it doesn't fit…" Kitagawa Marin took the cosplay outfit and—right in front of Diego and Kita Ikuyo—took off her top, revealing her ample figure.
"Wait, I'll step out for a sec." Diego hurriedly left the guest room.
"Dio-kun? Are you embarrassed?" Kitagawa Marin looked surprised, then excitedly patted Kita Ikuyo again. "Hey hey, Ikuyo-chan! I made Dio-kun shy!"
"She really is different after all… But Marin-chan, you can be way too bold sometimes…"
…