A Storyteller's Game

Chapter 0 - BLINDING WHITE*

    "Yuzu." Reaching up, a girl wearing a short, peach-colored wig tapped the shoulder of a boy with a short, black wig. When he turned around, the girl looked straight into his eyes, both masked by green contacts. "You have another fan over on my side." She was about a head shorter than the boy, Yuzu, who also wore a black-and-red striped scarf and school uniform. Her curly wig matched the color of the sweater she wore on top of a blue school uniform similar to Yuzu's. She didn't like contacts, but her surprisingly natural pink and purple eyes were always mistaken for them. Thick, red spectacles without actual lenses framed those eyes, and at first glance, it was hard to tell whether the eyes or the glasses caught attention first. In the morning rush, her wig was knocked off-center, so her jet black hair peeked out from the bangs. She hadn’t had the time to fix it yet.

    "Thanks, Yaya." Yuzu adjusted his own wig momentarily before giving the girl a pat on the head.

    "I told you, call me Ayaka or Aya." Ayaka gently pushed Yuzu's hand away. "Yaya is specifically for my fans."

    "But I am a fan," Yuzu said jokingly. "I love your art."

    "You’re not exactly the same, you know,” Ayaka crossed her arms. “Anyway, the girl would like an autograph from you, so don’t forget the marker.” She made her way back through a propped up wall printed with the convention logo behind Yuzu. This was the only direct way between the Artist Alley and the Cosplay Corridor.

    Following suit, Yuzu grabbed the black, permanent marker on his fold up table and made his way to the other side. Comparable to the flashing cameras of the Cosplay Corridor, the Artist Alley was filled with fans of all ages carrying bags of every size. Ayaka stood waiting, making small talk with the fan she was probably talking about.

    "There he is." Ayaka motioned Yuzu over.

    When he made his way towards them, the fan, a young girl, lit up. "Can I, uh, have your autograph, Yuyu?" She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment, "I mean! Yuzu..." The girl nervously held out a board with both hands.

    "Yuyu?" Yuzu tilted his head, smiling. "What a cute nickname, thanks." He accepted the board and uncapped the permanent marker. In capitalized letters, he wrote out his name, then signed an asterisk at the end. He handed the autographed board back to the girl, who beamed and carefully placed the board back into her large bag. The logo on the bag told YUZU* that she had recently purchased from PlushNote, a famous doll-making group specializing in VOCALOID goods.

    "And, uhm," a silver camera peeked out from the bag, “Picture…?”

    "Why not?" YUZU* began patting down his cosplay to get rid of strange wrinkles and folds. He then proceeded to comb his wig slightly with his fingers and patted the top of it.

    "Sorry, I'm kinda in the way here." Ayaka stepped over to the side of the booth.

    The fan stopped her. “Oh, uhm! I want a picture of you, too, Ayaya!” Her tone changed as she followed up with, “Is that ok?” The camera between her two hands waited in anticipation.

    Ayaka put her finger to her chin as if in mock thought. “Only if you know what characters we’re cosplaying as!” Walking over to the left side of her booth, she picked up the red sword she had ignored until then. Another hint for who they were cosplaying, or preparation for the photo.

    “Easy!” The girl grinned as Ayaka brought the sword over. Pointing to Ayaka, she said, “Kuriyama Mirai, from Beyond the Boundary!” Then, to YUZU*, she said, “Nase Hiroomi. Also from Beyond the Boundary.”

    “Ding ding!” Ayaka mimicked a ringing bell. “Correct!”

    Without a moment’s hesitation, the fan eagerly held the camera up.