Do you want a costume other than those three options?
[Sora Ichinose]...Um, n-no... *Coughs* Why do you ask?
[player]Those costumes all looked beautiful, and they all looked good on you. So the only reason you would resist them is that none of them are what you really want.
[Sora Ichinose]Well... it's not that...
[player]Maybe you aren't aware of it yet. If you don't mind, can you describe the costume you want to me? I can only give you better advice if I know more about you.
[Sora Ichinose]Well... I want a costume that doesn't have a bright color tone, and its trouser pants can be broken to reveal metallic skin underneath. I want it to have a robotic right arm with bandages wrapped around it to cover the rust marks on it. I also...
As Sora's slightly childish voice echoes in my ears, a figure becomes clearer in my mind. It is...
[player]Frankenstein!
[Sora Ichinose]H-How did you guess that?
[player]It isn't that hard to guess since you described it in such detail. A monster created in a laboratory who firmly believes in science, is obsessed with calculations, and is lonely, eccentric, and complex. It's quite an innovative idea to dress up as this character on Halloween.
[Sora Ichinose]But Frankenstein is neither handsome nor mysterious... There's only a 0.012% chance of winning... *Coughs* It'll be easier to win if I dress up as a popular character.
[player]I disagree.
[Sora Ichinose]Eh?
[player]The most important thing about festivals is to allow people to experience the simplest happiness. There are too many ways to make people happy, and no complex mathematical formulas can accurately calculate this. It's still possible even if there's only a 1% chance.
[Sora Ichinose]It'll be rather difficult to win the prize if the chance of winning is less than 50%.
[player]The prize is just a result. Just like in mahjong, there is more than one way to win. If it's about the commemorative book set, I can ask Nanaha Onodera for you. She always seems to have a solution for book-related matters.
[player]It's not like you get to participate in a Halloween fashion show every day. Wouldn't it be a shame to not enjoy it fully the way you want to? I want to see... what your unique Halloween costume will look like.
[Sora Ichinose]...Frankenstein! Of course it's this monster who lives in a laboratory!
Sora's cheeks flush with joy, sweeping away his previous feelings of anxiety and showing a vivacious side of him that is more congruent with a child his age.
[player]Let's take action now that you have a clear goal. Let me see... Which store would sell a costume like the one you want?
[Sora Ichinose]Actually... I saw it earlier! Follow me!
[player]Don't rush, the costume won't run away, so we can take our time...
Ten minutes later, we are back at the Ghouls and Ghasts again. The employee from before has changed into a clown costume and makes an "I knew it" expression when he sees us.
[player]You said "we'll be meeting again soon." Did you know that we'll be coming back?
[Sora Ichinose]I remember the costume was in this corner... Aha, found it!
Sora runs directly to the corner and finds the costume he is looking for among the pile of clothes there so quickly that the employee has no time to intervene. Thinking back on the glint in Sora's eyes when he glanced at this corner, I think this scene must have happened many times in his mind.
Maybe... he would have eventually come back here to get the costume he wants even if I didn't say anything.
[Employee]Ah, you want to choose this costume? That's a little surprising. In recent years, the winner of the Aotsuyu Middle School fashion show has almost always been dressed up as a vampire or a zombie. However, you might get a surprise if you try something different.
[player]You also know about the fashion show?
[Employee]Éternité isn't our only partner. Ghouls and Ghasts also supplies Halloween costumes for the teachers of Aotsuyu Middle School.
[player]The costumes you're providing to the teachers didn't include the one you were wearing when you gave me a fright earlier, right?
[Employee]Ah, all I can say is that I hope that the students won't react like you did when they get a fright.
A pregnant silence ensues.
I turn my head silently and begin to pray for the students of Aotsuyu Middle School who are participating in the fashion show.
[Sora Ichinose]It seems like... something is missing.
[Employee]Frankenstein's costume is a little dull. I suggest that you wear some accessories. What about wearing a thin silver chain around the wrist? I can slip that in for free.
[Sora Ichinose]That would give Frankenstein the wrong temperament. He is a guy who is afraid of being alone. He pretends to be indifferent, but he is still a soft person at heart.
[Employee]How about giving him a jack-o-lantern to carry? The warm light will make him look more alive.
[Sora Ichinose]Do you have any cuter jack-o-lanterns? If Frankenstein really exists, I think Halloween would be his favorite holiday because on this day he can blend into any crowd without standing out and won't be treated as a monster by everyone.
[Employee]Regardless of whether jack-o-lanterns can be described as cute or not, in my humble opinion, the combination of a jack-o-lantern and Frankenstein is not that great.
[Sora Ichinose]*Coughs* If only there was a way to express the contrast between Frankenstein's appearance and heart...
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