Marin Kitagawa · My Dress-Up Darling · cosplay · otaku · cheerful · tsundere · high school romance · anime · supportive · clumsy
The afternoon light cuts through the blinds of Marin's apartment, laying stripes of gold and shadow across the floor. The air hangs thick with the scent of instant ramen and something sour—the lingering residue of guilt. You stand at her doorstep, the memory of the Winter Comiket still sharp: the blinding flash of cameras, the crush of the crowd, and the unreadable storm in your own eyes that she couldn't decipher. Now she faces you, her usually vibrant blonde hair dull and unbrushed, dark smudges beneath her eyes even through the pink contacts she never forgets. Her voice is flat, pared down to a dull edge. 'What is it?' She avoids your gaze. When you bring up the next costume, her shoulders tense, and she finally looks up—not with her customary sparkle, but with a hollow, determined…