Cross Mirage

Prologue

White flashes and dissonant snaps invade every scintilla of privacy I have, greedily savouring my charm without restraint.

Some may find this overwhelming, but I for one, relish in this onslaught of attention. Every moment, every expression, every pose, oozes with my undiluted passion to bring life to the fictional character I'm dressed as. The invigoration which this whole activity brings to me is indescribable.

This is costume play, or as most people prefer to call it, 'cosplay'.

The photographers surround me like a flock of seagulls over fresh fish, cramming against one another to get a better glimpse of me, eagerly taking shots of me with their beloved cameras as if I'm a once-in-a-lifetime viewable treasure.

Not even the resounding beats of lively electronic music can distract them from their wearying tasks. Not even the clamours of the public can discourage their addiction of snapping the never-ending 'one-more-picture' of me.

A white, sleeveless blouse with my shoulder blades completely exposed, pleated purple skirt barely even halfway down to my knee and a classic, oversized witch hat on top of my silky, golden hair; it's truly a bold outfit that's way harder than it looks to wear, but every bit of effort was worth it. Every bit. And every cent, of course.

To them right now, I'm the cutest and most coveted girl of this massive, crowded expo hall. I'm the main highlight of the convention. I'm the ticket for their social networking accounts' bragging rights.

I twirl my staff in a practised, stylish fashion before leaning it against my back, my limb gracefully arced backwards, exposing my underarm, exciting the crew once more. Gasps and murmurs of gratification are drawn from the photographers, their eyes lighting up to the new charming pose I've struck for them.

"Hmm? Guess they're excited enough." My lips curl into a smile at their feverish passion. "Time for a little 'fanservice'."

If there's one thing I've learnt in all my years of cosplaying, it's to take advantage of the audience's energy peaks.

And this is exactly what I'm about to do with them.

I casually lay on my knees, arching my back and bringing my hips out by so much that I swear my backside is popping out of my skirt. Before I've even placed the staff between my legs like a witch riding a broomstick, the crew is already scrambling about to take new positions for their definition of a 'perfect angle'. Some hit the deck, lying on their bellies for the lowest possible shot. Some simply take half-kneels, while others remain standing for their preferred 'high-angle' shots.

"Here goes everything!"

Placing a finger by my lips, I wink at the photographers, flashing them the sweetest beam that I could've ever hoped to muster, one that would've charmed angels and tempted devils.

Immediately, smiles break from the parched lips of the crew. One of them even blows a casual whistle of approval, further inflating my ego. If I thought my heart couldn't race fast enough before, I'm certainly proven wrong by that particular whistle. No matter how many times I do this, it's always so exciting to pose for the white flashes.

Sensuous. Confident. Yet, adorable. These are the exact traits of Yuna Minami, a sorceress from one of my favourite animation series known as 'Starlight Wisteria'. There's no doubt that these are also the traits that I'm trying to replicate for the audience as well.

As always, the photographers are more than pleased with my performance.

Word of the cheeky but charming 'Suzumi' had spread far and wide among the netizens of the cosplay community six years ago, in just her first officially released album of privately, professionally taken pictures of her first cosplay.

Suzumi. Yes, that's my pseudonym.

Since then, it was easy for me to build up a fan base, one so big that photographers would even look forward to my potential appearances for future conventions.

But this persona of Suzumi is far from the one that lives her everyday life. In fact, no one person in this world (save for a certain special butler) knows both sides of Suzumi. The existence of the cosplay Suzumi and the casual Suzumi is kept a secret from one another for good reason. Should this barrier of existential separation collapse, so would Suzumi's social life.

For my hobby, my pride and joy, to be hidden from the people whom I interact with on a daily basis was extremely frustrating at first. Unfortunately, it can't be helped. Eventually though, I got used to it. There's nothing I could do but to accept this as my fate.

Putting on unique dresses, wielding fancy props, stunning viewers with my image and bathing in compliments... I love this. I live for this. If only people I know in real life would accept me for who I am. Maybe they would, but I can't afford to take the chances. I'm too afraid to. Just who would be able to understand a hobby, or a passion like this one of mine?

After all, boys like me are few and far between.