They worked for almost an hour.
The room had changed completely from before.
Where there'd been that dangerous tension earlier, now there was just the steady whir of the sewing machine, scissors cutting through fabric, and Yuna swearing under her breath when a seam wouldn't cooperate.
Makoto lost himself in the work. There was sothing satisfying about making sothing real with his hands.
"This is actually pretty hard," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "No wonder it took them forever to make these in the ani."
Without really thinking about it, he reached over and wiped Yuna's forehead too, his fingers brushing through her hair.
Yuna jerked back when he touched her forehead, surprise flashing across her face. But then she relaxed into it, letting out a small sigh.
"Do you need any help, Mika?" He turned to the hard-working girl.
Mika was completely absorbed in her work. Her stitches ca out neat and even, every cut confident and clean. "She was a natural at this," he thought.
She looked up with a small smile, holding up a half-finished skirt with perfect pleats.
"I think I'm getting it," she said softly. Then she glanced at the waistband. "But I'm having trouble with this part."
She looked at him with wide eyes, her voice getting a little breathless. "Could you help pin it in place? It would be easier if I were wearing it, of course."
Makoto walked over to her with that knowing look in his eye. "That one? Yeah, it's definitely easier with soone helping you pin it."
He glanced at Yuna with a mischievous expression. "We'll need a small lace choker for this version, too. Can you spare so fabric, Yuna?"
The sewing machine stopped with a screech. Yuna's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing.
"A choker?" Her voice ca out low and dangerous. "For the school uniform version?" She shook her head with a bitter smile. "No. That's not part of the costu."
She stared at him, her eyes like ice chips. "You just want to put a collar on her, don't you? Like she's your pet." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You're disgusting."
Mika tilted her head thoughtfully. "A choker? That sounds lovely."
She turned to Yuna with that fake innocent look. "But we wouldn't want to use your special lace. I'm sure we can find a simple black ribbon sowhere."
Makoto walked over to Yuna, still with that playful glint in his eye. "Co on, you should trust your brother more. I'm not that perverted."
He showed her the manga design, pointing to the small lace choker on the character's neck. "Or we could use the ani version instead. Just a simple black tie with a bell. What do you think?"
Spoiler
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The original lace version from the manga.
They simplified it in the ani version!
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Yuna stared at the manga panel. Her eyes went wide with surprise and maybe sothing like reluctant respect. She took the book from him, her fingers tracing over the drawing.
"Oh." The word ca out grudgingly. "I guess I forgot about that part."
She looked up at him, and for a second it seed like she might apologize. But then her face went back to that cold, professional mask.
"Fine. She can have a choker." She dug through the fabric pile with sharp, jerky movents.
She pulled out a piece of black lace, the sa expensive stuff she was using for her lingerie.
"Here." She shoved it into his hand, their fingers touching for a second too long. "But you're making it. And you're putting it on her."
She turned to Mika with a wicked gleam in her eyes, her voice getting loud and cheerful. "And I'm going to watch."
Makoto just grinned. "Fine. Doesn't look too hard."
He cut and fixed the lace, then turned to Mika. "Co here. Let see your neck." Mika turned gracefully, presenting her neck to him.
He carefully placed the choker around her collar, checking the fit. Her soft hair brushed against his knuckles as he fastened the lace.
"It should be pretty soft. How does that feel?" The black lace stood out stark against her pale throat.
"It's perfect," she breathed. Her fingers ca up to touch the lace lightly.
"It feels nice." She looked up at him, eyes wide and innocent, but with fire burning underneath. "Thank you."
Yuna watched from the corner, arms crossed, looking furious.
She was wound tight, ready to explode. Her sewing machine humd angrily, the only sound in the room, vibrating with her rage.
"Are you done?" Yuna finally snapped. "Or are you going to stare at her neck all day?"
She waved impatiently at the fabric pile. "We have work to do. Lots of it."
Makoto chuckled. "Yeah, yeah." He ca back and helped Yuna.
For just a second, everything felt normal. Just the three of them working together, fabric everywhere, the sewing machine humming along.
Hours later, their costus were starting to take shape.
"Let's take a break. Did you prepare the wigs and contact lenses too, Yuna?" Makoto looked up and asked.
Yuna let out a long, dramatic sigh and stretched her arms overhead. The movent pulled her t-shirt tight, showing the outline of her nipples through the thin fabric.
"Of course I did. Unlike so people, I'm a professional."
She dug through one of the bags with those sa sharp movents.
She pulled out two wig heads with perfectly styled wigs. One had Marin's signature pink and blonde gradient. The other was a soft lavender-purple for Shizuku-tan.
She dropped them on the table with a thud.
"And these, too." Her voice turned sweet and dangerous.
She pulled out two small contact lens cases, neatly labeled. One was electric pink. The other was deep purple.
She looked at him with that wicked glint again. "But we're not trying them on yet. That's for the final fitting."
She looked at Mika with a slow, predatory grin, her voice getting too loud and too cheerful again. "And I'm going to be the one who does her makeup."
Makoto stretched with a contented grunt. "Well, we can do it after lunch then. I can't wait."
He stood up with a playful but warning look. "And don't you dare talk bad about behind my back."
The second he left the room, everything changed.
The angry humming of the sewing machine stopped. The silence felt thick and charged.
Mika set down the skirt she'd been hemming with a deliberate motion. She looked at Yuna with a small, knowing smile.
"He's very sweet, isn't he?" Her voice was soft and curious. "A little clueless, but sweet."
Yuna glared at her with those ice-chip eyes. "He's an idiot. A big, fat, perverted idiot."
Mika's smile got wider. "Oh, I know. But he's your idiot, isn't he?"
The words hung in the air between them.
Simple, direct, honest. Beautiful and terrifying at the sa ti.
Yuna's jaw clenched tight. "He's just my stepbrother. That's all!"
Mika laughed, a soft musical sound that filled the quiet room.
"Sure he is. And I'm just here for the cosplay."
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