Later that night...
"It's finally done."
Wakana Gojo took a step back and looked at the finished dress on the mannequin.
The clock on the workshop wall showed 2:47 AM, but he barely registered the time.
All his focus was on the Mirajane Strauss garment, completed in just a couple of brutal days.
The dress was a beautiful summer-style gown.
The deep, rich red casa satin made up the main body, dominating the piece with a smooth, bright sheen.
It was a sleeveless, mid-calf-length dress designed for a gentle, flowing appearance.
The accents were the key to the design.
The bodice featured a delicate pink satin ribbon tied into a bow at the bust.
A matching pink sash was cinched around the waist, with the ends of the ribbon hanging down the front of the skirt.
The hem of the dress was finished with a ruffle of pink velour, creating a soft, voluminous edge that contrasted against the straight drape of the red satin.
The challenge wasn't the stiffness, but the drape.
To give the skirt its gentle fullness and the bodice its smooth fit, Wakana had built a lightweight, internal lining using a soft interfacing.
This ensured that the bodice, which had a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps, contoured perfectly to Marin's shape without wrinkling.
The skirt flowed beautifully, having the ideal volume without looking cheap.
He had carefully attached the voluminous pink ruffle to the hem, ensuring it looked light and airy.
The hidden zipper was set flawlessly into the back seam.
Wakana ran a weary hand over the soft pink bow at the chest.
It was perfect.
Wakana sighed, a mixture of exhaustion and profound satisfaction washing over him.
He had fulfilled his promise to Marin Kitagawa.
"The final fitting is all that's left," he murmured, stumbling backward until he hit the soft surface of his bed.
He crumpled onto the bed, too tired to even pull the sheets over himself, his mind already drifting into a dream of red satin and pink ribbons.
Wakana looked at his hands that had a few bandages.
Due to his fatigue and lack of sleep, he would accidentally prick himself with a needle or cut himself with the scissors.
"It's truly worth it though..."
With a turn of his head, he looked at the red dress in the corner of the room.
"I wonder how it would look when Kitagawa-san wears it."
A smile appeared on his weary face.
"She'll definitely be very happy to try it on. I can't wait to tell her."
He pulled out his phone and sent Marin a message on PINE.
"I finished the dress. Please come to my house at noon."
"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Kitagawa-san."
He stared outside his window straight at the full moon that shone down moonlight into his room.
"Kitagawa-san... The moon is beautiful, isn't it..?"
...
"No way..."
Marin lost her grip and dropped her bag as she stared in disbelief.
She stood in Gojo's room, the afternoon sunlight filtering through the window, illuminating the garment mounted on the dress-form mannequin.
She stared at the beautiful red and pink dress in front of her.
"It was pretty close, but I made it," standing behind her, Wakana smiled. "With this, you'll be able to attend the event tomorrow."
"!!!"
"Gojo-kun, could it be..." Marin shakily spoke and stared at the boy beside her. "That you thought I'd be attending tomorrow's event?"
For the first time this week, Gojo directly looked into Marin's eyes.
"Was that not the case..?"
With a slightly horrified face, Marin explained. "I... didn't know how long it would take to make the cosplay outfit," she exhaled. "So I thought I could look around for another cosplay event to attend to when it's done."
"I was totally prepared to wait however long it takes Gojo-kun to make it..."
Without a second to spare, Wakana collapsed to the ground.
"I'm sorry..!" Marin knelt beside him. "It's because I didn't word it properly, it created this misunderstanding..."
Unexpectedly, however, Wakana started laughing out loud.
"Gojo-kun..?" Marin looked at the boy worriedly.
Wakana raised his head with a relieved expression. "I'm so glad..!"
"I was so lost on what I'd do if I didn't make it in time... I was so worried."
"You..." Marin's eyes slowly reddened as tears started to fall.
"Huh..?" Wakana jumped from shock. "Kitagawa-san? W-why are you crying?"
"Gojo-kun..." she tearfully spoke. "I thought you didn't want to hang out with me anymore..."
"You've been going straight home every day..."
"I was so worried... I thought that you'd think I'm only using you for your skills..."
"Even though we haven't known each other for so long yet..."
"I even caused a misunderstanding that troubled you deeply..."
"Gojo-kun... I'm so sorry I didn't notice sooner..."
"...hic...I'm so ...hic...sorry..."
Marin started to hiccup as more and more tears fell from the girl's eyes as she continued to explain and apologize.
For a few seconds, Wakana could only stare in disbelief.
Looking at the beautiful girl in front of him, crying, made him feel like he had just done something bad to her.
Each tear that fell from her eyes made ripples in his heart that caused a pang of pain.
Wakana took a deep breath and crawled forward, only stopping in front of her.
With his heart steeled with determination, he grabbed her chin, raising her head to directly face him.
Getting a much closer look at her tearful face only broke his heart.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue handkerchief, and slowly used it to wipe Marin's tears.
"Don't cry anymore," he spoke gently as he continued wiping her tears. "I wanted to finish your outfit sooner so I can see your smile, not to make you cry."
With Wakana holding her by the chin, Marin was able to finally get a good look at his face.
Just as attractive, however, traces of fatigue were visible all over.
His eyes were slightly sunken due to lack of sleep, with dark circles visible.
His lips were slightly chapped due to dehydration, and his cheeks gave the illusion of being hollowed out.
And the state of his hands... bandaged up in several different places.
Looking at him in this state and comparing it to his appearance when they first met, Marin felt a pang of pain in her chest.
Like a river in the middle of a storm, more tears washed down her face.
"Wuuu... Gojo-kun. It's all my fault that you're in this state..."
"It's also my fault for not communicating with you," Wakana helplessly comforted the girl's heart. "You don't have to blame yourself. Why don't you try it on now so we can see whether I did a good job or not?"
"Eh?" Wakana's distraction tactics worked as Marin stopped crying and stared at him blankly.
"Kitagawa-san wants to become Mirajane, right?"
"Of course..."
"Did you bring the wig and your make-up set?"
"I did."
"That's good!" Wakana clapped his hands in joy. "Now we can check the balance of the costume."
"After all, I asked you to come here to try it out. I'd be happy if you try it on with pleasure," he smiled.
Marin Kitagawa slowly lowered her head. "Gojo-kun... even though you're tired...hic..."
"Marin."
For the first time, Wakana used the girl's first name, making her look up to his face again.
"Since I promised to make you Mirajane Strauss, I wanted to fulfill that promise," he paused and smiled. "Are you not happy with the dress I made?"
"Of course not!" Marin spoke swiftly. "I'm happy."
Even with tears still surrounding her eyes, she gave a bright smile.
"I'm very happy~!"
"Thank you... Wakana!"