X782 (October 31)

I was standing in front of a mirror while using Blade Blacksmith to coat my body in various costumes. "Should I wear the Pegasus armor? Maybe a Dukemon costume? How about a reference to Berserk? Nah, I'll wear every one of those for the next Halloweens, because today I'll be…" I paused dramatically as black armor covered me, and the moment the Freed Suit was complete, I pointed at the mirror and said with my best attempt at voice imitation. "The onii-sama!"

Taking a few seconds to observe my appearance carefully, I nodded to myself before leaving the changing rooms to the beach party to which I had been invited.

After the last time I had been here, I kept in contact with John through some letters, and today he invited me to a Halloween party on the beach.

Walking through the crowd, I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of the girls passing by me from time to time, I had no idea why, but it seemed that the law of the highest standard of beauty in fantasy worlds was pretty much enforced in this one, and even when I had lived in this world for more than 17 years, it still did not stop surprising me about how attractive some girls could be.

Especially when they were wearing costumes like most of the girls at this party had, nurse, catgirl, cheerleader, and stuff like that, if I was being honest I felt excited as well as a little intimidated, after all, I was never anything like that like a flirt in my past life and that hadn't changed in this one as the cliché would normally dictate, after all, how could someone shy in one life suddenly become a playboy in the next?

In my case, although I stopped being shy thanks to constantly interacting with many people because the jobs I had required it, I couldn't imagine any version of me that was a Lady Killer.

But I also supposed it could be worse, because even though this world had a fairly high standard of beauty, in my opinion, I had managed to be quite sociable, avoiding being a simp to some pretty girl, or worse, withdrawn due to the shyness or any trace of insecurity.

Although who knows? If I had ended up in any other part of the world maybe I would have met a girl capable of crushing me.

At least I hadn't ended up in a place like Bleach, I'm sure if for some crazy reason I was there I would be a little simp of at least three women, and the funny/sad part is that even if I was among the protagonist group, 2 of them would probably try to kill me upon meeting me and the other would have fun at my expense without taking any flirting attempts seriously.

Putting those thoughts aside, I refocused until I reached the girls' locker room and stood a couple of meters from the door, why did I do this? Well, the answer is simple, I was waiting for a certain blonde so I can see her embarrassed face in the foreground when she came out in her costume.

Said this way, it may sound a bit confusing, but in reality, it was something quite simple, 3 days ago Lucy found out about the party from my mother, so she ended up accompanying me, I had no problem with that, but since it was a costume party and she was a little annoyed by a joke that I had made a few days before, she tried to convince me to dress up as very strange or embarrassing things.

Like Barney the dinosaur, Mr. Krabs, or my least favorite, Andromeda Shun, seriously, why the hell did she want me to cosplay the most effeminate zodiac knight? I had nothing effeminate!

In the end, I got fed up with her demands and challenged her, it was something quite simple, we would both write on 3 pieces of paper 3 costumes for the other to wear, then we would flip a coin, and whoever lost would have to choose one at random, and it doesn't matter how far embarrassing outside, that would be the costume in which the loser would attend the party.

And since she wanted to embarrass me, I decided to pay her in kind, so the 3 costumes I had written were: Tomoe Mami, Samus Aran, and the goddess Ristarte.

And for any costume to be possible I would use Blade Blacksmith to create a small necklace that could create a replica of the costume that the wearer was thinking of, this way replicating the costume wouldn't be a problem, so it didn't matter what outfit we chose, everything would be possible.

She ended up losing, and the costume that she got was Samus Aran, to be completely honest, I wasn't cruel enough to make Lucy spend the whole party in a spandex that would leave nothing to the imagination, so I had thought that later seeing her embarrassed for a couple of seconds would let her get rid of this punishment and use something else.

So that was why I was waiting for her to come out of the locker room ready to tell her that she could change back.

But when I started to get a little impatient, I saw something come out of the locker room that I didn't think was possible, in front of me was Samus Aran's Power Suit, measuring about 2 meters and a coppery gold color, with the upper part of the chest and the helmet were red, and a green cannon was in her right hand.

"Okay... I didn't expect that". I said when the suit stopped in front of me.

"HAHAHAHA". She laughed before reaching her left hand to her visor and lifting it, revealing Lucy's face. "Did you think you had me? Your choice said Samus Aran, so it doesn't matter if it's a blue spandex suit or this, right?" She asked as if daring me to deny what she had just said.

I just chuckled a bit as she shrugged at me, I had to admit, she had outdone me this time. "Yeah, it looks like you win this time, nice move"

So we began to walk together through the party until we reached the drinks table, taking one each, Lucy raised her entire helmet while I just gave a mental order for mine to disappear.

At that moment, a girl who didn't seem to be more than 13 years old walked up to our side. "You're here". She greeted looking at both of us.

"Hey, I remember you, you're John's little sister, Marie, right?" I asked wanting to be sure I remembered her name.

"Yes". She answered looking at our costumes, although when she focused on Lucy's her eyes shone like stars, not that I blame her, to be honest, although mine was made to be as similar and taking care of all possible details, the Power Suit continues being more striking than the Freed Suit.

"Hey man, when you came?" A male voice greeted me to my right and when I turned I could see John, he was dressed in something like a red skirt with red and black patterns, while below his knees he had a kind of leaf bracelet that reached his ankles and a crown made of the same material.

"Hey John, what's up man, we came about 20 minutes ago, what kind of costume is that?" I asked a little intrigued, after all, it looked similar to the Hawaiian costumes I had seen in my previous life.

"That's what I should ask, I have to say that you really do have a peculiar taste in costumes." He said before looking at Lucy. "Although she is not far behind." He clarified with an expression between surprised and amused. "But this is not a costume, I was chosen to give a traditional show of our land"

"Aren't you from Fiore?" I asked quite surprised.

"Not really, we are from another continent, but we came to live here because my father is finishing up a chain of beach resorts, the last time we were here my father liked it so much that he bought most of the properties and start to build a vacation complex"

"Wow, so you're a rich guy?" I asked, although in hindsight I think I should have guessed, after all not everyone has six boats that they race annually.

"Well, technically the ones with the money are my parents and grandparents"

"That sounds like something someone with money would say, and believe me, I know because Lucy has said it before"

"So she's one of those rich girls? Well done man". He said between giggles as he nudged me.

Oh, right, last time he and his cousins thought she was my girlfriend, right? I had almost forgotten.

"Nah, money is not a priority for me, I earn more than enough on my own and the family business is pretty good too". I answered, after all, whenever I needed money I could sell some of my swords and mom's shop received exclusive orders that generated a not inconsiderable amount of money, but that was mom's, not mine.

"I see, I see, a businessman, huh?"

"I wouldn't say I am, but I doubt I'll ever have money problems"

"Well, hey Marie, we have to go now, the show starts in 20 minutes, and you still haven't changed; you two enjoy the party and make sure you watch our act". He said before they quickly walked away.

Once they left I made sure to go immediately to register for the costume contest that I knew would be held because I wanted the first prize, a voucher for 4 people with no expiration date with everything paid for a week at the Fallen Star resort, which in retrospect was one more clue to the status of John's family.

Although if I was being completely honest, I didn't know if I would really win, I think it was a bit rash choosing the Freed Suit, because, even it was an amazing costume, a lot of it came from knowing the history of where it came from, as well as the fact that Lucy also decided to enroll and her outfit was much more striking than mine, maybe I should have chosen Dukemon?

After that, we both walked a bit around the place, and I ended up saying hello to some people I recognized from John's family, like his cousins Tomy and Dan, although I didn't see Bryan anywhere, I also ran into John's grandmother, Melinda, who seemed to remember me and squeezed my cheeks before telling me I was a little skinny and offering me a huge plate of what she called Kalbi Ribs, which were basically spare ribs with soy sauce and some other spices.

And when she saw Lucy she made a curious face, before offering her a plate that the woman claimed would enhance all her "feminine qualities" whatever that means.

Soon after, we ran into some girls who seemed to recognize Lucy, although she seemed a bit annoyed with them, they greeted us with quite a bit of encouragement anyway and one of them, Lia, liked my costume so much that she started touching me on various parts of my body parts to feel the quality of the product, or so she said.

I could lie saying that I had not understood what she meant, but fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn't that dense, so it was a bit obvious that this girl was flirting with me, using the costume as an excuse to feel me.

Now, in any other situation, even if it was a bit embarrassing, I wouldn't have had a problem with this, and even I could feel flattered, after all, I would have gotten the attention of a pretty girl.

But in this case, I noticed how the girl sent Lucy glances from time to time, which meant that bothering her was also one of her goals, and I had standards, so playing along when she thought I had a girlfriend was a no-no in my books, I doubted that I could get along with a person willing to flirt with someone who was in a relationship.

So I did the sensible thing, I stopped the girl as politely as possible before making my excuses and walking away, though as I walked with Lucy at my side I heard that girl say. "His butt is definitely the best part"

I was startled a bit, and it was impossible to stop the blush on my face, although luckily I summoned my helmet back so my face was covered, but that didn't stop me from getting a little nervous. "M-my butt?" I said quietly, not knowing that girls could be attracted to boys' butts, so just to be safe I made a mental note to stay moderately far away from that girl and never to wear anything that fit my body again when I met John or his family.

Turning my head and I narrowed my eyes a little, I could see Lucy frowning a little through her visor, so to lighten the mood I decided to joke around a bit.

"Hey, what's with that face? Is that jealousy I'm seeing?" I asked jokingly when she stopped short and slowly turned her head to look down at me because she was taller than me in the suit, and maybe it was because of the aura she emanated, or maybe because of the creepy smile, but I seriously felt a little intimidated.

W-when did she learn to do that look? She was just as scary as Miss Layla, is she a family thing? Does she have some stupid op eye power?

"I-It was just a joke to improve the mood, you're not going to launch a missile at me from your cannon, are you?" I asked hating my stutter, and the way she stared down the canyon for a couple of seconds didn't reassure me one bit.

She seemed to consider my words for a bit before sighing, the terrifying aura disappearing and her eyes returning to normal, causing me to let out a sigh of relief that I didn't know I was holding back.

"It's just that that girl annoys me, what happened last time we came to this beach was her and her friend's fault, plus she thinks you have a girlfriend and still flirts? I don't like people who do that."

"So you basically don't like people who incite cheating, and she gets bonus points for the embarrassing moment?"

"What kind of people would like those who incite infidelity?" She asked as if it were obvious.

"Those who like to be unfaithful?" I answered his question with another shrug as we resumed our walk.

At that moment, most of the lights went out while 3 reflectors focused on a stage about 20 meters from where we were.

"That must be the show". Lucy said before taking my arm and dragging me in that direction.

"It seems so, let's see what John and his sister will do". I said as I let myself drag.

Once we got past a small crowd that had formed around the stage we saw that there were 2 men and 2 women who looked to be in their early thirties with musical instruments, one pair had what appeared to be pumpkins while another had small drum placed on his knee and the last had two sticks that from the middle to one end were cut into several strips.

The four of them started to play their instruments while the men started to sing, then from the side of the stage, 4 girls came in who looked like they were in their early twenties.

All were dressed in similar attire to the one John had, but with some obvious differences, they had some kind of dress or polo shirt that covered from the upper part of their chests to their bellies where it met their skirts made of leaves that reached a little below the knees, and their anklets, bracelets, and crowns were short and fairly well made.

The 4 dancers made a line in front of the public while they moved with slow and synchronized steps, always smiling and moving to the rhythm of the drums, when the women who played the instruments joined in singing the dancers did a few turns while raising their hands giving a couple of claps.

Being the first time that I saw this type of dance, I was a little hypnotized by the show.

At that moment, from the opposite side of the stage, 4 girls came out, among which I recognized Marie, all the girls were dressed in the same way as the 4 older dancers, entering with a fluid movement where each girl ended up in front of each older dancing girl.

The dance lasted for about a minute more before all the dancers struck a pose as the music stopped and the cheers of the crowd broke through.

I nodded, quite satisfied with the show as I offered some applause to the dancers and musicians.

Lucy for her part clapped a little more frantically than I did, cheering along with other people in the audience.

At that moment, the 4 older dancers and the 4 girls separated, and another person appeared from behind them, this time it was John, who had a double torch in each hand.

The four musicians began to play again, but this time with a faster pace, John moved a few steps back and forth to the rhythm of the drums as the flame-tipped wands spun in his hands, and he hurled one towards the air while doing one backflip and twisting the remaining one with both hands.

And when he finished the somersault he opened his mouth and perfectly caught the torch between his teeth, then took it back in his hands before throwing both torches while spinning quickly in place, once again he was able to catch both torches, and then he fall backward.

But when his back touched the ground, he propelled himself using the muscles of his back rosing his whole body a few centimeters, and before fell his feet were planted firmly as was his head, raising his hands and turning both torches, all to the rhythm of the drums.

After doing this for about 4 seconds, he put his hands on the ground and pushed himself forward, managing to jump up, and to finish he took a small bottle that was on the ground before sucking the content, his cheeks swelled and he put the torch in front of his face before spitting out content, giving way to a flare that spread out a couple of meters.

The audience cheered once more as John, the musicians, the 4 older dancers, and the 4 girls bowed to the audience, after a few seconds of more cheering they all started to walk off stage.

Without a moment's delay, a man came up on stage with a microphone in his hand and began to speak. "I think we can all agree that that was an excellent number, now dear guests in a few minutes we will move on to the costume contest, remember that the winner will get a voucher for 4 people with no expiration date with everything paid for a week at the Fallen Star Resort, all courtesy of our Fallen Star hosts and owners". He finished announcing.

"Well then, may the best win". I said to Lucy holding out my hand, even though I really expected to win.

####

"This is unfair". I complained holding my third-place prize, a cup.

"Lack of culture abounds in this world"

I mean, I could take Lucy beating me, but both of us being beaten by a girl in a sexy cheerleader outfit? That was discrimination, at this point I was inclined to think that if I had boobs or Lucy had shown a little more skin, either of them would have won, and that was kind of sad.

But in the end, I couldn't do anything, and after the party ended I concentrated on thinking about the design that I would put on my cup since the organizers offered to stamp something written on it if I wanted.

Luckily, after a few seconds, I came up with the perfect design, my cup was white and had written: "I love waifu"

I didn't have the ticket, but at least I had a nice cup straight out of a fantasy world.

And when I came out of the tent with my cup I found Lucy, already changed into a normal outfit while holding a basket that was her second place prize, full of various things, such as a suit like the ones the ballerinas had, an apparently expensive perfume, some discount vouchers for restaurants from the area and other things, but hey, at least I had my cup.

"What is a waifu?" She asked, reading what was written on my prize.

"It's a little hard to explain, you wouldn't understand, to do it correctly you would have to be a man of culture or a waifu, and I'm sorry, but you don't qualify to get into either of those two categories"

"Eh? What is that supposed to mean? First of all, I'm not a man, and how does it make sense that for me to know what is a waifu I must be one? It sounds far-fetched"

"Maybe, but you're not meant to understand it, you're too 3d to be able to". I explained to him as he walked to the hotel I had reserved, the truth was that I was a little sleepy.

"3d? That's silly, why would I want to be a "waifu" in the first place? Not only does it sound weird, but I'm also sure coming from you can't be a good thing". She said as walking next to me.

"It's a fair point, but I didn't create the term, I'm just one of the many people who admire waifus"

"Don't be boring, just tell me what is a waifu"

Unfortunately for Lucy, I didn't plan on telling her what a waifu was now or in the foreseeable future.

---

Hello everyone, I hope you had a Merry Christmas, New Year and that the first months of this year have been good for you, today we start with the side stories.

I decided this would go first because this was the most casual, and if anyone really expected Lucy to wear spandex, well, I'm sorry, but it was kind of obvious that Jean wasn't going to let her go out like that in public.

There are still 2 more Side Stories left, and these are somewhat more serious, after that, we will have the what If, which will last 3 chapters and will give us some information about the future of this story, so see you the next Sunday, Ciao.