Masterpieces are Waters for Plants

"KYAA!"

When I woke up and sat straight on my bed with adrenaline, Sera had jumped away from the sound source, her teeth chattering from a loud repeating jingle. Her back bumped on the edge of my bed. I could see the sleeping mattress on the floor that moved out of place due to her kicks.

The song continued to play from my phone lying on the computer desk. When our gazes met, I squinted at her. Her eyes bulged with a sense of alertness, her arms were crossed and her legs were restless. Their incredulous eye contact didn't break for seconds until the alarm turned off automatically.

"W–w–what is that!?" She exclaimed.

"I have important matters to settle every weekend on this particular time schedule. Hence, I need someone to remind me that I need to wake up. It's like morning chicken's, but portable."

"What are chickens?"

I don't remember any Shizu-sama who was this dumb. I wanted to say that, but I have moral principles to keep intact. Since I only knew her recently, I don't want to destroy my image of a stranger; it was already too broken in the society.I narrowed his eyes tighter at her without responding to her question.

Who doesn't know what chickens are and how tasty they were? How did she grow up not being able to distinguish meat? Is she from some kind of tribal forest or a cult?

A sudden realization made my eyes bulge. With his change in expression, Sera gasped and jerked her head back. "W–What is it?" 

I slowly leaned towards her, our lips distanced two-meters away from each other. I could hear her breathing through the cold atmosphere. However, the focus of my view wasn't her eyes, but her ears.

As the gazes went longer, Sera bit her lips, her forehead wrinkling. She drew her head back, her legs trembling. However, I reached my arm over her shoulder and pinched the edge of her long unusual ears. 

"AAAW!"

I hastily pulled my quivering fingers back. When I noticed Sera's cheeks burning red, my mouth fell wide open, my eyes bulging. With a high-pitched tone, I squealed, "No, no, no… They're real ears!?"

"What are you doing!? I'll say this to Mom!" After exclaiming, her lips pinched together, her cheeks puffed.

Looking away with a pout, I replied, "A thief?"

"W–Why are you bringing that back!? I told you I've never stolen anything from you!"

"Right, right. I'm just curious and joking. Don't tell Mom, please."

Knock! Knock! The mutters stopped as we both pivoted our gazes at the door.

"Kou? Why is it so loud there? Breakfast is ready. Oh, and also, if Sera's awake, ask her to go downstairs," Mom's voice echoed behind the door.

"Yes, Mom! We're going to follow," I replied. As I heard Mom step away, I looked at Sera, pointed my finger at the shelves, and said, "If you don't have anything to do, you can read a book or Manga there. It's a nice way to pass time."

I took a book on the third row and gave it to her. The bookshelf is sorted so that I would know the genre of the story or if it is a light novel or Manga. "Here. I suggest this book first. I think you'll like chill slice of life and lowkey romance stories. I think that genre is what females like in general."

She took the book and shuffled the pages. Her eyes squinted, her head shook in trying to read the text. I noticed her head slowly tilting to the side and her gaze clouding, slowly becoming distant. Rapidly blinking, she uttered, "Are these letters? I can't read…"

My eyes widening, I paused for five seconds and shouted, "You can't read!? What a high-investment subscription you are!?"

"Sera-chan can't read!?" Mom exclaimed, her hands flying before her mouth. Sera and I sat before her and nonchalantly ate the bread with an added egg.

"What are your plans, Mom?" Chewing, I asked. "I have too many things to do, and I'm not good at teaching others. Will you hire some tutor for this homosapien?"

"Don't talk bad like that, Kou! How would she find her way home if she can't read?" Mom stood up, took a pen and paper, and gave it to Sera. "Why don't you write something here, dear?"

"What is this, Mom?" Sera asked, analyzing the pen she gripped with her trembling hand.

"That's a pen. Just like a quill, it has ink to write in materials like paper. Would you be able to try to write something?"

It made me wonder how she knew how to grip a pen without knowing how to read. But that doesn't mean she doesn't know how to write. She pulled the paper and wrote curvy and unfamiliar strokes, far different from the Japanese kanji. When she ended one line with a circular period, she dropped the pen flat on the table.

"H–How was this?"

Unable to read the characters, I only bit my lip out of uncertainty. I couldn't tell her that she had some strange linguistics. With my slanted lips, I only glanced at Mom to see what she thought of it. To my surprise, her head jerked back like she gasped previously, leaving a dazed look at the paper. Why is her reaction like that?

"Mom, are you alright?"

Like nothing happened, she shook her head and smiled. "Nothing really, Kou. What she wrote was similar to some Kanji. Since she doesn't have any difficulty speaking, reading and writing wouldn't be a problem."

"But… Do you have any idea who will teach her?"

She didn't respond. Her gaze was still attached to the letter. I know Mom paces a lot, but for now, I don't know what was happening in her mind anymore.

I scrolled through Instantgram for cosplay outfits in my lunch break at school, and dissed, even the professionals. Countless pictures, my thumb already had calluses for scrolling. I couldn't remove the image of the costume I created in my mind. What makes it hard to distinguish is Sera's face over the costume, like I was dressing her up in my imagination. Whispering within me as I shifted myself to be a critic.

"What is that loose thread? It's very obvious. You call this a professional?" What the heck is happening to me?

"I've become a fan of you, but now, you're using low quality materials for costumes?" I can't think straight.

"How did this become popular? The character is not even known, and the proportions of his body don't even match the character's figure?" I can't get Sera out of my head!

Noticing that my hands were trembling, I slapped the phone on my desk not loud enough, but it still made a clap sound around me. I felt a lingering gaze, hence I faced Izumi. My instincts were right. This is the only time we made eye contact longer than three seconds. However, inside me, I was comparing her to Sera for the dress that I made.

I shook my head and pivoted before me. I don't care what she thought of me in that state. I just figured out I stepped out of my boundaries again, but it's for cosplay reasons. Izumi looked best in cute Magic Girl dresses and Tsundere cosplays. If she did that, her style would have no difference than Mimirin's.

Though the thought of her cosplaying didn't cross my mind, there are reasons why. Her mother was strict to her, including her school grades, modelling sidelines, and social circles. Also, she thought I was a creep, hence she warned me not to approach Izumi.

I sighed and opened my phone again, scrolling through the gallery, until I found the image I captured yesterday. Gritting my teeth, I deleted it, never wanting to remember that moment again. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down, but my overthinking wasn't.

What should I do to her? Now she's lonely at home, will Mom be able to watch over her? What if she saw my NSFW doujins? It's like Mom has now adopted her. Where did she come from? Will I become a good brother to her? Maybe she's interested in Anime too. What if she cried again? What if she had a brutal past before coming here? Will she be able to go back home immediately? If we didn't find her home, how long would she stay? What is she doing right now? Who will become her tutor? If she learned how to read, would she be able to enjoy Manga? It's so tiring that I wished I had skipped this bunch of lines.

In these moments, I usually do a routine to help my mind go back to its normal state. I'll do it after class.

I went to Market Street, only one station away from our place, and went to the usual textile store famous in town. Though there are few people who surveyed here for clothing line projects, this store became the commonplace for dress artists, costume designers, and cosplayers. They also offer commissional designs for custom-made apparels, and one's megabucks are worth the perfection of the clothes' quality.

My foot stepped through the partially opened double doors made of glass and my eyes wandered through sections of rolled and folded fabrics, all sorted by colors, textures, and types. The breathable, polyester, and other sections are also divided by rooms. The air-conditioned atmosphere together with the floral scent made the illusion that the fabrics are of high quality and standards.

When the storeo wner saw me, she couldn't hide the grin on her face. She approached me and touched both my shoulders. "Woah! Isn't this Kou? Oh my… How long have I last seen you? You're now a good fine man. How's your mother?"

"She's fine, Madame. She might've missed working in your place too."

Though I couldn't explain how Mom got millions in her bank account, she spent her time partially working in this place as a designer. She was also the one who taught me how to stitch a cloth properly. Sometimes, Mom brought me to work, hence I developed knitting as a hobby.

"Say hello to her for me, Kou-chan."

"You're calling me like Mom did."

"Of course, we do! What brings you here? Are you making another of your said 'masterpiece' again?"

I nodded, cringing from what she remembered as my image. "Do you still remember that?"

"We won't forget you, Kou-chan. Without that word, this business wouldn't bloom. It was the water that made the plants grow. If not for your mother treating every cloth she made as a masterpiece, everything in the workplace would feel stale. That's the sole reason why we exhibit our products to the highest quality."

"Madame, do you have any ongoing works commissioned by cosplayers? Would I be able to check them for reference?"

She frowned before uttering, "Oh, sorry, Kou-chan. I'm afraid that only the previous and the present workers would be able to view ongoing projects. Why don't you bring your Mom with you sometimes? She would be enticed on how the business went."

"I'll try to ask her soon. Thank you very much, Madame."

"No worries! By the way, would you mind telling me more about what you're crafting?"

I pulled up my phone, searched into Gongle, and zoomed in on the image of Shizu-sama in the cover of FCO5's Shizu Side Story Arc. Madame's hand flew before her mouth after witnessing the character's clothing details.

"That… was difficult, so suicidal. It may cost you a jackpot if you're unable to perfect the curves of her joints. If not stitched properly, it could lead to a wardrobe malfunction. The accessories are also heavy, which may weigh down the fabric. The infills would highly matter in those 3D prints. If you took this for a commission, it may take us a month to complete, especially those glossy parts that need paint chemicals that need to be dried for a longer period to avoid allergies."

While she was explaining, my mouth slacked. I've become suddenly still, unable to find the right words or the opportunity to talk. "You seem to know more of the character than I am, Madame, even though I'm one of her top competitive fans."

"What would you take me for, Kou-chan? We are talking about experience here. I might not know who she was, but if we're talking about her dress, you should book me for an appointment a month in advance. What would you say? Do you want us to take this commission?"

I pinched my chin with a soft hum, not sure of my plans yet. I only came here to survey the possible resources I will need only if Sera would be willing to become my model. This was all a product of imagination, and there were currently no possibilities that everything would go as I expected.

"I'll try to do this by myself. If I let someone else do it, that wouldn't be called my masterpiece."

"You really are Maki's child, Kou-chan. You might've inherited her skills and passion for art. Soon, maybe you'll be the one who will inherit this business."

"That's thinking too far in the future. We don't know what will happen yet. But I promise that if I have a project to work on, I'll definitely go to this store to shop. Furthermore, do you think that most of the fabrics needed for the costume I showed you made of satin and cotton?"

She raised her pointy finger up and waved it sideways. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you're going to create for quality, you shouldn't set comfortably with generalization. Every detail should be specific. There are parts with Chiffon Embroidery, the undercloths were made of Double Cotton Gauze–"

My grin became visible as I scoffed uncontrollably. Madame noticed it and paused. I thought that she would scold me due to disrespect, but she understood how the mind of an artist works.

"Excited now?"

"Excited and curious, Madame. I never thought that the fire within me would light up again. I can't wait to see what I can do."

"Just to remind you, Kou-chan. We might be creating nearly perfected artworks, embracing our passions, and keeping up with the trends. However, since the ancient era, a cloth only has one function, to be worn. It would be a waste to create a dress that will wear dust and dirt in a ten-year-old closet.

I smirked, "Don't worry, Madame. I got it handled."

"Hmm… And who is the person who will wear it? Was it your childhood friend? I occasionally see her here together with guys in suits for commissions, though I hated it since they always wanted rushed dresses in fine class."

Izumi also visits here!? Well, as if I'm surprised. She's currently the child wonder of the modelling world. Most of the magazines have her images of casual, school, and summer clothes in a wide variety of poses. Though her career narrowed her availability, what amazed the mass was her balance of it together with the school curriculum.

I shook my head and replied, "If I go back here with Mom, we'll bring her with us."

"I'm looking forward to that."

"By the way, would you mind telling me more about what type of fabric I should choose for the costume you saw?"

"A business owner's time is limited, Kou-chan. Why don't you try asking your mom? From what I know, she harbored the same skill and experience as me."

"That's the most terrific advice I ever received. Thank you very much, Madame!"