Shoko Komi's Ultimate Challenge

by Ulquiorra9000

Communication 4: Komi the princess

Shoko Komi never knew what was going to happen in homeroom, since half her classmates were the type to mess around and have fun when the teacher wasn't looking. Shoko didn't mind, though, even if Najimi and their friends took up a quarter of the classroom with an improvised Marbles arena and stray marbles kept getting everywhere. Meanwhile, Ren Yamai was chatting loudly with three gal-pals and Nakanaka kept making a fuss about her dragon force or whatever it was.

"Ha! I don't have to prove myself to mere mortals," Nakanaka said triumphantly, folding her arms as her cape fluttered around. A fiery aura surrounded her. "Just know that I am the spirit queen of the upper realm, and ants like you could never comprehend the greater -"

"Forget I asked," one of the boys said, turning to leave, and his friends joined him. Nananaka stopped in mid-sentence, her one exposed eye wide with shock. She really enjoyed the attention, as far as Shoko could tell, even if she acted annoyed when people asked her what she was doing.

Shoko got out her communication notebook, wrote a short question, and showed it to Hitohito. Nakanaka really enjoys the spotlight, doesn't she?

Hitohito chuckled. "Kinda, yeah. She's got that chunibyo thing going on, pretending she's got secret powers none of us can understand. Honestly, I'm used to it. I don't wanna ruin her fun."

That was really sweet of him, Shoko thought, and then something occurred to her. People liked seeing Shoko in fancy outfits, and she had enjoyed taking part in the class's maid cafe during the school festival. And Shoko needed to figure out today's challenge, too. This was her chance!

I'll be right back, Shoko told Hitohito before she got up and joined the lonely Nakanaka, who didn't have anyone to show off her dragon force to.

"Oh. Hey, Komi," Nakanaka said sadly, leaning back in her chair, hands folded behind her head. "Come to make fun of me?"

Shoko shook her head, then presented another paper that read I think your dragon force is cool.

Nakanaka's eye widened in shock again. "Huh? For real? I'm telling you, no one understands me, Komi. It's too bad. They can't even appreciate the greatness before them!" She held a hand before her patched-up eye as though to claw it off.

Shoko usually found Nakanaka intimidating, but today, she was feeling inspired. And generous. So, she held up another paper: I want to cosplay with you, Nananaka. Can we hang out after school, please?

"Gasp!" Nakanaka actually said aloud, and this time, she held her gloved hand to her mouth. "Sh-Shoko Komi wishes to partake in the arcane rituals of the dragon force? Oh, what a twist of fate, for I have been granted the grace of the goddess!"

Shoko had no idea what that meant, but she held her paper in place, trying not to tremble too hard. This felt so weird, but it also made for the perfect challenge. She can do it!

Nakanaka cleared her throat and blushed slightly. "Very well! Join me at my castle after today's lessons, dearest Komi, and we shall embrace our inner darkness with the finest garments! Mwahahahaha!"

Feeling a little silly, but also excited, Shoko returned to her seat (she had to avoid a few stray marbles) and sat. She made a small smile and held up another paper-message: Guess what, Tadano? Nakanaka and I are going to hang out today after school as friends!

"That sounds like fun," Hitohito said warmly. "This must be exciting for you. Have a good time!"

Shoko made a small nod as thanks, then watched Najimi demolish everyone at marbles and wondered what exactly she was in for. True, she and he friends had been to the Omoharu household before, but still...

She could barely concentrate on her lessons that day. So exciting...!

*o*o*o*o*

"Welcome, Komi, to my castle," Nakanaka said dramatically as the two girls arrived at the Omoharu household, which was perfectly ordinary, by the way. "Now let us embrace our inner darkness! Bwahahahaha!"

Shoko really had no idea what her inner darkness was supposed to be, but she still felt pumped, and felt her dog ears perking up on her head. Shoko Komi was just an ordinary high school girl spending time with friends as any high school student would, and it was going to be fun! Nothing weird about it -

Shoko trembled in terror when she was escorted into Nakanaka's bedroom, which was filled with lit candles, spooky Halloween music, and lots of costumes and accessories all over the place, not to mention model skulls. It was like Edgar Allan Poe in here!

"Be at ease, princess," Nakanaka assured her, shutting the door and spreading her arms wide. "Now we shall shed this false exterior and let our souls be free! Are you ready?!"

I'm ready to get spooky, Shoko said on her paper, and she already felt silly about this. But she'd do anything for a friend.

"Great! Now that I think about it..." Nakanaka gently ran her hands down Shoko's cheeks. "I can feel it! You're the incarnation of the shadow dragon princess, locked for 2,000 years in the Tower of Misery on the Upper Plane! Now you shall be free, and I've got just the costume for you."

Shoko held up another paper. Okay. And what's your costume going to be?

Nakanaka made a wicked smile. "I am..." She got dressed in a flash and bowed. "Your maidservant! What will you command of me?"

Shoko gasped. Nakanaka was so talented with cosplay! She had on a frilly outfit with a long skirt, fancy lace patterns, batwing props on the back, fake horns on her head, a necklace of bones, and even vampire fangs. She was like a terrifying fashion model!

Please turn around, Shoko commanded her with trembling hands. I'm shy.

"Ah! Yes, of course. As you wish! Your outfit is right over there!" Nakanaka pointed at it, then whirled around, her cute bat wings flapping, her gown flaring out as she moved. Honestly, where did Nakanaka finds these clothes? They're gorgeous! It was such a shame there weren't more people around to admire Nakanaka's hard work with dress-up games like this.

Shoko carefully changed out of her school uniform and tried on the costume Nakanaka had pointed out, which was hanging on a coat hanger in the open closet. Hmmmmmm, shoko wasn't used to these kinds of accessories... was she doing this wrong? Maybe she was! At least Nakanaka could help her fix it.

When she was done, Shoko quietly said "I'm done," and nervously clasped her hands at her navel. What if her mom or Shosuke saw this? What would they think?

"Great shadow dragon princess, allow me to -" Nakanaka whirled around again, only for her jaw to hit the floor. "N-no way! That costume... it's not even that expensive! How does it look so good on you?!"

Shoko thought she looked kind of funny, but maybe in Nakanaka's eyes, she really was some fantasy princess with a sparkly aura of magic around her, too much for mortal eyes to comprehend. Nakanaka adjusted her eyepatch with a trembling hand and continued, "Ah-ha, yes, of course. It's the dragon force, Komi. Your true self has surpassed the material plane, transforming your visage into... uh, this!" She motioned vaguely in Shoko's direction, and Shoko jumped.

So, I look good? Shoko shyly asked on her paper, and she felt herself blush. She glanced away.

"M-m-m-may I take thine picture, great shadow dragon princess?" Nakanaka asked, holding up her smartphone with shaky hands. Shoko noded, so Nakanaka snapped her picture from all kinds of angles, like an enthusiastic paparazzi or something. "Yes! Sublime! Out of this world!" she kept saying to herself. Then she joined Shoko and showed her the pictures. There Shoko was, dressed up in a black false leather corset, an expensive-looking gown with spiderweb hems, a tiara with fake rubies, lacy black elbow-length gloves, and much more, like a vampire queen or something. And she realized something else.

Shoko gasped and pointed at the screen. Nakanaka nodded.

"Ohohohohoho! Yes, as your loyal maidservant, I shared your sublime beauty with the teeming masses, so they may know their princess walks among them!" Nakanaka said, meaning she had just shared Shoko's pictures on every social media platform she had, plus some cosplay blogs and forums.

Shoko hesitated; had Nakanaka gone too far? Then Shoko decided it was harmless fun, and Nakanaka had had the decency to not put Shoko's name in any of the posts, so her privacy was safe. And to Shoko's astonishment, hundreds of people were liking, loving, sharing, and commenting on all the pictures!

"Egads!" Nakanaka cried, holding the phone before her eye. " I've never had traffic like this before! I..." Her hands trembled with glee. "If I monetized this somehow, I'd make a killing!"

Shoko frantically waved her hands to dismiss that idea. She wasn't ready to be a formal fashion model or anything! Instead, she followed Nakanaka's lead and used props and dramatic poses to really sell the idea of this shadow dragon princess persona, including holding up a toy skull and declaring her intent to strike down the demigod who wronged her in the Upper Plane, and she even did a funny dance and scattered rose petals everywhere.

"Yeah! That's it, my princess!" Nakanaka cried excitedly as she recorded all this with her phone. "Now assert your superiority to the masses! Make them tremble!"

Shoko had seen Nakanaka do this before, so now it was her turn. The challenge demanded it! Feeling totally goofy, but also feeling totally in the zone, Shoko tried to keep a straight face and held up her clawed hand to her right eye and made her best effort at wicked laughter. "Ho ho... um... hohohohoho! T-tremble b-b-b-before m... me! I am... the... um... twilight - I mean, shadow dragon princess!" Shoko declared.

Nakanaka fell over laughing. "Oh, my esteemed princess, how truly unique you are! I'm not worthy to walk in your hallowed presence!"

Am I doing this right? Shoko asked on her paper.

Nakanaka wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "This is the best day of my life, princess! Just a few more poses!"

Shoko was game, so she scraped together all her courage and showed off her shadow princess greatness on the Internet a bit more, and then she joined Nakanaka for a selfie, both girls side by side making peace signs. The one got about a bazillion likes!

"I've got to monetize this somehow. Then I could move out of my stupid parents' house and live the life I've always dreamed of...!" Nakanaka muttered excitedly, hunched over her screen as the likes and shares kept rolling in. Shoko had no idea what to say to that.

After that, Shoko changed back into her uniform and bade Nakanaka a good evening, and took her leave of the shadow realm castle or whatever it was. On the way back home, Shoko somehow felt like she actually did have a lingering shadow princess aura around her, something that made her special compared to these puny mortals around her -

Shoko shook her head. No, no, no. Cosplay was fun, and she enjoyed Nakanaka's flattering enthusiasm. But she was just Shoko Komi, no more or less than an ordinary high school girl trying to find her way in life. That was enough for her.

"Something seems different about you today, Shoko dear," Shuko commented as the four Komis sat down for dinner that evening. "You seem more... dignified, somehow. Did something good happen today?"

"I became the shadow dragon princess," Shoko explained casually, then jumped about a foot into the air and clapped her hand over her mouth. That just slipped right out! Her heart raced.

Shuko smiled craftily. "Princess? Well, I think every girl wants to be a princess at some point in her life. Why, in middle school, I was a bit of a chunibyo, believe it or not, and I pretended to have mystic powers! Oh my, it's so embarrassing to talk about now! Hohohohohoho!" She clapped a hand to her cheek, laughing at the memory of her silly 8th grader self. Shosuke ignored her while Masayoshi stared in awe. Evidently, Masayoshi hadn't known about this little fact about his wife either, and he and Shoko shared a "what in the world?" look.

Shoko didn't dare judge her mother, though. She knew first-hand how empowering cosplay can be, and really, Nakanaka was just expressing herself the best way she knew how. Maybe dramatic chunibyo kids aren't so bad after all! But that being said, Shoko didn't want to imagine her mom with an eyepatch. That was too weird.

And the next day, in homeroom...

I had a great time yesterday at your house, Shoko told Nakanaka with her paper. She held the paper firmly in her hands. I feel like we're a little closer now.

Nakanaka blushed and tried to look cool. "Oh, but of course, noble princess! I mean... ahem... it was our destiny." She tried to act casual, but Shoko could tell how much it meant to Nakanaka, and Shoko felt her heart swelling with joy. Shoko returned to her desk in high spirits, wondering how many likes her cosplay gallery now had. Turns out she was a fine model after all!

Challenge... complete!