Chapter Four: The Broken Doll and the Outstretched Hand

The world was compressed into a noisy and blurry vortex.

I was perched on a soft sofa, my body sinking deep into it, yet I felt no comfort whatsoever. The sofa felt like a gaping maw of quicksand, ready to swallow me whole. The cheerful anime music playing in the café now sounded like a **** knell from hell, every note mocking my foolishness and pathetic state.

There were sounds around me: Old K's anxious, distorted shouts, and the whispers of another strange man. But I couldn't make out what they were saying. In my world, only one sound remained—the deafening ringing in my ears, caused by my own heart pounding wildly, from lack of oxygen and fear.

"Buzz—"

I lay there like a robot stripped of all its parts, the only thing that could move was my body, trembling uncontrollably. My face, exposed to the air, must have been contorted beyond recognition. Tears, sweat, and saliva that I couldn't swallow because of the gag mingled together, flowing freely from the corners of my eyes and mouth, turning my face into a swampy mess.

shame.

This feeling was no longer like the tide, but like an incomparably heavy mountain made of mercury, falling from the sky and crushing me to its base. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't even feel pain. My soul felt as if it had been utterly crushed in that public execution.

"Ah Zhe! Ah Zhe, look at me! How are you?!" Old K's voice finally pierced through my tinnitus. He shook my shoulders violently, so hard that I felt like my bones were about to fall apart.

My empty gaze slowly focused, and I saw his face, as pale as paper, filled with horror and guilt.

"Hah...hah..." A meaningless, trapped-beast-like hiss escaped my throat. My reason told me I had to remove this thing that had caused me so much humiliation. It was evidence of my guilt, the root of all shame.

I raised my hand tremblingly, the hand wrapped in flesh-colored Kigurumi leather and a white glove felt like it didn't belong to me, completely unresponsive. I tried several times, but couldn't get it to my mouth properly.

Just then, a warm and soft hand gently covered the back of my hand, stopping my futile movements.

"Don't move, I'll help you."

It was a girl's voice. Clear and gentle, like a mountain stream, carrying an incredible calming power.

I jerked my head up and, through my tear-blurred vision, saw a stranger's face. It was a girl who looked about my age, with shoulder-length hair, wearing the café's staff uniform. Her eyes were large and bright, and she was looking at me with concern. There was no fear or disdain in her eyes, only pure...concern.

who is she?

My confused mind is unable to think.

The girl didn't seem to notice my lapse in composure. She turned to Old K and the other man and said in an unquestionable tone, "Brother K, Brother Hai, you two go and block the entrance. Don't let any more guests come in. Leave this to me."

Old K and the store manager, Ah Hai, exchanged a glance, as if they had found their pillar of support. They immediately nodded and turned to walk towards the store entrance.

Suddenly, only the strange girl and I were left in the room.

She knelt down in front of me, keeping her eyes level with mine. Instead of immediately removing the gag from my mouth, she took out a pack of wet wipes from her pocket, pulled one out, and gently wiped away the mess of tears and sweat from my face.

"Were you scared?" she said softly as she wiped him. "It's okay, it's all over now. It's safe here."

Her voice seemed to have a magical power; my violently trembling body miraculously calmed down a little.

“I know this is uncomfortable,” she pointed to my mouth, “I’ll take it out for you now. It might be a little uncomfortable, but please bear with it, okay?”

Looking into her sincere eyes, I nodded as if possessed.

She received my permission before carefully reaching out and pinching the strap of the gag with two slender fingers. Her fingertips were icy cold, and they accidentally touched my lips, sending a shiver through me. Then, with a deft pull, she gently tugged.

"Puha—!"

As the gag came out, I coughed violently and gagged, leaning over the edge of the sofa. The girl didn't move away; instead, she reached out and gently, rhythmically patted my back to help me catch my breath.

"Cough cough... Haa... Haa..."

The fresh air rushed into my lungs, clearing my muddled mind. With it came a much clearer understanding of everything that had just happened.

“It’s over…” I managed to utter, my voice hoarse, broken, and filled with despair, “Everyone saw it…”

"Yes, I saw it all." The girl's voice rang out calmly, which surprised me. "I saw a very dedicated cosplayer who accidentally had a stage accident."

I froze, looked up, and stared at her in disbelief.

"What did you say?"

“I was just outside,” she said, pulling out another wet wipe and handing it to me. “I saw you fall, and I saw your head fall off. It was a mess, but… what I saw was someone trying hard to play the role they love, who accidentally had an accident.”

Her eyes were incredibly clear, without a trace of hypocrisy or politeness.

“As for that…” she pointed to the gag lying on the ground, a faint blush rising on her face, “Many people use props to achieve accurate pronunciation or to maintain the character’s ‘silent’ persona. Although this is a bit hardcore.”

She was actually... explaining things for me? Finding a reasonable, understandable excuse for my abnormal behavior?

“But… my face… I’m a man…” I said, trembling. This was the most terrifying and undeniable fact for me.

"So what?" the girl retorted matter-of-factly. "Liking Mai-senpai and wanting to be like her is a feeling that transcends gender, right? Does only girls have to cosplay? I think you must have put in much more effort and courage than girls to be able to wear this outfit."

Her words, like a warm ray of light, instantly pierced through the cold, heavy mountain in my heart, a mountain made of mercury.

I stared at her blankly, tears welling up in my eyes again, but this time, it wasn't because of shame or fear, but because of an indescribable feeling of being understood and accepted.

"Don't cry," she said, shoving a tissue into my hand and standing up. "Hurry up and change out of these clothes; you'll catch a cold if they get soaked. I'll go find you a clean set."

She turned and walked towards the staff break room.

As I watched her retreating figure, I felt like I was dreaming. A nightmare followed by an unreal, overly beautiful dream.

Soon, Old K and Ah Hai also came in, and they looked much more relaxed.

"How's it going outside?" I asked in a low voice.

"It's all settled!" Old K breathed a sigh of relief, a bit of color returning to his face. "Thanks to Xiaoya! She just took the store's megaphone and went out to explain that you were our store's special guest today, undergoing a stress test, and that the stage accident was deliberately staged to test a cosplayer's emergency response in unexpected situations... In short, she spouted a bunch of nonsense, but it seems... a lot of people believed her!"

“The customers in the store have all been calmed down,” Ahai nodded, a wry smile on his face. “She also said that to compensate everyone for the fright, the whole store will be free today. I’m not getting my bonus this month, but… it’s worth it to get things under control.”

Xiaoya... so that's her name.

At this moment, Xiaoya came out carrying a set of oversized employee T-shirts and sweatpants.

"Hurry up and change." She handed me the clothes. "There's a mirror in the lounge, so tidy yourself up. K, could you help him put away all those 'parts'?"

“Okay!” Old K immediately got to work and began to help me untie the complicated restraints on my body.

After the Kigurumi skin was peeled off, and the pantyhose and gaff were removed, my body was finally free. Xiaoya considerately turned away, not looking at my naked body.

I hastily put on clean clothes, and an unprecedented sense of warmth and security enveloped me.

As I watched Old K meticulously collect the remains of "Sakurajima Mai," a complex mix of emotions welled up inside me. There lay my glory, and there lay my shame.

“That…video…” I still asked the question that terrified me the most.

“I deleted it.” Xiaoya turned around and waved her phone. “When I went out just now, I saw a few people sharing it. I went over to them and ‘politely’ asked them to delete it. I told them that it was our store’s trade secret and that it was illegal to spread it without permission. Most people cooperated.”

"But... what if there are still people..." I'm still worried.

“Even if there is, it’s okay.” Xiaoya’s tone was unusually firm. “I’ll have Hai Ge post a statement on the store’s official account saying that this afternoon’s event was a complete success and thanking our special guest, ‘Mr. Zhe,’ for his wonderful performance. We’ll turn this from a ‘perverted accident’ into a ‘well-planned performance art.’ As long as we don’t mess things up, no one can define us.”

I was completely stunned by her words.

I looked at her, this complete stranger, who, in less than half an hour, used her kindness, wisdom, and amazing initiative to pull me back from the brink of hell.

"Why...why..." My voice trembled with emotion, "Why did you help me?"

Xiaoya looked at me and suddenly smiled. Her smile was warm, like the winter sun.

She pointed to the "Sakurajima Mai" head that Ahai was holding in his arms.

“Because,” she said softly, “I’m also a fan of Mai-senpai.”

“And…” she paused, a sly glint in her eyes, “this skull of yours, I made it.”