Cosplay of... 2B, whoever that is.

Kyoko felt her breath catch in her throat as the unzipped case was pulled open, laying out the staggering array of neatly-packed things that were inside. The outfit gave her concern for a couple of reasons:

First, the black-and-white ensemble wasn't of any video game character she was aware of. Admittedly, that wasn't a very large roster, as she had little interest in something as frivolous as video gaming, but she'd been holding out hope it would be someone she could at least pretend to care about.

Second... there was not as much outfit as she'd been expecting from the large size of the luggage. Portions of the suitcase were clearly taken up by things like makeup and sewing kits, as well as what looked like a toy robot and remote control. The actual outfit seemed somewhat sparse, from what Kyoko could see...

"Dammit." When Kyoko realized she'd been looking at the outfit like a detective instead of trying to look at it like a fan, it was already too late. Tsumugi had clearly seen the look on her face and changed her mind, and was trying to zip back up the case. "Now hold on, Tsumugi. I may not know and love the character now, but... perhaps if you could describe the character to me? Maybe I'd turn out to really like her, or see something of myself in her..."

Tsumugi let out a huge sigh that told Kyoko how thrilled she was about the idea. "You don't even know 2B's name...? Do you know anything about Nier Automata, the Nier series, or the works of Yoko Taro at all...?"

Kyoko grimaced, but shook her head honestly.

"You're missing out on such an incredible story, Kyoko... When you learn about the fighting android 2B, her quest to defend humanity, and the true depth of her struggle with personhood and finding meaning in a meaningless life, you're going to kick yourself for having cosplayed her without knowing it first!"

"So you are considering letting me wear it, then?"

"I guess... I don't have a choice," Tsumugi muttered miserably. "I mean... It isn't like you don't fit the character. 2B has an outward cold, calm, emotionless personality with surprising bursts of passion, just like you when you coldly **** me to give you my hand-crafted cosplay and then snap at me when I raise an objection to it..."

Kyoko simply bit her lip, determined not to screw this up when it might finally be going her way. "I see. Please, let me know as much as possible about the character as I get dressed. I'll do my honest best to internalize it and try to form those connections..."

The Ultimate Cosplayer let out another dramatic sigh at Kyoko's best effort at appeasing her, but complied. As Kyoko changed into the strangest outfit of her life, she listened to a bizarre fictional tale full of twists she didn't have context for, emotional beats she didn't have any attachment to, and deep meaning she didn't have the attention to spare a thought. Much more pressing for her was coming to terms with what she was now planning to travel the school in...

The first piece was a skin-toned thong and strapless bra. Kyoko felt lucky that Chiaki's skintone and proportions generally matched her own, so these garments seemed like they would actually do their job. She was also lucky, she realized, in that all the running around up to this point had basically air dried her so she wasn't getting her new garments soggy. Still, with only these undergarments on, she didn't look or feel any less naked than she had a second ago. Additionally, as someone who mostly dressed for utility and convenience, they were gratingly uncomfortable.

Tsumugi seemed to notice Kyoko's discomfort. "Ah, you know, I actually have a gel that will keep that from chafing so badly in the back-"

"Forget it," Kyoko replied immediately. "... Thanks, but no thanks," she corrected herself. This situation was weird enough without either struggling to apply some gel to herself or, even harder to imagine, having Tsumugi do it for her.

Next came the leotard. Bizarrely, while this piece had no legs and included windows for both cleavage and the backbone, it was attached to puffy shoulders and full arm-length sleeves. Kyoko tried to reconcile this strange, racy outfit with Tsumugi's insistence that 2B was a no-nonsense ass-kicker, and found she couldn't do it. She supposed it must just make sense to video game fans... Anyway, there wasn't any way to finish getting this piece on without help, as there was a hidden zipper that secured it in the back. She had Tsumugi help her with that, feeling the strange sensation of the cold zipper traveling across her body and up to the small of her back. It stopped way short of her shoulder blades, reminding her of how much of her bare back would be left exposed.

Still, that was hardly the worst of it. Once the piece was secured and she was bound in it, she immediately found herself wincing at the fit. She thought that even on the person it was designed for, it would have shown plenty of ass. In Kyoko's case, she was a bit taller than Chiaki: thus, she felt as though the material was stretched harder, and felt a state of permanent wedgie being caused by the taut fabric between her tight cheeks. "Tsumugi... I don't suppose there's anything you can do about the fit?"

"I could, but it'd take time. To my surprise, it doesn't look that bad... I'd say try to bear with it if you can."

Kyoko could hardly reject that practical advice after all the arguing she'd done to get to this point, so she allowed the dressing to continue. Next, she insisted, came the skirt. It seemed it would be held on by tight pressure of a bowed sash wrapped high on the waist; Tsumugi was taking a detour to talk about how this was slightly different from the game's design, but a necessary feature in the construction. Once again, Kyoko found she cared more about trying to adjust the fit than listening to costume design rambling. Her impulse was to try and tug the short garment down to cover more of her legs, but the pressure of the sash wouldn't keep it up if she only left a fringe for it to catch. Therefore, she found herself wearing it high, as she guessed the android 2B must in her title. It even had a slit on one side, such that a full bare hip would be impossible to hide. In case of a strong wind or a sharp movement, she could picture the whole thing swishing around to give glimpses of the white-colored leotard bottom and its relative lack of coverage.

As she began sliding the tight silk stockings up her long, shapely legs, she decided to ask Tsumugi about another curious point. "What's with the robot?"

"Ooh, isn't it cool? I got Miu to help me rig this up. This is 2B's companion, POD, who helps her with tactical analysis and relaying orders, as well as combat applications. However, my POD is basically a floating cosplay camera. With my joystick and console here, I'll be able to use it to follow you, communicate with you, and see everything you do! And it has even more features besides that... Secret features you can't even imagine."

Kyoko almost admitted she was impressed, before realizing the part she was impressed with was really more Miu's doing than Tsumugi's. "What are the arms for?"

"Uh... the looks. They don't really do anything on my replica. In the games, though-!"

That was Kyoko's cue to tune back out, finish lacing up the knee-high leather boots 2B apparently wore ("With these heels? As a 'combat android?'"), and slip on her gloves. Finally, she grabbed the black headband that she thought completed the set.

She held it a moment in her hands, pondering. She had to admit cosplaying felt interesting, but she couldn't tell how much of that was due to the love and care Tsumugi had put into the preparation, and how much was due to the fact that she was now dressed like what she saw as a fantasy fetish doll next to the still completely butt-naked Tsumugi, who was still rambling on about video games with a pained look on her face.

Kyoko cleared her throat. "I'm as ready as I plan to get. Any last comments before I leave?"

The cosplaying detective had intended for that to be an invitation for "goodbye" or "good luck," but she could tell from Tsumugi's face and the way she'd planted her hands onto her bare hips that she still wasn't satisfied. With no hesitation, Tsumugi gave her opinion...