Cosplay Crime, page 1
part #1 of Orca Currents Series
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Marty Chan
Copyright © Marty Chan 2024
Published in Canada and the United States in 2024 by Orca Book Publishers.
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: Cosplay crime / Marty Chan.
Names: Chan, Marty, author.
Series: Orca currents.
Description: Series statement: Orca currents
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20230195768 | Canadiana (ebook) 20230195784 | isbn 9781459837430 (softcover) | isbn 9781459837447 (pdf) | isbn 9781459837454 (epub) |
Classification: lcc ps8555.h39244 c67 2024 | ddc jc813/.54—dc23
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023934716
Summary: In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, shy thirteen-year-old Bree Wong must channel her inner anime heroine to solve a crime at the Anime Expo.
Orca Book Publishers is committed to reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources in the production of our books. We make every effort to use materials that support a sustainable future.
Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
Design by Ella Collier
Edited by Doeun Rivendell
Cover photography by Getty Images/Jirat Dittapongpit / EyeEm
Author photo by Ryan Parker
To Sylvia Moon, my anime spirit guide.
Chapter One
Nothing was going to ruin my day. On the number 8 bus, all I could think was, Three more stops until we get there. Three stops from my dreams coming true. Three stops before I get to see—
“Hey, Bree,” Alix whispered. “You might want to move over.”
“Why?” I asked.
My best friend nodded behind me. My giant squirrel tail was tickling the nose of an old woman seated on the bench.
I swiped the bushy red tail away. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “The tail has a mind of its own.”
The woman eyed my costume. “It’s a bit early for Halloween, isn’t it, dear?”
“Yes. No. It’s just that…” I tried to explain but trailed off. New people made me super nervous.
Alix placed their hand on my shoulder and said, “We’re cosplaying. It’s like Halloween, but we get to dress up for a different event. That’s where we’re going right now. To the Anime Expo. I’m Black Heart, the evil warrior supreme who is part demon, part human.” They flicked the long curly black strands of their wig.
Then Alix thrust out their chest to show off the intricate snake designs crisscrossing their vest. They struck an attack pose, hands held high, and boomed, “Thunder Hands!” as they brought their hands down in one big clap.
“Uh…nice?” the woman said, puzzled. “Say, what is that black thing on your back?”
“Oh. This is Reaper’s Revenge.” Alix turned around to show off the gigantic foam sword strapped to their back.
The woman smiled, then turned to me. “And who are you supposed to be?”
“Um…I’m Red Squirrel,” I said. I clung to my giant tail with one hand while I showed off the velvet gauntlet on my other arm. Three rows of acorns circled the red leather band of the glove. It had taken me two weeks to glue all of them on. “My Acorns of Justice can take out any enemy. And with three swishes of my tail, I can summon my shadow tail,” I mumbled.
“Shadow what?” she asked.
“It’s an energy spirit that can help me defeat my enemies. She’s called Chitter Chatter, and she has super strength. Plus, she can turn invisible and she can fly.”
The woman fell silent. I suddenly felt like I had just offered my hand out for a high five only to be rejected. Why had I let Alix talk me into cosplaying? Why had I agreed to go to the Anime Expo on the bus? Why couldn’t I just use my shadow tail to turn myself invisible?
“Red Squirrel is my sworn enemy,” Alix said. “I shall defeat you this time! Put up your claws.”
I froze as all eyes on the bus turned to us.
“Not here,” I whispered.
“Let us battle, Red Squirrel. Let’s see how Chitter Chatter fares against my shadow tail, Fist of Vengeance.”
I backed up, letting go of my tail, which smacked another passenger in the face.
“Watch it,” the seated man growled.
“Sorry,” I said.
He glared at us.
Alix ignored him as they explained to the woman, “In the Red Squirrel, Black Heart series, our characters are half sisters. But we went down two different paths, and now we are mortal enemies.”
The woman shrugged.
“Let me show you,” I said, waving Alix off. I reached into my satchel and sifted through baggies of apple slices, oatmeal power bars and makeup kits until I found my phone. I turned it on and showed her the web poster for Red Squirrel, Black Heart. Alix’s costume matched the poster almost perfectly. Mine was okay, but it lacked the details of Alix’s outfit.
“Oh!” the woman exclaimed. “You like cartoons!”
Alix corrected her. “Not cartoons. It’s anime.”
“What’s the difference?” she asked.
I explained, “Anime is Japanese animation. The stories aren’t just for kids. They can be super complicated and deep. And they can stretch out over years.”
“In fact, Red Squirrel, Black Heart has 126 episodes,” Alix pointed out.
“What have they been doing for so long?” she asked.
“Well, the main story is Red Squirrel has been trying to defeat Black Heart and get her back on the side of good,” I said. “But my half sister has always escaped.”
“Not without a cost. Red Squirrel usually takes out one of my minions. But I have plenty of them to fight her another day,” Alix said. “One day we will fight face-to-face and see who will become the ultimate champion.”
“Oh, like arch-nemeses,” the woman said.
Alix raised an eyebrow, confused. “Uh…no. It’s like JoJo and Dio. Or All Might and All For One.”
“What?” she asked.
“They’re mortal enemies,” Alix explained.
“That’s what I said. Arch-nemeses. Like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.”
I stared at her blankly.
“I guess you kids are too young to remember,” she said. “You’d like those cartoons. They’re funny.”
I faked a smile. “We’ll have to check them out.”
“So where did you say you were off to again with these pretty costumes?” she asked.
“We’re headed to the Anime Expo,” I said.
Alix explained, “That’s a convention where fans get to meet some of the people who make our favorite anime.”
“Like Midori,” I said. “She is the original voice actor for Red Squirrel. She flew in from Japan just for this. She’s my favorite of all the actors on the series. And she did movies before—”
“Don’t mind Bree,” Alix said. “She’s fangirling hard for Midori.”
The woman chuckled, then turned to Alix. “And you don’t mind dressing up as a girl?”
Alix stiffened.
I jumped in. “Alix is a girl.”
A puzzled look crept across the woman’s face. Awkward silence. Then the woman slowly turned to face the front of the bus.
I patted Alix on the arm. “Forget her.”
Alix said nothing, but they glared at the woman until the bus came to the next stop.
“Two more stops,” I said, trying to distract my best friend.
“Why do people always have to be jerks?” they asked.
I nudged Alix. “Hey, Black Heart. There’s always a bad acorn,” I said, quoting Red Squirrel’s line from the series. “You just have to turn the other cheek.”
I spun around, smacking the woman in the head with my tail. This time I didn’t apologize.
Alix snickered.
“Oops,” I said, leaving my tail where it was.
The woman stood up and moved to a seat near the front. At the next stop, she hurried off the bus. I didn’t know if this was her stop or if she was trying to get away from us.
Nothing else was going to ruin our day.
Chapter Two
The final stop! The bus rolled up in front of the convention hall where the Anime Expo was taking place. The building stood three stories tall with glass lining the walls. A massive line of fans waited outside the main entrance to get their badges and welcome packs.
I couldn’t believe I was about to meet Midori. It was rare for an anime expo to bring in an original Japanese voice actor. Usually English-speaking voice actors were the featured guests at an expo. But Midori was a special case. She was already a famous movie star in Japan, so casting her as an anime voice actor was huge for the series. Some people said that without Midori as Red Squirrel, the series would never have been as popular in Japan as it was. And now I was going to meet this star.
“I can’t wait to do the cosplay contest!” Alix yelled as they headed off the bus. They stopped short as their sword caught on the overhead bar. I helped them free it.
“Thanks,” Alix said. “Probably not a good look for Black Heart to break her sword jumping off a bus.”
I laughed. “Or to have Red Squirrel save her.”
We ran to the lineup to sign in. Fans had gathered all over the site. A few wore T-shirts with a picture of their favorite anime character. Others wore store-bought costumes for the most popular anime shows, including Demon Slayer. Some of the hardcore cosplayers had gone all out, and it looked like they had spent years making their picture-perfect costumes.
Alix and I played spot-the-anime as we stood in line.
I pointed at a kid with a green jumpsuit and floppy bunny ears. He had a matching green wig. “One point for Deku,” I said. “My Hero Academia is in the lead.”
“Awesome, Bree,” Alix said. “I like his power gloves.”
A girl strolled by wearing a long trench coat with broad shoulder pads. Her black hair was slicked back under a cap. A thick gold chain dangled from one of her shoulders.
Alix beamed. “Jotaro! One point for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.”
“She nailed the look,” I said. “She looks just like him, right down to the sneer.”
Suddenly a kid in a black-and-green-plaid jacket rushed past us. He carried a black sword. Alix and I turned to each other at the same time and shouted, “Demon Slayer! One point.”
“I’ll bet he’s trying to track down his sister,” I said.
“Well, there’s no shortage of Nezukos,” Alix said. They pointed to a group of half-dozen black-haired girls in brown-and-pink kimonos running around. I recognized the anime character when I saw the bamboo muzzles strapped across their mouths and the pink ribbons in their long hair.
In the series, the mouthpiece was to keep Nezuko from biting any humans when she transformed into a demon. The bamboo muzzle completed the look for one of the most popular characters of the convention. I’d easily give Demon Slayer twenty points for all the cosplayers paying tribute to the series.
As we inched closer to the sign-in table, a guy with a Red Squirrel, Black Heart T-shirt strolled up to us. “Can I get a selfie?” he asked.
“Sorry,” I said, taking a step back. Who is this gy with the phone?
“I love Red Squirrel,” he said. “You have a great tail. Can I get a picture with you?”
“Maybe another time,” I said.
“You look just like her,” he said. “It’s a cool costume. Just one shot.”
Alix stepped in front of me. “How about one of Black Heart?”
“Uh, I was kind of hoping just Red Squirrel.”
“Maybe the two of us together?” Alix suggested. “What do you say, Red Squirrel?”
Alix loved being the center of attention, while I preferred to stay in the shadows. They nudged me in the ribs.
“One shot. What will it hurt?” they said.
I sighed. “Okay, one shot. Make it fast.”
Unfortunately the one photo turned into many as more fans gathered around us to snap pictures. Alix pulled me out of the line. I stood awkwardly while Alix went through a series of poses and called out Black Heart’s special power moves. “Thunder Hands! Underworld Smash! Double Trouble!”
“We have to get our badges,” I said. “We can’t get in without them.”
“Just one more shot,” Alix said. “Snap your tail at me.”
“No,” I said.
“Aw, come on, Bree.”
I glanced at the strangers around us. I couldn’t stand the attention. I shook my head. Finally a trio of Sailor Moons walked by, and all the picture-taking fans started filming them.
“Don’t you want one more photo with me?” Alix pleaded. “I’ll show you my Breaking Wind.”
I grabbed my friend’s arm and pulled them toward the lineup. “Let’s get our badges. I don’t want to miss the Midori panel.”
“But I haven’t broken wind,” Alix whined.
After what seemed like forever, we got our badges and convention guides. I steered Alix away from picture-snapping fans and into the convention building. I checked the guide map for the location of Midori’s panel, and I started leading Alix there. In hindsight, I realized I should have kept an eye on my friend instead of looking at the map.
Alix shouted, “Bree! They’re making a cosplay video. I bet they’ll put us in it. Come on.”
“No,” I said. “We’re going to be late for the panel.”
“Just one pose,” they begged.
“No,” I said.
However, saying no to Alix was next to impossible. About thirteen poses later, the fans stopped filming and taking photos. I thought the fans tired before Alix did. My friend lingered in the hallway, looking for another fan with a camera. I grabbed Alix and pulled them along with me.
“We have an hour before the panel begins,” I said.
“See?” Alix said. “Nothing to worry about. Plenty of time.”
We jogged around the corner and skidded to a halt. The line for Midori’s panel went all the way down the hallway. It snaked back onto itself twice before extending around another corner.
I looked up and down the line, hoping it was for someone else. I spotted another Red Squirrel cosplayer in the lineup. I slipped up next to her and asked, “Excuse me, are you here to see Midori?”
The girl nodded, then pointed at my arms. “I like your gauntlets.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled. “And your costume…it’s the nuttiest!”
She laughed. “Took me forever to sew the tail on. You could say I was out on a limb.”
We smiled knowingly at each other because we had both quoted Red Squirrel’s dialogue. My hero used “nuttiest” when she liked something. And she said “out on a limb” when she was in trouble, which always seemed to happen at the end of an episode.
“I hope Midori likes it,” she said.
“I’m sure she’ll love it,” I said. “I’d better get in line.”
“Oh,” she said. “You’re too late. The panel is full. You should have been here an hour ago.”
I gasped. I was out on a limb!
Chapter Three
I couldn’t believe my ears. We still had an hour before the panel started. How could it be full? Maybe the other Red Squirrel was wrong? Another glance at the winding lineup, and the truth slowly sunk in. Getting into the panel would be a tough nut to crack.
“Thanks,” I mumbled as I slunk away.
Alix grabbed my arm. “Let’s double-check with the volunteers at the door.”
“If we hadn’t stopped for all those photos…” I muttered.
“Don’t give up yet,” Alix said. “We’ll find a way in.”
“Look how long the line is.”
“Hey, this is not the Bree Wong I know. The Bree Wong I know would never give up.” Alix reached up and adjusted my red wig to hide the strands of my black hair sticking out. “Let’s shake this tree and…and…” They quoted the first half of Red Squirrel’s battle cry.
I perked up and followed their prompt. “And crack this nut!”
Alix jogged to the panel entrance. I followed, my red bushy tail waving back and forth as I ran. With Alix in front, it looked like we were acting out a scene from Red Squirrel, Black Heart. Fans pointed at us, and a few people pulled out their phones to film the action. I blocked my face with one hand as I ran to the door.
