It’s been serialized in the web media called “Shonen Jump+” (Shonen Jump Series) since 2019. The author, Hashimoto Yu, says he’s been getting professional advice from his acquaintance who does a cosplay so he can draw the cosplay illustrations in manga. As for the comics, six volumes have been released and it has been awarded in fourth place in the web manga section of Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Awards 2020, which took place the other day.

The main character is a 2nd year high school boy, Okumura, who belongs to the Manga Research Club.

He has no interest in 3D (real) women and loves characters, appearing in 2D (fiction) stories. Growing up, his mother left home, leaving her children and husband. What’s worse, Okumura was dumped by a girl, who he had asked for a date, and even got bullied. His older sister would call him baldy. His classmates would call him a creepy otaku…… Still, he’s been living his life strongly.

Why? Because his 2D girl is always waiting for him.

The girl, you would never see in a real life…… Being kind and serious…… like “Lilyel” who appears in his favorite manga…… She is always waiting for Okumura.

One day, a girl visits the Manga Research Club.

Her name is Amano Ririsa. Wearing a big-size skirt, she comes to the club’s room to see how the club, which is her ideal club, is like.

The Manga Research Club consists of all boy students. Therefore, he feels a little uncomfortable, being with her. (Even though there is only him as a member.) Okumura, who wants her to give up joining the club, casually tries to emphasize that it’s a nasty club, where he displays a little lewd cast off figure in the club room.

However, she says “it’s close”, looking at the cast off figure.

Ririsa notices right away that the cast off figure is a limited edition of a manga’s fifth anniversary and feels sorry that the underwear the figure is wearing is too simple and boring, while admitting that the body shape and the face are cute.

And she goes, “I would put a more provocative one to show off its attraction as a cast off figure. The provocative underwear can create a good unbalance with its healthy expression. That way, the figure would be more attractive, creating sexier atmosphere.”

He cannot help but nod at how specific her description about the 2D is. Okumura loves the sexiness, necessary to make it more attractive too.

Then he also figures out that Ririsa loves Lilyel so much, who Okumura loves from the bottom of his heart. He figures out that she has as much passion and knowledge about Lilyel as he does and they end up hitting it off. The way Ririsa likes Lilyel is beyond just loving, though.

Ririsa actually wants to “become” like her, who is a hard worker, being sexy, kind and cute!

While Okumura is impressed at her passion and love toward Lilyel, which is also turning him off a little, Ririsa feels that Okumura has much love and knowledge about Lilyel too. Okumura positively says to her, “I never deny for those who love something passionately”. Then Ririsa reveals her secret and asks him for a favor!

Ririsa takes a photo collection book of a cosplay girl with skimpy costumes out of her bag. The book is called “ROM”. She has been longing for making the “ROM” with her own cosplay photos for a long time!

Ririsa has been strongly longed for the heroines, wearing flashy and sexy costumes for a long time. However, she has doubted her, having such a weird hobby, becaues it’s not socially normal. However, she couldn’t stand it any longer and finally joined the cosplay event, where only high school students and above could join, even though she was a junior high school student back then.

There, it was a dream-like world for her, with so many cosplayer ladies, who all looked like they popped out from manga. It was literally her “ideal place”. She felt super jealous for that community, where all the fans were talking about their favorite titles so passionately.

Then one cosplayer lady kindly talked to Ririsa.

The lady and her friends said to her, “You can come back when you become a high school student”, worried and knowing that Ririsa was still a junior high school student. Everthing about them were so cool and attractive to Ririsa. They told her what was wrong and looked satisfied about them confidently being able to do what they wanted to do.

Now Ririsa is a high school student, wanting to create her ideal and thought of “loving lewd costumes”. Above all, she has decided to create the “ROM”. That’s how she visited the Manga Research Club.

Of course, she is worried that “they alone shoot the coplay photos with sexy costumes”. She could have looked for a female photographer but really wanted to work on that with someone who loves and understands “Lilyel” as much as she does, who is able to create the special work for her. The best candidate was “Okumura” to her.

Okumura accepts her joining the club, knowing Ririsa’s strong desire and feeling lonely doing all the activities by himself. And Okumura promises her that he will not have a dirty feeling towards her, when he shoots her photos since “he is only interested in 2D (fiction) girls”.

Ririsa, who is accepted, is now putting on the costume.

Wig, makeup, changing clothes…… All in such a short time……

When Okumura looks around, he sees “Lilyel”.

It’s his beloved Lilyel as if she just popped out from anime or manga.

Everything is “real” to him in such a high quality…… the voice, gestures and of course the costumes too……

Okumura has decided that he would only love the “2D (fiction) girls”, not the “3D (real) girls”. However…… Then…… how about the cosplay, which is “2.5D (in-between)”……?

Is Okumra able to resist seduction of Ririsa’s 2.5D body and complete the ROM……?