"Oh, right—Sakurai-kun~ Your female partner today is so pretty~" Ueno Yoko said teasingly, standing in the changing room next to the makeup area.
Sakurai Saki tugged at the hem of his hoodie. He didn't really understand fashion.What was so special about the cartoon penguin on it? It looked ridiculous to him.Shirogane Miyuki might love it, though—he was a penguin maniac. The kind who even knew the names of zookeepers.Honestly, a little creepy.
"Mashiro-nee told me yesterday," Sakurai said, half-distracted.He didn't have high expectations for this supposed beauty.How good-looking could she really be?
After changing into his uniform, Sakurai Saki returned to the makeup room.
Minamoto Mashiro was waving at him from behind a seated female model.
So that's probably her, he guessed, walking over.
Then he caught a glimpse of the model's face in the mirror.
And froze.
Nakano Itsuki? Yotsuba? Wait, maybe… Miku? No, can't be."Ichika?" he blurted instinctively.
The model stiffened slightly in her seat.
Minamoto Mashiro instantly sensed something. She leaned in, whispering beside Sakurai's ear:
"Saki-kun, do you know her?"
"Same school. Different class," he replied simply.
Mashiro glanced back and forth between the two with barely contained curiosity.
What is this tension? Feels like a drama. Is this gossip I'm getting for free?But Mashiro quickly noted there didn't seem to be any romantic vibes coming from Sakurai.If anything, he looked… emotionally neutral.
Nakano Ichika stared at Sakurai in the mirror, uncertain what to do.
Seriously? Of all people, why him?!
This was her first print modeling gig—and she'd run into him.A private tutor she'd argued with just days ago.
Japan is too damn small, she thought bitterly.
If her acting career hadn't hit a rough patch, she wouldn't even be doing print work. It wasn't like she lacked offers.But Ichika wasn't willing to accept certain compromises.
At Oda Entertainment, her agency, she'd seen peers rocket ahead by leveraging their bodies. And while she sometimes envied their success, she couldn't bring herself to go down that path.
Her agent wasn't the worst, but he wasn't great either.Lately, he'd been nudging her toward more suggestive work.
"On the path to chasing dreams, you always have to give something up," he had told her earlier that week.
Which translated to: Drop your modesty and do swimsuit shoots.
But Ichika valued her body too much.Even though she'd already been in the industry for over six months, she'd held the line.
Should I just give in…? No. Not yet.Time was passing, and others had already pulled ahead, but she couldn't bring herself to take that step.
When her makeup was done, she finally turned to face Sakurai.
"Sakurai-kun. What a coincidence~ Meeting you here."
Sakurai didn't bother being subtle.
"You're doing this kind of job behind your family's back?"
Her grades had taken a hit in the second half of last year. Too many missed assignments.That matched up—he figured she must've started working about six months ago.
"I…" Ichika hesitated, then just let out a hum.
"You sure it's okay not to tell them?" Sakurai asked evenly.He could guess why she passed out the last time he saw her—just like him, she was burning the candle at both ends.
"Once I make a name for myself, I'll tell them," she said.
Just then, Ueno Yoko strolled over, having overheard that last line.
"Making a name for yourself? That's a lot harder than it sounds."She scoffed."What are you planning to rely on? Your face? Your body?"
Ichika looked up, gaze steady.
"I haven't done that kind of thing. And I won't. I'm going to succeed by legitimate means."
Yoko let out a short, surprised laugh.
Cute. Naive, but cute.
Only rookies had this kind of confidence.
She glanced at Sakurai, who had a faint smile on his lips.
It wasn't admiration. It was the kind of smile you wore when watching a child make bold claims about the world.Yoko understood immediately—he thought Ichika's words were unrealistic.
Mashiro, of course, still believed Sakurai was just a gentle, sunny boy.
If only she knew how sharp this kid really is, Yoko thought.
"Well, ambition's a good thing. I do hope you make it," she said casually.Then her tone shifted.
"By the way, Nakano, your work today will be handled by me. Your agent just called to let me know."
She leaned closer, voice lowering to a whisper beside Ichika's ear.
"Also… he mentioned you've been difficult lately. Said he might start considering some… stricter measures."
"Perhaps, if you keep refusing to lower your standards, your agent will just freeze you," Ueno Yoko said, her tone still soft but laced with warning."Well, it's fortunate your contract isn't that long, and the penalty for breaking it isn't too high."
She smiled slightly, almost sympathetically.
"Three years on ice, and you'll be free to sign with someone else. Your agency's way too kind, honestly.If it were me, I'd have locked you into a proper slave contract."
Then she straightened, stepping away from Ichika's ear, voice back to normal.
"No company likes low-value, disobedient products, Nakano. Just a bit of personal advice."
"…"
A chill ran down Ichika's spine.
She instinctively looked around, searching for something familiar—someone familiar—to ground herself.But the only person she knew in this entire room… was Sakurai Saki.
"Yoko, you're scaring the poor girl again," Minamoto Mashiro said with a sigh.She recognized the look on Ichika's face immediately.Yoko had gone off about the industry's dirty truths again.
"Hmm? Really?" Yoko replied, pretending to be innocent."It's not like I lied. Her agent may not have said it outright, but he definitely implied it. I just… colored it in a little."
Sakurai Saki glanced at her head.
[True]
"Alright! You're up." Yoko said cheerily, grabbing Ichika's hand and leading her out of the makeup room like nothing had happened.
Sakurai watched them leave, then followed silently.
"Yoko seems pretty interested in Nakano," Minamoto Mashiro remarked beside him, casually."She only tells the recruitable newbies about how shady the industry is. Then she waits for them to panic and come running to her for help."
She chuckled.
"It's her signature move. Classic 'hero saves the damsel.' Girls always fall for that kind of thing.That's why she's so popular."
Sakurai didn't respond.
He had no intention of understanding the adult world's filth any more than he already had.
P@treon Rene_chan