Eiri then left my dressing room, and I picked up my phone. I opened my messaging app and our chat. Miu was online, so she was already awake. Just as I was about to send her a message, I received one from her.
[Uwaaaaa :( I wanted to go with you! I didn't wake up in time!]
I read her message and couldn't hold back my laughter. As soon as she saw me laughing, Rina, who had just walked into my dressing room, asked, "What's so funny?"
"I just got a message from Miu. She's upset because she couldn't come with us. She wanted to watch the photoshoot."
"Maybe she's upset because she wanted to keep an eye on you."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Are you an idiot or something? You're going to be taking pictures with a beautiful girl by your side. And you'll have to act like a couple, right?"
"Well, there won't be much intimate contact. It'll be fine."
"I'm sure Miu is rolling around in bed and biting her pillow right now." Rina laughed.
After hearing what Rina said, I sent Miu a message.
[Don't worry, I'll behave! I'll only do what the photographer tells me to!]
As soon as she read my message, Miu replied.
[It's okay, I trust you!]
After that exchange, I placed my phone on the table and let out a sigh. A short while later, the makeup artist entered the dressing room, and Rina left.
The makeup artist, whom I had never met before, placed her hands on my shoulders and looked at my reflection in the mirror.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyo. My name is Raquel. It's a pleasure to meet you. When I found out I'd be working with you, I could barely sleep."
Hearing those words, I was genuinely surprised.
It was the first time a makeup artist had acted like that.
"You're exaggerating."
"I'm serious! I've always thought your face was perfect! I've dreamed of doing your makeup! When I found out I'd be the one doing it, I completely lost my composure. Hahaha!" Raquel laughed.
It was strange. She didn't have any foreign features, yet she had a foreign name.
I didn't ask her about it.
I gave an awkward smile, and Raquel said,
"Alright, let's get started! First, let's take care of your eyes. You have a few dark circles. Haven't you been sleeping well?"
"Ah, I stayed up late watching movies with my girlfriend."
"That's right, I forgot you have a girlfriend! Since you stayed up watching movies so late, does that mean she slept over at your place? Or maybe you stayed at hers?"
I almost said something I shouldn't have, but I kept my composure and replied,
"Of course not. We're too young for something like that. We watched movies until one in the morning, and then my driver took her home."
"I see, I see. I miss being your age~~ I didn't have much responsibility back then. Ah! I'm not saying you don't have responsibilities, okay? You work really hard! But when I was your age, I'd spend the whole day doing absolutely nothing. Hehe."
She's the type who talks a lot, isn't she?
I won't deny it—I liked her.
####
When the makeup artist left the dressing room, I was impressed by how good I looked. The dark circles beneath my eyes had disappeared, and she had made my skin look even better.
I think this is the first time I've worn makeup this "heavy."
"It looks good."
Just then, the dressing room door opened, and Rina walked in. She looked at my face and said, "Wow, impressive. You look really handsome... even more handsome."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Now put on the clothes. They're all here. Everything's already organized and separated."
I walked over to the clothes.
The outfits had already been put together. There were five in total. They were arranged in order and numbered.
Rina left the dressing room, and I quickly changed into the first outfit.
An oversized shirt, ripped jeans, and a pair of black sneakers.
"Hm... It's not exactly a style that suits me, but it doesn't look bad. To be honest, my looks are so good that almost anything suits me."
I laughed and then opened the dressing room door.
Rina was waiting outside. As soon as she saw me, she said, "Wow, you look amazing. You should buy more stylish clothes like these."
"I'll ask the brand to give me some as gifts," I joked.
However, someone overheard me and said, "Don't worry, you'll get as many gifts as you want."
It was a tall, beautiful woman. She had extremely short black hair and wore bold red lipstick.
She was definitely someone important.
"Ah, thank you."
"You don't have to be so nervous. My name is Morika Tsunade. I'm one of the company's executives. Once you're done with the photoshoot, get in touch with me and give me your address. I'll send you a few gifts."
"Alright, I'll do that."
I glanced at Rina.
It was obvious I wanted her to handle all of that.
Finally, the photoshoot was about to begin.
I met up with Eiri, who was wearing clothes similar to mine. She had on pants with lots of details and a vividly colored shirt that looked incredibly stylish. The outfit suited her very well.
"You're looking beautiful," I said as soon as we met.
Eiri's face turned red, and she said, "You look really handsome too. We match, don't we?"
She grabbed my arm and pressed it against herself.
I pulled away immediately and said, "Please, not too much physical contact."
Eiri looked visibly bothered, but she simply smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful."
Then the photographer finished preparing everything for the shoot. Since it was outdoors, she would be relying heavily on natural light.
With a smile on her face, the photographer approached the two of us and carefully explained everything we had to do.
Then, the photoshoot began.
####
Read more chapters on my patreon!
/KyoHaruhi