Chapter 74: Beautiful Girl, Becoming a Model? (Part 2)

After parting with Sakurako-chan at the station, Yoshino-san and I boarded the train together. We stood near the doors. Since it was a weekday afternoon, the train car was sparsely occupied. …Still, despite how empty it was, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were attracting a ridiculous amount of attention. I guess that can’t be helped with Yoshino-san beside me. I tried to focus on my smartphone, but the people around us kept pulling my attention away.

"Ayumi-san, don’t let it bother you too much."

Yoshino-san whispered gently as I fidgeted.

"It’s just that you’re so cute, everyone can’t help looking."

She let out a playful chuckle, but from my point of view, she was the one drawing all the stares. Still, I had put on makeup today, so if people were looking at me… well, maybe that felt a tiny bit nice.

Then I caught myself. Huh? I used to absolutely hate being looked at, and now I’m… sort of wanting people to notice me? The change in my feelings surprised even me.

After all, if I put effort into dressing up, having no one notice would feel a little lonely. But even so, all these glances made me self-conscious. It wasn’t unpleasant—just embarrassing.

We arrived at our stop and stepped off the train. It was still hot, even with September just around the corner. The cool air-conditioning inside the train made the heat outside feel even harsher. The bright sunlight made me falter for a moment.

"Careful."

Yoshino-san steadied me with a hand on my shoulder.

"The meeting place is close to the station, so hang in there just a bit more."

We passed through the ticket gate and walked a short distance until the café where we were meeting our contact came into view. It had an old-fashioned look, and my first impression was, This place looks expensive.

The storefront facing the street was all glass, letting us see inside. A woman in a neatly tied white apron was carrying coffee to a table. At most chain cafés you pick up your drink yourself, but here the staff brought it over. Just that alone made the place feel even more “expensive.”

"Don’t worry. They’re treating us today."

Yoshino-san smiled as she said that. Ugh… she noticed how nervous I was about the price. Embarrassed, I turned away. How pathetic.

"Shall we go in?"

When she opened the door, a cute little bell chimed brightly.

The café had a calm, unhurried atmosphere. No loud customers—just a space where time seemed to move a little slower. The furnishings were tasteful—

We told the staff we were here for a meeting, and as Yoshino-san scanned the room, she seemed to spot the person we were looking for. She signaled for me to follow.

We approached a woman reading by the window, and Yoshino-san greeted her.

"Good morning."

"My, you’re early. Good morning."

The woman wore a crisp suit and rectangular glasses. Her sharp eyes and firmly set lips gave her a very strict, professional impression.

"Oh? Is that the girl you mentioned before?"

"Yes, that’s her."

The woman in the suit looked at me and slowly scanned me from head to toe.

Her scrutiny made me freeze. I wasn’t here to be evaluated—this was supposed to be… job-shadowing!

I screamed that internally, but on the outside all I could do was stand there rigidly, sweating buckets.

Ah—right…! I need to greet her…! No matter how nervous I am, staying silent is bad!

"G-good morning! Nice to meet you! I’m Sakura Ayumu!"

My tongue stumbled a little, but I managed a proper bow. The woman in the suit gave me a faint smile. Thank goodness—she didn’t seem scary after all.

"…This is it. This is a winner! A winner! I could shove those boring horoscope articles aside and dedicate several pages to photos of you! Amazing, Yoshino-chan!"

"Right? Ayumi-san really is adorable."

The woman suddenly burst with excitement, and Yoshino-san giggled softly beside her. They seemed pretty close. She wasn’t as scary as I thought… but in a different way, she was a bit overwhelming. She suddenly stood up and hurried toward me. She was surprisingly tall, and being loomed over made my nerves spike again.

"So, Ayumi-san, was it? You haven’t appeared in any magazines yet, right!? Right!?"

"H-haaah…"

She grabbed my shoulders and shook me vigorously. Stars danced in my vision…

"This is incredible! If we’re the first to publish a talent like you, we could beat the big-name magazines!"

Still trapped in her grip, I had no idea what to do. Yoshino-san, help me!

When I looked at her, she gave a small nod.

"Serizawa-san, you’re scaring Ayumi-san. And we’re inside a café."

That one sentence snapped the woman out of it. So her name was Serizawa-san. She released me and returned to her seat.

Something about her felt familiar… and after just a moment, I realized it. Ah, she’s like Sakurako-chan. Maybe the reason Yoshino-san is so good at handling Sakurako-chan isn’t just because they’re sisters… maybe she learned from dealing with Serizawa-san too.

"I’m sorry. Please, both of you, have a seat."

We sat across from her. Yoshino-san properly introduced her again as “Serizawa-san.” Apparently, she was an editor for a fashion magazine. She told me the name, but I didn’t recognize it. When I tilted my head, she smiled, a little disappointed.

"We’re not a big publisher."

It wasn’t that I didn’t know her magazine—I didn’t know fashion magazines in general…

"I can’t believe Yoshino-chan has such a cute friend. Could I take some photos of you later?"

"Well, Ayumi-san? What do you think?"

Both Serizawa-san and Yoshino-san looked at me. Um… how did things end up like this? We came here because Yoshino-san was being interviewed—for an article about her.

I was just tagging along. Yoshino-san had a better figure than me, and she was practically a complete woman already…

"Um… Yoshino-san is way more…"

"Oh my, you’re modest, aren’t you? But listen—Yoshino-chan appears in other magazines too. She’s already popular. So even if she appears in a small magazine like ours, it may boost sales a bit, but it won’t feel new."

Before I could finish, Serizawa-san launched into a full-speed explanation. After a sip of coffee, she continued.

"That’s why, Ayumi-san! We need someone like you—someone who hasn’t appeared anywhere yet! Please! Let me take your photos! I’ll make it worth your while!"

"Since you’re here, why not give it a try? I’m sure you’ll do great, Ayumi-san."

Yoshino-san smiled warmly. She genuinely seemed happy that Serizawa-san was pleased with me.

Even if she said “give it a try,” I wasn’t wearing anything special today—even if I had dressed up a little.

But… appearing in a magazine… I felt a flicker of hesitation, but also… something like admiration. Maybe even a tiny bit of longing.

And it’s not like I’ll ever get a chance like this again. Thinking that made me not want to waste it.

"If… if Yoshino-san thinks I should…"

The moment I answered, Serizawa-san leaned across the table and grabbed both my hands.

"Thank you! Today you can order anything you want! A parfait, whatever you like!"

A parfait!? They have parfaits here? Well, this place was stylish—of course they’d be delicious.

"Here you are, Ayumi-san."

Yoshino-san handed me a menu.

I flipped to the dessert page, and there it was: an incredible-looking strawberry parfait. Wow… it was stunning. So much ice cream, layers of strawberry sauce, and an overflowing pile of fruit. Even in the picture it looked so luxurious and delicious that I couldn’t look away.

"Ahh… how cute. I’m honestly worried the camera won’t be able to capture all of this child’s charm."

"Well, that part is up to the professional photographer."

Realizing they were both staring at me, I shrank back and hid my face behind the menu.

They caught me doing something weird again.

Even behind the menu, I could feel their eyes on me. Ugh, why do embarrassing things keep happening? What’s wrong with liking sweets?

"U-um… shouldn’t we be interviewing Yoshino-san?"

"Oh, that’s right. We should take care of today’s main task first."

It seemed I’d successfully redirected the conversation, and I breathed a tiny sigh of relief.

The two of them settled into a rhythm—Serizawa-san asking questions, Yoshino-san answering. Meanwhile, I enjoyed the parfait that arrived a little later. Ahh, parfaits really are the best. Cold ice cream, fluffy whipped cream… If I eat too much, I’ll definitely gain weight, but it’s so good. The interview looked like it would take a while—might as well savor this slowly.

"…Ayumi-san, would you like to try this cake?"

"Eh? Ah, yes."

Serizawa-san offered me a piece of chocolate cake, and I happily accepted. The slight bitterness of the chocolate was delicious, different from the sweetness of the parfait. I never get tired of sweets.

"Ayumi-san, how about this one?"

This time, Yoshino-san offered me apple pie. I took that too. The gentle apple sweetness was wonderful.

…Wait, why are both of them feeding me? Am I being… treated like a small animal?

"You really are adorable. Just watching you makes me happy."

Out of nowhere, Serizawa-san praised me again.

All I was doing was eating… Also, were they done talking already? With my mouth full, I tilted my head to ask silently, my cheeks puffed out.

For some reason, both of them reached out and patted my head.

That’s not what I meant! But their hands were so gentle I couldn’t help narrowing my eyes.

After swallowing the last bite of apple pie, I finally spoke.

"Are you already finished?"

"Yes. We wrapped it up."

Yoshino-san met my eyes and smiled warmly.

So it was already over…

Honestly, I’d been so distracted by the parfait and cake that I didn’t hear a single thing they said. And this had been the perfect chance to see how a real interview worked… I’d been excited to learn about the job, only to lose to the temptation of sweets. The thought made my shoulders slump.

Then Serizawa-san placed a dish of pudding in front of me.

No—um… It’s not like I still want to eat…!
But since she gave it to me, I ate it anyway. I might not have room for dinner tonight…

"Alright then. Time to get back to work."

With the interview finished, we couldn’t stay in the café forever.

Serizawa-san stretched, then stood.

"Let’s go, Ayumi-san."

"Eh?"

"We’re heading to the studio to take your photos!"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

Oh—right. I’d completely forgotten about the photoshoot in the midst of all the sweets.

But… is it really okay for someone like me? Compared to Yoshino-san, I didn’t have nearly as much presence… Feeling nervous, I glanced at her. She clenched her right hand into a little fist and said, "Fight!"

Suddenly I felt a bit more motivated.

The three of us left the café. I’d eaten so many sweets today… I was blissfully happy.

Serizawa-san and I got into her car parked in the station lot. It was a cute silver kei car. She said it was technically a company vehicle, not her personal one, but with all the cushions and plushies inside, it practically felt like her own.

She looks so cool, but she likes plushies? That was unexpected. And her taste was pretty much the same as mine.

We drove off toward the studio she usually uses. She had called ahead so we wouldn’t show up only to be turned away.

We’re really doing a photoshoot… The last time I had studio photos taken was probably my Shichi-Go-San ceremony. And yes, I realize this is nothing like that.

Eventually, the car stopped in front of a small square building. It had exposed concrete walls but still looked modern. It wasn’t huge, but it seemed to be about two stories tall.

The outside lawn was neatly maintained, maybe for outdoor photography. The hedges were trimmed, and the flowerbeds were full of blossoms—a lovely garden.

It looked like the kind of place where you could take a really good nap, I thought as we walked past it.

We opened the glass door and stepped inside. The ceiling was high, with an open atrium that made the space feel airy.

Following Serizawa-san deeper in, we soon heard her call out.

"Kayo-chan, hellooo!"

"I'm sorry for dropping in so suddenly."

A man emerged from the back—a tanned, muscular guy.

Calling Serizawa-san by her first name, and with a “-chan” no less, suggested they were pretty close… or maybe that was just his personality. Either way, I felt a bit uneasy around him.

"Nah, it’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything anyway. More importantly, is that girl behind you the one who caught Kayo-chan’s eye?"

Calling him “the tanned guy” in my head felt rude, but since I didn’t know his name, that’s all I had for now.

The tanned guy stared at me—boldly and without hesitation.

"Whoa, nice. Seriously nice. I can’t believe you found a kid like this."

"Right? Yoshino-chan brought her."

"Huh… I guess beauties really do attract other beauties. So, what about outfits? Should I just pick something from here and throw it on her?"

He might still be “the tanned guy,” but him calling me a beauty definitely made me happy.

Anyone would be happy being complimented. Especially me—I’d never been called beautiful before. The word made me really, really happy.

I couldn’t help grinning.
A beauty, huh… People treat me like a kid all the time, but “beautiful” sounds so grown-up.
I know I don’t look like an adult—obviously—but still! A girl wants to look mature, okay? Ugh, I wish my figure would develop a bit more. But I’m already a high school freshman… I don’t think girls grow that dramatically from here.

"I wanted to prepare a few outfits beforehand, but for today, she’ll wear what she has on. I’ll frame it like a street-fashion check of a girl we met in town."

Saying that, Serizawa-san took my arm and pulled me toward the back of the studio.

"Waah!"

She pulled so suddenly I almost lost my balance.

"Careful."

Yoshino-san caught me gently from behind. When she noticed how nervous I looked, she gave me a soft wink.

"Is it really okay to use the clothes I’m wearing now…?"

I did put effort into choosing today’s outfit, but it wasn’t a high-end brand or anything. Would it even look good on camera…? The thought made me nervous. If my casual clothes ended up on a magazine page and people laughed at them, I might actually cry.

"You’ve got pretty good taste. You could reach the top even in that outfit."

The top of what!?

I had secretly been looking forward to wearing some cute magazine-style outfit… The clothes models wear in fashion spreads are so adorable. I thought maybe I’d get to try on something totally different from my usual style.

But complaining felt impossible here, so I reluctantly agreed.

I was guided to the makeup room, where Yoshino-san quickly touched up my makeup.

When I returned to the studio fully prepared, the tanned guy was waiting with a heavy-looking camera. So he was the photographer… That alone made me tense up.

From that point, everything became much harder than I expected.

The tanned guy—despite his casual way of speaking—transformed the moment the camera was in his hands. He became incredibly demanding. And surprisingly strict.

"Okay, Ayumi-chan. Your face is stiff. Smile more."

I tried to smile awkwardly. But being told to smile while a camera is pointed at you… yeah, that’s easier said than done.

"No no! Way too stiff! People who open the magazine are gonna be disappointed!"

Ughhh… How exactly am I supposed to smile!?

"Why don’t you think about the sweets you ate earlier?"

Serizawa-san called out from behind him. Sweets, huh…

No, no, not even sweets can overpower this level of nervousness!

"Hmm… The raw material is great, but you’re still too stiff. Once you get used to it, though, your photos will really shine."

He flashed a grin, white teeth gleaming. It almost felt like he was trying to cheer me up.

Strict about photos, but unexpectedly kind.

"Maybe try remembering something fun."

Yoshino-san offered advice. She was speaking from experience, but my mind was such a nervous mess that I couldn’t recall anything at all.

"Hm. Like, say… a date?"

"A d-date!?"

My face felt like it was about to explode. Maybe because that kind of atmosphere had been happening recently, but rather than brushing it off, I reacted way too strongly.

Snap!

"Ah!"

"Whoa, that face is great! That’s the best expression you’ve made all day."

"Y-you can’t use that one!"

But the tanned guy kept firing the shutter without mercy.

Wait—this flow… didn’t something like this happen this morning? Déjà vu?

Still, yelling like that actually helped loosen me up a lot. Even though I got scolded plenty afterward, and even though I stumbled and froze repeatedly, we somehow managed to get a few usable shots by the end.

Serizawa-san was strict about the photos too. As a magazine editor, she definitely had pride about what went into print.

"Hmm… This one’s cuter. But it won’t work for the magazine, so I’ll save it to my personal SD card."

I take it back—maybe that wasn’t pride after all.

"Kayo-chan, mixing personal and professional stuff isn’t good, you know."

The tanned guy actually said something reasonable.

I hoped they would delete any weird photos.

I had no idea how many shots we took in total.

By the time we finished, the sun had already set. Naturally, since I’d spent the whole time doing something I wasn’t used to—being the subject—I was completely exhausted.

Ugh, I feel like my facial muscles are going to cramp… Yoshino-san’s job must be really tough. I couldn’t do this full-time.

"Once the magazine comes out, I’ll send a copy to Yoshino-chan."

"O-okay…"

After Serizawa-san drove us to the station, we said goodbye to her.

What I learned today is… being a fashion model is rough.

It’s not a world you should step into just because you’re curious. This was a one-time thing for me. Still, it was fun in its own way, and it’s true I got to experience something I normally never would.

From what I heard, the magazine’s release would be on August 30th—right when summer vacation was ending.

I was a little excited to see which photos they’d chosen. Honestly, they took so many that I had no idea what would make the cut…

Lying on my bed, I flipped through the magazine. Yoshino-san’s interview article was interesting, and the fashion check section seemed really useful. And after that came the feature titled “A Lovely Girl We Found in Town,” where my photo was printed.

Seeing myself in a magazine felt strangely ticklish. Kicking my feet, I rolled around on my bed, writhing in embarrassment.

That tanned guy—who never did tell me his name—really was skilled. The me printed on the page looked really pretty. Honestly, prettier than I am in real life. Amazing!

The me in the magazine wore such a nice smile. I can’t believe he managed to catch that moment. I don’t remember smiling like that at all during the shoot; most of my smiles were stiff and awkward. The fact that he captured that fleeting instant and turned it into a solid photo was honestly impressive.

I don’t think I ever want to be a fashion model again, but the copy of the magazine I received is absolutely a treasure to me.

It became one of my best memories from the end of summer vacation.

I heard later that the magazine released on August 30th started slow at first, but gradually gained traction online; by the next day, it had disappeared from store shelves.

It had originally only been sold in larger bookstores, but apparently it vanished from almost all of them and became something like a phantom issue.

The magazine going into reprint—something quite rare—made Serizawa-san so happy that she actually called me.

"It's thanks to you! Really, thank you! I’ll be counting on you again!"

That’s what she said, but… no. I’m good. I’m not doing fashion modeling again.

Besides, I don’t think the magazine sold well because of me. It was clearly thanks to Yoshino-san’s interview. My photo was basically “Random Town Girl A.” Even though Serizawa-san forcibly gave it a few pages, it wasn’t a major feature. Most readers probably didn’t even notice it.

Since Serizawa-san gave me my copy directly, I never visited bookstores and had no idea the magazine had become such a big deal.

But if she’s happy, then that’s a good thing.