Bittersweet Model

Shot 1 : Smile Like You Mean It

The young up and coming model, Yagami Hikari, 16, was sitting in front of the dressing table, getting her make up done by the make up artist for a very edgy – as her manager said, photo shoot. She had a lavender Lamb dress on and black strapped heels. Instead of the cute type Lolita doll models have been, the brown haired girl with the amber eyes settled for cold, quiet and mysterious. She doesn't talk much and only do so when it was needed.

"Ne, ne, Hikari-san. You don't need all this make up you know. You're just beautiful the way you are. Plus a very flawless skin. How good was it to be you!" the make up artist, Izumi complemented her.

"Ah," she answered. Of course, she had every male blood swung their heads for her. But mistaken her for a whore is dead wrong. She doesn't care that she's pretty, she doesn't care that she's popular. As long as she gets the money she needed to earn for a life away from her family.

She looked boringly at the TV, and took the remote as she thought Barney is stupid. She clicked on channel by channel, nothing good was on. And then it was the music TV, with smooth alternative rock on.

"Ah, what a great singer. Hikari-san is a fan of Train too, right?" Izumi commented after seeing the blonde male singer on the TV.

"Why do you say that?" Hikari reacted without showing an expression.

"Because every time we have Train on TV, Hikari-san would stop clicking the remote and stick to the channel he's on," Izumi smiled.

Hikari kept her voice in and listened to Train's voice. It was very beautiful the song he's singing but then she wasn't a girl that is into rock bands at all. But the singer intrigued her on something.

"You're wrong," Hikari clicked the remote for other channel, just to prove that he wasn't a fan of Train at all. In fact, she was a little annoyed of the popular stranger.

"Are you ready, Hikari-san?" she heard the photographer calling her out. The other model must have finished. She walked up which startled the make up artist.

"Ah, wait, Hikari-san! I'm not finished!"

"It's okay. It's enough," she went out to the photographer. She bumped into the previous model, who was very much blonde and bodacious. She could see how the blonde had everything from head to toe done under the knife.

"Ah, you must be the newbie," the blonde spoke with a high pitched voice. It was obvious that she had 2 layers of make up on compared to Hikari's halfway make up. "Listen, want an advice? If you want a good shoot you have got to at least have your eyeliners done and more blushers on that cheek We don't want a flesh off zombie on the magazine don't we? Ah, that's right. You're only in the pages. I'm on the cover of the magazine."

It's enough to see that the blonde model was looking down at Hikari, who has only been in the business for 2 months. Though you could smell her jealousy to the cold model as to get where Hikari was in two months, is simply incredible.

"Thank you for your advice," Hikari said without a note of feeling. "But I rather have my original 'belongings' on shots."

"What?!" obviously, those few words had erupted the older model's volcano.

Hikari walked away without looking back. She doesn't have time to interact. She has a job and it needs to be done. She walked to the photographer and patted his shoulder. "I'm ready."

"Yosh," the photographer said. He was somehow a little tired and somewhat unsatisfied with something. He looked through the camera's lenses and noticed how Hikari's make up was not fully done. "What, another rebel? Ah, even the previous wasn't that good, the magazine is ruined," he whispered to himself.

But Hikari hasn't started yet. She sat on the set's sofa and laid her hands both on her lap. She closed her eyes. She doesn't intend to be luscious and bodacious, she intend for simplicity.

"Hey, I need you to open your…" with a click of second, Hikari opened her eyes to a very deep stare, making the photographer taken aback and clicked his camera in a sudden move. "Ah, that was…. A REALLY NICE SHOT!" suddenly, the photographer became inspired.

Hikari moved swiftly to a few simple poses. For her less is more and she doesn't need to look sexy or prerogative just to take a good shot. Her penetrating eyes were enough to create a very modelesque picture. She sold the garment and her image well enough even without the desire. She has her motives.

The shoot went through.

"Thank you so much for coming today! It was a pleasure working with you!" the photographer bowed to her. He was really thankful and he even mentioned how Hikari will be a very successful international model.

"Ah, you are the one we should thank. You gave us a very big opportunity here!" Hikari's manager, the spectacled Miyako smiled brightly. She knew her client has done a job well done again.

Hikari went into the car with her manager.

"That was great Hikari-chan! Another yet fantastic photographer had nothing but only compliments for you!" Miyako had only smiled when she drove away from the studio.

"What do I have tomorrow?" Hikari asked looking bored.

"Ah," Miyako let the steering wheel go swiftly and run into her bag. "Hold on, let us see our schedule." The car went left and right while other cars started honking. (Don't try this at any road.)

"Miyako, The steer," Hikari said without expression.

"Ah, here it is!" Miyako caught a file with Hikari's schedule, luckily her hand back on the wheels. "Tomorrow you're free. You can rest for the day Hikari-chan! But on Friday we have Japan's Vogue on toe."

"Then tomorrow I'll go to school," Hikari said smoothly.

"Eh?" Miyako was weirded out. She thought if someone like Hikari, who is so talented in the modelling industry should have left school already. It wasn't her place to be. Then again, Hikari was also a top grade student. In other words, she's perfect.

"See you then, Hikari-chan," Miyako dropped Hikari in front of her house, a modest apartment in downtown Tokyo. Hikari waved slowly to Miyako as she drove away. She looked back to her own home.

Sighing and a bit down she said, "I'm home."

"Welcome back," Hikari in her junior high uniform saw her 15 years old brother sitting on the dining room, clenching the calculator and turning his other free hand in a ball of fist.

"Can I help you with something, oni-san?"Hikari asked. She saw how stressful it was for her brother to lead the family now.

"Ah," he looked up to her and smiled. "Just reheat what we have yesterday, okay, Hika. I hope that's okay."

Hikari looked at her brother and how he forced the smile.

"Okay."

Hikari went into the kitchen. Her brother could see how she was sad. He calmed his nerve, spurting the perfect lie.

"Don't worry Hika. We'll get through it. Mum got a great job at the nursing home and I'm just on the verge to understand dad's business now!" her brother shove the papers together. "He left us quite a fortune too, that old man."

Hikari looked through her own dining table now, hers that she bought by her own money, no billing's paper needed to be resolved, no debt to be paid, which makes her feel richer than ever.

"Oni-san," she spoke slowly, as she has always been to him. "Don't force a smile like that again."

Hikari had her noodle cub finished and her x box opened into several war games. She was a professional on the games.

YOU WIN!

She sighed. It was yet another easy victory for her. She looked at the clock. It was almost 12. She wasn't intending on sleeping yet though. She snapped the TV open for channels. Most of it has ended it's airing. She stroked the remote button again, and seems like the entertainment channel is on.

"Major news on the music industry now! Our favourite soulful rock singer Train has announced his new album cover will be featuring top model Catherine de Armand! There are also linkages saying that the two are most probably dating! Catherine who is a top model from France has been seen quite frequently in Japan along side the singer who is apparently part French too!"

Hikari starred with her bored eyes on the TV. They are featuring Catherine's interview now, which she could hardly understand as it was in French. But the interview with Train caught her attention.

With a smile he laughed at the many reporters surrounding him. "Ah well, she's a really great girl and all but, I rather have a big sandwich now than answering your questions."

Hikari in quiet despised him. "All those people butting into his private life and all he did were making a joke out of it?" She saw the singer laughing on TV. "How does he do that? Smiling without force all the time?"


Hikari stood in front of the school, watching closely if there was any difference she had missed during her absence. A dumb male followers saying "Hika-chan, Hika-chan!" check. A few glare of awe from some girls, check. A few geeks targeting challenges for her check. Yes, she was at the right school.

She walked towards the main entrance but was stopped by a very loud noise from the side court. Like everybody else, curious by it, she went to see what the riot was. It looks like a guy with painfully ugly glasses and a beanie on was causing it.

"Ladies and gentleman! May I have your full attention please? The student council biro is having a bake fest and today, we have," he shuffled his basket and thrust it in the air. "SWEET CUPCAKE!"

"Oh, its Takaishi again, what a waste of time," a student blurted out.

"With the money you gave us, the biro would have enough to make new and improved student council office! With that we could have a very efficient way to give out school a better care!"

"Ne, kaichou. Is this okay for him to do it?" the student council president was asked by his secretary. "I mean, will his idea of selling cupcakes 'in enthusiasm' going to work?" The blue haired president sighed.

"Absolutely not," the president looked down, but straightened up when his vice who has been in riot called him with a spoiled tone.

"Ken-chan!"

"Stupid! Don't call me that in public!" he was very embarrassed that his best friend since childhood was making ruckus over a simple bake sale.

"But Ken-chan! You're not helping at all by sitting stupidly there," Takaishi made his puppy eyes.

"Takeru! You're the one who is stupidly making our customers ran away!" Ken was rigid embarrassed, but that was an everyday conversation. Takeru made ruckus while Ken could only keep both eyes closed tight.

"Ah," Hikari suddenly appeared in front of the student council members, looking intensely at the cupcake inside the basket.

"Ah, miss, would you like to…" before the beanie guy even finished his words, the rest of the 'lack in action' student council member shot their baskets towards Hikari for sell.

"Buy mine! Its chocolate! Very delicious!"

"No, mine! Mine is made out of fine strawberries!"

"Mine is a perfect vanilla cupcake! Please buy!"

"Wow, never saw that one coming," Ken let himself weirded out by the situation. "They got more enthusiastic than you, Takeru." No one can commit more enthusiast than Takeru, but seems like they have been mistaken.

"This is good Ken-chan!" Takeru smiled wide. "If we can get the student council as enthusiastic like this, we might end up with a real fortune too!" Ken sighed.

"I want his cupcake," suddenly, Hikari appeared in front of Takeru. "Banana hazelnut peanut butter."

"Banana hazelnut peanut butter cupcake?! What the hell is that?!" the other student council members were horrified by the ingredients used by Takeru, almost as horrified that THE Hikari was lining for the cupcake.

"One for the miss," Takeru took one of his unusual cupcake and gave it to Hikari, producing a genuine smile. "Yes! One sold!" Hikari looked up to him after giving his money. She felt a slight irritation.

"You're smile is annoying," smoothly the words came and smoothly she left the entire student council member dumbfounded. Especially Takeru who was taken aback by her words.

"What the…" Ken was laughing with all his might. "This is the first time I see a girl strike you like that!" He was walking back to class with Takeru using the back way. Takeru was a bit irritated by the combination of the girl's statement and Ken's laugh.

"Who is she anyway?" Takeru asked. Ken stopped his laugh with a smile. Ken ruffled the beanie off Takeru's head and pulled the glasses Takeru had on away. "What the?!"

"Are you really that popular to be that dense on other people? Train," Ken smiled. Revealing a golden blond hair and blue piercing eyes. Takaishi Takeru is the soulful singer, Train.

"Hey, give me that back! Someone might…" Takeru tried to reach for his beanie and his glasses, but failed.

"No one is here, monkey. Relax a bit," Ken assured. "That girl there is a very popular up and coming model. She did many high class magazines and she's only been around for 2 months, that is very impressive for someone who is not a Lolita."

"So why do you know this? I thought you manage my music career not the modelling industry," Takeru smirked.

"That's because when we did a photoshoot for that Musika Magazine, she was also there for her first cover. The other managers around me gushed about her and one of them told me she went to our school." Ken explained. "You literally stood beside her at one second."

"I don't remember any," Takeru tried to recall.

"That is because you don't think with your brain," Ken sighed. "She might be almost as famous as you in 3 months time. But dealing with the reality that you are nothing alike?"

"What do you mean by that?" Takeru's eyes were on his beanie.

"She doesn't smile at all, which is for the nickname they gave her, 'The Cold Model'. And you," Ken sighed looking at Takeru smiling. "You smile a little too much."

"But isn't it weird that she doesn't wear disguise?" Takeru asked. "I mean the media can easily break into her privacy."

"It was very brave for her to have no disguises outside the industry. Everybody in our school knows who she is (except you apparently) and granted the beauty, she was also a top student," Ken explained. "But they say she rather be in one identity."

"Well, I guess that is what she has that I don't," Takeru made it in snatching his beanie and glasses back. He pulled it over his head and wore his glasses, making the singer Train invincible again. "Confidence."

Ken sighed. They almost reach the back entrance when Ken suddenly remarked, "Tomorrow, don't forget, we have your album cover shoot."

"Yeah about that," Takeru stopped at the door. "I want to make some changes, if you don't mind."

TBC