"Come on! Come on! We're almost there! Don't give up on me now!" Ichika chuckles while quickly walking down the road with Fuutarou. She pulls him along by his arm, tugging slightly every time he falls behind. They have been walking like this for a good fifteen minutes by now and with each passing moment, it was getting more and more obvious that Fuutarou did not have even half the stamina necessary to keep up with her.
"I'm only slowing down because…you've been sprinting to that location ever…ever since we left your apartment. Can't you…just…slow down a tiny bit? Please?" Fuutarou begged desperately, gasping between every few words. Ichika giggles and then points at one small building that was only about a hundred meters away from them. "There it is. That's the studio we are going to take the pictures in. I can hardly wait. Isn't that exciting?"
"Yeah, it sure is..." Fuutarou mumbles, a little sarcastically, before Ichika enthusiastically runs straight towards the building, taking Fuutarou along with her. A few moments later, the two of them finally arrived at their destination. While Ichika smiled brightly as she looked at the studio, Fuutarou was so exhausted that he had to sit down on the ground to catch his breath.
"You really don't have any stamina left, huh?" Ichika chuckles as she turns to her friend. "Come on, we still gotta go in." She reaches out her hand, and he accepts it gratefully. After taking another deep breath, and with her help, gets to his feet, albeit shakily. He sways slightly, before righting himself. "Now, let's go in."
"Yeah, let's go in."
The two of them walk through the door and find themselves in an entrance room. There were two glass tables, one on the left side of the room and one on the right side, each with two chairs. Posters and pictures of some famous models were hanging on the walls and directly in front of the two of them was a small desk with some documents on it. Behind the desk were two separate doors.
"And what now? No one is here. Should we just wait?" Fuutarou asks while taking a look at the posters that were hanging on the wall. He could tell that this studio wasn't just a regular old local studio. The quality of the pictures and the brands the models were working for were relatively famous.
"They told me that once I arrived, someone would come to pick me up so I guess we wait until someone gets here," Ichika explains while walking towards Fuutarou. She continued to watch him as he shifted from poster to poster, and giggled as this scene continued for quite some time.
"Who do you think is prettier? Those models or me~?" Ichika asks teasingly while gently grabbing his arm. Fuutarou immediately begins to blush as soon as her arms encircle his, becoming nervous.
"What? I don't know...I uh..." Fuutarou didn't want to answer this loaded question. If he was to say that those models were prettier than her, he would most likely hurt her feelings. On the other hand, if he was to say that she was prettier, she would most likely get even clingier than before. He had a feeling she was setting him up for failure. "I think that-"
Suddenly, Fuutarou gets interrupted by the sound of a door opening, and someone walking into the room. "Ah, Ichika, there you are! We were waiting for you!" The two of them turn around and see Oda-san, the man Fuutarou already got to know as Ichika's manager at the Fireworks Festival.
That was a close call. If it weren't for him showing up, Fuutarou would have to answer Ichika's question and he really didn't want to deal with the fallout of that. Mentally, he saluted the older man for his timely arrival.
"Oda-san, it's nice to see you! I am so excited for my first job!" Ichika smiles, letting go of Fuutarou to walk up to the man. "I know, I know but we don't have much time left. Let's get you into your outfit so we can start." Oda then looks at Fuutarou and a grin forms on his face. For some reason, it made the teenager suspicious, but he dismissed it as paranoia.
"Ah, it seems like you brought your friend from the Fireworks Festival. He can join as a spectator. Now, let's go." Ichika nods and is then led through the right door. Fuutarou walks up to the same door but is stopped by Oda who points at the left door. "I am sorry but spectators are not allowed in this area. Please be so kind and take this way into the studio." Fuutarou nods and then walks through the left door after bidding a brief goodbye to Ichika.
Fuutarou finds himself in a stairwell leading to the second floor of the building. He walks up the stairs and is met with yet another door. Trying the knob to check if it was unlocked, he opens the door, walking into a big room with lots of people in it. He moved through the room, before settling at a spot he deemed suitable.
Right next to him was Oda-san who seemed like he was waiting for Ichika. Then there was a young man with a magazine in his hand. The magazine was a fashion magazine published by a small fashion store chain in their city. It seemed like Ichika had been contacted by them to be their new model. Additionally, there was a man with a big, expensive-looking camera in his hand. He was aiming the camera towards a white wall that was being illuminated by multiple studio lights. And finally, there was a woman checking if everything was ready for the photo shoot. She seemed like the one responsible for all of this, or at least the one responsible for the equipment.
This photoshoot really seemed like a big deal. Fuutarou thought that Ichika's first job would be less elaborate and not as big as this one. He hoped that she was prepared.
He hears a door opening right next to him and walking out of this door was Ichika. She was wearing long black jeans with matching high heels. Additionally, she was wearing a white knitted sweater and a matching knitted white scarf. On top of that, she had a brown jacket draped around her shoulders, casually carrying a black leather handbag on her arm. In Fuutarou's opinion, she looked amazing.
Fuutarou wanted to talk to her one last time before it all started but before he could do that, the woman who was checking on everything had already walked up to her with a big smile on her face. "Nakano-san, there you are! You are looking be-au-ti-ful! Beautiful I tell you! Are you excited?"
"Well...uh...yeah...After all, this is my first real job as a model." Ichika giggles while putting on a nervous smile. "Oh, honey. That's no problem at all. I have had many upcoming models coming to my studio and they were also nervous, but I can tell you, they all did their job per-fect-ly. So don't be nervous and come with me." The woman grabs Ichika by her hand and walks towards the white wall, sort of dragging the teenager the same way she had dragged Fuutarou just a while ago.
"Just stand here, I will give you introductions on what to do, and then we will take the pictures. The next winter collection is gonna be a hit!" The woman walks out of the way. "Alright, take the handbag in your right hand and then put that hand on your hip. And don't forget to smile while looking at the camera!"
Ichika follows the woman's instructions and then the cameraman takes a few photos of her. The woman looks at the results before shaking her head. "No, No! You look like you really don't want to be in that photo. Relax, calm down and try to look a little bit more casual, alright?"
Fuutarou looked at Ichika and saw that something was wrong. She didn't seem like herself, there was something missing that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Even after posing once more for the camera, she didn't look very happy with the current situation.
"Nakano-san, we need a little bit more effort, alright? I know this is your first time but try to give your best." The woman explains to her one more time. Ichika nods at her and mumbles. "Yes, Ma'am."
Then, Fuutarou had an idea. He walked up to Oda-san, slapping a bright smile on his face. "Wow, look at her. She looks so good in that outfit, don't you think?" Fuutarou asks Oda relatively loudly so that Ichika could hear him. The older man nodded vigorously, stating his own compliment, "Yes, I think that this outfit really suits her."
"I would even go as far as to say she is prettier than those girls on the posters on the first floor." Yes, he had actually said it. He answered her question from earlier, about whether or not she was prettier than those other models they had seen. After hearing his words, Ichika's forced smile was replaced by a more genuine one, one that was bright and happy.
"Yes, these are the emotions I wanna see, Nakano-san! Wonderful! Keep doing what you're doing."
And just like that, the photoshoot continued without any more problems. After Fuutarou mentioned that Ichika was prettier than the other models, her nervousness seems to have disappeared. Oda-san, the woman giving her the instructions, and even herself were happy with the results.
"What a difference one small sentence can make, huh?" Fuutarou mumbled to himself while continuing to observe the photoshoot, pleased that Ichika seemed to be doing alright now.
After the photoshoot, Ichika just left the changing room when she saw Fuutarou waiting for her. She immediately brightened up and ran straight at him with a big wide smile on her face. "Oh, Ichika, there you are…" Fuutarou says while turning to face her, but before he could figure out why she wasn't stopping, Ichika had already enveloped him in a tight hug.
"Ichika, what are you doing?" Fuutarou mumbles while his cheeks start to blush. Oda and the representative of the fashion store, who had been talking with each other, look at the two of them with quite a bit of surprise in their expressions. "Is that her boyfriend?" The representative whispers, only to get a shrug from Oda. "I am not sure."
"I'm hugging you, what does it look like?" Ichika giggles before she looks up at Fuutarou with shining eyes. "I heard it when you said that I was prettier than the other models. That made me very happy."
Fuutarou chuckles and then frees himself from Ichika's embrace with some difficulty. "I know. I thought it would help you with your anxiety and it seems that it worked out pretty well." Ichika smirks at Fuutarou and then turns around. "So you just said that so I would be less nervous…does that mean that you don't actually think that I'm pretty?"
"How does this girl always find a way to get me into a situation like this? I obviously have no other choice than to say that I think that she is pretty or she will never talk to me again. I mean, she definitely is pretty but admitting the truth would only result in her getting more clingy…"
"No, I really think that you are pretty," Fuutarou whispers, flushing from the intense stares everyone around them was giving him. Such misfortune.
"You really think that I am pretty? Oh, Fuutarou-kun~…you are so sweet…" Ichika turns around and smiles at him once again. Seeing her like this made Fuutarou blush even harder than before, causing him to fidget slightly under her gaze.
"A-Anyway, are you done now? We should probably go home for now before your sisters assume something bad happened and get concerned." Fuutarou abruptly suggests a way out of the current situation, unable to stand her gaze for much longer. Despite now having to let go of such an opportunity, Ichika nods and then grabs his arm before leaving the building alongside the other teenager.
"How about we stop at a café and grab a milkshake or something like that?" Ichika suggests while the two of them walk down the road together. She points at a rather small coffee shop and then grins at Fuutarou.
"You probably won't accept a no, am I right?" Fuutarou sighs as Ichika drags them into the shop she had pointed out just a minute ago. "Well aren't you a smart one? Now let's go in."
Together they enter the coffee shop and sit down at an empty table. It didn't take long until a waiter came to their place, ready to take their orders. "What's it going to be for the young lady?"
"I'll have one large strawberry milkshake," Ichika states with almost practiced ease before the waiter turns to Fuutarou. "And what will it be for the boyfriend?" Fuutarou sighs and then shakes his head. "I am not her boyfriend and also, I don't want to order anything. Thank you."
The waiter laughs before he turns around, done taking their orders. Suddenly, Ichika gets up to stop the waiter before he can get too far. She looks up at him and whispers something into his ear. The waiter chuckles and then walks away once again.
"What did you tell him?" Fuutarou asks, confused, but Ichika only laughed and then looks out the big window. "Nothing special." Ichika may have said that but Fuutarou knew that she had planned something. Considering what he knew about Ichika, it would probably be something that would make him blush. Again.
"So, what was this photoshoot for? I saw there was a guy with a fashion magazine in his hand. Are you currently working for this magazine?" Fuutarou asks so as to prevent an awkward silence from occurring.
"I wouldn't say I work for them, I just did a modeling job for them. It's for a fashion magazine of this rather small fashion store. I will be in their next magazine, one focusing on their winter collection." Ichika explains with a smile on her face. "I was actually pretty surprised that the photoshoot would be done in this studio. I always thought it was a studio for famous models who work for big magazines but Oda-san explained to me that this studio also works with smaller magazines so it really isn't that big of a deal, after all."
"Well, I was pretty surprised too when we got to see those big posters and pictures of those models," Fuutarou explains whilst seeing that the waiter was coming back with Ichika's milkshake. But what is that? Are those...
"One strawberry milkshake with two straws for our young couple." The waiter says while putting the plate right into the middle of the table. Of course, something was wrong, Ichika had asked for another straw so they could share the milkshake with each other. This girl...
"Did you really have to ask for another straw?" Fuutarou grumbles, slightly annoyed while turning away from the milkshake placed in front of him. "Of course, I wouldn't let you sit here without something to drink so I asked him to bring us a second one. You're too stingy to buy one for yourself, so I thought we might as well share mine." Ichika takes her straw and gives her order a tentative sip. "Oh my god, this is so delicious! You have to give it a try!"
"Sorry, but I am not interested in trying a milkshake," Fuutarou explains after he had calmed down. However, his steady resolve immediately falters when he turns back and notices the sly grin on her face. "Oh? You don't wanna try my milkshake~?"
"Nope, not at all." He turns away before she could tempt him into doing something he would probably regret.
"Hee? You are no fun at all, Fuutarou-kun."
"We're back!" Ichika shouts into the living room as the two of them enter the apartment of the Nakanos. Yotsuba, who was currently sitting on the couch with Miku, jumps up and runs towards her sister. "You're back! How did it go? Did you wear fancy clothes like one of those famous models walking down the catwalk?"
"Hey, calm down. I didn't wear fancy clothes like that, I was wearing casual clothes that are part of the next winter collection." Ichika explains while looking up to the second floor where Itsuki was walking down with a big suitcase.
"Itsuki? What are you doing? Are you moving out?"
"Huh? Not at all! I just prepared my suitcase for the upcoming school trip. Did you forget about that?" Itsuki explains as she carefully maneuvers her way downstairs. She puts her suitcase right next to the entrance door and then sits down on the couch with the others. Ichika rubs the back of her head sheepishly in response to the question. "Well, I kinda forgot to pack my stuff. But there is enough time to do that."
"I won't help you like last time if you need to pack your stuff on the morning of the trip." Itsuki sighs while turning to Fuutarou. "What about you, Uesugi-kun? Do you have plans for the school trip?"
"Not really, I don't even know with who I am gonna be sharing a room with. But I was chosen to prepare the test of courage for the second day. I don't know how I will be able to do that alone though." Fuutarou explains and looks at the clock. It was already pretty late and he didn't want to make Raiha worry unnecessarily so he would have to leave soon.
"I can help you with it! You can count on me!" Yotsuba exclaims loudly while raising her hands in the air. He smiles at her enthusiasm, reaching out to give her head a pat. "Thank you, Yotsuba. I appreciate it."
Fuutarou stands up and grabs his bag before he heads to the door. "Well, it's getting pretty late. I don't want Raiha worrying about me so I will head home now."
"Alright, see you tomorrow!"
"Bye-bye!"
Fuutarou closes the door behind him and takes out his student notebook.
"Those girls are really special. Annoying and dumb but also adorable and friendly. They kind of remind me of someone..."
He opens his notebook and chuckles.
"Well, I shouldn't think about that. I should head home and pack my stuff."
Author's Note:
Well guys, now I gave you enough fluff. The School Trip Arc, which will start the next chapter, will introduce more drama to the story.
To answer one of the reviews: Aryles, I can see where you are coming from with your opinion but there is one thing I don't understand. Why are you reading harem stories if you think that they are repetitive and unreal? Just don't read my story if you don't like harem stories.
If you want, you can join the discord I and some other QQ Writers usually hang out on: discord . gg / V54pcwA
Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. See you soon!