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Reference Material

The following day, after school, Sakura stepped into the library and took a seat at the table she'd recently shared with Gamo-chan and Yoshi. She pulled a few books out of her bag to make it appear like she planned to study, and looked around. It pleased her to have the room to herself. She checked her phone's clock a second before Nagatoro walked in.

"What's up, Sakura-chan?" Nagatoro removed her backpack, set it on the table, and sat down across from her friend.

"I hope I'm not keeping you from your daily visit to the art club room." She winked.

"I don't go there every day. I spend most of my after-school time working out with the swim club."

Sakura chuckled. "As your tan lines can attest. It looks like you spend more time in your one-piece than in your school uniform. Although, you wear even less when you're modeling for Senpai-kun, am I right?"

Nagatoro looked from side to side, and her face turned beet red. "What are you getting at?"

Sakura held up her palms. "There's nothing wrong with you modeling in just a bikini. Actually, I think it's kind of cool." She sighed. "In fact, it's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you."

Nagatoro blinked a few times, her heart rate steadied, and her face reverted to its normal color. "What's on your mind?"

"It's like this. I kind of agreed to do something special for the gaming club, and I need some specialized help to keep my promise."

"How does that relate to my modeling in, um, my white bikini?"

"Have you ever heard of the game Splatter Battle?"

"Oh, yeah. The online one with all the paint. My brother plays that all the time."

"Well, these guys in the gaming club formed a team and they're really good. We're talking eSport competition level good. They might actually win some money with this."

"How do you fit in?"

Sakura rested her hand on her chest. "I'm the team's mascot. Every team's got to have one. It's a fairly easy role, kind of like the king in chess. I'm more of a symbolic figure. The other team wins when I get captured."

"So that's what you agreed to do for them? That's so cool. If they do really well, you could get famous." Nagatoro squinted. "I still don't see a problem with this."

"The problem is getting my likeness into the system as the Monarch character."

"The way I remember it," Nagatoro said, "there's a setup screen where you can change all the character's features and clothes and things."

"Exactly."

"And the guys can't handle that?"

"Oh, sure. They know how to upload my picture and stitch my head onto one of the generic characters, but that looks horrible! I look like a bobblehead with the curves of a bowling pin." Sakura planted her hands on the table and leaned forward. "That's not me! And that's sure as hell not the way I want all of Japan to see me. None of the other top teams go with those creepy defaults."

"So you need find a way to get your true likeness into the game?"

"Absolutely." Sakura cupped her breasts. "A likeness that includes these."

"You need an artist."

Sakura grinned. "You see where I'm going with this."

"So what do you have to provide to the game?"

"A likeness of my body from four different angles—front, profile, back, and top."

"Your full body?" Nagatoro raised her eyebrows.

"In the configuration program, they hide the private parts behind steam that fades away once you decide on the character's outfit."

Nagatoro chuckled. "Yeah, I remember that part. I think a lot of guys spent more time on modding the setup than actually playing the game." Her lips formed her patented sly smile. "So you want to pose for Senpai from four different angles… nude?"

Sakura's eyes bulged. "No, of course not. I figure I could wear a bikini like you do, and he can, you know, interpolate the rest."

"If that works. He's a pretty literal guy when it comes to drawing."

"A literal guy with a collection of lewd manga. I'm pretty sure he can interpolate what my real-life bare bum and breasts look like."

"Yes." Nagatoro nodded. "I think he's got some pretty good reference material to work with." She pulled out her phone, tapped out a text, and waited for a reply. Her phone chimed a moment later. "Senpai says we can hang out with him tomorrow."

Sakura smiled from ear to ear. "Excellent."

Author's Notes: I hope everyone is successfully managing their Nagatoro anime withdrawal symptoms. I've been re-watching my favorite episodes and it helps. On the other hand, I'm not going to read ahead in the manga till I'm sure there won't be a Season 2 so I don't have that outlet. Thanks to those giving me feedback. It's nice to know you're out there. — SK