Nico burst through the glass doors of Promise, Nozomi following closely behind. It had been an anxiety-filled morning, the ground covered in 4 feet of snow after the storm. Thankfully, no one had to arrive for work until the afternoon, giving the city plenty of time to clear the streets. However, clearing the streets didn't mean the temperature had gotten any higher, Nico fighting the cold with her new $8,500 coat.
Nozomi and Nico parted ways, and then the small girl skipped to set E-2. It was Friday, a good day, the day of her first solo shoot. When she arrived, she was amazed.
The set was covered in pink tile, the top covered in frilly, light pink curtains. The floor had big pink and yellow doily-like things, all beneath gigantic cupcakes. The most frontal cupcake had a pink wrapper with white polka dots, a clear wrapper over it, and had vanilla frosting and dollops of yellow frosting, a big cookie sticking out of it. The frosting looked like it would be the perfect place to sit, an indent in the center. There were also two cupcakes behind it, the one on the left strawberry with chocolate frosting and heart sprinkles, the right one with more vanilla frosting and a chocolate thing. It all made Nico hungry, especially considering the photographers had a ton of food off to the side.
"Ah, Miss Yazawa! Ready for your first solo shoot?" one of the photographers asked.
Nico giggled, "Yep!"
"Great! Get changed and get your hair and makeup done, then we can start."
"Yes, sir!"
Taking the bag from the assistant, Nico stripped quickly. She folded up all of her clothes in a neat pile, especially the coat, and turned to the bag. She was feeling good today, wearing the strawberry milk colored lingerie she had received after her first lingerie shoot, minus the socks. She considered herself lucky to wear the lingerie set when she saw the contents of the bag.
First was a puffy, ruffly, cream colored underdress, the short sleeves extra puffy, a ruffly patch in the front, as well. Next was a pink dress with light pink pinstripes, ruffles surrounding the entire skirt, ruffled sleeves, a frilly opening at the chest, and a pointy collar. When Nico put it on, she noticed the frilly opening was perfect to display the cream ruffles, as well as a second layer to the dress, which was light mauve with white dots at the edge. An assistant came over, tying a matching light mauve corset onto Nico, bringing the collar together with a chocolaty-looking heart, and handed Nico a shoe box and socks. The socks matched the cream underdress, puffy ruffles at the edge, and the pink shoes matched the dress, with all sorts of sweet things at the edge.
Nico skipped over to hair and makeup, where they brushed out her hair and put it back into her signature pigtails, using frilly white ribbon, adding a hat that looked like strawberry shortcake or a strawberry cupcake, Nico couldn't tell. Her makeup consisted of blush, light pink eyeshadow, and bubblegum pink lipstick.
The assistants helped Nico onto the front cupcake, handing her a cute silver wand with a cupcake at the top. She posed with a soft smile, her right index finger poised, a charming glitter in her eyes as the cameras flashed and snapped. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Maki in the back, watching on with a neutral expression. She posed a little more, trying to stay calm.
Next, the assistants took the cupcake wand away from the small woman, handing her various sweets. She relaxed against the cupcake, biting into a chocolate bar as she smiled sweetly, showing off her perfect teeth. Crossing one leg over the other, she gently sipped a strawberry watermelon smoothie, leaving a lipstick stain on the red and white striped straw. The assistants jokingly handed her a strawberry, Nico biting into it and winking, the staff laughing and the cameras snapping.
"Adorable, Miss Yazawa! We're finished with this part of the shoot!" This part?
"Set change!"
The assistants helped Nico down and out of her clothes, the small girl looking around. Maki had disappeared, the CEOs practically magicians to Nico. Her attention was finally caught when she was given a white satin dress and white tights. Confused, she quickly put them on and was led to hair and makeup again, where her pigtails were taken out once again and her hair brushed out.
The set had been toned down, stripped down to just the pink tile. Nico sat down in the center, somehow ending up in the very painful W sitting position. One of the photographers pilfered through various boxes of pastries, pulling out a chocolate cupcake for Nico, the decoration on the top like a rose. Handing it to Nico, he grabbed a couple other boxes, stacking them together in a separate pile.
"Okay, we're ready! Take a bit, Miss Yazawa!"
Nico did as she was told, biting into the chocolate cupcake. She was astounded, the frosting rose flavored, the cupcake light, yet rich with chocolate flavor. Careful not to get any crumbs on her dress, she ate away, truly in love with the cupcake while several pictures were taken. After she finished, she was given a small roll cake on a plate and a polished fork. She quickly picked up a bite.
"Wait, wait! We realize this is the best patisserie in the country, but we need to take photos, Miss Yazawa!"
"B-Best patisserie in the country? Le Petit Gateau?"
"Le Petit Gateau."
Nico looked at the bite of the roll cake, her mouth watering even more. She must've been giving them a good expression, several more shots being taken. Once she was given a break, she quickly polished the cake off, savoring it's strawberry and vanilla flavor. Still hungry, she was happy when they gave her a porcelain bowl filled with macarons. There were green pistachio macarons, dark pink raspberry macarons, and yellow lemon macarons. She sat the bowl in her lap, grabbing a pistachio macaron and a lemon macaron, holding them up with an excited smile for a few pictures, then posing and eating a raspberry macaron.
When she was finally done with the food shoot, she got changed quickly, watching the photographer pack up the remaining sweets, an assistant loading the boxes onto a cart.
"Are those all going to waste?" Nico asked.
"Nah, they're being taken to the staff room for photographers, assistants, and other employees."
"Not for any models?"
"We have far too many models for that, Miss Yazawa. It was already kind of Le Petit Gateau to send us this much," Nico turned, "I don't believe we've had a proper introduction, Miss Yazawa. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Maki Nishikino." Maki extended a hand, Nico taking it and shaking it.
"N-Nice to meet you, Miss Nishikino."
"I see Eli taught you the marriage thing."
"Y-Yeah..."
"Too much trouble," they said in unison.
Maki checked her watch, "I must get going, though it was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yazawa."
Later…
Nico got home with a sigh, shutting her apartment door. Never in a million years did she ever think she'd have a chance to taste the pastries of the legendary Le Petit Gateau, and she wasn't even able to take any home. Her eyes were drawn to the envelopes on the coffee table; she'd never opened the red one, but the ocean blue one reminded her of her tea meeting. Sitting down, Nico opened the red envelope.
Miss Yazawa,
Please enjoy.
Maki Nishikino
Well, that wasn't anticlimactic at all. Annoyed, she just went to bed, not even caring that she didn't have any dinner.
Knock! Knock!
Nico woke up suddenly, groggily getting up in, what she though was, the middle of the night. Shuffling her feet to the door, she opened it, suddenly blinded by the bright light. Once her eyes adjusted, she was finally able to see the middle aged man in front of her, his hair beginning to go gray.
"Uh… Do you need something, mister?"
"I am here to deliver you to Madame Sonoda's residence, Lady Yazawa." The man tipped his hat and bowed.
"You must be mistaken, it's nowhere near noon."
The man checked his watch, "It is 12:02, Lady Yazawa."
Nico froze, quickly shutting the door in the man's face and running to her bedroom. Finding her phone among her sheets and blankets, she looked carefully at the clock.
12:03.
Checking the weather, Nico threw her phone back on her bed, rushing around to get dressed. At first, she dressed fairly casually, but then realized she was going to tea with one of her bosses, her highly fashionable boss, and stripped back down again. She grabbed her new coat and white satin heels, setting them on her bed while she thought about what else to wear. She contemplated wearing the dress Eli had given her, but thought the skirt would be too red for the coat. She finally decided to go with a light pink button-up shirt and a black high-waisted skirt, gray and pink argyle knee socks to go with her white high heels. Finally ready to go, she ran to the door, where the man still waited, and got in the fancy car with him.
The car ride was nerve wracking for Nico. She had accidentally left her phone on her bed, distressing her slightly. The scenery soon turned into that of a rich neighborhood, mansions surrounding the car. Not long after that, the driver stopped, opening the door for Nico. She spotted a little silver jaguar on the hood of the car, her jaw almost dropping.
Walking through the doors of the mansion, she found herself surrounded by everything she associated with rich people. Gold chandeliers, maids, marble floors, vases filled with roses, paintings on the wall… It was all there, in every room, Nico checking as the maids led her to a small room. It had a small table and two chairs, massive windows displaying the garden outside.
"Ah, Miss Yazawa, it is very nice to meet you," Umi greeted, her and Nico both bowing slightly, "please, have a seat."
Nico quickly took a seat, Umi taking the seat opposite of her. The woman was dressed in a deep blue tunic, black tights underneath with slightly lighter and brighter heels. She was wearing the charm necklace again.
"Thank you for coming today, Miss Yazawa-"
"Um, please, call me Nico."
Umi pursed her lips, her amber eyes looking Nico over. She made a motion with her hand, a maid bringing in a Delft China tea set. Gently setting two cups down, she poured tea, filling the air with a floral scent. Nico took a sip, the hot tea warming her insides.
"Do you like it?"
"The tea? Yes, the flavor is delightful."
"It should be, it's imported from France. Normally it's tea from China, but I decided to serve rose tea today. Would you like something to eat?" Umi rushed through the imported tea part. Just a little.
"Oh, um, yes!" Nico finally realized how hungry she was.
"I haven't had lunch yet, so I do hope you don't mind no tea snacks."
A different maid came in, holding two domed platters of food. Setting them down, she lifted the domes, revealing golden chicken breast on a bed of alfredo pasta. The pair sat together in silence, slowly eating their meal. Once they were finished, a third maid came in and picked up their plates, a fourth bringing in a platter of cookies and pouring the two more tea.
"So, what are some things you like? Do you have hobbies, Mi- er, Nico?"
"I like idols a lot, and sweets. Music, too. I'm very interested in fashion, and I love to cook."
"Ah, you have quite the fashion sense." Nico felt quite flattered.
"Thank you, Miss Sonoda. I admire your sense of fashion a lot! D-Do you have any hobbies?"
"Hm… I like poetry and archery. They are both frequent pastimes of mine, when I'm not fulfilling my duties at Promise." Nico got quite scared upon Umi mentioning archery.
"Do you three, um… normally take such an interest in your employees?"
Umi stared at Nico for a moment, "We always keep our employees' best interests in mind. You are quite special, Miss Yazawa… unique. It is rare for a girl to have her first job at Promise."
"U-Um… thank you for choosing me."
"Out of 1,000."
"Er, yes."
The two continued to chat for a little while after, until a butler came in, bearing news of a call for Umi. The older woman left for a few minutes, then came back.
"My apologies, Miss Yazawa, it is time for us to part ways."
"Thank you for the opportunity, Miss Sonoda." The two bowed again, a maid escorting Nico to the door. Another came along, giving Nico a small box, then they rushed Nico out of the house. Before she knew it, she was dropped off at her apartment complex.
Walking up the stairs to her apartment, she trudged through the door, setting the box on the table before she collapsed onto her couch. She rested there for awhile, before a knock came to the door.
"Delivery for Nico Yazawa?"
Nico opened the door, greeted by a plain-looking deliveryman. He handed her a package surrounded in colored paper, a ribbon neatly tied around it.
"Uh… thanks..."
She brought the package inside, cutting the ribbon and unwrapping it. The 'package' contained two boxes of sweets from Le Petit Gateau, including cupcakes and macarons. Turning to the box from Umi, she opened it, revealing a single red bean manjuu from a bakery called Homura and a bin of rose tea. Nico cautiously tried a bite of the manjuu.
It was delicious.
Please leave suggestions for shoots in the reviews.
Thank you for reading Promise.
Edit: I wanted to mention that I've been having problems posting chapters, FFN giving me errors for the last two chapters of Promise (Snow Storm and Rose Tea). I am unsure if I should contact support or not...
