Chapter 3
She felt naked compared to her normal attire, which consisted of baggy, loose-fitting clothes that allowed her to move. She only wore skirts when she had to, like today; however, she tried not to make a habit of it. She was, after all, a boy at heart.
There was a loud knock on the door.
"Oi, you done in there?" Akira called impatiently. "It's been five minutes; we've got to get a move on. Come out and let me have a look at you."
Naruko sighed. Opening the door, she nearly gagged when she saw Akira practically drooling over the sight of her. God, men were gross. She tugged at the dress she was wearing. It was a hot pink, too short, showed off her entire back, and showed too much cleavage for her taste.
"Is this really what I'm going to wear?" Naruko asked crossly. "It's not really my style. And, to be honest, it makes me look like a whore."
"No, it's perfect," Akira shook his head. "When you're a model, it's not about being you. You're not Naruko anyone. You're the person we tell you to be. Got it?"
Naruko hesitated, but nodded none the less, "yeah, if you say so." She followed after him when he stalked off into a brightly lit room.
"This is where you'll be getting your hair and make up done," he announced. He pointed over towards a skinny, cute-looking young man who was currently fussing over another model's hair. "That's Hideaki, our personal stylist, who will soon be your best friend." Akira glanced at his watch before looking back at Naruko. "I've got to be at the shoot in three minutes." He grabbed Naruko's hand and brought it to his lips. Then, to her horror and surprise, he pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. Then he nodded over to Hideaki. "Go introduce yourself; he'll take care of you."
"Thanks," Naruko nodded, wiping her hand on her dress. Looking over to Hideaki, she was pleased to see he had finished with the other model. Smiling brightly, she walked over to him. "Hi! I'm Naruko and I was told to see you?"
Hideaki broke out into a wide grin that Naruko almost laughed at; it was so large it practically split his face in half. "Ooh, yes, I heard there was going to be a new face here." He grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her over to the chair where he had been working on the other girl before. "In case you don't know, I'm Hideaki." He leaned in close to Naruko's face. "God, you're gorgeous. I am so jealous."
"Oh, um, thanks?" Naruko laughed.
Hideaki winked. Leaning in, he pursed his lips as he closely inspected her hair and face. "Those scars on your cheeks," he said finally. "What did Akira-sama say about those?"
"He said he liked them," Naruko recalled with a shrug. "But if you don't think they should be covered or something—"
"Oh god no," he exclaimed. "I was just going to say that there's no way in hell I'm covering them up. They're incredibly sexy." Naruko laughed at that, which made him laugh as well. "Now, to be honest, you don't need much. I'm thinking just a bit on your eyes, to make them pop even more. They're a gorgeous color, by the way. And with your hair, it's long enough that it'll look good down with the dress. I think I'll just tease it a bit, and possibly curl it. Depends, I guess."
Naruko nodded in agreement to everything he was saying. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you think is best."
Then he went to work; Naruko didn't think it was possible for one man to style so fast. However, as he danced around her with grace only a gay stylist could pull off, the only thing she was able to do is sit there in awe, and comply with the random commands Hideaki would ask of her.
"Alright, sweetie, I think you're done," he turned her around, so she could finally get a good look at herself. She gasped at what she saw. No wonder he was the stylist; she looked fucking amazing!
"Wow," she breathed, looking at herself. "You're a genius, you know."
Hideaki laughed. "You're a doll. But you should probably head over to the set now."
"Sure," Naruko stood up from the comfy swivel chair she had been sitting on. "And, um, where exactly would that be?" She bit her lip inquiringly.
"God, you're so cute," he flicked her lightly on the nose. "Come here, I'll show you." He took her by the hand and pulled her towards the door. "Just walk all the way down this hall, turn left, and continue until you reach the third door on your right. You don't have to knock or anything; just go on in. You should see Akira-sama, as well as some other girls."
Naruko nodded, heart beating fast. She never thought she would be this nervous. Hideaki must have sensed her nervousness because he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, pretty girl. You'll knock them dead, I can just tell. You know, I don't normally pick favorites, but," he leaned in close, like he was telling her a deep, dark secret, "though I just met you, I already love you and your smile."
Naruko beamed at him. Quickly, she whispered a quick thank you before hurrying out the door and down the hallway. The sooner she got it over with, the better.
"So, you're the new girl?" A bleach-blonde stick approached Naruko the instant she walked into the room. "Akira-sama mentioned you; my name's Emiko."
"Naruko," she gave her a small wave. "Nice to meet you." She took a sweeping glance around the room. "So, this is it, huh?"
Emiko nodded. "Trust me, it gets smaller once you've been here a while." She shrugged. "A lot smaller, actually."
"How long have you been working here?" Naruko asked.
"Since I was fourteen," she replied. "I'm turning nineteen soon. I'm planning on getting out of here, though, pretty soon. Akira-sama's set up a few interviews for me, and my portfolio is almost perfected."
"Wow," Naruko sighed dramatically. "What do you have in mind?"
"Something… different," Emiko said hesitantly. "I don't know. I was thinking something more adult."
Naruko widened her eyes. "Like… being a porn star?"
Emiko chuckled lightly at her expression. "Yeah, something like that. I don't know, though. Everything is up in the air right now."
Naruko smiled uncomfortably. "Well, uh, I wish you luck with whatever it is you get into."
"Thanks," Emiko said with a sheepish smile.
"Naru-chan," Akira hollered at her from across the room. "Come over here."
Naruko turned to Emiko. "Sorry; creepy manager chap is calling."
Emiko laughed. "Sure, I'll catch you later, alright?"
Naruko nodded, and then hurried over to where Akira was waiting for her. When he saw her up close he smiled, sending chills up her spine and setting off her creep-radar.
"Hideaki really outdid himself," he smiled. "Naruko, I'd like you to meet someone." He waved over a rather attractive man who looked to be in hid mid-twenties. "This is Masanori, this shoot's photographer and an absolute genius with the camera."
Shaking the man's hand firmly, she gave him a wide smile. "Salutations." She snorted after she said this; she loved this word oh so much, and she couldn't resist using it with this man.
He gave her an odd look, but then it promptly turned into a smile. "Ah, so this is the famous Naruko I've heard so much about." He exchanged a look with Akira. "He's right, you're absolutely gorgeous." Leaning in, he observed her cheeks with genuine interest. "Where exactly did you get these?"
Naruko cleared her throat. "I've had them ever since I can remember. I could have been born with them, I guess. I'm not sure."
He nodded. "They're captivating. You look like a fox." He smirked at his pun.
"Listen, Naruko," Akira stepped forward. "We've already finished the shoot with the other girls." He nodded towards the girls who were slowly leaving the set. Naruko's face fell. However, after seeing this, Akira shook his head quickly. "No, that's not what I meant." He nodded towards Masanori. "I wanted Masanori to take some individual pictures of you. You've got a short of captivating look that I'd really like to study."
Naruko frowned. "Um, what do you mean by study?"
Akira shook his head. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. It's just that when you get a particular model that seems to break the stereotypical mold, you want to look into them because they are different." He shrugged, making Naruko furrow her brow. He was so weird.
"Hmm, well, alright," she agreed indifferently. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
Akira smiled with relief at her agreement. He pointed over to the lone, gold-colored couch that was sitting up against a bare, white wall. "You'll be working with that."
Naruko nodded, and walked over slowly. "So, do I do anything in particular?" She chuckled. "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous and I haven't really had much experience…"
"Don't worry, its fine," Masanori smiled, walking over towards all of his camera equipment. "You've got to start somewhere, right?"
"Yeah, right," Naruko agreed, sitting down awkwardly. Shifting nervously, she decided she would sit with her legs crossed. She fumbled with the hem of her dress before looking up at Masanori, who was already positioned behind the camera.
Looking up at her, he gave her a comforting smile. "Just act sexy, but classy." He furrowed his brow in thought. "Just think about if you were a boy, what would you want to see?"
Naruko almost laughed, but just responded with a curt nod. Uncrossing her legs, she got into the position she'd knew would entice almost every straight male. Leaning forward slightly, she as modestly as possible showed a bit of cleavage, and craned her neck a bit, making her look more elegant. Then, slowly, she looked intently at the camera, her bright eyes fierce. Opening her mouth slightly, she finally stopped adjusting, and waiting for the camera to start clicking. However, instead of clicking, she heard a string of curse words and a loud thud. Akira had fainted. Peeking out from behind his camera, Masanori wiped his bloody nose.
"You're a natural." Finally the camera started flashing. "And you're fucking gorgeous."
Naruko couldn't help but feel a little proud. Maybe modeling wouldn't be so bad after all.
