Chapter 6: Fate is Surprisingly Close at Hand

A few days had passed since the photo session at Shinomiya-san’s house.

Even though it had ended with the unexpected encounter with her older sister, I still considered the shoot itself a resounding success. The proof was in the pudding: the poses and expressions she made as she stripped off her uniform piece by piece were so natural, you never would have guessed it was only her fourth time in front of a camera. She honestly looked like she could debut as a model right this second and immediately shoot to the top of the industry.

I also checked the video file I had secretly recorded of her from inside the closet. However, overwhelmed by the deeply immoral sensation that I had witnessed something I was never meant to see, I told Shinomiya-san, "I couldn't capture it very well," and permanently sealed the data in the deepest, darkest depths of my hard drive. The only reason I couldn't bring myself to delete it outright was because of my own weak heart.

"Good morning, Anno-kun."

"Morning, Shinomiya-san."

Despite witnessing the fierce rift between her and her sister, Shinomiya-san herself didn't seem to have changed at all. When she arrived at school, she greeted me just like normal, and she chatted merrily with our classmates as if nothing had happened.

The only difference was that we no longer immediately scheduled our next photo session the way we used to.

The fact that a fourth shoot hadn't been scheduled likely meant our relationship—one built entirely on blackmail—had come to an end. It was supposed to be a moment of relief. And yet...

"Please... don't take anything else precious from me!"

The image of Shinomiya-san’s face, crying out in sheer heartbreak, refused to leave my mind. Why had she said all that to her sister? For the past few days, I had been endlessly pondering a question that had no answer.

"Takumi, come with me for a sec."

It was after school. Just as I finished packing my bag and was about to head home, Arata approached me. He wore a rare, dangerously serious expression, and spoke in an equally rare, no-nonsense tone.

"...If this is about Shinomiya-san again, I'm passing."

"Yeah, it is. So shut up and follow me."

Faced with Arata's overwhelmingly serious demeanor, I didn't ask any further questions and simply followed him out of the classroom.

Incidentally, the female student who sat next to me had packed up and left without a single word the moment homeroom ended. In fact, ever since the shoot at her house, beyond a light greeting in the morning and afternoon, she had stopped talking to me entirely. Naturally, her teasing had stopped as well.

"Look, Takumi. I'm going to ask you straight up. Something happened between you and Shinomiya-san, didn't it?"

He brought me up to the roof, the very place where I usually held my secret meetings during lunch. It was a shame that the person I was watching this beautiful, cloudless, orange sunset with wasn't Shinomiya-san.

"How many times is this going to happen? Give it a rest already. Shinomiya-san and I aren't in the kind of relationship you guys are suspiciously fantasizing about, okay?"

"Are you seriously saying that? Everyone knows you and Shinomiya-san are close, man. Don't tell me you hadn't noticed."

"...No comment."

When I averted my eyes and answered, Arata dramatically shrugged his shoulders and let out a massive sigh.

"Did you honestly think nobody saw the two of you spending your lunch breaks up here on the roof sometimes? Did you really think nobody noticed you two whispering secretly to each other in the classroom? Did you think you and Shinomiya-san—"

"Alright! I get it already, so stop talking!"

I quickly waved the white flag under my best friend's intense interrogation. Even though I thought I'd been paying close attention, making contact inside the school building was bound to start rumors eventually.

"Putting you aside for a second, Shinomiya-san naturally stands out. Especially when she's happily skipping up the stairs with a massive smile on her face."

"Well... yeah, that's true."

I instinctively clutched my head. I could vividly picture how cute she must have looked. Please try to hide your emotions at least a little bit, Shinomiya-san.

"And when people see you heading up to the roof right after her, looking around suspiciously like a paranoid criminal? Yeah, literally anyone would figure it out."

Arata then proceeded to bring up our interactions in the classroom. However, no matter how careful we were or how hard we tried to hide it, the classmates sitting directly in front of or next to us were obviously going to notice. It was impossible not to.

"So. You went out of your way to drag me up here after school. What exactly do you want to ask me?"

"I want to scream, 'Obviously I want to know if you two are dating!' But no, that's not it. Anyone who actually looks at Shinomiya-san can tell that isn't the case."

I was surprised. I had fully expected him to grill me about exactly that. But if that wasn't it, why had he gone through the trouble of calling me out here?

"What I... no, what we want to know is why Shinomiya-san is looking so down."

"......"

"Come on, Takumi. You have some idea, don't you? Out of everyone in this school, you're the closest to her."

Arata wasn't angry. If anything, it would be more accurate to say he was bewildered. And this wasn't just a sentiment held by him alone; it was likely the consensus of every Shinomiya Rinoa fan in the entire school.

"Remember when I mentioned a little while back that Shinomiya-san’s vibe had changed? Well, a guy actually went up and asked her about it."

"You mean how her smile got cuter and her allure leveled up? Asking her about that directly... that guy is a real daredevil."

"Tell me about it," Arata chuckled dryly. Asking someone directly about something they had previously denied in public took guts. I wanted to send that guy a plaque with the proverb 'Curiosity killed the cat.'

"What do you think Shinomiya-san said when he asked? She smiled and said, 'Recently, I've been able to learn all sorts of things about myself that I didn't know, and every single day is so much fun.' And as a bonus, the guy said she looked cuter than he'd ever seen her before."

"...I see. That's good."

Hearing that filled me with relief. It meant I had properly fulfilled her wish to "see the self she didn't know."

"Hey, Takumi. Do you realize what kind of face you're making right now? I've never seen you look so damn happy."

Arata let out another heavy sigh and shrugged in exasperation. Were my cheeks really relaxing that much? Unfortunately, I didn't have a mirror on hand, so I had no way to check for myself.

"Never mind me. Based on how you're acting, I'm guessing another guy asked her why she was looking so depressed recently?"

"You're quick on the uptake. Exactly right. And what do you think she said?"

I didn't know. I didn't have the faintest clue why she was so down. Seeing me bite my lip in frustration, Arata didn't bother dragging it out and gave me the answer.

"Even though I know that person has no ulterior motives... I selfishly expected that person would look at me just as I am, no matter how I'm dressed, and got depressed on my own... I'm a terrible woman, aren't I?"

"He said she told him that with a smile that looked like she was about to burst into tears. I figured you, of all people, might know what those words mean."

"...Yeah. I know."

The thoughts I had expressed when I saw the clothes Shinomiya-san wore were not lies. I just had no idea that my reaction had ended up hurting her. Unless someone tells you, you'll never know.

"Hey, Arata. Do you know anything about Shinomiya-san's older sister?"

"You mean the active top model, Shinomiya Alice? Of course I know her. Though... it doesn't really seem like the sisters get along very well."

"I knew it..."

"I forget exactly when, but some idiot actually brought one of her magazines to school. I heard that Shinomiya-san, who had been chatting with a smile just a moment before, instantly clouded over and told him, 'Please don't talk about my sister.'"

And yet, it didn't feel like she actually hated her sister. If anything, it felt closer to an inferiority complex. Could this be the reason Shinomiya-san had said she wanted to "see the self she didn't know"...?

"Well, whatever the case is, the point is that you're the only one who can cheer her up! As the president of the Shinomiya Rinoa Fan Club, it pisses me off to no end, but... I'm leaving her in your hands, Takumi!"

"...Since when did you become such a big shot?"

"What do you mean 'since when'? I've been the president from the very beginning. I'm the one who founded the fan club, after all."

I was rendered completely speechless by the unexpected revelation of my best friend's position and the shocking truth of his involvement. And, of course, I was speechless out of sheer exasperation, not surprise.

"You do realize this whole incident only blew over smoothly because I pulled strings behind the scenes, right? If I hadn't stepped in and stopped people, who knows what kind of chaos would have broken out by now..."

"Hahaha... you really saved my neck, President."

"So with that being said, go make up with her or whatever it is you need to do! And bring back her bright, smiling face! Got it!?"

"Thanks for everything, Arata."

I was glad to have Arata as a friend. Thinking that from the bottom of my heart, I began to devise a plan to repair my relationship with Shinomiya-san.

How to fix my relationship with Shinomiya-san? The answer to that was simple—or rather, there was only one way to do it. All I had to do was contact her and set up a date. However, completely separate from that, I still had prior commitments I needed to attend to.

"Hello..."

"Welcome!! I was waiting for you, Takumi!"

The moment I opened the door, a woman with a massive grin plastered across her face leaped at me. Although it was a complete surprise attack, I was already used to it. Knowing this was going to happen, I planted my feet firmly and caught her squarely in my arms.

"Ufufu. Thank you for catching me so securely, Takumi."

"I tell you this every time, but please stop lunging at me the second I walk in, Yuzuha-san. It's terrible for my heart in more ways than one."

"And I tell you this every time, but it's entirely your fault for being so incredibly cute! When are you finally going to move in with me?"

Pressing her chest tightly against mine and rubbing her cheek affectionately against my shoulder, this beautiful woman was once again proposing cohabitation to a perfectly healthy, wholesome high school boy for what felt like the millionth time.

If you isolated this exact moment, she'd seem like an unbelievably crazy person. However, she was currently a celebrity so famous that there wasn't a single soul in the cosplay community who didn't know her name.

Her total follower count across social media exceeded half a million, and recently, utilizing the piano and vocal lessons she had taken since childhood, she had even performed the ending theme song for an anime. She was an absolute star in the scene.

Her cosplay handle was 'Yuzuha,' and her real name was Yuzuriha Yuki.

Her sparkling, flaxen hair was cleanly cut at the shoulders. Her vertically wide eyes and sharp outer corners contained a perfect blend of strong will and sheer adorableness. With her straight nose bridge and a beautiful, elegant face that hardly seemed human, calling her a goddess walking among mortals would be no exaggeration. Furthermore, her waist was tightly cinched while her curves flared out in all the right places; her figure was genuinely awe-inspiring.

Being hugged by a woman like this, and having her refreshing, citrusy scent waft directly into my nose, was enough to blow any normal person's rational mind to smithereens. But, as expected, I was already used to it.

"First of all, Takumi. I say this every time as well, but didn't I tell you that when we aren't shooting, you should call me 'Yuki-san,' with all your deepest respect, affection, and burning passion, instead of 'Yuzuha'?"

She placed both hands on my shoulders and stared intently at me with a deadly serious expression, asking an incredibly stupid question. Why won't you call me by my name?

"Managing a cosplayer's mental state is part of the photographer's job, isn't it? Come on, hurry up! ASAP! If you don't call my name, today's shoot is going to be a total bust, you know? Are you okay with that?"

A photographer doesn't have any job like that, I retorted in my head. However, I couldn't just leave Yuzuha-san hanging when she got like this. Eventually, she would start stamping her feet, and inevitably throw a tantrum and go sulk on the sofa. This wasn't a guess. It was a guaranteed future based entirely on past experience.

"Sigh... I've told you over and over again, Yuki-san, I can't move in with you. At the very least, not until I graduate from high school..."

"Ehhh!? You shouldn't worry about all those little details! You're basically living by yourself right now anyway, so your parents would definitely feel much safer if you were living with someone! Honestly, I could just call Takumi's mother and father myself and—"

Crap. Yuzuha-san's eyes were completely bloodshot. She was breathing heavily through her nose, and at this rate, I had no idea what she might do. Someone, please help me.

"—Alright! Stop right there, Yuki-chan. You're getting way too worked up just because your darling Takkun is finally photographing you again after so long."

"Have a little self-restraint," the person who delivered a merciless karate chop to the top of Yuzuha-san's head, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, and peeled her off me was Uezu-san, the manager of 'Emocion.'

"...What do you think you're doing, Uezu-san? I am right in the middle of a very important conversation with Takumi right now. Could you please not interrupt us?"

"Too bad, darling! As long as my eyes are open, I absolutely will not permit any unwholesome heterosexual mingling inside my shop. If you still insist on making eyes at Takkun, you'd best prepare yourself to be permanently banned from the premises."

Yuzuha-san gnashed her teeth in frustration, letting out a frustrated groan at Manager Uezu, who was standing there looking incredibly smug and self-important.

"You've hugged him enough to fully replenish your Takkun levels for the day, haven't you? Then hurry up, go get changed, and prep for the shoot."

"Sigh... Understood. Alright, Takumi. I'll be right back, so wait right here for me, okay?"

"See you in a bit. I'll get my equipment set up in the meantime."

"...Can I just give you one last hug before I go?"

"...Yuki-chan?"

Thanks to the intense, demonic pressure radiating from the manager standing directly behind her, the second hug was thwarted, and my purity was successfully defended. Letting out a long sigh, I took my gear out of the suitcase and began preparing for the shoot.

By the way, I was currently standing inside the photography studio operated by Manager Uezu. Unlike the simple setup they had on the second floor of the retail store, this studio was fully equipped with elaborate sets, allowing for shoots that perfectly matched whatever situation you were trying to envision.

And today's goal was to create a photobook to sell at the massive doujinshi convention taking place this summer. Apparently, she planned to release two new books: one for a copyrighted cosplay and another for an original concept. However, due to her immense popularity, Yuzuha-san was constantly being dragged to various events, meaning we had to get the photography done whenever she had free time. From my perspective, this was extremely helpful since it meant I wouldn't be backed into a corner doing all-nighters to edit photos right before the deadline.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Takumi!"

Yuzuha-san emerged from the dressing room with a confident smile. Her outfit was the school uniform of the foreign heroine from an incredibly popular light novel that had recently received an anime adaptation. The character's hair, a color contrasting her own flaxen blonde, was perfectly replicated with a high-quality wig. Combined with her immaculate makeup, it genuinely looked like the character had leaped straight out of the 2D world. It was a replication so utterly flawless that I instinctively held my breath.

"It's been a while since I've cosplayed a high school girl character. How do I look?"

"Well... I think it suits you incredibly well. If nothing else, I'm just glad we don't go to the same high school."

"Hmm? What exactly does that mean? I'd love to hear you explain that in detail."

Perhaps unsatisfied with my impression, Yuzuha-san leaned her body closer to mine, pressing me for an answer. She puffed out her cheeks in a pout, looking so devastatingly cute that I couldn't bear to look her directly in the eyes.

"I-I meant exactly what I said. If a girl this cute went to my school and was in my class, I seriously doubt I'd be able to focus on the lessons."

Though school life would definitely be a lot more fun to make up for it, I added in my head. If someone were to become classmates with a peerless beauty of this magnitude, it would be even worse. If she ended up sitting next to me, I'd undoubtedly become the target of intense resentment from both the boys and the girls.

"So, in other words, you wouldn't be able to take your eyes off me, and that would be a huge problem? Geez, Takumi, you really do love me, don't you. Do you want to start living together starting today?"

With a deadly serious gaze, Yuzuha-san tightly grasped my hand, wrapping both of hers around it. It felt exactly like I was being proposed to, and my heart gave a massive leap.

"I might not look it, but I actually earn quite a good living! I have more than enough money to comfortably support someone like Takumi, you know. So you can relax!"

"T-That's not exactly what I'm worried about here..."

"Ah! Does that mean you want to become an independent, self-reliant adult? I think you're perfectly independent already, Takumi! Or maybe you want to be the one to support the person you love with your own strength? Oh my gosh... you're seriously so cool."

With a dreamy, enraptured expression, Yuzuha-san began twisting her body happily. I shouldn't even have to say this, but I hadn't said any of those things. All of this was her own wild delusion. I definitely wasn't that noble of a guy.

"Good grief. I take my eyes off you for one second and you pull this... Aren't you doting on Takkun a bit too much, sweetie?"

The person who saved me from my utter bewilderment yet again was Manager Uezu, who had progressed far past worry into sheer exasperation. Thank goodness, now I can escape.

"What are you talking about, Manager? You don't just stumble across a guy like Takumi every day, you know?"

"Well... I suppose you have a point there."

Please strongly deny that part, Manager. I wasn't that spectacular of a guy. More importantly, Yuzuha-san was hugging me incredibly tight again, so I really wanted them to stop chatting and help me already.

"You never know when or where some hawk might swoop in and snatch him away! That's why I need to be the one to protect him...!"

"But you know, Yuki-chan. Too much of a good thing is bad for you, right? Sometimes you have to let the bird out of its cage. Besides, shouldn't Takkun's talent be shared with more people?"

"I know that, but it's far too early for that! At the very least, he needs to wait until we start dating with marriage in mind...!"

"...My, my. This is a severe case."

Manager Uezu let out an enormous sigh. Please don't give up. If you give up, who on earth is going to fix this situation? We're never going to start the shoot at this rate.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. I'll share a very special piece of information with you, Yuki-chan. Takkun has been doing private shoots with a girl who isn't you. And she's a very, very cute girl, too."

"Manager───────!? Didn't I specifically tell you to keep that a secret from Yuzuha-san!? Why are you exposing me!?"

"...What is the meaning of this, Takumi?"

All the color drained from Yuzuha-san’s face. It would have been better if she got angry or radiated bloodlust. The complete absence of emotion was the most terrifying thing of all.

"Her name is Shinomiya Rinoa-chan. She possesses a beauty that rivals even yours, Yuki-chan. If he's having a one-on-one private photo session with a classmate that cute... well, it wouldn't be strange if something happened between them, now would it?"

Manager Uezu flashed a deeply wicked, teasing grin as he spoke. Yuzuha-san's mood deteriorated at an accelerating pace. At this rate, I was going to be strangled to death.

"Just so we're clear, absolutely nothing happened between me and Shinomiya-san, okay!? Please believe me, Yuki-san!"

"I was so careless. I always knew a day like this might come, but to think it would happen so soon...! If I knew this was going to happen, I should have forcefully locked him up in my house."

Tragically, my words did not reach her. Biting her lip in deep frustration, Yuzuha-san began muttering highly disturbing things under her breath. Pretty sure society calls that 'confinement,' I retorted in my mind.

"First of all, if something was going to happen between me and Shinomiya-san, you would have taken my chastity a long time ago, Yuki-san..."

"Ahahahaha! Takkun is exactly right! If he was the type to lay his hands on Rinoa-chan, he'd already be in a deeply corrupted, steamy relationship with you, Yuki-chan!"

"I'm really sorry to ask this, but could you please stay quiet for a second, Manager!?"

The person I thought was my reliable ally turned out to be my greatest enemy. Please turn off friendly fire.

"I suppose it's not too late. Takumi's first time will be mine—wait a minute. Who did you say he was doing a private shoot with?"

"Shinomiya Rinoa-san. We aren't dating or anything like that, okay? She's just a classmate who sits next to me!"

"...Hey, Takumi. This girl, Rinoa-chan... she wouldn't happen to be Shinomiya Alice's little sister, would she?"

Yuzuha-san's expression completely flipped, becoming deeply serious as she asked. Now that she mentioned it, Yuzuha-san had told me she was Alice's senior in college. The world was a much smaller place than I thought.

"Yeah, that's her. She looks a lot like her older sister, she's incredibly beautiful and cute. Yuki-san, you've known Shinomiya Alice-san since college, right?"

Looking slightly displeased at my question, Yuzuha-san answered.

"Yes, I do. We've even cosplayed together a few times. To think that Takumi and Alice's little sister actually knew each other. Fate works in funny ways."

"Do you know anything about Shinomiya-san?"

"Not enough to say I truly know her. When we were in college, Alice used to talk about how much she loved her little sister, but she was always so sad because she could rarely go back to her parents' house to see her."

"She couldn't go home? Even though it's her own house?"

Then that meant the time Alice bumped into us was carefully planned for when her parents weren't around. But looking at Shinomiya-san's reaction, it seemed like she didn't think very highly of her sister. And yet her sister loved her, but couldn't go home. Yeah, I wasn't following this story at all.

"That's a very delicate topic, so I can't just blab about it casually. More importantly! That's enough chit-chat, it's time to start the shoot! Let's not forget that time is limited here, alright?"

"You're right. We can talk about the details after we're done. Takumi, I'm counting on you again today."

"...Understood. Leave it to me."

I took a deep breath and shifted my mindset. I was curious about the Shinomiya sisters, but first, I needed to focus every ounce of my attention on the Yuzuha-san standing right in front of me.

"Sigh... Takumi really is the only photographer for me. Private shoots are the best. You don't have to deal with too many people, so you can just relax and focus on the photography."

After all the shooting had wrapped up, Yuzuha-san changed back into her everyday clothes—a casual pair of pants—and lounged on the sofa, melting into the cushions like a liquid cat.

"Great work today, Yuki-chan. Doing four different outfits in a single day is pushing it pretty hard, don't you think?"

"If I just sit around doing nothing, summer is going to be here before I know it. I have to get it done while I still can. I know it's a huge burden on you and Takumi, Manager, and I really am sorry."

"I don't think it's a burden at all. Being able to photograph all these different sides of Yuzuha-san makes me grateful, if anything."

There were thousands upon thousands of photographers in this community who desperately wanted to take pictures of Yuzuha-san. If she attended an event, a massive mountain of people would form around her. If you wanted to join one of her photo sessions, you had to fight through an incredibly fierce battle just to secure one of the highly limited slots.

Being able to do frequent one-on-one private shoots with someone like her, and even being entrusted with creating her photobook, was the highest form of happiness any photographer could ever ask for.

"May I interpret that as an indirect confession of love?"

"Of course you can't."

Before I even noticed she had recovered her energy, Yuzuha-san hugged me tightly from behind. I really wished she'd stop clinging to me and proposing marriage every single time she found an opening. Work was never going to progress at this rate.

"Honestly, as always, these photos are all so fantastic. Doesn't that make the selection process incredibly difficult, Takkun?"

"It's true that every single one of Yuzuha-san's photos is wonderful. But... I actually love this process. The time I spend searching through them all to find that one perfect, ultimate shot."

To capture a momentary spark of beauty and record it for eternity. The sheer joy of finding that specific photo among the massive pile I had taken was an irreplaceable feeling. If I had to describe it, it felt exactly like finding your destined soulmate.

"Sigh... Takkun, you really are a sinful man. You absolutely must not show that face to other people so carelessly, understand? You'll just end up multiplying the number of victims who end up exactly like Yuki-chan."

"Manager Uezu is completely right, Takumi. You absolutely cannot make that face at anyone but me! Even if the other person is Alice-chan's little sister!"

"That reminds me. What exactly did Alice-san say about Shinomiya-san—I mean, Rinoa-san?"

"Ah, the little sister. Alice completely and utterly doted on her. To the point where she literally said, 'Now I know what people mean when they say they love someone so much it wouldn't hurt to put them in their eye.'"

According to her, Yuzuha-san met Alice about five years ago. They ended up in the same seminar during college, Alice spoke to her, and they immediately hit it off.

"Alice is... well, innocent and energetic? Like freedom itself took on a human form. You could say she's like the sun."

At school, Shinomiya-san was always at the center of the crowd, but she never truly opened her heart to anyone. A quiet stillness hidden beneath a bright smile. As I thought, if the older sister was the sun, the younger sister was the moon.

"Thanks to that, I got dragged all over the place, and it was a total nightmare. Though, thanks to Alice, I ended up becoming a cosplayer."

"Huh? Alice-san is the reason you started cosplaying, Yuzuha-san?"

"Yeah, that's right. I was always interested in it, but back then, I was really bad at interacting with people—or rather, I just didn't like it. So I could never take that final step. Alice was the one who grabbed my hand and pulled me forward."

Yuzuha-san told me that Alice was also the one who taught her how to post on social media and build her brand. After one of her photos went viral and she instantly joined the ranks of the top cosplayers, she ended up meeting me.

Meanwhile, Alice was scouted as a model while still in college, and she too was steadily climbing the stairs to stardom.

"So it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I only met you because of Alice."

"Is that so..."

I was surprised by the unexpected connection. The fact that I was currently able to photograph Yuzuha-san was all thanks to Alice-san. You really never know where or when the threads of fate connect.

"Anyway, about her little sister. Alice told me she loved Rinoa-chan so much she couldn't stand it. Apparently, they were so close they used to sleep in the same bed together right up until Alice left for college."

"...Are you serious?"

When she bumped into her sister, Shinomiya-san's words carried so much intense pressure, and she literally screamed, 'Get out of my room!' Were they really that close in the past?

"Alice said that the cause of the rift was entirely her own fault, but she ultimately never told me any more than that. And that's it! That's the end of everything I know about the Shinomiya sisters! Was that helpful?"

"...Yeah, thank you."

The reason she wanted to see the self she didn't know. The reason she wore the exact same clothes her sister wore in the magazine. I felt like I was finally starting to understand those reasons.

"Well, it's a very delicate situation. If you're going to step into it, you'd better be fully prepared."

"I know. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility."

"Responsibility!? Hold on a second, Takumi! Just what exactly are you planning to do!?"

Yuzuha-san grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently back and forth. I had just re-evaluated her and decided she was a dependable person, but she ruined it in less than a second.

"I-I'm not going to do anything weird!? More importantly, Yuzuha-san. Before we wrap up, can I ask you one last thing?"

"Will you swear? Can you swear to me that you absolutely won't do anything sexual with her? If you can promise me that, I'll answer absolutely anything you want—except my three sizes."

"I swear, but I wasn't going to ask anything like that anyway. What I want to know is what triggered you to start cosplaying... or rather, why someone who didn't like interacting with people is still doing a job that involves the exact opposite."

Even if Alice-san was the catalyst, wasn't it difficult for her to keep going?

"I've never really thought about it that deeply, but... let's see. If I had to say, it's probably because I can express myself the best when I'm doing this job."

An indoor-loving person who preferred to laze around the house on days she didn't have shoots. Her bright, energetic persona as 'Yuzuha.' Both of them were the real her, but Yuzuha-san told me that the moment a camera was pointed at her, she could forget everything else and just be herself.

"How the 'me' reflecting through the lens appears to you, Takumi. Isn't that the answer?"

Those words struck me like lightning. Shinomiya-san's inner heart—her true feelings—all I had to do was listen to them through the lens. Realizing this, I thanked Yuzuha-san from the absolute bottom of my heart.

"By the way, Takumi. Are you free after this? If you'd like, do you want to come over to my place and have dinner? Though we'd just be ordering delivery."

"No, I couldn't possibly ask you to go that far... Plus, I need to go home and edit these photos."

I really, really wanted to go to an after-party following a successful shoot, and as a teenage boy, it was an incredibly happy proposition, but I politely declined. Going to her house definitely crossed the line of appropriate distance between a cosplayer and her photographer. Not to mention, if someone posted on social media that the famous Yuzuha-san was bringing a man into her home, she would get flamed with 120% certainty. I had to avoid that no matter what.

"You're so cold... Even though your big sister is offering to keep you company. Don't you get lonely living all by yourself?"

"I'm fine. I've been alone for a long time, so I'm really not lonely at all."

"...If you say so. Well, if anything ever happens, you make sure to rely on your big sister! I'll spoil you rotten!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll count on you if that time comes."

If I let Yuzuha-san spoil me even once, I would definitely turn into a useless human being, so I absolutely could not allow that. It was guaranteed to corrupt me in a completely different way than Shinomiya-san did.

We ended the private session with a bit of trivial banter.

I returned home, wondering how I should phrase my message to Shinomiya-san, when my phone suddenly rang with a call from an unknown number. Feeling suspicious, I answered it, only to hear—

"Hello? Is this Anno Takumi-kun? It's Shinomiya Alice."

"I was wondering if the two of us could meet up and talk for a bit right now... is that okay?"

It was Shinomiya-san's older sister, Alice-san.

"I'm so sorry for calling you out here so suddenly, Anno-kun. Is this time of night okay for you?"

It was just past 9:00 PM. I had been called out by Alice-san and was currently sitting in a coffee shop near the station.

"It's fine. My parents are working overseas, so I'm the only one home."

I ordered an iced coffee as I spoke.

To be completely honest, my sheer exhaustion from a full day of shooting was a much bigger issue than the time, but bringing that up would just be tactless. Rather, since I had actually wanted to talk to Alice-san myself, I whipped my exhausted body and dragged myself out here.

"I see. Yuki-chan told me, but you really do live all by yourself. You're still in high school, but you've got your act together so well."

Alice-san smiled at me. The innocent, pure energy she had when I first met her at the house was completely gone, replaced by a quiet stillness that felt exactly like the Shinomiya-san I knew at school. Trying not to be captivated by her atmosphere, I took a deep breath and immediately cut to the chase.

"Why did you call me out here, Shinomiya-san?"

"You can just call me Alice. If you say Shinomiya-san, you won't know whether you're talking about me or Rinoa, right?"

Shinomiya-san isn't here right now, so it shouldn't matter, I almost retorted, but the silent pressure radiating from her smile forced me to swallow my words.

"The reason I asked you to come, Anno-kun, is because I wanted to ask you about Rinoa. I wanted you to tell me what she's like at school. I actually forced Yuki-chan to give me your contact info!"

"...Excuse me?"

What the hell are you doing, Yuzuha-san? Please do not leak my personal information to other people without my consent.

"No, I mean, come on! Ever since I left home, I haven't had a single chance to talk to Rinoa?! That girl holds an incredibly, massively deep grudge against me, so she blocked me on absolutely every single method of contact..."

Alice-san's eyes filled with tears and her shoulders slumped. If she was that worried about her little sister, she could just go talk to her in person, but at the same time, I couldn't help but be shocked by the sheer thoroughness of Shinomiya-san's rejection of Alice-san.

"That's why asking you is the only way I can possibly learn anything about high school-girl Rinoa!"

"Alright! I understand, so please stop crying! I'll tell you whatever I can about Shinomiya-san, so just calm down first!"

"Ugh... sniffs... thank you, Anno-kun. Is it okay if I start calling you Takkun from today on? I'm not taking no for an answer."

"...Do whatever you want."

I take back what I said earlier. The only thing this person shared with Shinomiya-san was her general atmosphere. On the inside, they were about 540 degrees different. Feeling a slight twinge of regret that coming here might have been a mistake, I let out a heavy sigh.

"If I had to describe Shinomiya-san at school in one word... she's an ultra-popular girl who even has her own fan club."

"A fan club!? Well, for my adorable Rinoa, that's practically a given! Ah, but wait, doesn't that mean there are tons of creepy bugs trying to swarm around her...!?"

"Don't worry. Shinomiya-san is constantly surrounded by guys who act like her personal attendants—or rather, her self-proclaimed knights. Thanks to them, no bad bugs can even get close."

I took off my metaphorical hat to Alice-san's sharp intuition.

"Plus, now that Takkun is there, I can feel even safer!"

"Thanks, I guess..."

"But honestly, I was super surprised when I bumped into you in Rinoa's room. She has never, not once in her entire life, brought a boy into her house before. Why were you there?"

Naturally, the conversation was going to lead there. Trying to awkwardly cover it up would be a bad move. I decided to be completely honest.

"Shinomiya-san asked me to. She wanted me to take pictures of her."

"Rinoa asked you to do that!? She never had any interest in photography before, why...?"

"Because she 'wanted to see the self she didn't know.' That's what she said. I also wanted to capture a side of Shinomiya Rinoa that not even she herself knew existed, so I accepted."

Though I kept it a secret from Yuzuha-san, obviously, I added. Alice-san's eyes widened in sheer surprise. Even if she hadn't secured my weakness through her own blackmail, I probably would have accepted her request anyway if she had just asked.

"The self she didn't know... I suppose the fact that Rinoa started saying things like that might actually be my fault..."

"Why is it your fault, Alice-san? Also, I heard from Yuzuha-san that you and Shinomiya-san used to be really close when you were younger. Why did things end up like this...?"

"I told you Rinoa holds a grudge against me, right? The reason for that is... I couldn't endure the expectations and strict control of our parents, so I ran away from home."

Lowering her eyebrows, Alice-san looked deeply apologetic—though to whom, I couldn't be sure—as she slowly began to piece together the story of why their sisterly relationship was damaged beyond repair. By the time she finished, the ice in my iced coffee had completely melted.

"—So because of that, I'm absolutely certain Rinoa will never forgive me for running away. Because I was too weak and ran away from those people, Rinoa ended up having to carry the entire burden all by herself."

Alice-san's final words were entirely devoid of strength. Her beloved little sister might be suffering because of her actions. Yet, as someone who ran away and was living freely, she felt she had no right to offer her any words of encouragement.

"This is just my own selfish guess, but... I don't think Shinomiya-san actually hates you at all, Alice-san."

"...Why do you think that?"

"Because if she truly hated you, she wouldn't buy and collect all the magazines you're featured in. And most importantly, she wouldn't try wearing the exact same clothes you wore."

The reason Shinomiya-san chose that specific outfit during our third shoot. If we could understand the true meaning behind it, then even if things couldn't return perfectly to how they used to be, maybe we could bridge the gap between them just a little bit.

"You think so...? If that's true, I'd be really happy..."

A faint glimmer of light returned to her clouded expression. Seeing that, I let out a sigh of relief and firmly resolved to do what I could.

"I can't say something irresponsible like 'leave it to me.' However, I do plan on photographing Shinomiya-san one more time."

I would make Shinomiya-san bare the emotions she kept hidden deep within her heart. That would undoubtedly lead her to finding the "self she didn't know" that she desired so badly.

"Thank you... I'll leave it in your hands, Takkun. Please take care of Rinoa for me."

Immediately after my secret meeting with Alice-san ended, I sent Shinomiya-san a single text message. The contents were brief.

"Would you like to do another photo session?"

Her reply was instantaneous.