Noriko frowned. That earned her yet another smirk from Kuri who was having way, way too much fun.

What am I even doing here?

Being photographed was what she was doing. Being photographed and making whoever worked with this kind of silly thing throw her stares of despair.

I didn’t ask for this.

And it was all Kuri’s fault. Earlier, just after Noriko barely had time to send Urufu a message saying she was going to be away for a short while, she wondered if this was some kind of retaliation for taking Urufu for herself. In the end it turned out Kuri was just lonely and sulking because yet another of her promised free days turned into a working session.

It was still Kuri’s fault. She decided being clad in spring clothes outdoors in January was a proper line of work. Noriko hadn’t, so why was she here transforming into an icicle when she could have snuggled closer to Urufu in a shared twosome free from prying eyes? Because Kuri didn’t want to be alone was why. Which, if any gods still didn’t get the unfairness of it all, made it Kuri’s fault.

And I thought models had to be tall. Must mean I’m here as some kind of comic sidekick to Kuri’s beauty. That thought popped into Noriko’s mind just as a new series of photos were being taken, and the unsurprising result was yet another delivery of groans and looks of despair. And I probably won’t even get paid for this. Sucks to be me! Other girls might jump at the chance to play model for a few hours, but Noriko wasn’t other girls.

An icy tendril of wind found itself inside whatever flimsiness made a poor attempt at pretending tom be a school uniform. Whoever came up with this idiocy? School uniforms were designed to last three years if the owner didn’t grow. The joke Noriko wore right now wouldn’t have survived a single trimester, not even the short winter one.

That was her other gripe as well. It might look like a winter uniform, but in reality it played the role of a shoddy summer one. Maybe it looked better for taking idiot photos, but it was cold, cold, cold to wear. By now Noriko was certain its only purpose was to make her skin take on a colour better matching the sad excuse for a uniform; which meant a bluish tint that signalled freezing to death rather than whatever cuteness the people here were after.

When the next icy gust of wind hit her Noriko decided to get a grip on her personal universe. She lifted her head and met Kuri’s crew face to face. The reward was an approving nod from the photographer and then Noriko’s world filled with an endless smattering as he threw his camera to his face and started moving in circles around her.

“Good! One step forward! Like that! Lean right! Good!”

Noriko did as told. The instructions were easy enough to follow.

“Finally! We could use this,” someone in the background said.

Noriko didn’t listen. She just did whatever the photographer told her. It was almost like being lulled to sleep.

“Yeah! That’s it! Guess Ageruman-san knew from the beginning after all.” That voice belonged to the only female in the crew.

Noriko wasn’t sure what it was that Kuri knew, and it really didn’t matter. The fewer mistakes Noriko made the sooner she’d get away from here and the more time she could spend with Urufu. Preferably alone with Urufu. She still hadn’t forgiven Kuri for sabotaging their date.

After what seemed to be successful shots Noriko finally got to take a seat where she could enjoy the divine luxury of a heavy coat and a paper mug with steaming tea. Freezing to death apparently made you re-evaluate the concept of luxury.

“Kuri, are we done yet,” she complained to the chair to her left.

Tall blonde just smiled and shook her head. Just like Noriko Kuri was draped in a coat, and she also nursed a mug with something warm.

“No joking. You crashed a perfectly good date for me.” Noriko felt she deserved the right to sulk. She was probably pouting as well, but right now she didn’t care. Urufu was somewhere else. Hopefully he did his share of sulking, but she wasn’t certain. When faced with a problem he couldn’t solve he tended to dig up another one instead.

“They promised me the rest of the trip off, but they broke that promise.” Kuri managed to look a little ashamed. “I wanted someone to share the misery with.” A short pause followed during which both of them sipped some tea. “I’m sorry.” And then another spell of silence. “I want to be with Ryu as well.”

Noriko felt a thin smile stretch over her face. Anyone wanting to spend extra time with her idiot bro needed their brain examined. She also knew there were hordes of girls in dire need of such an examination. “You’ve got horrible taste in men,” Noriko tried. It wasn’t entirely true, but Ryu had been such a pest all autumn.

“We both do,” Kuri retorted, but there was no malice in her voice.

It hurt a little. Those words sounded like Kuri regretted ever being with Urufu. Still, Noriko understood that wasn’t what she meant. “Urufu is a great man,” Noriko said. Not that he needed any defending from her side, but it was a matter of loyalty if nothing else.

Kuri emptied her mug and made ready to continue the shoot. Coat left on her chair and clad in ludicrous flimsiness never meant for January she stood up and took a few steps in the direction the crew beckoned. Then she halted and turned. “He’s a great boy.”

Noriko let her own coat drop and followed Kuri into the freezing winter. For once she both understood and agreed. In ways Urufu was very much a boy and not a grown man. Fifty years didn’t matter. Fifty years from now that would probably still hold true.

***

What the? Noriko stared at her phone. There were pictures of her face glaring back at her from the screen. How did they? “Kuri, what’s going on?”

Kuri turned and leaned over Noriko’s phone. “Ah, they’re live now.”

Live? “Isn’t this for a magazine?”

Kuri shook her head. “They’d never agree I bring you for a shoot like that. Way too expensive. This is for some kind of on-line gig.”

That made more sense than Noriko wanted to admit. Just looking around her confirmed what Kuri had just said. While indoors this was nothing like a proper make-up studio. A few hastily thrown together foldable chairs, a rig with industrial lightning, an almost clean tarpaulin to walk on and a closed off part of a shopping mall as background. That was their studio.

“Fine, you don’t need professionals, but what’s with me getting photos from my classmates?”

This time she got a smirk before Kuri said anything. “Had to call our teachers or else they’d go ballistic when we returned late.”

That also made sense. Those photos hadn’t been sent by any school staff though.

“Guess someone couldn’t keep quiet,” Kuri added.

Things slowly started to make sense in a very bad way. “Everyone in school knows the link to your little fashion show?”

Kuri rose and dragged Noriko to her feet. “Time to work.” She pulled Noriko along her to wherever she wanted them to display some more poorly suited clothes for the season together with a couple of good looking boys who were just as much amateurs as Noriko. “Only the second years,” she added just as the smattering of shutter noise started.

Noriko let out a sigh of relief until what Kuri had said registered. All the second years? That’s the same as the entire school you moron! Cause juniors had senior friends as well as freshmen ones. Like Tomasu and Jeniferu. Jeniferu, gods! She never pulled her stops.

Thinking of that girl gleefully spreading the plague made Noriko do some kind of error she wasn’t aware of. So did one of the boys, and they had to retake the entire shot.

While they were made ready again she threw the display windows around them a glance. There were clothes. While maybe not a perfect fit for Kuri what Noriko saw still suited pretty girls better than herself. There was a world made for those who already looked good. She snorted silently and pushed the thought out of her mind.

The next shot was better, but the approving words that followed it made her remember her own uncertainty. Cute, she knew she got called cute, but pretty and beautiful were words for the likes of Kuri and Hitomi. Sometimes, especially when she was happy, those words could be applied to Kyoko as well. Only Noriko was exempt.

When did being pretty become so important? From when she finally hauled Urufu in was the answer.

“Kuri,” Noriko said half naked between two sets of clothes, “why would being beautiful become more important after?” she asked.

Kuri threw herself into her clothes with the speed of a world class sprinter and began helping Noriko. “After what?” she said zipping up Noriko’s backside.

Noriko fidgeted and pulled another zipper, one for her skirt. “You know, after Urufu… after we...”

“You had sex?” Kuri said deadpan.

“No!”

“So you haven’t?”

“No!”

“Pity.”

“I didn’t mean...”

Kuri giggled and Noriko felt a reassuring hand on her shoulders. “I know.” The hand vanished and Noriko felt herself being pulled outside the miniscule privacy offered by a few flimsy blankets on hangers. “It doesn’t work that way. You tried even before you became a couple, but you didn’t know?”

“Didn’t know?” Knowing could mean so many different things.

“Let’s get this one over with and I’ll explain,” Kuri offered.

There were more shots, and Kuri promised Noriko looked absolutely stunning, and after that they got a decent break, which meant more than a few minutes, for something to eat.

With a tray half full with whatever substituted for food during work like this Noriko glared at Kuri to make her honour her promise.

“What?” Kuri asked. She must have forgotten.

“About Urufu,” Noriko tried and stuffed her mouth full with bread.

“Urufu? Ah, yes.” Kuri swallowed something of her own and stared at her plate. “When Urufu and I still… sorry, before you and Urufu, you know,” Kuri began, and Noriko sent her a grateful thought for changing her words. “You still wanted to look good. Almost everyone does. Thing is,” there was a pause while Kuri looked like she was searching for the right thing to say, “you tried to look good, for your own fantasy,” she finished.

“Fantasy?” Noriko had an idea where this was going, but she still wanted it said.

“Uhum,” Kuri nodded with her moth full of food. She looked like anything but a super model. “You didn’t know what Urufu liked, and when it comes to him it’s, well, it’s more difficult than usual.”

You could say that. Urufu’s taste in clothes was a disaster in its own right. “You mean I imagined an Urufu and tried to dress up for my imagination?”

“Yeah, something like that. Now when you’re together you’re supposed to know him better and you’re guessing what the real him wants.”

The real him. I’ve been in love with several real hims. Which one? “But he’s got horrible taste,” Noriko said. She knew she was changing the subject, but the thought of handling different versions of Urufu made her head spin.

“You know,” Kuri said and smiled. “His taste in girls clothing isn’t all that bad. It’s old fashioned, sure, but he’s got a pretty good eye there. It’s just himself,” Kuri added and shuddered. “I wish he had it as easy as me dressing well.”

Because you really have it easy, and you just had to say it to my face. Noriko sulked, but then resolve built in her. Resolve was good. Resolve was what she had in spades. Resolve, she believed, was part of what Urufu found attractive in her. I’m so going to pump you for everything I need.