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“What do you mean?” asked Maya.
“I mean you need a ‘handle’, something that people will recognize as you in online platforms,” said Karen. She smiled patiently as she explained this, pushing Maya’s smartphone back across the table to her. “Like how we’re @HouseHANA, people know it’s us when they see that. We can’t just use @HANA because Hanayagi-san’s parent companies share a name and it might be confused with some of his other enterprises.”
“Can I use Tendo Maya?”
“I already explained, someone made a fanpage for you and already took the handle @TendoMaya.”
“So someone imitating me stole my name?”
“They’re not trying to be you, they’re just a fan.”
Maya sighed, already frustrated with this process. She tried ‘thisisTendoMaya’ and the name was available. With a small laugh, she decided to keep it, and continued setting up the account.
“Just out of curiosity, what’s Claudine’s account named?” she asked.
“Oh, Claudine got her account in Instagram’s infancy. She has @Claudine.”
“You really think this is the right move?” she asked Karen, as she uploaded one of the photos the staff had sent her as a profile picture.
“Oh, definitely. Great timing too, with the show this weekend.”
It was true, the Eclipse show was that weekend. They had a rehearsal in one of the photo studios in the building that had been transformed to represent the event space that afternoon.
When Maya walked in, she almost laughed. Mahiru had draped half the room in black and half in white. The runway itself down the middle was black and smattered with stars like a night sky. The staff ushering in guests and handing out programs were wearing eclipse-viewing glasses.
“I wonder if this is too much,” Mahiru mused, looking at the staff. “Am I shoving the theme down their throats?”
“Just far enough,” Kaoruko assured her. “Looking great as always.”
The glasses had to be adjusted when the poor visibility caused an usher to run into several chairs during the rehearsal, and an intern was sent to replace the actual eclipse safety lenses with colored film, a tedious, but necessary job before the weekend.
Koharu and the other Seiran models were there, on contract for the next few weeks as extra models for HANA in their fall shows. Maya and Claudine were introduced to Honami Hisame and Minase Suzu, both of whom insisted they use their first names. There were a few other models present as well, but they only had a chance to meet those two - Koharu’s closest friends - so far, as the others were getting oriented or dressed for rehearsals.
Suzu and Hisame looked thrilled with the chance to be working with HANA. During the break, Suzu ran up to Mahiru, apparently a huge fan of the runways she had designed in the past. Mahiru looked surprised by the attention, but chatted animatedly about the upcoming stages.
Hisame, on the other hand, kept an eye out for Nana. “We used to work together, a few years ago,” she said. “She was brilliant.”
Maya resumed rehearsal soon after, participating in final fittings for the couture dresses and some of the more high fashion pieces that Hikari, Kaoruko, and the other top designers had been working on for this season’s shows. Claudine worked beside her, checking her phone often enough that Maya was suspecting something was going on with a close friend or her family. She wanted to ask, but wasn’t sure if they were close enough for that. They had been working and living together for about seven weeks, and spending all their time together had made them much closer than when they began, but Maya was a naturally private person, and it seemed that Claudine didn’t much feel like sharing details of her personal life with Maya, so Maya didn’t pry.
They spent several hours reviewing sound and lighting cues, timing for outfit changes, staging for the models and equipment backstage, and syncing the video that would display behind the stage and on two screens on either side. Mostly, it would be displaying an eclipse video between the models, and camera work zooming in on the details of each outfit while the models were walking.
Maya had watched her mother’s runway shows since she was young, but generally, the runway shows Tendo Yuko directed - those for kimono and other traditional Japanese fashion - were of a very different style. Maya had practiced walking a runway at Souda’s training school, but this would be her debut on a runway. She felt she was doing well, but made sure to have Karen record her walking so she could monitor herself and fix any issues she saw. She also asked Mahiru and Claudine for any pointers.
“You’re doing fine,” Claudine said. “That incredibly rigid posture, and that face you have, where you look too arrogant… it actually works perfectly here. You’re made for runway.”
Mahiru seemed to agree. “Give everyone an extra second to admire before turning back, Maya-san. Otherwise, it looks wonderful.”
Maya stayed in the ‘audience’ to watch Claudine rehearse as well. Despite her hiatus, Claudine walked the runway as if she had never taken a break. “Ah, Mahiru, I’m mostly a print model by trade,” she said, before walking out. But Maya would never have guessed, from the way she walked with confidence, and the slightest hint of sultriness that Maya knew she could never imitate.
The rehearsal went on past dark, and they returned to the apartment late, eating some takeout food mindlessly, but they had the next morning off to recover before the show began.
Maya woke up the next morning to her alarm, checking her notifications on her phone as she remained in bed. Her Instagram account already had 2500 followers. How? she wondered. Who cares that much about me? All she had put up was a selfie from behind the scenes at the Eclipse rehearsal, but apparently that had been enough to prove that this was the ‘real’ Tendo Maya. Karen had done something to apply for a verified account, but she would have to wait for that. She mentally cursed the person who got to @TendoMaya before her, but knew that was her own lack of foresight. She replied to Koharu, who greeted her on the day of the Eclipse show, and then decided to get out of bed.
It was funny how on different days, the apartment could feel completely different. Some days, Maya could see the plants she recently purchased and the sunlight streaming through the windows and think that the mood was very charming and cheery and feel like humming to herself as she prepared some coffee in the mornings. Some days, however, perhaps the sun was hidden behind the clouds or perhaps Maya just wasn’t in the right headspace as she got up, but she swore she could see whatever Claudine saw as she sat on the balcony for hours.
Up on the twelfth floor, there was not much to gaze upon aside from the views of other high-rises and the bay, but Maya had never explicitly asked Claudine what she looked at when she sat out there. Perhaps she was just thinking about various things and not looking at anything at all. Maya preferred to look up. On days when it was cloudy enough that it was possible to look at the sky without blinding herself, Maya liked to look at the clouds, the colors of the sky, and the slow change from day to night. After dark, she liked to look at the stars, the phases of the moon, and pick out constellations and planets when it was the right time to observe them. She was no expert astronomer, but it gave her something to do beyond looking at the never-changing sea and buildings.
She took her coffee, sitting on the towel that eternally sat out on the balcony. She ought to purchase them proper cushions for the balcony, she thought to herself, for all the sitting they did out there. Today was bright, so it was difficult to look at the sky, but instead of looking at the water, like Claudine did, Maya looked instead at the edges of Minato City across the river, the buildings giving her something to focus on. The large white exterior of the Shiki Theater caught her eye, and she remembered going to see plays with her father as a child.
She wondered if her father would be disappointed that she had put her historian career on hold to pursue modeling. Unlike her mother, she had not pursued a path in fashion with ties to history, but rather she had decided instead to pursue the path to ‘The Top’ - mass appeal and high fashion. She put it out of her mind for now - she was about to go into a busy few weeks of runway - it was time to focus.
Maya opened the Instagram account again out of boredom, sipping coffee with her free hand. The messages feature boasted hundreds of unread messages. She opened one. ’Maya-san! I am so happy you’re on SNS! You are my favorite model! I look forward to seeing what you do next!’ Smiling a bit at the message, she opened another. Maya-sama! I adore you~ Please send me a message back, it would mean everything to me!!! Despite the plea, Maya left the message without responding and tried one more. Who are you, going near my Claudine? She clicked on this person’s page, to see if they were someone in the industry, or perhaps a friend of Claudine’s, but the account didn’t have any information, not a picture or a bio written.
“What are you doing?” asked Claudine, standing in the doorway.
“I’m checking the messages on my Instagram… I just got one yesterday.”
“You’re better off not doing that,” Claudine said. “A lot of them are sweet, but the rotten ones will ruin your whole day.”
Maya turned around then, admiring a sleepy Claudine in her pajamas with a coffee mug of her own in her hand. “You don’t read any messages from your fans, Saijou-san?”
“Not a single one.”
Claudine came to sit beside Maya, rather close due to the small size of the towel. It made Maya reconsider getting the cushions, as she rather liked the proximity. “Today’s the day,” said Maya, finishing her coffee. She wasn’t nervous, exactly, but she did feel anticipation, and a desire to establish herself.
“Eclipse…” said Claudine, already looking out at the bay. She managed to focus again, grabbing ahold of Maya’s hand, as if to focus herself. “You’ll do great. Everyone already knows it.”
Maya supposed in some ways, this was higher stakes for Claudine than it was for herself. No one knew of Tendo Maya, so as long as her performance was acceptable, she would get good reviews. For Saijou Claudine, this was a re-emergence. Her performance today would be compared to the Claudine of the past, and everyone would be looking for signs of ‘rust’. “So will you, Saijou-san.”
Claudine smiled a little. “Of course I will. Now let’s get dressed so we can go practice at the actual venue.”
An hour and a half later, they stood beside the stage where they would be walking that evening. Getting to the venue didn’t take much time, as they didn’t bother with hair or makeup, and the whole day would be catered, so they skipped breakfast as well, leaving the house as soon as they had changed from pajamas and gathered their needed possessions.
They reviewed some cues, walked the slightly larger runway, and went over the order another time with one of the managers. Since there were limited models, as the others were walking, they would use the time to quickly change from one outfit to another. Some of these changes were accompanied by changes in hair or makeup, all of which was marked on master lists the stylists and managers held. Mahiru’s voice came through in ear pieces to the staff, and Maya and Claudine were ushered to the dressing room to prepare for their initial look.
From down the hall, Maya could hear arrangements being made in the main room, but the dressing room door was quickly shut to give privacy, and this smaller room became its own hub of activity. Maya’s makeup was applied, her hair half styled, and then she was given permission to eat. She slipped on a robe and sat with Claudine at a small table, along with Koharu, picking at some bentos that had been sent over. Suzu and Hisame sat nearby, enjoying their meal with Nana and Mahiru, though Mahiru looked fairly busy with last minute arrangements and was multitasking while she ate.
In truth, Maya didn’t find herself very hungry, which was rare. She wasn’t sure if it was nervous anticipation of her first runway show, a desire to look in her top form when she slipped into HANA’s stylish clothes, or another reason, but after a few bites of chicken and rice and some fruit from the dessert plate, she was finished. The others seemed to feel the same way. Claudine was staring at her phone, now and then putting an orange slice in her mouth and chewing slowly. She got up midway through to take a call.
“Are you nervous, Maya?” asked Koharu. “It’s your first runway show, and you’re top billed.”
“There’s no billing at a fashion show,” Maya replied, her gaze unable to follow Claudine as she slipped from the room.
“There are Top Models, though,” Koharu said. “And you’re definitely well on your way to being a Top Model, in record time.”
Before Maya could reply, a stylist ushered them back for the rest of their hair and outfits. “Where has Saijou-san gotten to?” she asked, sounding overwhelmed.
“I think she took a call in the hallway. Please, start with the Seiran models, I’ll go get her,” Maya offered.
Quickly, Maya cleaned up the lunch table and walked to the corridor which was surprisingly empty. Taking a guess, she turned away from the stage, moving towards the loading dock at the back of the venue. She cracked the door open and instantly sunlight flooded the dimly lit corridor and she stepped out onto the loading dock, spying Claudine at once, out of place as she sat on the concrete ledge looking on into the Tokyo cityscape.
“The stylists need us again,” she said quietly, noticing that Claudine was no longer on the phone and just sitting and staring, as she was prone to do.
“Of course, let’s go back in,” Claudine said. But even though she said this, she made no motion to stand. Instead, Maya walked out and sat beside her, nearly as close as they had sat that morning, their legs dangling off the ledge meant for trucks to back up to, now devoid of life aside from the two of them.
“What’s going on?” asked Maya.
“My dad is sick,” Claudine said.
Of all the things Maya expected Claudine to say (if she even expected her to answer at all), she did not expect that.
“He’s been sick for a while, but recently was sent to the hospital. I’ve been sending my checks to him and my mom. He’s… going to get a lung transplant I think.” As Claudine finished speaking, she leaned over, resting her head on Maya’s shoulder.
Suddenly, many things made sense to Maya, and many things didn’t. Claudine didn’t want to spend too much on an apartment because she needed to send checks home. Perhaps Claudine even took this contract because she needed a way to make money. Claudine was fine with the same old clothes and convenience store food and few personal possessions in order to save her income to send home. Those things made sense. What didn’t make sense was the huge weight in Maya’s chest. She didn’t intend to care about Claudine this much, let alone her family that she had never met. She didn’t expect Claudine resting her head on Maya’s shoulder would feel so… electric.
Maya exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down. She still hadn’t responded to Claudine, but she wanted to do so carefully. She was Tendo Maya. She feared attachments. They were strings that held her down to earth, keeping her from reaching the Top. And yet, Claudine was the most tempting string she had ever encountered.
Maya knew her limits, and speaking, especially to comfort others was one of them. Instead, she placed her hand over Claudine’s to let her know she was listening, squeezing it gently in sympathy. Claudine didn’t pull her hand or her head away. They sat there for a couple minutes, until they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat in the loading dock doorway.
Straightening up at once, Claudine whipped around with a blush on her cheeks. Maya found it endearing. Waiting for them in the doorway was Futaba, her tablet in her hands as always. “Found them, sending them your way,” she said into her headset.
“Oi Kuroko, what are you doing out here?” she asked, walking closer. “Hey, are you alright?” she said, crouching down as she got closer. “Did something happen?”
Maya ignored the prickle of jealousy she felt from Futaba’s affectionate nickname for Claudine, and the way she asked questions as if she knew more about Claudine’s history than Maya did. Well who’s fault is that? a voice in Maya’s head asked. You’re the one who tries to keep her at arm's length.
“Everything’s fine, Futaba. I’m sorry for running off.” Claudine stood up and went back inside first, leaving Maya standing with Futaba, who she rarely interacted with alone.
“I guess I should go back as well,” said Maya, feeling somewhat uncomfortable standing on the loading dock after being caught with Claudine by Futaba.
The shorter girl smiled at her, in a comforting way. “Don’t worry, Maya,” she said. “I didn’t see a thing.”
An hour later, Maya found herself dressed and her hair and makeup finished. For the initial part of the show, Maya’s hair was pulled back into a slick high ponytail, her makeup done in a way that was heavy on highlights. Strands of glittering hair tinsel had been threaded into her ponytail, and her eyes had been shaded with gold and light brown, a very warm look. She slipped into an exquisite dress of Kaoruko’s personal creation - in fact Kaoruko came to oversee it as it was arranged.
The dress was white, with gold embroidery throughout. Small pearl beads adorned the chest in diamond patterns, with the gold threads surrounding, and the skirt was fitted but layered, trailing behind Maya in a gauzy, ethereal form. The back was laced up tightly to fit Maya’s form closely, and suddenly she was glad for all the days she spent working out, as she felt every curve of her body on display. There were no straps to hold it up, and her shoulders felt bare, though stylists added a necklace and several bracelets. The overall effect was stunning, however, even Maya understood: Hanayagi Kaoruko truly had a talent.
Beside her, Hikari was fussing over Claudine, who was wearing one of her designs first. To keep a blush rising from her cheeks as she thought of their earlier interaction, Maya looked to Hikari, who was wearing a black jumper and black tights with a HANA classic white blouse, her favorite blue beret on her head. She had pins in her mouth, muttering that Claudine had once again changed in size since the previous fitting two days prior.
Maya watched the Seiran models dressing with other designs of Kaoruko, Hikari, and the various other talented designers at HANA. She caught Koharu’s eye, and Koharu winked at her while she was getting her accessories put on by a stylist who looked to be about 70 years old. Finally, unable to reign in her curiosity, Maya turned back to Claudine.
Claudine was wearing an off-the-shoulder black velvet dress, embellished with gold chains across the chest, arms, and hips. In this way, the gold seemed to link it to Maya’s dress, though overall it was quite opposite from Maya’s look. It was shorter, ending above the knee, and though the back was covered, this dress… emphasized the cleavage a little more than Maya’s did. Maya tore her eyes away and looked higher. Claudine’s hair was in a loose bun, and a hair clip of black feathers, gold chain, and white pearls was added to her hair. Her makeup was darker, smudged a bit like in their first shoot, and her jewelry was heavier too, thick layers of gold chain and pearl bracelets and necklaces. Maya had not imagined Hikari designing in this style and yet, the mixture of couture fashion, 1920s style, and a dash of military regalia seemed perfectly blended. They had called Hikari a genius, but it was only now, seeing Claudine wearing this dress, that Maya understood why.
Once Claudine was finished getting ready, she slipped her robe back on, checking her phone and sipping an iced tea.
“Let’s circle up!” Mahiru called, entering the dressing room and immediately commanding attention. Apparently, at this show, even Kaoruko deferred to the way Mahiru wanted to run things.
Everyone formed a large circle, and Maya found herself between Claudine and Hisame. Mahiru drew everyone’s attention, as she checked off a few more items on her clipboard. “Alright, everyone! Excellent job preparing! We’re about ten minutes ahead of schedule. Doors opened about ten minutes ago, so everyone will be settling in now. I’ve confirmed that we have all the changes ready to go back here. Models, you know your station to change and who is assisting you, please listen to the stage crew for the cues to walk. Stylists, you know who you’re working with, you’re doing awesome already, let’s keep it up. Photographers, Daiba-san will lead you to your appropriate stations. If anyone else has questions, please see myself or Isurugi-san after this meeting. Alright, let’s have a cheer for a good show. Karen?”
“Yes! Let’s go!” Standing on a chair and holding her camera above the circle, Karen nodded to Mahiru who indicated that everyone should put their hands in the middle of the circle. Maya could hear various staff whisper in her ear as she got closer, ‘have a good first show,’ or ‘good luck, Tendo-san!’, and she smiled a bit, forgetting until that moment how many people were there supporting her. “On three, Eclipse!” said Karen, preparing to record.
“1… 2… 3… Eclipse!” they cheered, and the show was underway.
The final preparations flew by, and suddenly, Maya was backstage. The lights darkened, the music began. The audience, sitting in their seats (half black, half white), were seeing a video of a sunny day, and the moon coming across and covering the sun - a full lunar eclipse. From this ensuing darkness, the show would begin. Atmospheric music played, and Maya received a light tap from behind. Ascending the steps as if she had done this a hundred times before, she took to the runway.