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Kaoruko stood on the balcony of the arts hall, watching Maya, Claudine, and the Seiran models alternate on stage. She tried to remain detached, watching the show as an objective viewer, as she slowly sipped a glass of champagne. In front of her was a tablet, the twin to Futaba’s, in fact, on which she was scribbling notes, and occasionally taking a photo with her phone which would instantly be uploaded. ’And they all think I never do work,’ she muttered to herself.
The Eclipse show would be going on the road, as part of the Paris, Tokyo and the Seoul Fashion Week shows. This in-house, HANA-only show was more like a preview, a way to work out the kinks before taking the show on the road. There was more press than Kaoruko would like here, but that was expected. It was Maya’s anticipated debut, and Claudine’s re-emergence. If everything went well, that could drum up a lot of interest in HANA, Kaoruko figured.
And so far, so good. Of course there were things she wanted to fix. The order, the cues, some of the pacing was a little off, but overall there were no major mishaps. Claudine looked as if she had taken a refreshing month-long vacation rather than five years off, from the way she was walking down the runway, showing off the HANA designs as if they were the hottest imports from Europe. And Tendo Maya - Kaoruko could not believe this was her first runway show. She was… impossibly good. Her timing was impeccable, her posture and her expressions were perfect. Kaoruko needed to keep taking notes, but she found it difficult to tear her eyes away from the stage. Yes, she thought, This was how her designs were meant to be seen!
At the end of the show, Kaoruko made her way downstairs, greeting a few VIP attendees, all of which had high praises for both the collection and the presentation. “This is it, Hanayagi-san,” said Karasuma Urara, a reporter for a rather influential Japanese fashion magazine. “Tendo Maya plus Saijou Claudine plus this Eclipse concept plus you and Kagura-san’s designs? You have to let me do a piece for Fashion*Butai!”
“Naturally, we would be obliged for that sort of feature,” said Kaoruko. “Please get in touch with Futaba to schedule something.”
After about ten more minutes of greetings, she escaped to the dressing room. Naturally, there was more schmoozing to do afterwards, but for the moment, she needed to see her staff. The models had changed from their final outfits back into casual dresses and robes, and looked rather silly with their attire contrasting their perfectly set hair and fancy makeup, but it was nothing Kaoruko hadn’t seen before. They got first preference at seating, followed by the stylists and managers who had been running around backstage helping with the outfit changes. Some of the photographers and other staff were leaning against the dressing room counters, waiting to hear what was next. Futaba and Mahiru came to stand beside Kaoruko.
Kaoruko handed her tablet to Futaba, whose job it would be to disambiguate her scribbles into notes for improvement on Eclipse’s next run. “Alright, everyone, excellent job! I think we really brought the fall line to life, this was probably our best debut runway to date. We’ll have a meeting about changes we’re making ahead of Tokyo Fashion week, but for tonight… I’ve rented us the rooftop at Loft 26 in Ginza, so let’s move what we need to move back to the office and get dinner and drinks there. And note, the VIPs from tonight will also be there so please try to look presentable.”
There was excitement over food and drinks, a little grumbling over sharing the evening with the VIPs from the show, but everyone started moving towards cleaning up. The crew began the tear down work after receiving word that the venue had been cleared, and the stylists and models began packing up the accessories and makeup, leaving the dresses for the designers who would handle them with the most care.
"Futaba-han, go tell the models we’ll send a car in thirty minutes. Well…” Kaoruko quickly tallied the models, “Three cars.”
Kaoruko watched as Maya got shooed away from trying to help clean up, told by the older stylist to go get changed for dinner. Claudine was sitting on the couch, looking half asleep, making no move to change herself. She had half a mind to let the models go home, but the thought disappeared as quickly as it occurred to her. It was the first show - what a precedent to set! Plus the VIPs would be dying to meet the models. They simply had to attend the after party. “Ugh, they really are useless,” grumbled Kaoruko. “Futaba, make sure they arrive.”
Annoyed that she had to leave Futaba with the models, but certain they would not make it without Futaba’s guidance, Kaoruko moved along to supervise the others. She spied Karen in the corner of the large dressing room, fiddling with her cell phone. “Get something good?” she asked.
Karen grinned at Kaoruko. Honestly, Karen was quickly becoming as reliable as Mahiru and Hikari for giving her quality work. So far today, she had posted various pictures and videos to their disappearing ‘story’ on Instagram of the venue, behind-the-scenes looks at the set and close up sneak peaks of the outfits. She put up a permanent post of the video she took of the staff cheering for the success of the Eclipse shoot. Currently, she was working on a post of several photos of the runway shots that Nana had sent her that had basic edits done to correct the harsh stage lighting. “Hmm, Kaoruko, should we put Maya-san or Kuro-chan as the photo for our first show?” she asked.
Kaoruko flipped through the photos, realizing quickly that any of them would be an excellent post for their page. She particularly liked the ‘Eclipse pose’, but thought it would be too much of a spoiler ahead of the Fashion Week events. She considered that if she selected Maya, who was shot during the first outfit, it would be Kaoruko’s dress featured first. Additionally, Kaoruko was nothing if not perceptive - she noticed how Claudine didn’t seem to enjoy being on their Instagram page, though she wasn’t sure why. “Maya, I think,” she said.
“Got it, boss,” said Karen, getting to work adding a caption and hashtags. “By the way, I got Maya’s account verified,” she said. “Though she’s still grumpy she can’t have the TendoMaya handle.”
“That’s her own fault for being clueless,” said Kaoruko with a smirk. “Good work as always!” Kaoruko turned away, ready to call for Futaba before remembering she left her with the models. She met up with Hikari who was assisting the others with storing the dresses.
“Let’s start getting these in the truck,” said Kaoruko, taking one of the complete racks, and gesturing for Hikari to take another.
“You can go ahead,” Hikari said, “I can finish up here and meet you at the dinner.”
“Ugh, to go and sweet talk with those people without my Futaba-han by my side? No thank you.”
Hikari followed Kaoruko’s stare to where Futaba was helping Claudine with her jacket. “She does that for everyone, you know,” she said.
“I know,” Kaoruko said, rolling the cart in the opposite direction with more speed now. “It’s annoying.”
After another twenty minutes, everything was packed away and they were on their way back to Ginza. The trucks were locked in the underground garage, ready to be unloaded and sorted the next day, once everyone had recovered from tonight’s revelries. Kaoruko met a car at the building’s entrance along with Hikari, Mahiru, and Karen. They were only going a few blocks, but it was unbecoming to walk, plus she had changed into heels. In the back of the towncar, she adjusted her makeup, floofed up her signature bob, and ensured her outfit was sitting perfectly. She was the head and lead designer of HANA, after all. She ought to have a good fashion sense herself.
Tonight she was wearing HANA collection ankle-length pants in sakura pink, her trademark color. She paired this with a linen top imported from Italy, notable for its bishop sleeves, and she wore a rather understated pearl necklace - by her standards at least. On her feet were off-white suede ankle boots, but what really made the outfit ‘Kaoruko’ was her giraffe print clutch which she used to store her cell phone, lipstick, and other essentials. “Let’s go, ladies,” she said, as they pulled up to the Loft.
They rode the elevator which had a glass wall up to the roof, and Kaoruko amused herself by watching Karen’s open jaw as she stared at Ginza on the other side of the glass. “We’re going to the rooftop, you can stare at it all you want there,” Mahiru assured her.
Upon entering the party, they were offered champagne and hors d'oeuvres, but Kaoruko sent a waiter away to fetch her a martini. She was paying for this party, she wanted to make it worth her money, at least. Pretty soon, she was pulled into conversation with some art patron and his wife, a similar situation to the Tendo parents, though Kaoruko had not spied them in this crowd. She greeted the patrons she didn’t bother to remember the names of, and chatted politely for the necessary amount of time, then excused herself. Finally, she saw Futaba exiting the elevator, her short height accentuated by the fact that she had four professional models accompanying her.
Kaoruko walked over to reconvene with Futaba, but before she could make it across the roof, Claudine had leaned down to whisper something in Futaba’s ear. Futaba nodded, and without even replying took off as if on a mission.
“Who are you to give orders to my Futaba-han?” asked Kaoruko, striding up to Claudine. The two Seiran models sidled away to enter the party, but Maya stayed beside Claudine. Interesting, thought Kaoruko.
Claudine blushed, looking rather ashamed. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It’s just… Futaba said if I had any concerns about security to let her know. I was just asking her to make sure a certain person wasn’t here.”
Kaoruko was a little embarrassed as well, as this was a completely reasonable request, but a Hanayagi never backed down, so she wouldn’t let Claudine see her stumble. “And do you think I would invite just anyone to our party?” she challenged. “Your crazy fans can’t just buy a ticket to this event, it’s only industry people.”
Claudine clenched her jaw, as if deciding whether or not she wanted to continue this conversation or just let it go. Kaoruko felt a martini being slipped into her hand. She waved the waiter away with her free hand.
“The person I’m looking to avoid… is someone in the industry,” Claudine said at last.
And suddenly Kaoruko wondered why Claudine left. And she wondered why she never considered the question before. She supposed that they were around the same age. At the time Claudine took her hiatus, it didn’t much matter to Kaoruko what the top models were doing - Kaoruko was too busy learning fashion design. But then, shouldn’t she have wondered when Claudine came back?
She supposed that Claudine was a master of deflection - on complimenting others, on turning conversation away from herself, on performing her work effortlessly as if she had never taken a hiatus - that it meant that everyone forgot to consider why she left the industry. Kaoruko had assumed it was because of an obsessed fan or stalker after that incident in the coffee shop, but could it have been for another reason?
"Who is it you’re trying to avoid?” Kaoruko asked her.
All this time Maya hadn’t said a word, but stood beside her, her gaze serious, as if she was mulling over the same things Kaoruko was. Maya was sharp, Kaoruko knew, and Claudine knew too, she was sure.
Futaba rejoined them then, shaking her head. “All clear,” she said to Claudine.
“Thank you,” she said, “For checking. And… I’m sorry for making you work extra on the night of a party.”
“It’s no problem, really. This is my job.”
“Well, I guess I’ll get a drink then. Oh, and Futaba? As always, I’d appreciate your discretion.”
Futaba nodded and the two pairs split ways, Maya leaving with Claudine.
“Ok, spill,” said Kaoruko, handing the drink to Futaba and gesturing to a waiter for a new one for herself.
Futaba sipped the martini, also grabbing a few treats from a passing tray. They came to stand at a rail, looking off of the roof on a rather secluded corner. “You heard her, discretion,” said Futaba, taking another gulp. “Oi, today was exhausting. Corralling models after a show is like herding sleepy cats.”
“Futabaaaa, it’s me. Who is she looking for? I can help.”
Futaba seemed to consider this, looking at Kaoruko for a moment or two. “Suzuki Rinshou,” she said quietly. He’s commonly referred to by his nickname, ‘Kirin’, taken from Suzu’KI RIN’shou. Well, that and the fact that he has a long neck and is quite tall and imposing overall reminds people of a giraffe. He is currently working as an unaffiliated agent, and formerly worked for the company that employed Claudine in her prior contracts.”
"You’ve been looking into this for a while,” she said.
“She seems to really want to avoid this guy, Kaoruko.”
“And you don’t know why?”
“Wouldn’t tell me. But the last time she worked was when she was 17, which doesn’t leave a lot of good ideas…”
“Ah, excuse me, Hanayagi-san?” a voice interrupted them from behind, and Kaoruko turned to see an older man who she vaguely recognized from one of the more reputable fashion blogs.
“Good evening,” she said, straightening out her blouse, “How can I help you?”
Kaoruko spent the evening reception arranging various interviews and photo sessions, while Futaba and Mahiru helped pencil it into the HANA schedules. Once midnight hit, however, it was announced that all work related inquiries were over, and the rest of the night would be dedicated to dinner and celebration.
She found Junna and Nana a bit after this, sitting close together on a small outdoor couch with a couple of fancy cocktails. She had half a mind to tease them, but she knew this would make Junna clam up, so she just winked at Nana and went on her way.
She found Hikari and one of the Seiran models smoking along the edge of the roof.
“How many times do I have to tell you that’s terrible for your lungs?” she chided, though quietly, so as not to disturb the girl who wasn’t from her company.
“How many times have I told you that you make bad decisions when inebriated?” she bit back.
“Stop taking the moral high ground, I know you drink too,” said Kaoruko. Hikari grinned bitterly.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“What should we do for spring?” Kaoruko leaned on the railing as well, upwind from the cigarette smoke. The winter line was in production already and some of it was being shot already for print, but it was about the time that the two of them needed to be drafting some designs for spring, or pulling out some of their dozens of completed sketches and form them into a cohesive themed collection for spring.
Hikari turned towards her, holding the cigarette in her mouth. She held both hands up to Kaoruko, indicating that they should put their palms together. Kaoruko did as she was told, and Hikari raised one hand, bringing Kaoruko’s hand with hers. Releasing the position, she exhaled over the edge of the balcony, raising one eyebrow and tilting her head at Kaoruko.
“Mirror?” asked Kaoruko, saying the only word that came to mind.
“Right. Fall we spent so much time focusing on juxtaposition. Now let’s do mirror images. Crystalline reflections. That sort of thing.”
Kaoruko grinned. “Oh, and coming after the winter theme… Hikari, you’ve done it again.”
Kaoruko left Hikari to enjoy her smoke break in peace, and found Maya and Claudine, decidedly drunker than she left them. She supposed it was expected - it was not the first time she had seen this, after all. The models rarely ate much on the day of the show, then came to the after party, where drinks were served for a few hours before proper dinner, and a few drinks in, they were done for.
“It’s a good thing most of the VIPs are gone,” Kaoruko chided, looking at them both slumped on a pair of plush chairs. Both managed to sit up straight when Kaoruko came by, so she was relieved to see they were not dangerously drunk, but just rather useless at the moment. She asked the waiter for a couple waters and sat across from them.
“Everyone thought you did a good job today,” she said. “Myself included.” For someone like Kaoruko, praise never came as straightforward as this, so it was fun to say things like this when the recipient was not in a proper state of mind.
“I am glad to hear this, I am always striving for the Top,” said Maya, suppressing a yawn.
Kaoruko nearly rolled her eyes at Maya’s proper-sounding response, even after a few drinks.
“And you, Claudine, what is your goal?” Kaoruko asked, suddenly more curious about them both.
“If Tendo Maya is aiming for the Top, then that is where I will aim as well, certainly.”
“Fine, fine. Guess I’ll have to continue designing the most lovely clothing in all of Japan,” said Kaoruko. “But honestly, you two are poor company. I’m calling a car. Drink that water before it comes and get home. I expect you at our debriefing meeting tomorrow at 1PM.”
Kaoruko spent the rest of the evening eating and drinking and generally not thinking about work, and wandered back downstairs to get a ride home with Futaba around 3AM. “Ugh, the meeting is for 1PM?” she whined. “I barely have time to rest.”
“We’ve been at this for a while,” said Futaba, instinctively guiding her head so she wouldn’t hit it on the car door after one too many drinks. “You know runway season is the busiest time. We’re on the runway at Tokyo Fashion Week in less than a week.”
With a grumble, Kaoruko stopped arguing, pleased at least that they lived just outside Ginza and the drive home was short. Honestly, she didn’t understand why Claudine and Maya chose to live so far away, but she was sure she’d figure them out in time. For tonight, she settled for a quick shower and got into bed with Futaba, a familiar arrangement that allowed her to fall asleep in minutes.