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Hikari and Karen took the train from Ginza to Ryogoku station, and bought admission to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Certainly, they had a mission to complete, but that did not stop them from spending some time gazing at the rooms and rooms of miniatures depicting scenes from Japanese history. It was fascinating, and before long they found that they had spent two hours in the museum, forgetting their original goal.
As an intern, Karen was told to ‘go with Mahiru' some days, or ‘help Hoshimi-san’ on other days. Her job was to assist, and in the process, gain experience in many facets of the industry. She was especially fond of days she could spend with Hikari, however. She loved the way Hikari’s eyes would light up when she was inspired, and the way she could get so focused on something she could forget everything around her. The things Hikari’s mind could imagine and her hand could draw were incredible, just like the way Mahiru’s ability to create and arrange dazzling events was unparalleled. Karen hoped to study hard in her internship to gain some of the same skills as the two mentors she was assigned to.
Suddenly, Karen snapped out of her reverie of watching Hikari study the intricate patterns on some of the miniatures.
“Hikari-chan, we need to find Tendo Maya-san!” said Karen urgently.
Hikari snapped to attention, eyes wide. A volunteer seemed to have overheard them, and she walked closer. “Did I hear that you are looking for Tendo Maya? She’s down the hall, in the manuscript room. Her specialty in Edo-era literature.”
After thanking the volunteer, Karen and Hikari walked to the correct room, and Karen knew at once that they had found their target. Tendo Maya was much more beautiful in person than in the photographs they had printed from the internet. She sat at a desk, her hair cascading down over one shoulder gently as she pored over an old scroll, gloved hands touching it with the utmost care. Some of her hair was clipped into a blue blow to keep it out of her eyes, and a couple clips held her bangs back. She looked up at them with piercing lilac eyes as they entered, her gaze proud but not haughty, intelligent but still inquiring. “Hello, what can I help you with?” she asked them, slipping off the gloves and standing up from the desk.
“Hello, my name is Kagura Hikari, and this is Aijou Karen. We come from the fashion house HANA. We’ve scouted you from among hundreds of models to join our campaign as one of our two lead models.”
Maya looked at them, her expression showing her surprise for a moment, but quickly hiding it away again behind a mask of placidity. “I’m afraid I’m at work right now,” she said. “Matters that don’t pertain to Edo-era literature can only be discussed once I’m off of my shift. While your proposition interests me, it would be unprofessional for me to discuss it with you here in the middle of my shift at the museum. Why don’t we meet at a cafe once I’m finished, just a couple hours more? Here’s my card. Text me where you’d like to meet and I’ll join you once I’m done here, at 4PM.”
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Maya changed from the apron she wore at the Edo-Tokyo museum and tucked it in her small locker in the staff room, slipping on her small shoulder bag. It was July, so she went without a cardigan or jacket, and the forecast was clear all day, so she didn’t need to bother with an umbrella. She checked her phone, and there was a message from one Aijou Karen requesting a meeting at a nearby cafe, and she replied to let her know she would walk over momentarily. She signed out from her shift and walked downstairs into the warm afternoon air of the Tokyo summer.
In truth, Maya didn’t expect much to come from the meeting. She thought if anything was to come from her modeling training, it would be from a formal offer and from someone ostensibly more… mature in appearance. The sudden arrival of two rather young women in her workplace was not at all how she expected an offer to join a company to go, even if it was a relatively well-known fashion house, such as HANA.
She figured that her evening was free aside from her normal workout, so she might as well meet the girls to hear them out, but she was almost certain she would politely decline them and be on her way. She especially didn’t want an encounter to end with a maybe. Maya hated loose ends and unresolved problems. She lived her life with few attachments and obligations, and it was better that way. She didn’t have pets, she didn’t have a significant other. She didn’t even keep houseplants. Her arrangement at the museum was nice, but she kept it on a monthly basis, since she hated to feel trapped.
Maya spotted the two girls almost immediately after entering the cafe, one in denim overalls and a white button down, and the other in red shorts and a cream-colored tank top. They were seated on the same side of a table, as if waiting for her to join them. Somehow, they still seemed stylish despite their childish attire and bold color choices. “Good afternoon,” she greeted, taking a seat across from them.
“Tendo Maya-san!” Karen said, gasping. Maya wasn’t sure if Karen was greeting her or announcing her. “You’re… you’re very beautiful. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Aijou-san.”
“Please, call me Karen!”
“Karen-san, then.”
Maya ordered an iced tea, and was handed a folder by Hikari. Inside were various clothing designs, concepts for runway shows and catalogue pages, as well as the terms of a contract. She reviewed it, sipping her tea and ignoring Karen’s pointed gaze.
“Please let me make sure I’m getting this correct,” Maya said, after she finished looking at the documents. “This is a one year contract.”
“Yes,” said Hikari. “We want the fall line to start a year-long project that is linked together both thematically, and with the familiarity of the same models. It has been a tradition of HANA to keep our main models in-house, though typically we changed who was the face of each season.”
Maya sighed. “As you may have noticed from my employment at a museum, I have not been considering a career in modeling seriously. And if I were to take on a modeling job, I had not considered one that would last an entire year.”
Hikari looked frustrated, Maya could tell. She didn’t feel like getting in an argument this afternoon. To her surprise, it was Karen who spoke next. “Tendo-san, I am surprised,” she said. Maya could tell she was nervous to be taking a stand, so she decided to hear Karen out. “Tendo-san, you seem like someone who is not content with being adequate. I think the project that Hikari-chan and Kaoruko-san and Mahiru-chan and everyone is working on is going to be wonderful, and you could lead it right to the Top. You don’t have to hide away in that office all day. There’s plenty of time for that in the future. Right now, you can shine bright with all of us.”
Maya thought about Karen’s words. It wasn’t as if she took the modeling classes for no reason. Her mother worked in this industry, after all, and Maya had grown up steeped in the culture. But she also had a father who was a distinguished historian, and had considered following in his footsteps as well. She wondered if what Karen said was true… if she could pursue a modeling career in the present, and then continue her history studies again when she was older, once she had found out if she had any potential in that area…. It would be something to consider in the future, but it really was too soon to make a decision. She didn’t feel like uprooting her entire carefully curated life at this very moment.
“I’m really not certain I can accept your offer,” said Maya. “Though I am curious. It says here that there are to be two models. If you’ve taken such care to scout me, who else have you selected?”
Hikari looked as if she wasn’t going to reveal that information to Maya, but with a beaming smile, Karen said the words that Maya had perhaps been least expecting, and also most anticipating. “Saijou Claudine!”
Maya reviewed the notes once more, mostly to keep the nervous excitement from showing on her face. The girl whose posters had once adorned her childhood bedroom, who had convinced her to pursue modeling at all… that girl was selected to work with her? “Saijou Claudine, famous for her bright smile, is going to represent the concept of ‘darkness’?” she asked, looking at Hikari this time. Hikari averted her gaze slightly.
“Well,” she sighed. “She hasn’t officially agreed to join us yet. We’re in negotiations now. But yes, that’s the idea.”
Something stirred in Maya, a dangerous sort of interest that hadn’t been piqued in years. Her detachment was wavering, and her curiosity was growing stronger. The project was interesting enough, but to work with Saijou Claudine, the famous child model who disappeared one day, and Maya’s inspiration for modeling? Now this was definitely more interesting than looking through ancient scrolls all day and heating up convenience store food every night. There was talk in the contract of travel to Hong Kong, to international fashion shows, and of exciting schedules modeling for various print formats. It was appealing, in its own way. It was a new challenge, and Maya did like a challenge, if only to prove that she was the best.
Maya finished her iced tea, closing the folder. “Get Saijou Claudine, and I’ll sign the contract. One year. I work at the museum month by month, so if you work it out before the 31st, I will be available August 1st. You can speak with my lawyer and my agent about the terms of the contract and the compensation, here are their cards. It was nice to meet you, Kagura-san, Karen-san.” She bowed politely, paid at the counter, and left the cafe. She walked back to the station quickly. She was already an hour late to beginning her evening workout, and her stomach was beginning to growl.
She rode the train without music in her ears, and without glancing at her phone. In her heart, she knew what she wanted. In her heart, she hoped they would get Saijou Claudine to sign the contract.