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Claudine woke up early the Tuesday of the following week, having a rare day off as Maya had solo work that day, and she had solo work the following day. She was to update several forms at the municipal offices with her change of address, take care of other various errands, and then, finally, meet up with Yachiyo.
She took care of the errands first, since those were the most urgent, and donned her usual mask, sunglasses, and hat as she walked into the government office. Realizing she looked very out of place with so much covering indoors, she took the sunglasses off, telling herself that 1- she and Maya were not actually that popular, and 2- people in a government facility cared little for fashion models. It seemed, for the most part, she was correct, and she took care of business with little delay, but she did see a few girls pointing and whispering as she made her way out. She didn’t want to seem rude and not acknowledge them, but she also didn’t want to draw attention to herself, so she tried to pretend she didn’t see them. Gritting her teeth, she put the sunglasses back on.
She rode the bus into Ginza and walked a few blocks from the HANA offices to the Siegfeld Design company, walking to the desk attendant and stating she had an appointment with Tsuruhime Yachiyo. The receptionist called Yachiyo down, and soon after, she saw the familiar, slightly mischievous grin of her old friend walk into the lobby. “Kuro!” she said, her voice low to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. She was warm, but sharp. Always sharp. Today she wore a black suit with gold accents, the tailoring perfect as usual.
“Good morning,” said Claudine, giving her a light hug. Admittedly, it felt good to see an old friend again, and to hug someone. Not counting her one hug with Maya, which she put in a different category for reasons she refused to think about, it had been quite some time since she greeted anyone with anything but a bow or a handshake.
“Let’s go get breakfast, whenever I see you I feel the urge to feed you,” Yachiyo said with a laugh.
“Last time we went out, you know what happened,” Claudine said, staying firmly in the lobby. “It’s bad enough going out as a blonde. Having your pink hair beside me is like a beacon.”
Yachiyo nodded her understanding. “Come on, there’s a tea room on the roof.”
They sat in the corner, under a shaded canopy, blocked partially by the landscaping that added a tasteful element to the patio. A waiter was by quickly to take their orders, and then they were left in privacy to chat.
“Thanks again,” Claudine began, “For the heads up about the social media. My own coworkers forgot to tell me,” she laughed lightly.
“What did your agent advise?” asked Yachiyo.
Claudine froze. She had not hired an agent, mostly because she was working under a single contract and didn’t think it was necessary to pay someone to negotiate on her behalf, since it wasn’t like she was taking small contracts here and there. But with the added nuisance of social media, and the accompanying press interest it would garner, she would likely want one.
She supposed it was an oversight on her part. Regardless of the social media, having her face suddenly plastered everywhere would bring requests for interviews, more interest from old fans, requests for small jobs and promotions, and other complications. An agent would be the wise choice. “I don’t… have one…” she muttered quietly, grateful for the pause delaying Yachiyo’s surprised reaction as the waiter returned with their tea and desserts.
“Claudine! What are you thinking?!”
Claudine pushed one of her macarons around on her plate, less hungry than she was when she ordered them, and filled with shame as Yachiyo chastised her.
“Who does Tendo-san have as her agent?” Yachiyo continued, and Claudine wondered why she felt so annoyed each time Yachiyo and Maya acknowledged each others’ existence.
“Not sure. If she has once, it’s probably from her mother’s firm. Tendo Yuko is director at Sarazashi, that contract Shizuha is working on now. Remember we met Tendo-san once?”
Yachiyo laughed. “Yes… if looks could kill.”
Maya’s mother had obviously been of the opinion that teenagers had no place at an adult runway show.
“Well… listen, if you are in the market for an agent, I think that I might know someone. Souda-sensei is training young models now, at that Seisho school, but she has this protege… Yakumo Kyoko-san, she modeled for several years, but now she’s switched to managing models. I feel like that’s one of the best you’re going to get: female, experienced as a model, vouched for by Sensei, and I hear she’s pretty tough too, so she’s no pushover.”
“Was she the one in that athletic campaign? With the sports bra and the katana?” asked Claudine, remembering a fierce and beautiful woman shot in black and white a few summers back.
Yachiyo nodded. “I think I can get her information, or I can get it from Sensei. I’ll get you connected with her.” She leaned closer, looking more serious. “Claudine. You need an agent.”
Claudine nodded. “I know.”
They spoke about lighter topics after, sipping their tea and eating their sweets, until a mostly unfamiliar pair approached the table. Claudine realized they were Edel models, so she recognized them from print media, but she definitely had not met them before- they must have debuted after her retirement, though she supposed it was more of a long hiatus at this point.
There was a blonde, who approached them looking apologetic, and a taller girl with grayish, silver hair and striking features. Claudine recognized them both from their facial features, and wondered if their hair was natural, if Edel’s latest contract with Siegfeld had required them to dye their hair, or if they just preferred it this way. “Ah, Yukishiro-san, Yumeoji-san, hello,” greeted Yachiyo. “Please, have a seat.”
The girl with the silver hair, Yukishiro, looked as if she did not want to take the time to sit, but perhaps she recognized the discretion Yachiyo was trying to lend to the scene, and quickly slid into one of the two open seats. Still, with three models and a former model at the table in the corner, there was some chatter and pointed gazes from the other guests in their direction, despite this being a rather private venue.
“Ah, I don’t believe you have met Claudine,” Yachiyo said. “Claudine, this is Yukishiro Akira and Yumeoji Shiori, Akira and Shiori, this is Saijou Claudine. She’s working with HANA this year.”
Claudine caught a small flicker of emotion - displeasure? - in Akira’s face, as she was introduced, but she had no time to ponder it as it was quickly smoothed over into an urgent look directed at Yachiyo once again, after she had finished the mandatory greetings. Shiori greeted her kindly and apologetically.
“Tsuruhime-san, the outfits you picked for the afternoon shoot aren’t going to work,” Akira said. “Michiru said they’re going with the checkered background after all.”
Yachiyo sighed, cursing softly. “Why can’t they make up their minds?” she asked. “I went over this twice yesterday to be sure it was the solid backdrop. And why couldn’t they just call, you didn’t have to come up here,” she said. “I’m sorry it’s causing you so much trouble.”
Shiori blushed. “Well, um, I volunteered to come. Michiru said you were here with Saijou-san, and well… I wanted to meet her.”
Yachiyo smiled as Claudine’s eyes widened in surprise. Akira’s expression was as unreadable as Maya’s often was, but she didn’t look altogether pleased. “Well in that case, Yukishiro-san and I will go adjust the afternoon wardrobe. Yumeoji-san, please keep Claudine company until her next appointment. I think another 15 minutes or so of your time will do. You can order what you’d like, it’s on my card.”
Shiori beamed, and stood to bow as Yachiyo left. Then, suddenly more shy, she slipped back into her seat beside Claudine. “I don’t think your partner likes me,” said Claudine, unsure of why she was venting her insecurities on this girl.
“Oh, it’s not you, it’s HANA,” Shiori said. “Akira was top model at HANA last spring and half of the summer, and quit halfway through the season.”
Claudine wracked her brain trying to think of any images she had seen around the office with Akira in them. If there were any, they were few and far between. Perhaps it was a bad falling out. “Oh.” She sipped her tea, interested in the gossip but not trying to pry.
Shiori took pity on her, however. “You don’t have to worry,” she said. “HANA isn’t a bad company. Akira was offered a high-paying contract with Edel Agency and HANA doesn’t like models from agencies. They want independent models they can keep in-house. It became this whole war between Akira, Hanayagi-san, and their lawyers, until finally Akira quit, and myself and another model, Liu Mei Fan left with her. We’re all Edels now so there’s some resentment.”
Claudine nodded, imagining easily how stubborn Kaoruko and the direct Akira could butt heads easily. “I’m curious - what contract are you working on now?” she asked. She knew the Edels almost exclusively took Siegfeld jobs, but they sometimes branched out as well.
Shiori beamed. “We’re actually modeling for Siegfeld’s dancewear and yoga line! It’s super fun!”
Noticing her conversation partner light up with the switch to lighter topics, Claudine asked then about work, Tokyo, hobbies, and anything else she could think of. It was only when Claudine innocently mentioned family that Shiori tensed up. "I have a sister," she said. "Fumi-onee-san. She is a model as well. She worked here, for Edel, even under the Siegfeld contract, until two days before I joined. Then she left for Rinmeikan, to model kimono for Sarazashi. I have to believe she left because of me."
Claudine understood plenty about not wanting to talk about personal matters, especially not with someone you just met. She quickly changed the topic back to traveling, which made Shiori light up again. Finally, it was time to leave, and she thanked Shiori for keeping her company. “I didn’t even get to ask you anything!” Shiori lamented. “All I did was talk about myself.”
Claudine smiled. Internally, she knew that had been her plan the whole time, but in truth, she enjoyed hearing about Shiori’s life. “Here, take my number, we can talk again another time,” Claudine offered. “Though I warn you, I often forget my phone for days at a time.”
“That’s ok - Akira does the same thing, I’m used to it,” Shiori said, handing it back.
Claudine said her goodbyes and walked downstairs back to the Siegfeld lobby. Officially, she was done with her duties that day. She had told Yachiyo she needed to leave by three in order to free up time in case she wanted to visit with Souda-sensei… but now she couldn’t decide if she was brave enough. For one thing, Souda Sawa now worked at a school, so there were bound to be people who knew of her there. And for another, Sensei always knew what to say to get in her head. But at the same time, Claudine longed to see the model who always acted like her older sister when they were both working in their younger years.
She decided to get on the train towards Seisho and decide on the way. While riding, Claudine kept her sunglasses and mask on, and pulled her phone out for something to look at besides the other passengers. There was another post on the HANA instagram. It was a photo of Maya, listening intently to direction from Daiba Nana. The photo was taken from over Nana’s shoulder from the back so only Claudine was able to identify Nana from her distinctive hair. Maya was wearing a white blazer, with a white cropped shirt underneath, and Claudine couldn’t tell what bottoms she was dressed in. Her hair was sleek and straight as always, this time clipped into the half-ponytail that was quickly becoming Maya’s trademark style.
Knowing it would only lead to regret, Claudine clicked the comments that had already accumulated in the hour-old post, reading about men and (mostly) women fawning over Maya’s good looks and HANA’s selection of a new leading model. There were some questions in the comments about the appearance of Saijou Claudine in the story post from the previous shoot, but Karen had not replied to any of the comments. Claudine knew it was only a matter of time before her own face graced the profile of the company’s instagram page, but instead of anticipation or excitement, she only felt dread.
She thought about transferring trains out to the coast, where she could just stare at the bay for a little while to calm down, but she wondered if she would be able to tear herself away once she got out there. She had a feeling she might stand there til sunset, or even past, or maybe, just this once, step into the water, so she faithfully got on the connection to Seisho and arrived at the school soon after.
She arrived a little before afternoon classes let out, and she checked in at the front desk. She told the receptionist she would be fine with waiting for Souda-sensei outside, or in the lobby, but the receptionist recognized her immediately, and smiled in joy. “Saijou-san! Souda-sensei has many acquaintances in the industry, but they rarely come by the school to greet her. I’m sure she and the students would be honored if you stopped into the afternoon classes.”
“Oh, I couldn’t interrupt!” Claudine said, hoping the receptionist would understand her declination.
“Oh, it’s no matter! Let me show you the way!”
Without another chance to protest, Claudine was led down a corridor to a studio-like room, where Souda-sensei was leading a class of about ten young women. She looked to be lecturing them on something to do with expression, from the way she was speaking and the students would pause to change up their facial features.
“Pardon me, Souda-sensei?” the receptionist said with a knock.
“Yes, what is it?” Souda asked, turning towards them. In a moment, she saw Claudine, and raised an eyebrow. Claudine tried to look apologetic, as she had not wanted to interrupt the lecture, but she had a feeling Sensei knew her well enough to know that. “Ah, my guest is here. Come on in, Saijou-san.”
So that’s how she was going to play it, Claudine thought, a little amused, despite her racing heartbeat as she watched ten pairs of eyes trained on her as she walked into the room. Calm down she told herself. They’re just young girls. You’ll have to deal with a lot more attention than this if you want to do runway shows again.
She stood beside Souda and the receptionist dismissed herself. “It’s good to see you, Claudine,” Souda said, nodding slightly.
“Likewise,” Claudine said quietly.
“Everyone, I have half a mind to flunk you if you don’t know our guest today, but just in case, this is Saijou Claudine. I think she might have been the first person to call me ‘sensei’, some… 12 years ago now?” Souda laughed. “She’s got ten years of industry experience, and now she’s working again with… HANA, correct?”
Claudine nodded.
“Alongside a graduate of my program, Tendo Maya.”
The girls in the class chattered quietly among themselves with this new information, but quickly composed themselves with one glance from Souda-sensei. “Now, I believe the topic we were discussing was exhibiting proper expression, which can vary dramatically from one shoot to another, and even from one pose to another. As a model, you need to be able to adapt on a whim when your director or photographer wants something to change in an instant. Let’s continue with the exercise and you’ll see why I brought Saijou-san here today.”
Claudine wasn’t sure what her role was here, as she was positive that Souda-sensei was not expecting her to arrive at Seisho Modeling Training Center today. She also wasn’t sure what to do as she had never attended a modeling school. When she began modeling at age seven, she didn’t know anything about the industry, she wasn’t even able to listen to the director well. She was entirely self-taught. She learned to take the criticism that the directors and older models gave, and learn from faults she found in her own work, but she never received formal instruction.
She watched the exercise- Sensei would act as the photographer, telling the girls what she wanted from their expressions and poses, and would even have a shutter sound that she pressed, and they would react as they should in a real studio. Claudine watched a few at a time, and then moved on, and almost laughed at her first conclusion: Did Maya really come from here? Maya is miles ahead of these girls.
“Now,” said Sensei, allowing them to take their seats again. “I’ll let Saijou-san take over, and give some feedback before we try that one more time. I’m sure you’ve seen her work - with the puppies, with the Christmas dresses, with the Kiwi back-to-school campaign several years ago. She’s got incredible mastery of expression.”
Claudine stood in front of the girls, who’s expressions ranged from bemused to reverant to skeptical. She tried to put into words what she did when she tried to form expressions for the camera, but it was like breathing at this point - there was no way to break it down simply. Instead, she tried to point out some ways to improve what they were doing during the exercise. “Wh- when you’re forming expressions, you really need to have awareness of your entire body. I think you’re focusing a lot on your facial expression, which is where our eyes are drawn first, but you’re selling clothing, so eventually people will be looking at your body, and if your pose doesn’t match the expression your face is making, the concept looks asymmetric and flawed.”
She took a breath, not sure if her hand was actually trembling or if it was imagined. “Right now, you’re posing in a group. You need to consider yourselves as a unit, rather than ten individuals. A warm, cozy pose might have you all gathered in, where something a little more aloof might have you more apart, but there still needs to be some sort of composition to the piece.”
“Lastly, you will want to think about little details. That’s what your fans will notice and that’s what can make a photo go from being good to great. It’s also a really good way to increase the intent or concept of the shoot - so another way to play with your expression. For example, slipping a jacket off your shoulder, tugging on a lock of hair, anything you can do to increase the interest of the photo can help - to a point. Use those details sparingly and at the right time.”
The girls nodded, and one was taking notes, another peering over her shoulder.
“Saijou-san… Can- can you do the exercise?” asked one of the girls. The others perked up in excitement, no one looking skeptical anymore. Sensei shrugged at her and Claudine acquiesced. She had consented to the role of guest instructor, she felt it would be somewhat rude to back out now. Sensei backed up to where the girls sat and began directing.
Claudine tried to follow along as best she could imagining this was a real shoot. It was somewhat hard to imagine without a camera, and she was dressed in a brown jumper over a cream blouse, but she did her best, switching from ‘hesitant, unsure’ to ‘something good you’ve waited a long time for just happened’ to ‘give me something a little sultry now’ in a span of about thirty seconds.
When she was finished, the girls applauded, which really made her blush. Then the students performed the exercise again, this time with much better results. Soon after, their class ended. Two of them asked for Claudine’s signature after class. Embarrassed, but unable to decline, Claudine signed a little book one had ready, and the other had a blank shikishi in her locker. Both bowed and thanked her, wishing her luck with HANA. She wished them luck as they finished their training and then she followed Sensei to her office. She sat on the small couch sensei behind her desk, resting her chin on her hands and her elbows on the desk as if studying Claudine.
“So, you made it back to Tokyo,” Sensei began.
“I just started working again last week,” Claudine replied
“That’s what Yachiyo told me,” she said, “She keeps in touch much better than you do, Kuro-chan.”
“I need your friend to be my agent.”
“Ah, Kyoko? Hm, I wonder if she’d call herself my friend.” Sensei smiled as if amused with the thought. “But alright, I will call her and tell her to get in touch with you. I assume it’s urgent?”
Claudine nodded.
“Fine, it’s done,” she said, tapping away at her phone. “By the way, you better tell Kyoko to stay on top of your press interest. You were famous enough back in the day, but I can already tell you, Tendo Maya is going to be something. The two of you together - Hanayagi doesn’t know what she’s done.”
“You’re making it sound like we’re idols. No one cares about fashion models that much,” Claudine said, but mostly said it to assure herself.
“Back when you worked last, the internet wasn’t as big as it is now. I have girls who barely stay afloat working here and there who get stalkers and creeps interested in them. Tendo and yourself - you might as well be idols.”
“Sensei, you’re making me want to go back to Yokohama.”
“Yokohama - that’s where you were hiding out? What were you doing there?”
Claudine was silent for a moment, unsure how to answer that question. What was she doing in Yokohama? Worrying her mother? Being a burden on both her parents? Walking every square inch of her village while the children were in school? Spending hours on hours on one tiny dock staring at the sea? Not doing anything that anyone would consider useful, that’s for sure. “I didn’t finish school.”
Sensei nodded, as if this wasn’t unexpected. “You also didn’t take my calls for five years.”
Claudine suddenly felt like crying. Sensei was like an older sister to her. She took care of her when she was young, and Claudine had shut her out without an explanation, only to come back to Tokyo asking for favors right away. “I didn’t take anyone’s calls, not you, not Yachiyo, not-”
“It’s alright, I’m not mad,” said Sensei, apparently hearing her voice crack. “But I was worried. If I knew where you were I would have gone there myself.”
“Sensei, I um… I have to ask…”
Souda gave her permission to ask whatever question she had with a nod.
“I was surprised to hear you were teaching when I came back. Did… did you quit modeling for a reason similar to me?”
Souda-sensei pondered this question for a moment before answering. “The modeling industry is both wonderful and has a dark side beneath it. And as you can see I have not quit it entirely. No, I think the reason I quit was simply because as I got older I felt my role was to guide younger models rather than to stand in the spotlight myself.”
“I see. I’m glad then. I think you guide them well. Or at least, you guided Yachiyo and me well.”
Claudine gathered her things, letting Sensei know she needed to get home to have dinner with Maya that evening. Sensei walked her to the entrance.
“Saijou-san,” Sensei said, as they parted ways. “You don’t have to do this. You can stay gone. You can work here. You can go to school. If you don’t want to go back, I understand.”
“Thank you, Sensei,” said Claudine, and she meant it. “But with HANA, with Maya, with everything so far, it’s completely different from when I was younger. So I’m going to give it a try. Please support me.”
“I’ll support you both. Good night.”