Night club? It was. It even came with a small stage. No way! But, as usual whenever you got too close to Kuri, it was too late for any regrets.

Usually Noriko disliked getting caught in a crowd gawking at something. It just didn’t ring well with her idea of collective stupidity. Right now she was neither in a crowd nor gawking. Instead she was part of that something. If possibly it was even worse.

Gods, this is scary! Cameras were one thing. Cameras meant some sulking and a shot that had to be retaken. You could redo and pretend the mishap never occurred. An audience was different. No remakes.

While this wasn’t the first time for Noriko, the madness from a year and a half ago was for pretend. A school festival meant students pretended being something they weren’t. This was different. Sure, she most definitely wasn’t a model, but the shoot was real, which means the fashion show right now was real as well.

“I can’t do this,” Noriko complained. She stared at the glittering darkness where young people moved to booming music in an almost night.

Kuri’s fingers dug into her shoulders. “Can’t do what?”

“Go out there. They’ll know I’m not the real thing.”

Kuri shook her head. “You’ve already done this once.”

Shaking her head Noriko gave Kuri a pleading stare. “That was pretence. This is real.”

She only received a glare in return. “Pretence? In what way?”

“That was just our cultural festival. It wasn’t for real.”

The hand on her shoulders hardened. “Are you daft?”

‘Daft’ wasn’t a word Noriko used to hear applied to herself. She shook her head. ‘Brilliant’ possibly, but not daft.

Kuri stared at her. “Look, if you believe I played house with Uniclo, my own career and an audience in the four digits, then you’re sadly mistaken.”

“Huh?”

“Moron! That fashion show was very, very much the real deal. We even had two pros, including one superstar.”’

Sometimes Kuri was just too much. “Superstar, you!”

“Superstar me, yes. They just don’t know it. I’ve done all the big European events more times than I care for, and trust me, our festival show had a huge audience for this kind of work.”

Kuri’s words didn’t convince Noriko. Something that happened in their own gym hall didn’t feel real. School was school, and reality lay elsewhere.

The rhythmic carpet of noise changed into a soundscape with different sources, and Noriko realised someone must have lowered the volume. Now there were voices mixed into the music, jeering and cheering, and she turned to find out what had changed.

“I look better than I speak, but you knew that.”

Another round of jeering.

“But then I look damn good!”

And one of cheering.

“Tonight I’ve brought some friends, so let’s have fun and watch some real nice clothes from Nimata’s latest collection!”

The cheering rose and drowned the music, very much like it had done during the festival, but Noriko had to admit this was nothing like the brutal wall of sound from back then.

“You’re up. Just out, wave and get back!”

When did you… Noriko stared at Kuri who magically appeared by her side almost finished changing into a new set of clothes. A slap on her back forced Noriko onto the stage, and only closer to two years of experience being around the mayhem that was Kuri and Urufu prevented her from freezing like a statue.

“Hi, I’m one of the friends,” she said. The sound carried clearly around her, so someone must have done a decent job with the microphones. “I speak better than Ageruman-san, back there,” she turned as her self confidence came back, “but then don’t all of us?” With those words Noriko waved at a floor filled with faces and walked off the stage. To her immense relief the entire room filled with a roar of laughter.

“You’re on after me.” Kuri’s face flashed a huge grin. “Well done Noriko. Love your guts.” And with that Kuri was back on the stage she so mysteriously had entered during their short talk without Noriko even noticing.

After Kuri one of the boys entered the stage. Just looking at his backside Noriko hoped she didn’t make that kind of impression. After him, Kuri again, and after her the other boy who made a much better job at playing a model.

How Kuri managed to throw herself into new clothes in no time at all was beyond Noriko, but before she had a chance to ask it was her turn once again. She staggered onto the stage, turned with a closed fist and pretended being angry at someone invisible back there who had forced her out into the lime light.

“Stupid kids. They promised I only had to do this once,” Noriko said and was rewarded with more laughter. She waved and decided against trying another joke. That would be pushing her luck.

Back behind the stage she changed into a new set of clothes and made ready for her turn. Three sets, they had said. This would be her last. After that she’d have Kuri’s face for dinner, or at least her wallet. There was no way Kuri should get out of this without paying. That Noriko enjoyed herself immensely had nothing to do with it.

Her third and last time onstage went by without mishaps. If anything Noriko received a loud departing cheer when she said she’d been the fool for the third time and needed some serious learning. This time the braver of the boys also managed a joke and returned with a grin on his face accompanied by the sound of approval from behind him.

Well, it was time to change back into her uniform, to once again become the usual Noriko and join her classmates back at the hotel.

“Pick three,” Kuri suddenly said in the dressing room.

“Pick three?”

“Three pieces of clothing from today’s shoot. You’ll get paid properly as well, but I want you to have something extra.”

“Like three socks?” Noriko said and smiled.

Kuri shook her head. “You could, but please don’t.”

Noriko felt her smile slowly fade away. “The second set,” she said. “All of it.” That meant five pieces of clothes, but Noriko had really liked it. Wearing it almost had her try a second joke after all.

Kuri nodded approval. “Skip the socks,” she asked.

Noriko smiled again. The socks would be piece six and seven, and she had already kind of promised Kuri not to go for the socks.

***

Christina looked at the midget girl across the table. The clothes she wore looked stunning, or rather Noriko made them look stunning. Nimata, the customer who paid for today’s stunt had built themselves a respectable name in a high end line for young males. Today’s live shoot launched their line for females, but truth be told they simply didn’t have the same eye for what girls wanted.

Noriko, no matter how girly she really was, sometimes looked very much like a tomboy rather than a young lady, and for her the clothes were a perfect match. At the moment, however, she definitely behaved like a lady.

“Looks good on you,” Christina said. She had to speak softly, which took a toll on her since her hear still hadn’t fully adapted from the night club bedlam earlier. This restaurant wasn’t a place for shouted conversations though.

Noriko nodded and swallowed a small bite of exquisitely prepared fish. It all came out of Christina’s pockets, but since over a year ago they were well lined. That was a good thing as she never asked their customer for permission before she gave away three sets of clothes, one for Noriko and one each for the boys.

Unless they took leave of their brains they’d smile and let it pass. Live marketing was, after all the best. However, if Nimata obstructed Christina would have to pay them a whole lot more than she made from the gig, and if so that was the last time she did any work for that company.

When Noriko dove into a glass of expensive mineral water and couldn’t see what Christina was doing she decided to take the opportunity to glance at her phone. Noriko was far too observant so some underhandedness couldn’t hurt.

Damn! Well, I’ll decline and keep her safe. A few messages already included questions about the tiny model. Christina made a mental promise to keep Noriko out of that world. It ate young girls alive, and Ulf’s girl had a bright future ahead of her that didn’t require her to use her looks. But you’re much more beautiful than you give yourself credit for. Christina guessed Noriko never noticed how she had matured the last year. She was already much more than merely cute.

“Like it?” Christina asked. The short question was a deliberate ruse.

Noriko looked up from food and drink. A small smile played over her lips. “Dinner or clothes?” She placed fork and knife soundlessly on her plate, a supremely well behaved action in stark contrast to the clothes and mischievous smile she wore.

Yeah, should have guessed you’d see right through it. “Both.”

Tilting her head so that shoulder length hair bobbed around a little Noriko met Christina’s eyes. “Food is superb, thank you, but you already knew that. I like my new clothes very much.” A faint blush gave colour to her cheeks. “Can’t wait to show Urufu,” she added, and finally her ladylike expression wavered a little.

Christina filled with warmth at the last sentence. You’d want him to say something nice. I can see why. She made a mental note to give Ulf a reminder later. He was more dense in that department than was decent. Noriko deserved all the kind words he could scrounge up, and if Christina had to give him a pointer or two then so be it.

Then her thoughts soured a little. Ulf could do with some cooperation from Ryu as well. He really should support the happiness of his sister’s better. Damn Ryu, that’s one of the few times where you could learn from Ulf when it comes to play nice with people. Cause Ulf had chosen to stay away when he was still burning with jealousy. Staying away Christina could respect. Ryu’s incessant interfering was something else.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Boyfriend,” Christina said.

“Idiot bro did something stupid again?”

Christina eyed Noriko over when the small girl continued her meal rather than openly wait for an answer. No he hadn’t, not for some time at least. “Just me being resentful.” She copied Noriko and picked up her meal again before it cooled.

They both finished in silence, and Christina had ample time to glance at her surroundings. Suits and dresses, silent conversations and much less ogling than she had become used to the last year. Much less still meant there was some, and she received a few angry glares from women whose partners didn’t keep their attention where wanted.

“So,” Noriko began after she had received some tea to go with her dessert, “what’s the real reason you pissed me off today?”

Silent as the question was Christina still flinched a little. “You looked like you enjoyed it in the end.”

“In the end, yes. I admit that, but that doesn’t change you stole a day alone with Urufu from me.”

That could mean two things. Christina decided she needed to shoot one of them down immediately. “I’m very much in love with your brother. Enough to be angry at your calling him idiot bro.”

“And Urufu?”

“A friend.” Noriko would know the partial lie in that statement, so Christina hurried to complete it. “I believe I’ll always keep a little of my love for him, but I promise I’ll never try to come between the two of you.”

Noriko looked like she tasted the meaning of those words. “Never is a long time.”

“Not for as long as I...”

“I’ll settle for this lifetime,” Noriko interrupted.

What? Christina shook her head. With Noriko you had to be careful with what she said. “Please explain!”

“I’ve heard Yukio and Kyoko talk. It sounds disturbing to me, but it’s their life.” Dark eyes stared at the table separating the two of them. “Just so you know. I love Urufu more than anything else, but I’ll live this life and die an old woman.”

“I don’t understand,” Christina said.

A shadow of sadness passed over Noriko’s face. “One life is enough for me. I don’t think I could stand doing it all over again.”

Understanding finally dawned on Christina. “Look I want to grow old with Ryu myself. Death doesn’t scare me they way it did when I was young.”

Noriko nodded and Christina saw a glimmer of respect in her eyes. “Thank you. It’s Urufu though. I can’t see him dying until he’s done with whatever he needs doing with his life. If that means him transiting again in the future I’d hate to die knowing he’s alone.”

Suddenly Christina’s world went icy cold. “I can’t love the way you do. That’s unfair! Please, I’ve found a life I can call home with Ryu, so don’t take it away from me!”

Noriko’s eyes were grim. “I’ll do almost anything for Urufu. We’ll continue this conversation another time.”