The Vertigo of Olympus

Mio was standing in front of the Minamoto building.

It was a tower of glass and steel so tall that it seemed to touch the sky and go beyond. The sun reflected off its windows, blinding her, making her feel like an ant in front of a monument.

She was overwhelmed. She felt small and helpless. Her legs were shaking so violently that she feared she would fall right there, on the sidewalk of the rich and powerful. Her mind was at war with itself.

"Go in!" screamed one part of her. "Run away!" screamed the other. " It's a trap! They'll laugh at you! "

She stood at the entrance to the building for almost three hours. Three hours debating, taking one step forward and two steps back, unable to walk through the automatic glass doors. She was paralyzed, until Tanaka, the executive assistant, saw her from the lobby.

Tanaka came out. His calm face showed no sign of impatience. " Miss Sakurai. We were expecting you. " With a kind but firm gesture, he invited her in.

The interior of the building took Mio's breath away. Everything was pure beauty. Hundreds of people moved with an elegance and urgency that Mio had never seen before. Tall models, men and women in expensive suits, photographers giving orders, producers talking on the phone. It was an ocean of glamour.

All of this was too much. Too much for her mind. Her inner self couldn't process it. The only thing she and her inner voice could articulate was a silent, muffled cry: "¡AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

As Mio tried to process the chaos of perfection surrounding her, Tanaka gently took her by the arm and led her (almost dragged her) toward a golden elevator at the back of the lobby.

 "We'll go up to the 80th floor. " Tanaka said in a professional voice. " The president's office is waiting for us there. " On the way, Tanaka explained the situation to her, something about the divisions of the company, but Mio was barely listening. She still hadn't recovered from that overwhelming experience. The elevator rose with a silent speed that made her stomach churn.

Inside the office, Miss Kaguya Minamoto was waiting for them. The office was enormous, with a window that took up the entire wall and offered a view of Shibuya that only the gods could have.

Kaguya, sitting behind a white marble desk, looked up. Her face was kind, but her voice was sharp. " So this is the girl." she said, her voice dripping with arrogance. " She's... smaller than I imagined. Tanaka, are you sure you didn't make a mistake? She looks very... petty. "

Mio turned pale. She felt judged, threatened. " I... I... " She was about to faint from fear.

Kaguya watched her for another second, and then her arrogant expression broke. She began to laugh. It was a soft, amused laugh. " Oh, dear, forgive me. I couldn't resist. Tanaka told me about the slap... I wanted to see what it would take to really scare you. " She stood up and approached Mio, her presence warm but immensely powerful. " Calm down. Please sit down. "

Mio, though still frightened, managed to introduce herself. " I-I'm Mio Sakurai. T-thank you for... welcoming me. " It was an awkward introduction, but it worked.

Kaguya smiled at him, now kindly. " Mio. Let's get to the point. We offered you a contract. We want you to be the face of our new talent line. " She explained the situation to him. It was a contract in which she would agree to be a model. But it wouldn't happen overnight. " First. " Kaguya said, her tone turning serious, " you have to go through some tests. Makeovers, posture training, diction classes. We're going to bring out your full potential. In return, we'll give you money, power, and a place at the top of this world. "

Mio hesitated for a second. The idea was so good it seemed like a lie. " Money? Power? Me? The girl from Happy Burger? " She felt the urge to run away, to say it had been a mistake.

But then, like a flash of ice, she remembered the post. The photo of Ren and Akira. The wedding announcement. The pain in her chest. The feeling of being betrayed. Her words at the cemetery: " I don't think there's a worse curse than this. "

That was the last step. Mio looked up, meeting Kaguya's eyes. The trembling in her hands stopped. " I accept the contract. "