With the Right Lighting, Pt. 4

Megumi ended up leaving the photoshoot venue without telling anyone. She slipped on a cap and mask and followed me on the next train back to my apartment. As we were walking along the sidewalk next to the apartment, a certain someone called her on her cell.

"What do you want?"
"Huh? Why would I still be at the venue? You said the photoshoot was over."
"Well, maybe you should've thought about that before you outright shamed me in front of the entire staff."
"Childish? Me? You're the one spitting bullshit just because you're mad. Look — you showed me the exit, so I left. Plain and simple. Anything after that is your problem. Now, quit bothering me like some desperate telemarketer."

With that, she hung out and let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew~ That felt good."

"You sure this won't come back to bite you in the ass?"

"Nah." 

She showed me her phone with a massive grin, a little too proud of what she just did.

"I turned off my location and blocked him. He shouldn't be reaching me any time soon. Besides, I already announced that I was taking a break, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do. And you, Shohei Taka, get to help me with that."

"Oh wow. I feel so honored."

"As you should. Anyway, how do you wanna do this? Should I just strike a pose at home?"

"Why're you saying 'home' like it's yours?"

"Hey. I'm a temporary resident, aren't I? I mean, you're renting the place, and you call it home, don't you?"

"Yeah, but as you said, I'm renting it. You're not."

"Eh, details, details. I mean, I have my own place, but it's stuffy in there. Too big, too bright, too lonely. Part of the reason why I never went back. If you want, I can pay your rent for the next year. Hell, I can even pay for it till you graduate."

"Nah, it's fine. I can manage on my own."

She crossed her arms and smirked, not like I could see it under that mask. I can just feel it.

"Giving up on free rent so easily? My~ Aren't you a reliable man."

"It's not that."

We came to a stop at a crosswalk, as it wasn't yet time to walk. From here, I could see my room on the third floor of the apartment complex just across the street.

"I guess I'm just trying to build some discipline. That apartment marks my first, real responsibility as an adult. I'd rather take care of it myself, so don't worry about it."

I remember when I first moved in. Mother was crying like a baby, saying how I'd finally outgrown her. It was hard to get her to stop. She kept saying that if I needed help paying for rent, I should call her without hesitation. It's been a few months, and I've been doing fine.

Besides, I don't want my parents paying for me. It was my decision to move out instead of commuting, so I'll take responsibility.

"Anyhow, let's—"

I turned to meet her, but stopped when I saw her looking at me strangely.

"Is... something wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry. I was just... thinking about how you try so hard."

"Huh? W-well... I kind of have to. I feel like if I stop at any point, everything else will catch up. Not ready for that kind of mental whiplash just yet, so until then, I'll keep moving forward."

The walk sign lit up. Just as I was about to step off the curb, Megumi snatched my hand.

"W-what the—?! What are you—"

I couldn't even finish when she dragged me onto the crosswalk, turned around, facing me, with a smile that was as bright as the afternoon glow.

"Let's hope it doesn't get to that point. And you know what? I'll personally distract you so you don't have to think about it. Now, come on! We've got some photos to take."

When we made it back to the apartment, Megumi threw herself onto the couch and let out a long, satisfying, "Ahh~ Good to be back."

"You were only gone for a couple of hours."

"The worst couple of hours of my life, that's for sure. So~ What's the move?"

"Hold on. Let me grab my camera."

I went into my room, where the camera was sitting on the desk. But instead of picking it up right away, I just... stood there.

Because just a week ago, I didn't even know this girl. A week ago, I was heartbroken, stuck in my own head, convinced life had it out for me. But now?

Now she's here. Sprawled out on the couch in my living room like she belongs there. And for some reason... I don't mind. Not even a little.

"Hah... How the hell did I get used to this so quickly?"

After collecting myself, I snatched up the camera and met her back in the living room. Megumi was still lying on her stomach as she swung her legs back and forth, blissfully scrolling through her phone.

"Oh! You ready?"

"No, no— wait. Don't move."

"Huh?"

I quickly shuffled to the couch, kneeling in front of it. First, I framed an outline using just my fingers, which freaked her out a bit. Then, I held the camera steady.

A front shot would be way too awkward, but if I were to move it just a bit to the right and angle it where the sunlight reached the side of her face...

Snap.

"Hmm... Not bad," I said. "Here. Take a look."

Megumi took the camera from my hand and accessed the screen. Her eyes sprang wide open as a massive grin quickly stretched across her face.

"Shohei! What do you mean 'not bad'?! It looks so good!"

"You like it?"

"Mhm! It's almost like... a surprise shot, you know? I was just minding my own business, then you came in and snapped a photo right when I realized you were there. It gives off that 'Oops, it was an accident but still looks good' kind of vibe, but it works so well here!"

"I agree. Not sure what your manager had in mind, but the way I see it, this kind of style is perfectly in line with normal, everyday girls."

Her voice fell to a small, sheepish mumble.

"You... You think so?"

"Yeah. Don't you see how girls nowadays look? They're starting to stray from the classic long and straight hairstyle and going for more... wilder looks. Kind of like the one you've got now. Not to mention their clothes. My parents always go on and on about how my little sister dresses."

"Oh, really? Wait— You have a little sister?!"

"Yeah."

"Can I meet her?"

"Absolutely not."

"Huh?! W-why not?!"

"No reason. Anyway, take two. Hold still for a second."

While she maintained that relaxed pose and subtly surprised expression, I snapped a few more shots.

"...Okay. That's good. Let's try something else. Tilt your head to your right and lean it against your hand."

She did exactly that.

"Like this?"

"Exactly like that. Now, smile — not too wide. Think... You just saw something cute on the internet, and it warmed your heart."

Once again, Megumi followed my directions. She smiled gently. Not only that, her eyes lowered just a little — which captured the perfect image of what I had in mind.

With one eye shut and the other one gazing through the lens, I was just... looking at her. Couldn't help it. For such a simple pose, she was effortlessly making it look great. Or maybe it had nothing to do with the pose.

Maybe it was just her.

"Hey," she said, her smile turning into a smirk. "You gonna keep sitting there and admiring me? Or are you finally gonna take the photo?"

"A-ah... Sorry."

"Fufu~ No need to apologize, Shohei. I get it. Not many people can resist."

"I would call you narcissistic, but you'd just be pointing out a fact. Is that right?"

"Exactly. See? You know me so well."

For the next thirty minutes, I had Megumi do a couple of different poses. A few more on the couch, one at the dining table, then a couple on the balcony. Needless to say, those photos turned out amazing. If I could pay the wind, I would.

"Phew..." I sighed, sitting down on the couch next to Megumi. "That's that. All that's left is for me to edit them, then you can decide whether or not you wanna post them."

"You're pretty good at this. And you've never done photography for models? Ever?"

"Nope."

"How do you know so much? Like which pose to use, and what face to make?

"I don't. These are just things I would find attractive, so I—"

My mouth clamped shut. Slowly, I twisted my head to look at her, hoping to God that she didn't catch that. Of course, that was never gonna be the case.

Her posture stiffened, eyes wide, lips glued together even tighter than mine. And what made it even worse was that her face was red. As much as I wanted to blame it on the late sunset glow, I couldn't. Not this time.

Suddenly, she stood and quickly walked away.

"I'm gonna go shower now. If you happen to finish editing those photos by tonight, I'll post them."

"W-what? Just like that? You should give it some more thought. What if people don't like them?"

"Well, there's no way to know unless I do it. And besides..."

She stopped and placed a hand on the bathroom door frame, turning to meet my eyes with a delicate smile.

"You'd find them attractive, right? In that case, I'm sold."

The door clicked shut thereafter, leaving me alone to wallow in self-pity. I leaned forward, burying my head in my hands.

"What is wrong with me...?"