【Closing in】

"Okay, The Zero's manager and I discussed the selective choreo for you." Mitsuru leaned against the mirrored wall, pointing at Akira. "They approved."

The other four—Sanae, Akira, Nazuna, and Jitsuko—stood in line. Another weekday, another hustle as the MV deadline tightened around them.  

"Well yeah, I realised there was no need for me to do that...." Akira shrugged, tossing his hair back. "I'd rather charm the viewers by my looks." 

He teasingly nudged Nazuna.

Nazuna exhaled sharply, shifting his gaze to Mitsuru, clearly unsatisfied by the reply. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but decided to swallow it. If this MV flops, I swear...

"Right... Don't see any looks here though..." Mitsuru flicked Akira's forehead. "Well, the MV is mainly for Akira's joining..."

"I thought it wasn't." Sanae twirled strands of her blue hair, with a calm and expressionless look.

"The timeline suggests we keep these him-centric." Jitsuko pointed at Akira with her thumb while reading the notes for the stream.

Mitsuru nodded. "The thing is... His appearance had been a topic of debate amongst online critics, so if he does a face reveal, we should make it celebratory. And take advantage of the situation." 

"Now, teach me~" Akira leaned closer to Nazuna again, his voice dipping into a smug whisper. This feels great. Now I get to pull his strings.

This guy is absolutely shameless.  Nazuna took a step back. "Of course I will."

Akira sighed. Disappointed at the unprovoked statement.

"And Akira, I suppose you already know about the modelling sponsor." Mitsuru stepped closer to him. 

Modelling? I think I recall.... Akira froze for a moment but quickly overcame the perplexed expressions. Narrowing his eyes, he smiled. "Um, yeah!"

His voice was slightly louder than usual.

Most of the paperwork had been covered by his aunt, so he was clueless about the details. He didn't bother asking, and she simply didn't tell.

"We will start in five minutes." Mitsuru walked towards the music system, fixing the cables. Nazuna stood next to her, whispering something in a voice that managed to remain muffled.

Sanae slid down against the mirror wall until she settled lazily on the floor.

Only Akira and Jitsuko remained standing. Akira ran his fingers through his hair; after the first encounter, he was at ease now. 

Anxiety on seeing a person was rare to him, only limited to seeing his aunt.

Jitsuko patted his shoulder. "Did you just lie?"

Her eyes fixed on his face. Her gaze wasn't intense, but it was observingly sharp. 

Akira's eyes widened. An involuntary twitch. He smiled. She is noting expressions?

"No." He spoke softly, turning; he walked past her.

I hate those who can read me. 

The sun reflected off the mirror as the practice began. The commissioned music played, a strong and rhythmic tone.

Jitsuko sat cross-legged next to the mirrored wall. She clapped and cheered every time the others could land a clean combo. 

Akira winked at the supposed camera; he stepped back, wiping the sweat. And stepped back in as the beat cued his entrance with Sanae.

His arm slid around her waist as he lowered her. Her flushed face was close—too close, her blue hair brushing the floor.

He jerked her back up – unintentionally – her body pressed against his. Heat crawled up his neck; without a thought, he glanced at Jitsuko. The reason—none. Or maybe her earlier interrogation had unsettled him.

He made space between himself and Sanae, but she moved in closer anyway.

"You like looking at Jitsuko." She twirled around slowly but elegantly as he held her.

So she noticed... Great. Akira sighed.

He pulled her closer—a teasing kind of retaliation—and bent with her. Mitsuru's voice calling his name could be heard. 

Her face flushed when he leaned in. Whispering. "Of course I do."

"All this for a sentence... Should have just kissed instead." Sanae pushed him back.

"Akira, don't go off the choreo." Nazuna yelled.

Akira stuck out his tongue at Nazuna. He could hear some yapping, but he decided to ignore it. Akira turned to look at Jitsuko; she was talking to Misturu.

Unbothered.

Akira clicked his tongue. He didn't expect any reaction from her, but complete ignorance annoyed him.

After a few hours of practice, they took a break. Sweaty and tired, everyone scattered or retreated around the studio. 

Mitsuru left to have another talk with the managing team. Sanae slept in a corner while Nazuna sat next to her, scrolling on his phone. 

Akira did the same until he realised Jitsuko was missing. He slipped out quietly, heading to the meeting room. 

There she was, completely lost, her hands running on the keypad of her laptop. She didn't seem to notice him enter. 

He moved behind her to catch a glimpse of what absorbed her to such an extent.

A 2D version of her virtual streamer avatar was displayed on the screen. She clicked another keyframe, moved the vectors, sighed, and redid it. 

Akira stepped closer; the scent of her perfume drifted up – soft and floral.

He plopped down next to her; she stiffened for a second, then smiled and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. He almost teasingly blew in her ear but held himself back.

"Akira, you scared me." She rubbed her hand over her chest.

"But you didn't seem shocked." 

"Oh, hehe." She fiddled with the tips of her hair. "I usually end up going silent in shock."

"Really?" Akira laughed. 

Jitsuko slid the laptop towards him. "See this animation; what do you think?"

Akira sat up and played the clip. paused. replayed. "Hmm, I think you should add another keyframe after the fourth one; it will feel smoother."

"I was thinking of doing the same." She dragged her mouse, adjusting the vectors.

"I thought you preferred raster animations?"

"Yeah, but in the university we are learning vector animation, so I wanted to use what I learnt." 

She replayed the animation. Six seconds of a character twirling her skirt. The two quietly watched the twirling girl in a few loops.

"Akira." Jitsuko finally spoke, cracking the silence. "You should try speaking your mind."

"Huh?" Akira shot up. "U-um, what do you mean?"

Jitsuko's eyes locked on him once more – calm but piercing. "Well, earlier you didn't know about the modelling, but you pretended to know. Also during the dance, when Sanae was too close, instead of saying it, you only teased."

Akira tapped his finger on the table and tilted his head back. "Hmm, well, I did know about the modelling; I just forgot. And I didn't mind what Sanae did; instead, I enjoyed it."

Jitsuko's gaze lowered back to the screen. "Well, do you plan on applying to any animation courses? You told me you are learning by yourself."

A clear sign that she decided to change the topic.

"Ah yes, I do plan to eventually; I just need to collect some more money." His smile, crooked—a lie. Thank god she was looking at that screen.

"If you need any help in that, let me know." 

Today I understood what she meant when she said she gets too curious about people. Chatting with her is easy; otherwise, she is a lie detector.