In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 87

Chapter 87: Yuusei on the Cover?

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“For the front-page gravure spread?”

“Yes, and the cover at the same time.”

“Sweets Walker… I read it from time to time too, but has it ever had a front-page gravure spread?”

The job offer this time was for a feature in the information magazine Sweets Walker, under the “Hot Products Right Now” section.

Even before I became a hardcore B-grade gourmet lover, I used to read Sweets Walker regularly. The tone was a bit different now, but the magazine existed in this world too. Still, I didn’t remember it ever having a front-page gravure spread.

“That’s apparently a special feature unique to this extra issue. Besides the usual introductions to trending sweets and popular sweets shops, they’re planning a page that also focuses on sweets-related goods and people.”

So, a special feature in the extra edition. If it was in the front-page, it would stand out quite a bit and could be a great advertisement for Hexagon Pudding.

“Jun-san and Yoriko-san too. Do you two recommend this job to me?”

“Of course. We’re also respecting your preferences, Yuusei-kun, and our policy is to avoid unnecessary exposure or cheapening your image. In fact, we’ve turned down quite a few offers—fashion magazine gravure shoots, variety shows, and commercials for products other than EXA. But if you ever want to try something, just say the word, okay?”

For me, deliberately putting myself in the public eye like this was about generating the energy needed for my diary. In other words, it was to spread pudding in this world and live a healthy, comfortable life with the energy I earned. Hence why, when I signed with Jun-san’s agency, I had requested to be allowed to choose my work even as a newcomer. As of now, I was only accepting jobs related to EXA.

“Alright, I’ll take the job. It’s kind of surreal to think I’ll be appearing in a magazine I usually read.”

“Great. I’ll let you know the schedule later. That’s one thing settled.”

One thing?

“Is there something else?”

“Yes. Actually, EXA is also considering casting you in a commercial for another of their in-house developed products, not pudding.”

“What kind of product?”

“A new line of bath goods. With summer approaching, they’re planning to release refreshing, cooling bath salts and body soaps. Apparently, they’re really focused on the packaging and want to use a male model for the image.”

When I thought of bath product commercials, all I could picture were beautiful women in bathtubs. Would it even sell with a male model?

“So, the target demographic is women?”

“That’s right. But it seems they haven’t been able to find a female model who can convey that cool, refreshing vibe.”

A cool, composed woman, huh. Even thinking about the girls around me, most of them had cute appeal, but “cool”…Ah. Actually, there was one. The student council president at St. Catherine’s Academy totally gave off that kind of aura. Other than her, I couldn’t really think of anyone.

“Do I give off a ‘cool’ image?”

That part puzzled me. To me, people like Saitou or Yuuki were the textbook “cool” types.

“Well, among the male models, you have a sweet image. But compared to female models, I think you come across as cool enough.”

Is that so? I couldn’t really tell myself.

“Since it’s a bath product, there’ll probably be a lot of skin exposure. If you’re uncomfortable with that, feel free to decline.”

Skin exposure, huh. I’m a guy, so being shirtless isn’t a big deal, but with so few men in this world, I guess a lot of people might be sensitive about that kind of thing.

“Can I hold off on answering for now? I’d like to hear my family’s opinion too.”

“Of course. We’d like a reply soon, but it’s more important that you take the job or turn it down only after thinking it through. Talk it over with your family and decide.”

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After that, the shoot for Sweets Walker was wrapped up in no time. Since it doubled as a promo for Hexagon Pudding and was similar in style to the previous still shoot, the shooting went smoothly. They said they’d send me a sample copy once it was done. The issue was supposed to be a special feature on wobbly, jiggly sweets like pudding, so I was already looking forward to it.

And today was the shoot for the hastily scheduled bath goods commercial. After asking my mom and Yui for their opinions, they told me, “We definitely want to see it.” So I figured—why not? But I still wondered… Would a bath scene with a guy even be fun to watch?

The shoot was divided into three parts.

The commercial opened with the scenario of returning home after a jog. Wearing a T-shirt and shorts, I walked through the house, turned my back to the camera, and peeled off the T-shirt in one motion. It was a coming-home, undressing scene.

“Do it with more energy!”

“Focus on the movement of your shoulder blades!”

I crossed my arms, grabbed the hem of the shirt, and yanked it up all at once.

Easier said than done. I’d never thought about how to take off a shirt in a stylish, dashing way. Being conscious of how my back and shoulders moved was a first too. We reviewed the footage over and over on the monitor, and finally got the okay.

Next was a scene where I casually picked up a stylish, clear-packaged bath salt product that would likely appeal to women, and walked toward the bathroom. Since I had practiced how to keep the product visible while picking it up, that part got an instant OK.

And then… It was finally time for the bath scene. Apparently, the bath set had taken a lot of money and effort to build, and it looked so realistic that it didn’t even feel like a set.

“Alright, lean your arms on the edge of the tub!”

“Now run your fingers through your hair!”

Filming in a studio, being the only one in swimwear while everyone else was clothed—it was a bit embarrassing at first. So yeah, I was a little tense, but once I slipped into the tub, all that tension faded. Soaking in the sky-blue water, colored by the refreshing bath salts, felt genuinely nice, and I actually ended up enjoying myself.

The concept of this product was “Enjoy summer bath time in comfort!” Normally, I took super quick baths—more like rinse-offs, really—so I had no idea how to properly relax in a tub. But apparently, it was fine to just stretch out my legs over the rim, or lean back in the tub like I was really comfortable.

Thanks to the studio lighting, I didn’t get chilled, and a light sweat began to rise pleasantly to the surface. As I got used to it, I gradually relaxed, and my expression naturally softened.

“Yuusei-kun, sink down a bit more! We can see it.”

“Oh, whoops! Sorry.”

Oops. Gotta be careful.

Apparently, even for men, visible nipples in bath scenes were a no-go. The tub was filled extra deep for that reason. In the commercial, a hint of chest is the most they could allow. If the angle was too exposing, they’d have to reshoot.

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Meanwhile, Yuusei, half-blinded by the lighting, had no clue how excited the film crew around him had become.

“Oh man. I think I’m getting a nosebleed. His sex appeal is off the charts.”

“Is he doing this on purpose? Or is he just…A natural? He has no sense of danger.”

“A dreamy, soaking-wet high school heartthrob in all his glory.”

“My eyes are burning, but I can’t stop staring.”

A few staff members actually ended up with nosebleeds and had to shove tissues up their noses.

“Even just that bare shoulder is sexy, and now we’ve got a peek at his nips? Too precious.”

“This is way too risqué. He’s too sexy. This is unreal. Is this even going to make it to air?”

“They’ll just fix it in editing, I guess.”

Given how this society worked, where couples often lived apart, it wasn’t uncommon for women to have never even seen their father’s bare body. And the chance to see a young man’s body? Practically nonexistent.

The staff tried their best to act casual, but many were visibly flushed, struggling to stay calm and suppress their rising urges.

“The undressing scene earlier was amazing, but this? This is legendary.”

“When it airs, I’m recording it in ultra-HD. No question.”

Despite all that, the filming progressed smoothly and on schedule.

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I might’ve gotten a little too relaxed, but after this, we still had to shoot the second commercial shoot for the body soap. It seemed that for that one, I would be doing it in a shower booth. I wondered how long the shoot would take?

By the time filming wrapped, I was clean from head to toe, even down to my pores. Smooth and shiny.

“Bath salts are amazing. I feel so refreshed and relaxed. I used to just shower in the summer, but now I’m thinking I might start taking proper baths from now on.”

With that closing comment, today’s shoot came to a successful end.

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