Vol 1 Chapter 29 – Model Shoot (Session 1)【Vol 1 – Turning Point】

“Okay, now hold that bouquet near your chest! Can you give a more wistful expression!?”
The shoot began.

The photographer is Mr. Yasuda. He’s a bit overweight, and his smile is charming. Behind him, Michiru is bouncing around, repeatedly exclaiming how cute I look in my dress.

“Uh, um… like this?”
I relaxed my facial muscles and narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Oh, nice! Perfect, I like it!”
The camera clicked continuously, snapping shot after shot. It’s standard practice now to take dozens of photos in one session.

“Alright, next, try a praying pose! Oh, you’re all grown up—sorry!”
Mr. Yasuda normally shoots junior models, so sometimes he accidentally uses language meant for children.

“Okay, like this!”
I followed his direction and struck the pose.

“Yes, yes! Now, since the theme this time is a songstress, why don’t you sing something—anything!”
When I was suddenly asked to sing, the first song that came to mind was “MalumDiva.” I hadn’t expected to sing during a shoot, so I felt a bit nervous.

“Okay…”
But then I started singing.

Everyone around me fell silent; they must have thought my expression wasn’t suitable for the shoot. So, I decided to sing just a brief version of the chorus. Strangely enough, I couldn’t hear any shutter clicks. In the end, I sang all the way through without being told to stop. The atmosphere became completely quiet. After a moment…

“Huh!? I forgot to take photos!”
“We were completely entranced by your singing…”
Mr. Yasuda and Kanda, who was holding the reflector board, exchanged nods.

“Whaaa!??”
I couldn’t believe it; both of them are professionals—from the entertainment industry—and yet they got so mesmerized that they forgot to shoot.

“Hehe, you simply can’t let Rin sing ‘MalumDiva’!”
Michiru chuckled proudly. Perhaps my singing ability is really something.

“‘MalumDiva,’ huh… Wow, honestly, I’ve never seen anyone like that even among professionals.”
Mr. Yasuda laughed. Still, I really wished they had focused on the shoot.

“Alright, then switch to another song—otherwise we’ll forget to shoot!”
That incident later led to an invitation for a singer debut from Shirai Production, the agency affiliated with clockchild, but that’s another story. I decided to sing “Daydream, Sometimes….” Given my outfit, I should be portraying a rather somber expression, so a ballad-style song seemed more appropriate.

This time, as soon as I began singing, I heard the shutter clicks. I wasn’t interrupted from singing until the end, and in the end, they definitely took over a hundred shots.

“Yeah, we got plenty of good shots! Let’s move on to the cut!”
And by “cut,” I don’t mean switching scenes—literally, my hair was being cut.

We moved to another room where I was shown photos of my new hairstyle. My bangs would lightly brush my eyelids, with the sides at shoulder length, and the rest would remain extremely long. Apparently, they wouldn’t touch the rest.

“I’m planning on getting this haircut—do you think it’ll be okay?”
It’s a completely feminine hairstyle. I’ve never had a haircut like this before, so I looked to Michiru for help.

“Hmm? Oh, it’ll definitely suit you!”
That made me think it wouldn’t be a problem. After all, I rarely see anyone other than Michiru. Even Ryu usually comes through her, and soon everything will be via the new channel system.

“Alright, let’s do it.”
When I reached the room, I was draped with a cape like the ones used in barber shops, and they began cutting my hair.

“Your hair is beautiful—what treatment are you using?”
The hair stylist asked me. I live with Michiru, and we use the same shampoo and treatment; she first taught me about it when I started taking baths.

“It’s essence!”
But my hair hasn’t changed at all. It was never tangled to begin with, and it’s always been shiny. According to Michiru, my hair is exceptionally beautiful.

“Ah, your hair’s condition is just amazing!”
We chatted like that for an hour, and my hair was neatly trimmed.

Then we moved to another room. Next came changing outfits. For this shoot, I had to change clothes every two takes for three different new outfits. Since I was embarrassed about changing, I did it all myself.

“Alright, next take—sit down and hold the guitar!”
Since I arrived at the studio, I’d heard that Akihaba Rin is supposed to have a gothic-lolita image with a guitar. As a model, I’m going by the name RinAkiha to link with my VTuber persona.

“Okay!”
I sat in the chair and held the guitar.

“Now, play something and sing—while letting your legs dangle!”
I figured they must have provided a slightly higher chair for that. This outfit seemed suited to a smiling performance, so I decided to perform a song about stag beetles.

“Wait! The way you’re playing the guitar is too unusual! It’s too professional!”
“Huh!?”
My playing style involves sometimes moving my right hand toward the neck, which apparently wasn’t allowed.

“Keep your right hand over the sound hole! No slapping allowed!”
I couldn’t play the way I wanted and felt extremely frustrated. After all, both slamming and nail attacks were banned. This means it’s as if the percussion section is missing.

Despite such mishaps, the indoor shoot ended in about three hours.