“Ahh, it’s so much fun riding the bullet train!” Miss Casual remarked as they got off the train in Kyoto.
“You ate the whole time, Miss Casual. Not that I can complain, it kept me fed too.”
Starting with the masuzushi, she had moved on to a banquet of snacks, drinks, and even some appetizers. Meanwhile, Ichika was a one-man photography crew getting dragged around by the girls in his class.
“Orimura! Take a picture of me!” He’d already gone through two rolls of film just from that repeated request. Traveling with this many women meant he wasn’t going to have much downtime.
“All right, then, let’s—”
Yes, sightseeing in Kyoto! Just as Ichika was ready to go, Chifuyu caught him by the collar.
“You’re doing the photography. At least to start. Go to Kiyomizu-dera.”
“Got it...”
As Ichika nodded, Miss Casual was the first to catch his hand and said, “Let’s go, Orimu!”
“Sure!”
But if Ichika was going, pretty much everyone there wanted to go too. He shrunk back from the rapidly-forming... less a line. It looked more a great migration.
“Let’s fly, Miss Casual,” Ichika whispered in her ear.
“Mm? Okay!”
As she nodded, Ichika opened Byakushiki and lifted her up before soaring into the sky.
“They ran away!”
“No fair, Miss Casual!”
“Ichika, you cheater!”
Chifuyu, though, chose to overlook this unapproved use of his IS. She must have had her own plan for this.
“Let’s fly too!” Houki was the first to suggest it, and the other cadets opened their own IS, only to be blocked by Maya.
“Remember, that’s against the rules.” She had a perfect, and perfectly menacing, smile. There was no arguing with that, and the cadets’ breath caught in their throats. “If you object, you’ll have to get through me first.”
The white flag went up. And thus, Ichika and Miss Casual’s date at Kiyomizu-dera began.
“Wow, that was quick.”
“IS are fast. Was the ride comfortable?”
“Anything would be with your arms around me. And I was inside the shield barrier, so I was fine!”
They’d landed toward the back side of the temple to avoid attention, and there were fewer tourists than expected around. But more importantly...
“There’s no one here. What’s going on?”
“That’s funny.”
As they entered the grounds, a woman angrily rushed over.
“You two! What are you doing here?! It’s closed for filming! ...Wait, are you Orimura Ichika?!” She was so worked up that it was hard to tell what she wanted.
“Oh, sorry, we didn’t know that it was closed. We can leave.”
“Wait, hold it! Orimura Ichika, can you be our special guest? People will love it! We’ll sell millions! I might even get a raise!” Her voice shaking, the woman pressed a business card into his hands. “I’m Yukizaki Iwana, a talent agent. Pleased to meet you.”
She was a competent-looking career woman in her early 30s.
“Ah... Wait, you’re making a movie? There’s no way I can do that!”
“Don’t worry! It’s an easy role!” Her words were reassuring, but her handshake was insistent.
“Er, well, um...” Ichika was dragged along, and Miss Casual followed along with him.
“Everyone, I’ve brought a special guest!” The mood on-set had been tense, but seeing Ichika, the cast let out a surprised cheer.
“No way! It’s really him!”
“Mankind’s, or at least men’s, last hope! Orimura Ichika!”
“Wow, I saw him in a magazine and he looked awesome!”
“Director! Director! Let’s change roles!”
“He can be the lead! But Orimura, can I get your autograph? I’m a huge fan! Ahh, this is wonderful! Can I shake your hand?”
The set suddenly livened up, and Ichika was dragged along by the enthusiasm.
“Okay, okay! I’ll be the lead!” A wave of applause arose. But the director, a man with scraggly stubble, was shaking his head while ‘hmm’ing. “So it won’t work? Okay, then, we’ll—”
“Okay, you’re the female lead!” He suddenly thrust a finger toward Miss Casual.
“Whaaa?” As she blinked in confusion, he walked up to her and took her hand.
“Writer! You’ve got thirty minutes to fix the script! Stylist! Get them ready! Lighting! I want illumination, not a laser cannon! Sound! Tweak the mics! Everyone else, go back to filming, but be ready!” Amidst the confusion, Ichika and Miss Causal were pressed into the studio bus. Was Japanese cinema really reduced to this?
“All right. IS Academy uniforms look good, so you’re fine in those. A little makeup, and you’ll be set!” An androgynous stylist with rolled-up sleeves ran their fingertips over Ichika’s cheeks. “Oh my. You have fabulous skin. Perfect for makeup. Ahh, such a healthy boy.”
“Y-Yeah...”
“Such a good boy. I hope I still know you in two years.” The stylist winked, and Ichika laughed nervously. “Now you, on the other hand. Why on earth do you wear such a baggy uniform?”
“Because it’s comfy!”
“Ah! That’s no good at all! Fashion needs immediacy—needs impact! You’re a woman, you need to show it!” The stylist’s own muscles rippled under tight clothing, though Ichika was unsure what exactly they were trying to show. “Maybe you two should change. All right, undress, undress.”
“Umm...” Ichika was flustered by the suggestion, but Miss Casual immediately pulled off her blouse and skirt. “Bwah?! W-W-Wait, what are you doing?”
“Whaaat? They said to undress!”
Ichika was half-panicking as she stood there in her underwear. Her breasts were even bigger than Houki’s. She had the body of a fashion model.
“Oh myyyyy. You’re amazing! This won’t take very much work at all. Ichika, darling, could you step out for a moment? I’ll lay something out for you. Don’t worry, I can tell your size by eye.” The stylist winked again.
Not wanting to just stand there staring at Miss Casual in her panties and bra, Ichika stepped out of the studio bus.
“Whoa...” It wasn’t going to be any less hectic for him outside.
“Can you sign this?”
“Show me your IS!”
“Can I get a photo with you?”
He was being treated like a rock star. But, ever-conscientious, he followed through with everyone... To his own disadvantage, as the director had a flash of inspiration when he saw the IS.
“Now we’ve got you!”
Kiyomizu-dera. Miss Casual, in a formal gown, was being chased by a group of men in dark suits and sunglasses.
“Give up, and marry me! Gahahaha!”
As the villain laughed menacingly, Miss Casual spoke firmly, “He is the wind. Nothing can stand in his way. And someday, that wind will carry me away.”
Turning, she jumped from the old lover’s leap of the temple.
“What?!” The villain panicked as Ichika, in his IS Byakushiki, swooped down to pluck her from the air.
“Ahh, my beloved! Let me be your wind...”
“No matter how far it carries me! Let my love be my wings, and you the wind which carries them.”
The two soared away into the night sky of Kyoto.
“CUT!!” The director’s voice echoed.
“Good work!” With a round of applause, filming was over.
“Wait, where’d that darling little boy go?”
They really had flown off, and it didn’t seem like they were coming back.
“Ah—!” Cries of dismay welled up from the cast.
“They ran away!” The absurdity of the whole afternoon set in, and they broke down laughing.
“All right, around here should be fine.” Picking a secluded back street, Ichika landed and closed his IS. “Miss Casual, did you want to go back and get your uniform?”
“Mmm. I brought plenty of changes.”
“I see.” A man in a tuxedo, a woman in a gown. They were quite the sight to behold. “Maybe we should fly back to the ryokan.”
As Ichika pondered, Miss Casual spoke up, “You know, Orimu.”
“Mm?”
“You’re always, always there for us. But you should let us be there for you, too.”
Ichika wasn’t prepared for that. Tears rose to his eyes, rolled down his cheeks.
✦ ✦ ✦
“H-Huh? What are you talking about?”
“C’mon, Orimu.” Miss Casual wrapped her arms around him. “When it gets to be too much, we can help. We’re all here for you. All of us.”
Ichika nodded, silently, from within her embrace. For a while, they stayed just like that. Only the two would know how tender of a moment it was.