"Thanks for your hard work!" Director Makino called out to the whole crew as the last scene of the day wrapped up.
Perfect - just two scenes left, and they'd be shot in two weeks. Until then, I could focus entirely on the shopping center.
Parched after two hours of prep and filming under the blazing sun, I made a beeline for the service table off to the side of the set. There were light snacks for anyone feeling peckish, and bottles of water. As I quenched my thirst, Yukie quietly slipped over to grab a bottle herself.
"Nice performance," the actress said as she twisted off the cap.
Whoa, she's actually starting a conversation with me? Did those little hangouts really change her attitude that fast?
"Did you want something?" I asked bluntly. I had no interest in going through the whole dance of mutual compliments and small talk just to get to the real reason she'd come over.
"Yeah, I wanted to ask how you dealt with the Bloodfang gang." She tried to sound casual, like it was just a passing curiosity.
But… what does she care about my problems? Is she just nosy? Or does she have some personal beef with that gang?
"I told them I'm personally acquainted with Princess Fuun, and they backed off." Judging by her face, my dumb joke didn't land.
"So you had nothing to do with the fact that the gang got completely wiped out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Well… if you ignore the fact that I'm the reason they're gone, then yeah, I had nothing to do with it. No one would blame me for what I did - some people who've suffered from gangs might even praise me - but it's not exactly the kind of achievement I want to brag about.
"Of course. I snuck onto their turf in the dead of night, killed them all with my own hands, and at the end, I even rescued a few slaves - one of them turned out to be an exiled noblewoman from a distant land. Is that the answer you wanted?" I asked, deadpan.
"Hmph, you could've just said no. Still, you're one lucky guy." She gave me a look that said she was about to head off. The actors were done for the day, after all. As she stepped away, her chest bounced under the maid-style dress, cut in the fashion of the old Ceiho era, which came right before the current age of warring daimyo. Back then, bras weren't really a thing, so Makino had banned them for all the female characters in the film.
Bras were common enough around here, but… they didn't have much charm. Some women just used bandages or other cloth instead.
Yeah, say what you want, but she's got a figure and looks to match. She caught me looking, and instead of getting embarrassed, she gave me a proud look that said, "Stare all you want, but you're not getting this flower."
"Yukie, wait." I stopped her just as she was about to turn and leave. Ignoring her slightly haughty expression, I asked, "Want to make a little extra cash?"
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" she frowned.
"My sewing workshop is launching a few lines of women's clothing. The measurements should fit most clients, but I haven't had a chance to see how they look on a real person. I need a model." I explained calmly.
"And your assistant can't model for you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"She's a former shinobi, so she's not really the best fit for modeling." I shook my head.
It was all about muscle-to-fat ratio. Ayumi, for all her femininity, had shoulders a bit broader than most women - a dead giveaway of her training. She barely had any body fat, so any outfit would look good on her.
Yukie, on the other hand, despite her age, had slightly wider hips than Ayumi, and a little softness at the sides - not much, but it was there. As for her hips and backside, it was hard to say, since she mostly wore loose dresses, but I figured she was well-proportioned there too.
"I don't want to bother," she tried to refuse.
"I'll pay three thousand ryo for each dress you try on. There are ten dresses in line." The moment she realized she could make thirty thousand ryo just by trying on ten dresses, her face lit up - then quickly twisted into a grimace.
"No way! Do you think I'm stupid? First you'll get me to try on clothes, then you'll find an excuse to make me wear something too revealing, and then you'll offer me a drink with some special drug in it." She laid out her suspicions right to my face.
Wow, she should be writing novels, not acting - what an imagination! Okay, I did plan to talk her into trying on some lingerie sets, but as for the rest…
"Yukie, if I wanted to take things to the bedroom, I'd be treating you very differently." Does she really think that highly of herself? "Fine, if you're not interested, that's your call. Finding a model won't be hard."
****
"Koyohanaru-kun, thanks for coming. I tried to change the bulb myself, but it just wouldn't work." Supporting actress Miyauti pointed at the ceiling with a pitiful look.
"Heh, with my skills, this'll be a piece of cake." Trying to look as broad-shouldered as possible and stand up straight to add a couple inches to his height, the young guy climbed onto the stool, flashing what he thought was a dazzling smile.
Koyohanaru, still pretty young and a rookie tech, realized this was his perfect chance to make a good impression on the attractive actress. She was five years older, but he believed that with a little luck, he could win the heart of the second prettiest girl in the cast.
*She could've asked anyone, but she picked me!* The thought filled him with energy.
"You're not going to fall, are you? The stool's a little wobbly - I can hold you if you want," the girl said, a bit worried.
"Heh, no need, I'm pretty nimble." Koyohanaru answered quickly, only to realize a second later how dumb that was.
*Damn! I just turned down a chance for physical contact with Miss Miyauti! Oh well… looks like the bulb's fine, it's the wiring… yeah, here, the contact's a little loose.*
"I'll go make some tea," the girl said, leaving the room.
And then Koyohanaru realized -
*I'm all alone in Miyauti's room! If I poke around a bit…* The thought of what he might find got the teenager excited. *Better fix the lamp quick!*
****
"I'm sorry, Yukie-san, but because of the fire, part of your room was burned. By the time we put out the flames, half your room was gone." The actress stared in shock at the charred floor, bed, and wardrobe. She didn't care about the room itself - Makino-san was paying for it anyway - but her personal things, her precious books…
Suddenly, another thought hit her, and she rushed to the half-collapsed wardrobe. Clothes were the least of her worries, but she had a little stash hidden in there.
"My… my money." Yukie wasn't exactly thrifty, but she always kept at least a hundred thousand ryo on hand. Most of it went to food, expensive drinks, and books, so her savings weren't big enough for a bank, but losing them still stung.
"Ahem, don't worry, I've already talked to Makino-san. While they repair your room, you can stay at the hotel." Her assistant tried to reassure her, having rushed over when he heard about the fire. Luckily, no one was hurt.
"What about my money?" Yukie was on the verge of tears.
"I'll see what I can do," Sandayu nodded and hurried off.
****
All right, I've more or less figured out the clothing stores. Now, about the restaurants… It'd be dumb to put a McDonald's inside the mall, especially since it's less than five hundred meters away. So what should I offer… Of course! Kentucky Fried Chicken - or just KFC. How hard can it be to bread and fry chicken? Obviously, the trick is in the spices.
Besides chicken, I could add hot dogs and kebabs to the menu. Good, if one restaurant is American-style, the second should be Italian: pizza, lasagna, carbonara - all great signature dishes. Only thing is, Italian food needs more experienced chefs.
No big deal, I can poach a few. Obviously, besides the exotic stuff, I need to offer something familiar from local cuisine. So, one restaurant should focus on Japanese food - though I haven't seen sushi here, or rather, "susi"… hmm, but that could be a problem, since there's no sea nearby, and relying on river fish… All right, half the menu can be local dishes, and I'll rack my brain to remember what unusual things I used to order at Japanese restaurants.
Man, I'm nowhere near a true transmigrator - at this rate, I won't finish in a month. I'll need at least another month and a half. Oh well, I've got more than enough for the next payment, and I definitely won't go hungry. My job is to lay a solid foundation - I can count on Ayumi and Saiko for the rest. That's what I hired them for, after all.
Whenever I get lost in thought, I always drink tea - a habit I picked up in college. Good tea not only quenches thirst, but also dulls hunger for a while, so I can focus longer. Still, after the fourth cup, I couldn't concentrate anymore - my stomach was demanding food.
I left my room, planning to head downstairs, when I suddenly ran into a familiar face. No need to guess why Yukie was here - she was clearly looking for me. As for what she wanted, I was about to find out.
Turns out, the actress wanted to talk to me in private, and after spending five minutes getting ready, I didn't feel like going back to my room. So we headed to a restaurant I'd been meaning to try for a couple of days.
"I'll have the Oguri salad," she said after staring at the menu for a few minutes.
"Wow, on a diet?" I teased, then smirked to myself. I had a friend who was always on some diet, ordering nothing but salads wherever we went. I loved making fun of her for it - once, for International Women's Day, I gave her a bouquet of freshly cut grass. I'll never forget the look on her face.
Yukie didn't answer, so I started listing everything that caught my eye in the meat and dessert sections.
They brought us plum wine in a decanter with two crystal glasses. Apparently, wine glasses never caught on here.
"All right, spill it," I said, swirling the wine in my glass.
Turns out, the actress who'd been living large for years was suddenly broke. Sure, losing her money wasn't a huge deal - she'd easily earn it back by the end of filming. And she wasn't completely penniless - her colleagues and assistant helped out - but she couldn't spend freely and had to save. And in a week, she owed twenty-seven thousand ryo for a custom dress.
"So borrow it, what's the problem?" I asked, not seeing what was so terrible about her situation - she still had an income.
"I don't want to ask my friends, and I'm definitely not going to the bank. I'm not used to borrowing money, and I don't want to start." Well… now I understood why she was sticking to just a salad. The prices here were pretty steep.
"Huh, then why'd you come to me?" If she didn't want a loan, what could I do? I wasn't about to just hand her money.
"Well… I remembered you were looking for a model for your dresses. Did you already find someone?" she asked, a little embarrassed.
Ah, got it. She wanted to work - that, I could respect. Only, my offer wasn't really valid anymore. I'd made it five days ago. Saiko had happily agreed to try on most of the dresses, and I didn't even have to offer her money. Now, I only had five dresses left to fit, which I told her.
"Well, fifteen thousand ryo is still money," she said, perking up.
Soon, our food started arriving. Looking at her sad little salad - five bites, tops - I couldn't help but smile. No matter how hard Yukie tried to make her meal last, her plate was empty in minutes.
It would've been fun to tease her, but I don't enjoy eating while someone's starving across from me.
"You could've just said you were short on cash." With a hint of annoyance, I pushed over the dish I liked least.
"No need," she said awkwardly, waving her hand with a forced smile.
A few minutes later, the waiter came by to ask if we needed anything else, and turned to Yukie -
"Ma'am, did you not like your dish? If you'd like, we can replace it."
"No, it's fine, everything's good." She got even more embarrassed and, under the waiter's questioning look, started eating.
****
"I still can't believe this dress was your design." Yukie spun in front of the mirror, then shot me a look through the reflection. [ image ]

"And stop drinking my wine! "
"Don't be stingy. I paid for dinner, so the wine is the least you can give me for my generosity." I replied, in a good mood.
Besides, the wine was a gift from a customer at the restaurant who recognized Yukie from a famous movie. Too bad for the guy - she accepted the gift, but flat-out refused to spend time with him. I recalled the recent episode.
"So, what do you think?" she asked, twirling in front of me.
"I think I should tweak a few parts and make it a little less fitted." I said, carefully studying the evening dress that hugged her body.
"Really? I think it's perfect as is." She came closer, snatched the bottle from my hand, and poured herself more wine.
"It looks perfect on you, but not every girl has your figure. On most, this dress would make them look like caterpillars." I ignored her move and protested.
"Hehe, maybe so. So, what's next?" Yukie was getting into it. After dinner, spending time with me, trying on different dresses and chatting - it turned out to be surprisingly fun for her.
"That's it. You've tried on all the dresses." I chuckled, watching her cheerful mood fade.
"Hmm, maybe… I could try on the ones your assistant wore? I'm sure they'd look different on me." Yukie didn't know what came over her - maybe it was the lure of easy money, maybe she just wanted to try on more outfits.
"Maybe, but I already sent the rest back to the workshop." I said, making a few tweaks to the evening dress sketch.
Yukie, standing off to the side with her glass of wine, watched me work for a few seconds. There's just something about men when they're focused on their craft. With Akira's looks - enough to catch any sane girl's eye - and four glasses of wine in her, Koyuki was feeling a little charmed.
*Get a grip, Koyuki, it's a trap! Don't fall for his looks - he probably has a different girl in his room every night.* She coughed a little from the bitterness of the wine, then looked around for a place to sit. Sitting on the bed next to Akira was out of the question, so she dragged a chair from the kitchen over to the window and settled in.
"So, what cologne do you use?" she asked.
Hearing her question, I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"Maybe I really should open a perfume shop with my sweat as the base? No, that's nuts…" I thought, then said, "You're probably the hundredth person to ask me that…"
When I told her about all the people who'd pestered me with that question and the secret of my mysterious scent, she burst out laughing.
"You know, after getting to know you, I realized you're not such a bad guy." When the topic of my scent was over, Koyuki mumbled that almost shyly.
"If you stop attacking people for no reason, you'll find most aren't so bad." I replied flatly.
"Can we not bring that up again? That's ancient history. I was actually trying to give you a compliment." She grumbled. I just grunted and said,
"I'm surprised you came yourself. I kept expecting your assistant to show up and drag you away."
Koyuki shot me a sharp look and said indignantly,
"Sandayu's not my babysitter, if that's what you're implying. I'm old enough to take care of myself."
"I don't know… I feel like you shouldn't be left alone for more than a few days," I thought to myself.
"By the way, you and Ayumi - is it just business, or something more?" she asked, a little too directly.
"You think I chase after every skirt I see?" I laughed.
"Don't you? Or are you going to tell me you're a one-woman man, devoted to your true love?" Koyuki grinned.
"Believe it or not, in the past year, I've only been really close with one woman." I said seriously.
*And that needs to change!* I added to myself.
Koyuki didn't really believe me, but the answer still seemed to satisfy her. We kept talking until the wine bottle was empty.
"Ah, that was fun. Will you have new lines of clothes to try on this week?" With all the wine, Koyuki was acting much more open.
Alcohol is like a can opener for the soul - it brings out what's inside. The life of the party can turn into the saddest person in the world after a bottle, and the ones who seem miserable can end up grinning like idiots. Of course, there are a lot of factors - like who you're drinking with.
After a good dinner, trying on clothes, and earning the easiest money of her life, Koyuki was in a great mood, and the wine only made it better. Akira, who she used to hate, now seemed like a pretty decent guy. Of course, his looks played a big part, smoothing out all the rough edges of his personality.
"Not this week, but if you're interested, I do need a model for some lingerie." I winked and finished off the wine, nodding toward the box in the corner.
"Hah, clever. So that was your plan all along? Did you really think I'd say yes?" To her own surprise, Koyuki actually found the offer funny. On another day, in another mood, she might have yelled at anyone who suggested it.
"If not you, someone else will." I shrugged.
"Honestly, if it were anyone else, I'd be suspicious. But with you, I bet there are plenty of girls who'd do it for a hundred ryo." Koyuki glanced thoughtfully at the box, where the lingerie sets were supposed to be.
"Not that I'm interested, but… let's say I agreed. How much would you pay?" Only after a second did Koyuki realize how that could be taken.
"Well, considering your tough financial situation, and the fact that modeling lingerie in front of a guy is pretty embarrassing… five thousand ryo per set. "
"Five thousand, ten times, that's fifty thousand, plus… wow, seventy-five thousand ryo? Even women in elite brothels only make thirty thousand a night! And all I'd have to do is strut around in lingerie… No! Koyuki, it's a trap! He's trying to lure you in. But… seventy-five thousand for such an easy job, and it's not like there's anything shameful about it - I wouldn't be naked… what am I even thinking! No way, I'm not falling for that!"
Meanwhile, I watched the emotions play out clearly on Koyuki's face.
*I wonder if her morals are stronger than her hunger for easy money? She's attractive - no wonder she's the most famous actress in the Land of Fire. If I weren't surrounded by so many beauties in Konoha, I might even want to make a serious move. But she's not the type for a quick fling - I figured that out a long time ago. Girls like her, you have to win their heart first, and only then will the 'peach' be within reach. I don't have the time or energy for that.*
Thinking about it, my mind drifted back to memories of being wrapped up with some of the hottest girls of my life.
Kushina and Mikoto… yeah, those two really got to me. Kushina's sweet and polite in public, but with people she's close to, she's open and sometimes doesn't know when to stop with her jokes. That's what makes her so much like Naruko.
Mikoto used to act like Kushina in public, but with her, it always felt natural, like water flowing in a river. But once she became the head of her clan, she started acting more serious, keeping up appearances just for formality's sake. Luckily, in private, she's still the same Mikoto - sweet, but with a sharp tongue that can land a perfect jab.
I wonder if Naruko will grow up to be like Kushina, or will she always show her true colors? And Sasuke and Itachi? Which of them will take after Mikoto more? Hard to say… I haven't noticed either of them being especially sharp-tongued.
Sasuke acts quiet and a bit aloof in public, but alone with me, she's like a kitten - pretending not to care about people, but never turning down affection, purring away. Itachi's more complicated - it's hard to tell what's real and what's just a mask. She acts cold and calm, but if you poke her the right way at the right time, she'll blush just like any other girl.
In the days that followed, I realized with some regret that I wouldn't get to test the strength of Yukie's morals anytime soon. I found out that by the end of the week, the film crew - and the cast - would be heading south to continue shooting.
By then, I'd already filmed four short scenes, and for the next four months, Makino wouldn't need my acting services.
🔥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~🔥
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