Arc-3 SS-02

"Try pressing your breasts together a little more?"

"Yes... like this?"

"Perfect! That's it, Erika-chan."

Following the familiar instructions of the photographer I had worked with countless times, I used both arms to squeeze the crimson bikini top, deepening the valley between my breasts. Even though my body still ached from the music festival, I forced a radiant smile and gazed directly into the lens.

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Today’s gravure shoot, by comparison, was relatively comfortable.

Since it was an indoor session designed to protect my skin from the blazing summer sun, the air conditioning kept the studio pleasantly cool. The temperature felt slightly chilly against my bikini-clad body, but it was infinitely preferable to being baked under direct sunlight outdoors. Back when I first began gravure work, there had been outdoor winter shoots that left me shivering. Compared to those days, this felt like paradise.

It was proof that both my personal popularity and that of Schus-Sola had risen dramatically.

These days, whenever my gravure appeared on the front pages, magazine sales visibly spiked, and new offers kept arriving. I had lost count of how many shoots I had done this year alone.

The only problem was how exhausting the schedule had become.

I had known from experience that the period around Reitaisai would be mercilessly packed, but this year felt especially brutal for a particular reason.

Of course, more work meant more income, and I was grateful for that. But the longer hours steadily eroded my private life, and I wished it would stop.

Especially now, after finally crossing that line with my best friend from high school.

Ever since realizing I liked girls, she had been my ultimate target. After finally sleeping with her, restraint had become painfully difficult. Yet there was no way I could lay a hand on anyone else.

The girls in Schus-Sola were, naturally, all adorable, but getting involved with any of them carried too many complications. I had once been interested in Rina-chan and Tomomi-chan, but it was obvious they were straight, so I had simply admired them from afar.

There were a few members who shared my orientation. Unfortunately, those girls tended to rank lower and ended up in the mini-live units, so we barely ever crossed paths. They, too, kept their distance because I was one of the popular members.

And then Mikuri Kayanuma-chan appeared.

One look was enough to know she would shoot straight to the top. She handled singing and dancing with ease, overflowed with charm, and could act—a perfectly complete entertainer.

As expected, she placed high in the Reitaisai popularity vote and joined the same internal group as me. The reason I paid such close attention to her was simple: I knew she liked girls too.

Doing gravure work makes you hypersensitive to where people are looking. When it’s a man’s gaze, it usually feels unpleasant, but I endure it because it’s part of the job. When it’s a cute girl looking, though… I want her to stare all she likes.

I could never forget the burning gaze she fixed on my chest the first time we shared a practice room. Even now, every once in a while, I catch her stealing glances. In those moments, I’m seized by the urge to seduce her right then and there.

One of the reasons I hold back is fear of what would happen if things ended badly. We’re in the same agency, the same idol group, and even the same elite internal unit. If we dated and it blew up, the fallout could be catastrophic.

Could we still work together normally afterward? Would it poison the group dynamic or affect our jobs? Those worries stop me cold.

Of course, there’s also the fact that I already have a girlfriend. After finally fulfilling a years-long dream with my best friend, betraying her would be unforgivable—an utterly ordinary but unshakable feeling.

All of that leaves me hesitating to reach for the delicious temptation standing right in front of me. On top of that, my packed schedule barely allows me to see my girlfriend, which only intensifies the frustration.

Still, I plaster a smile on my face and stand before the camera.

"Nice. Really sexy."

"Thank you♪"

"Now... let’s try changing your pose a little."

Following the photographer’s direction, I struck a pose designed to drive men wild, while those thoughts swirled in the back of my mind.