"Just as I thought, Rin wasn't suited for it..."
"So in the end, it ended up being me."
In her bedroom at home, Hanayo Koizumi told Honoka Kosaka, on the other end of the phone, everything that had happened today.
"I see..."
On the other end was Honoka Kosaka. She stood on the balcony of the hall, leaning over the railing. The weather had changed; the rain had stopped quickly, and the stars and moon in the night sky were clearly visible.
"Sorry for calling you out of the blue. It's just still been on my mind a little."
"No, I wanted to talk to you about this too."
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Mm... I don't know either." Hanayo hugged a pillow and leaned against the wall. "Maki said it too—if this is really okay. But Rin looks so troubled. If we force her, wouldn't that be too cruel?"
"I see..."
"If it were you, Honoka, what would you do?"
"Huh? Me?"
Honoka Kosaka looked at the sea reflecting the night sky and thought about Hanayo Koizumi's question.
"Mm... That's something Hanayo has to decide."
"Hm?"
"Yeah, that's something for Hanayo to decide." Honoka Kosaka raised her head and looked toward the night sky.
-- Time Divider -
The next evening, the fashion show had already begun. On the enormous T-shaped runway, models kept coming and going from backstage, while below the stage were countless spectators, and camera flashes kept going off.
"So amazing..." Hanayo Koizumi stood at the edge of the backstage passage, watching the grand spectacle unfold.
"As expected of models." Maki Nishikino watched the models walking down the runway with proper catwalk strides very seriously. Every one of their movements was completely natural, without the slightest affectation, and they could show off the highlights