After defeating Upperclassman Hanai in the Music Festival and standing against her lackeys, I was convinced today couldn't get crazier.

Perhaps, I was wrong.

"A model?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Me?"

"Yes." A fiery passion swirled in his eyes. "I need you, Kisaragi."

This had to be a dream. I'd gotten my heart broken recently so this was pure wish fulfillment. It had to be.

Unless. . .

I reeled my foot into Igarashi's shin.

"Ow!" Yelping, he hopped, clutching the spot. "What the hell, Kisaragi?"

So I wasn't dreaming.

"Look," I eventually told the boy. "I think you're confusing me with someone. That, or you're delusional. Me? A model?"

It made no sense. No matter what he said, or how he said it, there was no way I was going to give in.

"Please!" he begged, his fingers curling tighter around mine. "I'll never find anyone as beautiful as you!"

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"You've lost your mind."

I tuned out that orange-haired nuisance to the best of my ability. It was free period, courtesy of our mathematics teacher ditching class on the notice that his wife was giving birth. With him gone, our class was left to do whatever we pleased until administration managed to round up a substitute teacher in the minimal time frame they had.

"You barely know the guy," Igarashi continued. He rocked back and forth on his chair, his expression dour. "Why're you going along with him?"

Heat blossomed against my cheeks. "For your information, his name is Banri Taniguchi. He's a year older than us and apart of the famous group, the Beautician Boyz."

"Your point?"

"I know enough."

"So if I call you pretty, you're gonna wag your tail doing whatever I ask, too?"

"I'm not wagging my tail!"

"You are! And it doesn't make sense! What about you does that guy see? Is it that? He's into animals—"

"Finish that sentence, I dare you!"

He decided to adhere to the warning, much to his distaste.

Puffing my cheeks, I fiddled with my shortened bangs. When I came home on Friday, Chie and Mao found me in the sorry state I was in and demanded who'd hurt me. Mao volunteered to obliterate them—had even collected a vast majority of her "dark vessels" to end their lives. Similarly, Chie was seconds from phoning the police. After assuring them I wasn't attacked on the way home and lied about cutting it myself for the betterment of the production, they calmed down. Part of me knew they held suspicions about the whole ordeal. Fortunately, though, they dropped it.

I'd worn my hoodie beneath my blazer to school today to conceal the choppy portions of my hair. Chie offered to even it herself and while I desperately wanted to duck into my usual salon, Upperclassman Taniguchi had made it clear to wait it out. Apparently there was a member in the Beautician Boyz who excelled at hairdos and that he'd do a way better job than other hairdressers at the cost of nothing.

I was a little unsure about leaving the fate of my strands to some stranger but considering the rumours about their group, it wouldn't hurt to see them in action. Besides, with how poor a shape it was in anyway, there was little chance this enigmatic hairdresser could make it any worse.

"Kisaragi," Igarashi said. "I'm warning you in advance because you're a bad judge of character."

"Am not."

"You literally went on a date with Kamakiri when I specifically told you he was bad news."

My face scalded. "That was. . ."

"He wants you to model for this particular event his group is showcasing, right?" He waved. "Turn him down. It's gotta be a prank."

"How about if it isn't?"

"Then, I'll quit writing music."

"Seriously? You're that confident he doesn't find me attractive? You're saying I'm that ugly?"

"I'm not saying that."

"It sounds a whole lot like you are!"

He grounded his teeth. "Why don't you get it? If I were to call you attractive compared to that Banri guy or whatever, it'd be completely different."

"How?"

"He'd lie about it!" His frustration was through the roof. "At least I'm honest. Whenever I feel like it, I'll call you hideous right to your face."

This jerk!

Bolting to my feet, I slapped the desk. "I'm definitely doing it! I'll become Hoshizaki Academy's number one eye candy!"

"Did you just call yourself 'eye candy'? In front of me?"

"My point is," I hissed. "Nothing you say or do is stopping me from modelling. Grow a foot or two if you have a problem with that, dwarf!"

I flopped back into my seat and ignored him at that.

One second that guy was pretty sweet and the next, he ruined it. I wasn't ugly. I didn't have Mom's genes in my veins for nothing. Besides, if this was the only avenue where my height would be appreciated, then I was going to follow through with it. Who needed Igarashi's approval.

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"Kisa! You're here!"

Banri Taniguchi just about tackled me by the entrance to the gymnasium after school. Taken aback by his blinding face, I inwardly melted, fumbling for a coherent sentence. "K-Kisa?"

"I didn't want to be stiff with formalities so I went ahead and gave you a nickname." He flashed me a radiant smile. "It's perfectly fine if you call me Banri. I'd prefer it, actually. You're being so kind as to do me this favour."

I didn't know if it was possible to be friendly with a stranger, let alone an upperclassman. But one thing was certain.

He was incredibly kind! And handsome. There wasn't a blemish or imperfection in sight upon his flawless skin.

His smooth purple hair had a bright pink streak down the middle which complemented his modified uniform. There were sequins consisting of bright colours. Innovative designs that brought a uniqueness to his attire that allowed him to stand out in a crowd. Not to mention his mesmerizing eyes—the colour alone capable of making me swoon.

"Oh, Kenji!" Banri hollered, transferring me from my reverie.

He beckoned me forward. It was then I caught sight of the horde of boys prepping items in the distance. Each of them were stunning. They willed my poor heart to a halt with every passing glance.

Banri led me to the first guy in our path.

"Kenji Miyake here is kind of like the Beautician Boyz's or the BB's manager," he introduced the lilac-haired boy. His brown skin and soft-spoken demeanour stuck out to me first. "He's in his third year and is essentially the glue that keeps us together. Not to mention he's the one who books all our gigs and clients."

"On your suggestions." Upperclassman Miyake's voice was deeper than I imagined. "Banri. You didn't even confide in me when choosing her."

"My judgement is never wrong, is it?"

"Still, there is an order to these things. I bet you still haven't explained what exactly our group does, and what that entails for her." He bobbed his head. "I apologize for his impulsiveness. Whenever Banri sees anything beautiful, person or not, he tends to go overboard."

Oh gosh. He agreed that I was beautiful.

"It's fine," I stammered before long. "I don't mind. And as for knowing who you are, I heard the rumours. You work with celebrities and also give makeovers to the students and staff of this school."

"See. She knows enough," Banri said.

"Enough isn't good enough," Upperclassman Miyake argued. "You should follow proper protocol and enlighten her on what she's getting herself into before she agrees to it."

"Whatever you say, old man." He turned to me. "About your hair, Kisa. It'd probably be best to wait until the actual show to cut it. It'll add to the pizazz of the whole thing. The other members will be working on you at the exact same time. It may be overwhelming because of that. But time will pass in the blink of an eye. I promise."

"Members?" I asked.

"There's Juro, who excels at skin care." He pointed to the boy with white hair posted further away. "Takaya handles cosmetics or makeup. Issei, like I already told you, styles hair." He gestured to a redhead and brunet, currently engaged in some dramatic spat. "Hachiko is good at nail art so manicures and pedicures are his responsibility. Then there's Jin who's a big pain. Him dealing with massages and hair removal ironically suits him well."

"Hair remov—"

Banri's lips curved high.

"Last but not least, we have me. Your genius teenage stylist."

I fluttered my lashes at the notion. "Stylist?"

"I craft fashion statements," he elaborated. "Design clothes, too. Ever heard that clothes make a person? I live by that. You can become an entirely different person just by changing what you wear. Outfits that coincide with your image are godsend. Likewise, choose the wrong outfit and you're basically asking to be be judged. Height. Weight. Personality. Occupation. Hobbies. All areas need to be considered to maximize your beauty."

"Are clothes seriously that big a deal?"

I typically slipped on whatever without a care for if they matched or not.

"The biggest!" Banri said as if I were crazy to ask. "Outfits tell you so much. Someone who likes rock music opposed to someone who enjoys killing time in the library wear drastically different clothes. Most people have a good understanding about what clothes suit them or not. But for those without a clue, agh, I hate to imagine it. Their beauty is jeopardized."

He truly cared a lot about beauty, didn't he?

"On that note, Kisa." He stepped forward, forcing my eyes to his. "Let me stare at you for as long as possible."

I jolted to my senses. "Huh?"

I faltered a step. He advanced another.

"I want to learn everything I can about you. What you like to eat. Drink. Favourite animal. Colour. Music." At this point, his face was centimetres from mine—giving me a full view of his charming face. "What you look for in a guy."

I was sure my vision was swirling. Scratch that, it was.

I couldn't formulate a coherent sentence.

Seeming to understand that, Banri lessened the distance between us, but his grip on my shoulders was unyielding. "To style you accordingly, I need to know." He shook his head, banishing the idea. "I want to know. So, tell me, Kisa."

What was oxygen again? My lungs forgot how to process it. Lightheaded, and definitely beet red, my mind scrambled to make sense of this situation. Upperclassman Miyake, to my dismay, had been distracted by the another BB member and was halfway across the room, engaged in conversation with them. It was just me and Banri present within this suspended moment of time.

"J-just for that," I stammered, pathetically. "Just for that, you're willing to go so far as to get to know a random stranger?"

"It's because you're a stranger, I want to go that far."

My stomach fluttered.

"I love beauty. It's because I do, I can't help getting attached. There are so many beautiful things in this world, much of which people struggle to see. Helping these very people uncover the parts of themselves that they can't readily embrace—and make it so that everyone who crosses paths with them can admire them like they should—I live for it.

"If I force my one-sided ideas onto you, there's no way I'll do any justice to the girl I encountered at that concert." Gentle grin on his face, he truly glistened as he spoke. "I knew from the moment I saw you, Kisa. That it's you. That you're what I've been searching for. So passionate and strong-willed. Misunderstood yet unyielding. You screamed your heart out at that concert in such a way that moved my soul. It's because I've heard those rumours about you, I wanted, more than anything, to get to know the very girl who shattered them in an instant. I wanted the entire school to finally see you for you who are—not by the bad rumours others tell them. It may sound strange, and crazy, but that's the feeling I got."

"Banri," I stammered.

"Not only the school." Without a regard for my scorching complexion, he scooped my fingers into his big, warm palms, and squeezed it. My heart hammered strong and loud in my ears. "I personally want to get to know you, too. The Kisa who mesmerized me more than anyone. Whose beauty stole my heart in only an instant. I want to get to know her, too."

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