Several days after Ichigo Production accepted Hiiki’s offer to cast the twins as kids’ models, a reply came back immediately from Hiiki headquarters.
"They want to shoot as early as next week... The twins are on kindergarten break, right?"
"Yes."
Miyako answered Ichigo’s question.
It was still the summer season, but the clothing industry was already rushing to schedule model shoots in earnest so they could launch their autumn lines soon.
As if the saying that the fashion industry lives three months ahead wasn’t a lie, Hiiki headquarters also wanted to keep the schedule tight to match the launch season.
There was a lot to do at the agency level, from reviewing Hiiki’s proposal to drawing up the contract...
Even though kindergarten was on break, Miyako also needed to adjust Kaoru’s and Ai’s schedules, since one of them would have to accompany the children as a guardian. The thought gave her a quiet headache.
"Hmm... Well, if neither Ai nor Kaoru can do it, then I guess we’ll have no choice..."
"Huh? Me again?"
"You’re not their legal guardian anymore, but you’re still the closest thing they have, aren’t you? And you’re the one handling their work."
Even with Ichigo’s teasing voice, Miyako could only clutch her head. Of course, she didn’t hate the twins. Not at all.
The days when those cute little divine messengers had seemed majestic were long gone, and just looking at their adorable faces naturally made her smile.
But that was that, and this was this!
She was already drowning in work, trying to secure investment and establish a separate in-house label under the agency to handle production and distribution—
So having to step away again as the twins’ guardian was stressful beyond belief!
"Sti-still, wouldn’t it be nice for Ai and Kaoru to go together? It’d make a family memory, wouldn’t it?"
"Hah-hah! So you’re sick of playing nanny now?"
"Of course I am, you idiot?! You never even changed a diaper beside me when I was suffering!"
Miyako snapped, trembling as if she were about to grab Ichigo by the collar.
Ichigo had never once helped her while she was taking care of the twins.
He was busy with B Komachi’s activities, yes, but Miyako had still hoped he’d come home once in a while and lend a hand. Thinking about it still made her resentment boil over, and she often felt like punching the sunglasses-wearing man in front of her.
At Miyako’s murderous glare, Ichigo raised both hands in surrender and gave an awkward laugh.
"Hahaha—looks like you’ve been under a lot of stress. Sorry, sorry."
"Hmph. Hmph."
"All right, then. Let’s see... it’s already 4:30 p.m.? Since today’s Friday and we seem to have wrapped up the urgent stuff, let’s call it an early day."
"Yeees~♥"
At Miyako’s eye-smile, which flipped 180 degrees in an instant, Ichigo could only swallow a dry laugh.
-
Miyako’s worries proved to be needless.
The schedule adjustments for Kaoru and Ai were completed in no time.
When it came to schedule negotiations, Kaoru and Ai were no longer in the weak position they used to be. With the will and the justification, they could contact the higher-ups directly and request changes themselves, so the adjustments went through without much trouble.
Of course, there was a huge amount of money on the line, and even carving out just an afternoon—not even a full day—meant forcing a hole into an already packed schedule. Naturally, the days when postponed work piled up would only get busier.
Still, the determination of parents who had to witness the twins’ first kids’ model debut with their own eyes was not something so easily shaken.
As news spread that the two hottest stars in Japan were both adjusting their schedules, along with the announcement that the Aquamarine siblings had been chosen as Hiiki’s exclusive kids’ models, the media began thrashing in delight again.
<Aquamarine Siblings and Hiiki? Hiiki Headquarters Sends the Twins Out for the Autumn Launch>
<The Kids’ Fashion Industry in an Uproar? Calls Flood In to Ask Hiiki About the Launch Date>
Whenever reporters and paparazzi photographed what brands Kaoru and Ai wore, what accessories they used—sunglasses, hats, watches, earrings, bracelets—and those images were published in magazines and the press, it was no exaggeration to say that fashion trends for people in their twenties and thirties changed across not just Tokyo, but all of Japan.
Of course, parents in Tokyo with children the twins’ age couldn’t help but keep a sharp eye on what the children of Japan’s most famous star couple were wearing.
Knowing that, Hiiki, which had secured the twins first, could only cheer.
For the sake of a bigger plan to establish a firm foothold in the Japanese market, Hiiki swiftly sent a proposal and concept drafts to the agency and poured every ounce of its energy into making sure the parents, Kaoru and Ai, wouldn’t change their minds.
"......"
The headquarters of Hiiki Japan stood in a high-rise building in Minato Ward.
After carefully reading Hiiki’s contract with a hawk’s eye, Kaoru confirmed that the terms were extremely favorable and signed as the twins’ legal guardian.
Ichigo, the president of the agency that the twins belonged to and that handled their kids’ model work, also signed beside Kaoru’s name, and everything began moving at full speed.
And at last—the day of the twins’ first kids’ model debut arrived.
Tokyo’s Shinjuku in the height of summer.
It was lunchtime, so the area was crowded, but since they went down to the studio’s underground parking lot, thankfully they didn’t have to run into anyone.
"It’s huge!?"
"Amazing!"
After eating a delicious meal at home, the twins stepped into the studio for the first time as models, their eyes sparkling brightly.
Ai had once gone along with Miyako to watch Kaoru filming when they were little, but this was the first time the twins had come to a studio as actual kids’ models.
The studio was spacious and cool. In fact, the staff dispatched from Hiiki and the studio crew were so tense from keeping an eye on Kaoru and Ai, who had come together, that they were practically standing at attention.
As they entered the building, Ai—who was just as amazed as the twins by the newly built studio’s size and comfort—took off her sunglasses and smiled.
"Wow—there was a studio this big in Shinjuku?"
"Yeah. It’s bigger than I expected."
Kaoru smiled and agreed with her. The air conditioning was strong, and everything was spotless.
Shinjuku land was expensive, of course, but it seemed unavoidable that they’d need space for many models to come and shoot, plus storage for clothes, shoes, and other products.
As expected of a studio run by Hiiki Japan, they had seen other kids’ models here and there on the way in, but the studio where the twins would be photographed was empty except for the staff.
"Oh..."
"Heehee!"
"Heh~ you’re that excited, Ruby?"
"Mm! We’re going to be models like Mama! It’s exciting—and, like, waku waku!"
Aqua was looking around at the cameras and lights, while Ruby just seemed thrilled to be near Ai and kept laughing beside her.
Kaoru captured the scene diligently with the iPhone he now used for both personal and work purposes.
There was Kaoru, filming like a paparazzo with detached eyes; Aqua, staring at the equipment with bright, curious eyes; Ruby, excited to be a kids’ model; and Ai, proud and happy to see her daughter so delighted that she was practically glowing herself.
"......"
What was this family? They seemed a little unusual.
Yamamoto, the photographer in charge of today’s shoot and a veteran with fifteen years of experience, scratched his head with an awkward smile.
As expected of Japan’s most famous star family, the scene was a bit of a madhouse. Yamamoto cleared his throat and drew the family’s attention before speaking briefly with Ai and Kaoru.
"Here’s today’s concept. As you can see, the clothes suit your children’s cute, fresh, and lively image. We’ll be shooting them in a variety of pieces, including sweatshirts, windbreakers, skirts, and jersey-and-jogger sets."
"Understood. We’ll be in your care."
"Heehee—I'm so excited! I can’t wait to see them!"
When Kaoru and Ai smiled with anticipation, Yamamoto answered with a broad grin of his own.
Soon the shoot began in earnest, and Aqua and Ruby came out of the fitting room after changing clothes with the staff’s help.
"Wow, these clothes are super comfortable?"
Aqua, wearing a sky-blue sweatshirt and black shorts, exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
His brilliant blond hair, handsome face that resembled Kaoru, and blue eyes drew applause from the staff.
"Yeah! The shoes are really soft too!"
Ruby, wearing a white cardigan, a long-sleeved top, and an orange skirt, bounced in place in her new sneakers and marveled as well.
Her brilliant blond hair, cute and pretty face that resembled Ai, and natural charm made the staff beam helplessly.
The autumn clothes that had not even been released yet fit the twins so perfectly, as if they had been custom-made for them—
Yamamoto found himself nodding before the shoot had even properly begun, stroking his chin.
Incredible... It’s not just that the clothes suit them. They take after their parents, so they have this innate charm and aura that pulls people in and makes them fall under their spell.
They’re not even in elementary school yet... How monstrous will they become once they grow up?
Yamamoto had been in the business long enough to be considered a veteran photographer, and he had shot countless top-tier models and actors.
He immediately recognized the twins’ visible talent, along with the dazzling talent still hidden beneath the surface, and he began to feel a sense of greed.
Meanwhile—
"Kyaaahhh♥ Aqua!!! So cute! Who do you take after to be this cute and lovable?! This way, Aqua! I’m taking your picture!"
"Ruby! Let Papa see! Papa. Good. I’m taking it? One, two, three!"
Ai, stomping her feet at her adorable son’s cuteness, let out a happy scream while furiously pressing the shutter on the digital camera she had brought from home.
And then she went one step further.
Unable to resist her adorable daughter’s cuteness, Kaoru bent one knee like a photographer and used his sharp iPhone to capture his daughter’s lovely 모습.
Whether the nearby staff watched or not, Kaoru and Ai openly showed off their shameless doting-parent sides as they took photos.
"Heheh—heh~☆"
Ruby blinked at Kaoru’s camera for a moment, then immediately struck a cute, professional-model pose and stared at it as if she might swallow the lens—
"..."
"Kyaaahhh♥ Aqua! That shy little V is way too cute!"
Aqua’s face had turned bright red all the way to his ears as he shyly held up a V sign and looked at Ai’s digital camera.
He was still at the age where his parents’ love embarrassed him a little, but he still smiled faintly, clearly happy that Ai was taking pictures of him.
"Um, um—excuse me, sir, ma’am. We need to start the shoot now, so if you wouldn’t mind..."
"I’m sorry."
"We’ve been rude."
Kaoru apologized with his usual detached expression, as if nothing had happened, while Ai apologized with a bright, cheerful smile.
At their innocent spontaneity, Yamamoto could only break out in a cold sweat and give an awkward laugh.
What is this family?
After the small commotion passed, the shoot finally began.
Click, click.
With every press of the shutter, the installed lights flashed in sync, adding a glow to Aqua and Ruby’s milk-white skin.
"Good! You’re doing great! Keep smiling—smile!"
"Heh!"
"......"
In keeping with the autumn concept, Aqua gazed at the camera with a calm, almost still smile like the cooling breeze of the season.
His mature atmosphere and smile, which didn’t seem to belong to someone his age, even gave viewers a sense of mystery.
Ruby, however, unlike Aqua, bloomed with a bright, charming smile like a child her age happily playing in the crisp weather and colorful autumn leaves.
With the natural appeal of her mother Ai, she sparkled with eyes that seemed to pierce straight through the camera and radiated an aura of her own.
Thanks to that smile and those eyes, her trademark loveliness and cuteness overflowed, and Yamamoto happily kept pressing the shutter.
"We’ll take a ten-minute break! Great! Great! Hahaha—amazing, aren’t you? You’re doing perfectly without even being told."
"......"
"Whoa, you startled me!? F-Father?"
"......Thank you for the kind words."
At some point, Kaoru had silently appeared beside him like an assassin, leaving no trace of his approach, and was now taking in every shot of the twins on Yamamoto’s laptop without missing a thing.
With an overwhelming pressure that made it feel like interrupting his viewing would turn him into the terrifying [2.6 seconds] Kaoru had once shown, Yamamoto could only fold his hands politely.
Meanwhile, during the break, the twins drank water from paper cups handed to them by Ai and eagerly asked for her opinion.
"Mama, how was Ruby’s pose? This outfit is for autumn, right? I tried to show that autumn is cool and not hot!"
"Mom! What about me? I deliberately made my smile softer!"
"Of course it was... [the best]! Ruby, Aqua! You were so cute I can hardly believe it was your first time!"
"Waaah!"
"Kyaaah!"
Thrilled by their first model shoot, the twins asked Ai for her thoughts, and Ai spread her arms wide, pulled both of them into a tight hug, and rubbed her face against theirs over and over.
I can’t believe I gave birth to such cute babies myself~♥
Seeing the twins’ first model debut and how the two children, who resembled both her and Kaoru, were showing such remarkable talent, Ai felt so happy and overjoyed she could have flown away.
It would have been nice if Miyako and Ichigo had been there to see this too! With sparkling starlit eyes, Ai resolved to make sure she showed the photos she’d taken with her camera to the Saito couple later.
After the ten-minute break ended—
The twins changed into special new-season outfits: one windbreaker in blue and white, the other in black and white, paired with easy-to-move-in jogger pants, and shot photos together.
Click.
"Good! Look at the camera! The two of you, sit back-to-back and face the camera."
The twins sat in their chairs back-to-back and smiled comfortably. The fit was perfect, and with the white sneakers matched to the new-season outfits, their aura shone even brighter.
"Okay!"
Click.
"Good! Good!"
Click!
Yamamoto threw himself into the work, genuinely smiling for the first time in a while at the siblings’ perfectly matched poses and atmosphere.
He hadn’t realized it when they were photographed separately, but once they were shot together, the result looked like a magazine spread all on its own.
Though they were still young, their inherited looks and aura from their parents supported them so well that the results kept exceeding expectations.
"Should Ruby try this like her brother too?"
"Mm... no, actually. I think Ruby should smile a little more."
Ai watched the sight of Ruby and Aqua discussing how to make the photos come out better without even being told, her starlit eyes filled with emotion, and brought both hands up to her mouth.
Kaoru, standing beside Ai, also smiled with satisfaction as he watched the twins taking the shoot seriously.
Earlier, Aqua had quietly come over and asked him to teach him how to do well, so he had told him not to smile until he was told to, and not to face straight ahead but tilt his head slightly instead—
"Good! Just like that—! Okay!"
Aqua was following the advice perfectly. As for Ruby, she resembled his wife so much that she was lovable just as she was, so there was nothing special he needed to tell her. Ruby’s Ruby-ness was her greatest charm.
As late afternoon arrived, Yamamoto announced that all the shooting was finished and clapped his hands with the staff, smiling brightly.
After Yamamoto sincerely praised Aqua and Ruby’s talent and said he had genuinely enjoyed the shoot for the first time in a while, Ai couldn’t hide her happy smile and bowed her head slightly in thanks.
Kaoru also smiled and returned the compliment.
After all, when someone praised your children, it was impossible for a parent’s shoulders not to lift a little.
The twins also bowed politely to Yamamoto and the staff. At their cute little bows, the staff waved back with faces that looked as though their fatigue had vanished.
"You worked hard! Hurry and get in!"
Ichigo, who had brought the van down to the underground parking lot in advance after receiving the call, gave a grin and a thumbs-up.
The twins trotted over, climbed into the open door, and sat down, followed by Ai and Kaoru getting into the van as well.
The moment they were inside, the twins, still unable to calm down from their excitement, began chattering like baby birds.
"I want to see the pictures Ruby took soon!"
"You know, Dad! I think it turned out even better because I did what you said!"
At the twins’ happy comments, Ai and Kaoru smiled and agreed, patting their heads or pulling them into their arms and rubbing their backs.
Even Ichigo tilted his head, surprised by how excited the twins still were.
"Looks like today’s shoot went pretty well, huh?"
Ichigo asked as he glanced at the rearview mirror and turned the wheel out into the intersection.
At the question, Kaoru smiled deeply and stroked Aqua’s hair in his arms.
"You should have come and seen it yourself."
"What? That good?"
"Yes."
Kaoru smiled and met Ai’s eyes, where she was holding Ruby and patting her back beside him. A gentle crescent-shaped smile drew itself across his wife’s lips.
The twins, who had been pouring out their excitement just moments ago, had already fallen asleep as if by magic.
It seemed the strain on their little bodies had been greater than expected.
Snore... snore...
Ruby was already completely out in Ai’s arms. Ai herself seemed to be growing sleepy too, stroking Ruby’s hair as her eyelids slowly drooped. Aqua also fidgeted as he tried hard to keep his eyes from closing.
Kaoru quietly patted his adorable son’s back. In the end, Aqua’s eyelids closed under Kaoru’s soothing touch, and with a voice full of determination to say this one thing before sleeping, he whispered,
"...Today... was fun...."
"Was it?"
"...Yes. Enough to... remember for... my whole life...."
As Aqua’s soft breathing filled the van, Kaoru gently patted his son’s back again and again.
Just knowing that today had become an unforgettable memory in his son and daughter’s lives... made the schedule adjustment feel worthwhile.
Outside the window, the sun was beginning to sink low.
Kaoru also thought that today would be one of those happy days he would never forget, and quietly closed his eyes.
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