Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/04/11
The highly popular model that can often be seen on digital billboards around town and in fashion magazines is currently in Saku's living room.
Looking at just her long and silky hair is enough to tell that she's far from the average person.
Her thin and slender bare arms left exposed by her camisole have a healthy amount of muscle in them.
She must be doing some kind of training to maintain her figure.
Unlike Saku, who's always drawing and staying indoors, Luna's complexion and skin look healthy and pretty.
Captivated by her beauty, Saku just stood there before Luna calls out to her while chewing her snacks.
"What's your name?"
"Nanase Saku."
"Saku, huh? Starting today, I'm going to be living here."
Unsure of what she means, Saku's mouth hangs open.
However, Luna doesn't seem to be lying at all.
Thinking back, the most likely explanation for how Luna got in is that she got a key from the dorm supervisor while Saku was away.
"What do you mean...?"
"The students in the performing arts program each get a suite to themselves. However, some corners were cut during construction and mine has a major water leak."
Saku didn't know too much about the details since it all happened before she enrolled, but the school building and dormitories for the performing arts program were only built after the two high schools decided to merge last year.
Since getting it done quickly was the top priority, it's not too surprising for there to be issues with the construction.
"But there were no more empty suites left. Since yours has an extra room, the school is letting me live here until they fix my place."
"How long is it going to take before it gets fixed...?"
"No clue. More than a month, I'd imagine."
Saku's carefree and comfortable life of living alone.
It suddenly came to an end without any warning.
"I don't have much luggage."
Luna points her finger, smeared with the dried seaweed she was snacking on, at the suitcase placed in the corner of the room.
The dorms are fully furnished, so students could pack light.
Students who didn't have much luggage didn't even need to make any arrangements to send their stuff to the dorms separately.
"Well, I'll also be working so you won't see me around much. You can continue living the same way as you always have."
"I see... ah, I've been using the extra room to keep some stuff. I'll go clear it out right away."
"Do you draw?"
"You looked inside?"
Luna nods at Saku's question.
Oil paints, canvases, and easels are littered across the room. Even those not too knowledgeable about the subject can understand what they're used for.
"I was surprised at how good the drawings looked. Like they were from an artist. This one, especially."
What Luna holds in her hands now is one of Saku's past drawings.
To be more precise, it's more like a sketch that Saku drew on loose-leaf paper in the middle of class.
It came out surprisingly well, so Saku decided to keep it for her collection but she never expected that she would be unfortunate enough for someone to discover it.
"This is me, isn't it? Are you a fan? I can give you an autograph if you want."
"I'm not really a fan or anything. I just saw your photo in a magazine and thought you looked pretty."
Saku tried to copy a photo of Luna on the front page of a magazine.
The result ended up being seen by Luna herself.
Out of embarrassment, Saku tries to snatch the drawing back, but Luna raises her hand out of Saku's reach.
An adult-like model and a high school girl who is shorter than average.
Their height difference is obvious and no matter how much Saku stands on tiptoes, there is no way she will ever reach the drawing.
"Give it back."
"Don't wanna."
"I said give it... if it's you, I'm sure you can just get a real artist to draw you. Why care about some drawing from a high schooler..."
"Saku. If I wasn't a model, would you think I wasn't pretty?"
Unsure what that has to do with anything, Saku's eyes wander in puzzlement.
Unable to figure out the intent behind the question, Saku answers honestly.
"There's no way that would happen. Anyone could tell that you're unbelievably pretty..."
"Exactly. Even if you're not an artist, I can tell you're good. I like this drawing."
That simple word "like" penetrates Saku's heart.
Saku stops trying to make herself taller and her heels touch the floor. Luna seizes the opportunity to put the drawing into her pocket.
"Ah..."
"Well, I got to go to a photoshoot. See you later."
This person appeared like a typhoon.
After thoroughly making a mess of Saku's heart, she leaves for work.
"...It's not fair."
Luna doesn't understand...
How starved a person who creates things is for validation...
Saku started simply because she liked drawing.
That may have been the reason at the start, but before she realized it, all she could think about was how to make others appreciate her drawings.
Now, she's drawing to be praised by others instead of out of her love for drawing.
"...It's good, huh?"
She copied that magazine cover simply because she found the picture pretty.
She only drew it because she wanted to, not because she was seeking validation. Yet, she was praised for that.
Saku was sure that Luna could never understand how happy that made her feel.
Woken up by the sun's rays the next morning, Saku's room feels more cramped than usual.
That was not just her imagination. She has moved everything she placed in the other room here, so this room is now full of art tools.
"Well, I never drew anything in that room anyways..."
Calling it a studio was just an excuse. In truth, she was just afraid.
Every time she saw her art tools, she got anxious about drawing.
Because her skills were so poor that she failed the entrance exam.
Because she didn't have enough talent to make herself stand out from others.
Because she had to double her efforts to make up for her lack of talent.
In that state, there's no way drawing would be fun.
She couldn't stand the pain of forcing herself to draw with her back against the wall like that.
Saku gets up from bed and heads straight for the cage in the corner of her room and crouches down.
"Good morning, Hamsuke."
Inside the cage is a pale gray Djungarian hamster.
Living all by herself is lonely, so she started raising him after entering the school.
Saku opens the cage. A nose pokes out and sniffs a few times before Hamsuke exits the cage.
Saku takes out some sunflower seeds from a snack box and hands them over to Hamsuke. He grabs them with his tiny hands and shoves them all into his mouth.
"Don't hide them around the room, okay?"
Hamsters have a habit of keeping food in their cheeks.
Saku takes this chance to watch Hamsuke eat everything little by little in front of her.
After replacing Hamsuke's water and refilling the feeder, Saku finally begins her own preparations.
Naturally, Luna isn't in the living room.
However, the sink is filled with several cups.
"Wash your own stuff..."
The complaint unintentionally spills out.
When living with others, dividing housework is the most basic of basics.
Though thinking back, Saku remembers how late Luna came home.
"I see, so she's busy..."
Since she's still a high schooler, Luna can't be made to work overnight but it was still quite late when she returned.
Even Saku isn't the type of person who would wake up someone sleeping soundly after an exhausting day of work just to complain.
"...Has she had anything to eat?"
After some deliberation, Saku makes breakfast for two. Bacon, eggs, and the consommé soup she prepared the night before.
She finishes the preparations by adding a loaf of bread to each plate and then puts a plastic wrap over Luna's portion.
If Luna doesn't eat it, Saku can just eat it when she returns.
After lightly using her hair straightener until her bangs are just a bit curly, Saku sprinkles on her favorite hair mist.
She received this from her mom during her birthday last year, though the brand is more popular with adults than high schoolers.
After putting on her uniform and finishing her other preparations, she finally puts on her loafers.
"I'm off."
She receives no answer, possibly because she kept her voice low.
Still, Luna must be quite tired to not have woken up after all the noise Saku made during her preparations.
The school is more lenient on attendance for students of the performing arts program compared to the regular students.
According to what she's heard, those students can graduate even if they don't show up during exams.
That program is filled with extraordinary kids, so what's ordinary may not apply to them.
