Gravure Idol at the Resort
My family.
Aika's family.
What was I even supposed to say…?
I opened my mouth.
But nothing came out.
Fortunately…
"Huh?"
Rika sat up suddenly.
Her expression changed completely.
She started looking around desperately.
"N-no…"
"What's wrong?"
"My necklace…"
She brought a hand to her neck.
Empty.
"My necklace is gone!"
The smile vanished from her face, and her eyes started to well up.
Mei stood immediately.
"It's okay, do you remember where you last had it?"
"I-I had it when we came down…"
"I'm sure of it…"
Her voice started to crack.
"Then it must be nearby. Let's all look together."
Harada nodded.
"Right. If it fell around here we'll find it."
"I'll go ask at lost and found," Mei said.
Rika took a deep breath and the rest of us split up to search.
…
…
…
As I walked along the edge of the pool, I let out a small sigh of relief.
I genuinely felt terrible for Rika.
I really hoped we'd find that necklace.
But…
Thank heaven.
I had absolutely no idea how to explain my family situation…
While I helped search, I stopped for a moment beside a small puddle of water.
My reflection stared back at me.
The bikini.
My still-damp hair.
The girl who, little by little, was starting to look less and less like the Aika from that first day.
And then…
PIIING.
[New mission available.]
I closed my eyes.
"…"
No.
No.
Don't tell me…
The window finished opening in front of me.
["Gravure Idol at the Resort"]
[Take at least 8 suggestive photos in your current bikini and upload them to Lonely Fans. Include the following poses: doggy position, arched back, overhead angles, etc.]
[Time Limit: 30 minutes]
[Reward: ¥50,000]
[Penalty for failure: ¥200,000]
…
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! THIRTY MINUTES?!"
I started panicking.
How the hell was I supposed to take photos like that here?
There were people everywhere!
…
And with so little time… this is a joke…
But no matter how much I complained, the timer on the screen kept running, and I had to do something.
"Two hundred thousand yen… this degenerate AI has lost its mind," I muttered.
I took a deep breath.
Think, Aika.
I couldn't do it in front of everyone.
Not a chance.
If anyone from the club saw me making those kinds of poses for a camera…
I'd rather flee the country.
So I started my covert operation.
I slipped behind some palm trees.
Harada was there.
I retreated.
I tried near a terrace.
Rika appeared out of nowhere.
"Aika-senpai! Did you find the necklace?"
"N-no!"
I kept walking.
I ducked into a side path.
A staff member stepped out right in front of me.
"Do you need help, miss?"
"N-no, thank you!"
About-face.
Another attempt.
Every time I thought I'd found a safe corner, someone appeared.
"Shimizu-san! Did you find anything?"
"N-NOTHING!!"
…
…
After almost ten minutes of involuntary hide-and-seek…
Finally.
A secluded corner.
A small garden by a secondary pool.
Silence.
"…"
I looked both ways.
Nobody.
"Thank god…"
My heart was pounding.
The first photo was easy.
Arm extended.
Smile.
Click.
The second too.
The third… not so much.
"How are they expecting me to do this by myself…?"
I propped the phone as best I could against a table and tried to hit the other poses using the timer.
It was complicated.
"If I had a tripod… maybe that shop Mei mentioned sells one…"
But I don't have time!
Aaah, this is terrible!
I had to use every ounce of creativity to balance the phone in the best spots without a tripod, and it was sort of working.
One normal photo. Another with an arched back. And then…
I can't believe I'm doing this here…
I glanced nervously in every direction, making sure nobody was watching — especially nobody from school — and got down on my knees.
The doggy pose. Embarrassing, revealing, the indecent bikini making it ten times worse.
My cheeks were burning and my heart was going even faster.
Let's just get this over with…
Just as I lifted my rear and looked back over my shoulder with a suggestive expression…
"What are you doing?"
"KYAAAAAAAA!!!"
I jumped nearly a meter.
I spun around so fast I almost fell over.
Yuuna was standing there.
Arms crossed.
"…"
"…"
"I-it's not what it looks like!!"
Yuuna stared at me, eyes wide.
"You were clearly taking photos of yourself in indecent poses. In that revealing bikini… I see you actually did like it."
I went into full crisis mode.
"W-wait, no…"
"Last time in the auditorium too…"
Her eyes went wide.
"What are you doing with those photos?!"
"Don't tell me… you're selling yourself on one of those apps where schoolgirls go on dates with old men?!" she asked with an expression of horror.
"NO!! Of course not!!" I stammered desperately.
Yuuna pulled out her phone and started dialing.
I panicked.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling the police. Prostitution is illegal," she murmured. "Should I call the school too?"
"DON'T CALL ANYONE!! I SWEAR I'M NOT PROSTITUTING MYSELF!!"
I immediately covered my mouth — I'd said that way too loudly.
An elderly woman walking past stared at me in horror and pulled her small grandson away from me.
…
Yuuna also seemed a little thrown, then looked at me with a serious expression.
"Then… what are the photos for?"
"…"
"W-well… the truth is…"
Even if I wanted to tell her, I couldn't.
"The reason is…"
The words wouldn't come.
How on earth was I supposed to explain this?
"Sorry, a degenerate system forces me to do photo shoots because otherwise it fines me two hundred thousand yen."
Right.
That sounded perfectly reasonable.
Yuuna studied me for a few seconds.
Then tilted her head slightly.
"Shimizu-san…"
"Yes…?"
"Are you… a pervert?"
"I AM NOT!!!"
An alert appeared in front of my eyes.
[Time remaining: 05:00]
…
My soul left my body.
Five minutes.
Five.
I looked at the timer.
I looked at Yuuna.
Back at the timer.
I had no choice.
I took a deep breath — even my ears were red.
"O-okay… Fine. I promise I'll explain everything later. But on one condition."
I held out my phone to Yuuna with trembling hands.
"…Help me take the photos."
Yuuna froze.
"Eeeeh?"
"Please!"
Yuuna sighed, defeated.
"…Fine. But don't think you're getting off easy after this."
The session began.
Yuuna took control like a seasoned photographer.
"Aika, arch your back more. Look at the camera."
"I-is this okay?"
"Good… now another pose."
It felt incredibly strange doing this with Yuuna, but I genuinely felt like a real gravure model.
Photo after photo.
The last one was done.
I grabbed the phone at full speed and uploaded everything.
[Mission Complete.]
I let out a long, relieved breath.
Yuuna kept watching me with a confused expression.
"Th-thank you for helping me, Kanzaki-san," I said with a nervous little laugh. "I have one more thing to ask."
"Huh? What?"
"Please… don't tell anyone about this!" I begged with the best puppy eyes I could manage.
Yuuna sighed and nodded slowly.
"…Alright. It'll be our secret."
…
I was still barefoot from the photo shoot, so I moved to put my sandals back on.
And something dug sharply into my foot.
"Ow!"
When I lifted my foot I saw something metallic.
"What the…"
I bent down to pick it up and it turned out to be a chain with a pendant.
Yuuna's eyes opened slightly.
Mine did too.
"Wait…"
I held up the necklace.
"Isn't this… Rika's?"