Sakura Airi had a secret she couldn't tell anyone.
She was, in fact, a gravure idol.
The moment she realized she couldn't go on living in isolation forever—
The moment she began to believe that if she could just become someone different, she might be liked—
The moment she saw idols shining on television—
A quiet longing took root in her heart.
So, gathering rare courage, she debuted in her second year of middle school.
Photos. Photos. More photos.
Set the camera down. Set the timer.
As long as she wore beautiful clothes and struck cute poses, when the countdown reached zero—
The shutter would capture her.
That dazzling, artificial version of her.
That wasn't her.
That was her.
A gravure idol named "Shizuku."
Sakura Airi created a blog—something like a personal social media page.
Every day, she wrote on it.
She recorded her hidden emotions.
She posted the photos from her small modeling jobs.
Her nervousness at debut.
Her worries about whether she could do well.
Her anxiety.
Her happiness.
The joy of gaining followers.
Replying to every comment.
And in her third year, when her agency forced her to shoot swimsuit photos—something she had always been reluctant and afraid to do—
She wrote about her hesitation.
She recorded almost every emotion.
Including—
The quiet relief she felt every time a swimsuit shoot was unexpectedly canceled due to some incident on set.
Eventually, her agency stopped assigning her swimsuit work.
She could finally breathe again.
…Although her blog followers were disappointed, she knew the truth.
She simply couldn't accept exposing her body like that.
Even in "Shizuku mode," it was too embarrassing.
She believed she would never, in her life, be able to wear a bikini in front of others.
But—
Clothes with more coverage?
That was fine.
Only when she wore those beautiful outfits did she truly feel herself becoming "Shizuku."
The idol everyone loved.
She used to wonder—
If she became like that, would people like her too?
Now, she had her answer.
Yes.
They did.
And so, to live up to those expectations—
Even after enrolling in Advanced Nurturing High School, a completely closed environment where she could no longer take regular jobs—
She still bought a camera.
As long as she didn't reply.
As long as she didn't interact.
She wouldn't reveal the school's information.
She wouldn't break the rules.
She had confirmed that after carefully reading the enrollment documents.
She could still take photos as "Shizuku."
Still upload them.
Still receive admiration and love.
But—
Even after two months of high school life—
One problem remained.
A place to shoot.
Cameras were everywhere in the school.
Students were everywhere.
For someone like Sakura Airi, who needed makeup and clothing to even appear slightly outgoing—
There was no way she could openly take photos in front of others.
There was no way she could ask someone to help her.
She didn't even have the courage to walk out of her dorm dressed as "Shizuku."
So the only safe place…
Was her dorm room.
No one would see.
No one would care.
…Except herself.
Using a dorm room as a background was common in the industry.
It helped create the image of a high school or college girl, showing youthful charm through everyday details.
Whether she was actually that kind of girl didn't matter.
Fans only cared about the image.
But—
Sakura Airi cared.
She didn't want her private life leaking into the background of her photos.
She didn't want the traces of her real self—Sakura Airi—to appear in the frame.
She cared.
Very much.
So the dorm was out.
And if not the dorm—
Then nowhere else worked either.
Most places had cameras.
Even if no one was actively watching, just looking at those black "eyes" made her feel watched.
The few places without visible cameras—or at least none she could find—
Were empty classrooms or buildings.
But setting up makeup, changing clothes, and shooting all took time.
There was no guarantee someone wouldn't pass by.
So for the past two months, she barely dressed up.
At most, she would throw on a layer of "Shizuku" in some hidden corner and take a few quick shots.
—Until recently.
Recently, she had found a perfect spot.
The rooftop.
There was a heavy electromagnetic door that was never powered on or locked.
If she flipped the nearby switch, the door would shut with a solid click.
After observing for half a month—
No one came here.
No one opened the door.
School staff only checked it occasionally.
And with the height and surrounding obstacles, no one could see her from outside.
It wasn't perfectly safe.
Renting a proper studio would be better.
But—
She didn't have the money.
Being in Class D, after buying a digital camera—
Even with careful spending, she couldn't save anything.
A paid studio was out of reach.
"…"
Taking a deep breath—
After confirming the rooftop was empty, and the door was securely locked—
The girl carefully removed the outer shell called "Sakura Airi."
But just as she was about to put on the shell called "Shizuku"—
The "safe" door—
Opened.
And a man, wearing a strange expression—
Appeared at the entrance.
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