Paid In Full

THE NEWS STUDIO was on the fifteenth floor, but the dressing room was on the second. Approximately thirty minutes prior to each broadcast, we were obligated to head down and have our makeup applied.

“Oh, Kunieda-san! Are you going to the dressing room? I’ll come with.”

Ugh. I was hoping to be discreet, but unfortunately Tatsuki slid into my elevator.

“Were you just spamming the Close button?”

“Cram it.”

“You went to the doctor’s office today, right? Are you sick?”

“Cram it.”

“Did you talk things out with Tsuzuki-san?”

“Cram it.”

Three seconds of silence passed, and then Tatsuki muttered, “…Make-up sex?”

“CRAM IT!”

“Oh my god, you did! Good for you! I hear make-up sex is the best, actually.”

“I swear to god, I’m gonna kill you—”

Unfortunately, I was out of time; the elevator had arrived at the second floor. Hastily, I withdrew my hand from his neck and composed myself. The doors opened, revealing an employee standing just outside.

“Oh, hello there, Kunieda-san!”

“Hello,” I greeted warmly, tapping the Open button. Then I gestured for Tatsuki to step out. “After you.”

“Oh, thanks,” Tatsuki replied with a bright smile to rival my own. Then, once the hallway was confirmed to be empty, he added, “Y’know, at this rate, I think you’re gonna give me trust issues.”

I ignored him and headed into the dressing room.

“Good morning! I’m here for my makeup.”

“Oh, good morning! And I see you’ve brought a friend with you! Let’s start with you, Kunieda-san, since you’ll be on camera sooner.”

As I took my seat in front of the vanity, however, the makeup artist paused to stare curiously at my reflection.

“Is there something on my face? Goodness, I sure hope not.” Take a picture—it’ll last longer, I thought sarcastically as I pretended to get embarrassed.

“No, it’s just…your skin is flawless today!”

“Huh?”

Behind me, at the other vanity, I heard Tatsuki snicker.

“God, I’m soooo jealous! I almost don’t want to put foundation on you! Do you have a skincare routine?”

As if I’d tell you. It took all of my acting ability to manage a modest, “Not really.”

Tonight I was scheduled for another grueling performance as my more perfect half.

 

***

 

“YES, NO, OR MAYBE” is a nonsensical choice when you think about it, though I’m pretty sure I spent a great deal of my childhood making it. “What does ‘maybe’ even mean in these cases?” I hear you ask. Well, you see, now that I’m an adult, binary choices tend to lead to a lot of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situations, and sometimes I really wish I could stay somewhere in the middle. Of course, if someone else said the same to me, I’d tell them to pick a side. Go figure.

Takemiya-sensei’s artwork really captures my two main characters in this sort of “cute adult” style, and that gets a big YES from me. She’s truly skilled at crafting sweet, gentle male faces, like Ushio in the frontispiece. The way it pairs perfectly with Kei’s bashful expression as he struggles to hide his love—aaaah! She is my barista, and I am her loyal customer for all time. Thank you so much.

—Michi Ichiho