Chapter 2

A sorcerer was walking the halls of Akane's school, shimmering like a brilliant diamond amongst a sea of gray, lifeless faces. A sorcerer by the name of Caleb Barlow, her Senpai, the one who'd captured her heart and placed her under his spell.

She could now see the color of the world shining bright in her eyes, just like he did. Caleb...even now, just saying his name cut her into a thousand beautiful pieces. Honestly, Akane owed her friend Tomoe more than words alone could describe. After all, she'd just been united with her life's destiny, and it was all thanks to her friend.

"I'm so glad you changed your mind about Barlow Senpai," Tomoe beamed as they walked home from school together. "And he even shared his lunch with you? How sweet is that."

"I wonder if he'd want to have the ceremony in spring..." Akane mumbled to herself, smiling from ear to ear, eyes wide with unbridled excitement. "No, no, no. That's too cliche. He'd never go for that."

"Are you thinking about maybe asking him out?" Tomoe asked playfully, having apparently not heard her. "You know, the seasonal festival in Chinatown will be coming up in a few weeks."

"Traditional kimono or white gown? Either way, I'll need to start saving the money somehow."

"He's very popular at our school," she cautioned. "Senpai has a lot of admirers, not just you, Akane-chan."

"Definitely a Japanese name if the first one's a girl." Akane bit on the tip of her finger, her smile growing as she giggled in a bubbly voice. "If it's a boy...I'll let him pick."

"I guess I'm saying that...you've got a lot of competition."

She came to a dead stop, and her blood turned to ice water in her veins. Akane's smile evaporated, and the world grew dark extremely quickly.

"I'm sorry...what?"

Tomoe shrugged, as oblivious as ever. "I'm just saying. Barlow Senpai is very popular at our school right now. Many students like him...a lot of female students especially."

Her anxiety ramped up by about a thousand.

"Just something to think about," her friend insisted, a noticeably impish grin on her face. "Considering you seem to be already hearing wedding bells and all."

With that, she skipped away down an alley, her usual route back home. Meanwhile, Akane's mind whirred into overdrive. She was...she was kidding, right? That was just a joke Tomoe was making, surely. She was always making jokes. That is, in the few moments she wasn't skipping around like an imbecile.

She wouldn't...actually provoke her like that, would she?

Then again, maybe her words weren't meant to provoke her, Akane thought. What if they were genuine? What if her friend was trying to give her a warning? Those other girls didn't have what she did with Senpai. They hadn't shared his delicious lunch together, they didn't speak English the way she could for him, and they certainly didn't get to call him Caleb the way she was allowed to.

No, no, no, no, no. She shook her head vehemently in denial. They're just jealous—a bunch of jealous idiots who don't see the chemistry we have.

But...they were also a lot wealthier than she was. Especially some of the upperclassmen girls. Not that she could help that. Akane had two sick parents at home, and she couldn't afford all those expensive cosmetics and beauty products the other students loved to slather their faces in.

As she continued her walk, getting increasingly lost in her thoughts, Akane passed by a large billboard advertising makeup products on the building over the other side of the road. Be the best you you can be, the advertisement declared, a pretty model smiling while holding a bottle of mascara.

Akane stared up at the billboard as if it were a sign from the heavens above. How long had she been taking this route to school? Yet never once had she noticed this particular billboard before.

"The best me I can be," she repeated before spinning around and inspecting her reflection in the glass window. Her skin was rather pale, she felt. Maybe too pale. At the very least, she could use some better foundation than she had used.

But would that please her Senpai? Would Caleb take notice if she changed her look up a little? A boy as wonderful as him wouldn't be that superficial, surely. She immediately shook her head at that thought. No! No! No! It wasn't about that! It wasn't about that at all! It was about being the best she could be, just like how he did.

Caleb was beautiful. An extraordinarily beautiful specimen of man. He clearly took excellent care of himself. Which meant she could be nothing less than perfect for him. If she wanted his affection, she had to be perfect for her Senpai. Nothing less would do.

With her mind made up, Akane darted off down another alley, schoolbag in hand. It was time for her to do a bit of shopping.

--

Akane found herself mindlessly wandering the underground mall near her neighborhood, searching for that brand she saw on the billboard. She'd been using cheap knockoffs and back alley bootlegs long enough. Those wouldn't win her the affection of her Senpai. If Akane wanted to earn his attention and keep his attention, she had to be the best she could be, just like that brand promised.

She eventually found it, that same smiling lady on a poster hanging in the window of a classy-looking cosmetics store. With her school bag in hand, Akane entered the store.

"Irasshaimase!" the attendant standing near the entrance declared in a bright, welcoming tone.

Akane bowed, smiling politely. "Arigatō. Arigatō."

"What can I help you find today?" she asked in Japanese.

Akane pointed toward the advertisement in the window. "I'm looking for that brand."

The attendant beamed. "Ah, yes, yes. That's one of the most popular brands on the market right now." She gestured for her to follow. "Right this way, I'll help you."

As she followed the attendant, Akane was anxious upon seeing some of the price tags in the aisles. None of these brands seemed to be under fifty-thousand yen. And the one she wanted was likely to be much higher.

"They're right over here," the attendant declared. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

She blushed. "I'm...looking for a color that my Senpai will like."

The attendant offered a wry grin. "Ohhh, it's for a boy?" She giggled before pulling a tube of lipstick off one of the shelves along with a makeup pallet. "We're seeing a lot of young women wearing this color right now. And this pallet would pair well with it. I think your Senpai would love to see this on you. Of course, you'll want a good foundation first, as well as a concealer."

Akane gripped the strap of her bag tightly in both fists. The lipstick alone was almost a hundred thousand yen.

"I'd also recommend one of our skincare packages, which you can find over there," the attendant offered while gesturing towards their line of skin care products. "We also have a wonderful selection of brushes and mirrors for personal touch-ups on the aisle directly to your left."

Her heart rate began to skyrocket, and it was all Akane could do to keep her breathing even. She'd always known makeup was expensive, but this was absurd! Hundreds of thousands of yen for simple beauty products!

Was this...was this really what would get her Senpai's attention? Akane needed to be the best she could be. Nothing short of that would suffice.

She needed this stuff. She needed it so she and Senpai could be together forever.

"Anything else?" the attendant asked.

She smiled politely at her, the mask holding firm. "No, I think that will be all. I'd like to browse for a bit if it's okay."

The attendant bowed politely and left. Akane stared at the tube of lipstick with a look of deep learning. The words of the attendant played over and over again in her mind.

I think your Senpai would love to see this on you.

Akane couldn't remember the last time she genuinely wanted something. Not like this anyway. Ever since her fateful encounter with Senpai, she'd been able to see the world's color like never before. The shade of this lipstick was beautiful. It would look beautiful on her.

And she must have it. She needed this makeup. Akane needed this brand.

She quickly took a mental inventory of everything she would need and the location of every camera. For this to work, Akane would need a diversion. Knowing now what she had to do, she rummaged around in her school bag, pulling out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a small container of cotton balls. After making sure no one was looking, Akane started opening up jars of blush and other cosmetics before spreading the cotton balls out among them. She then doused the cotton in rubbing alcohol and pulled out a lighter. One thing about makeup that Akane always found handy, regardless of brand or price...

...it all burned equally well.

She lit the cotton balls on fire and let the smoke rise, offering a perfect shroud from the cameras as she began screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, God! It's all on fire! Everyone run! The stores are on fire!"

Panic set in, and everyone went running for the exit as the entire shelf became engulfed in flames. Akane quickly grabbed everything she would need, stuffing it in her school bag while the attendants were busy ushering other customers out of the store. She grabbed every item that was recommended to her, as well as a set of brushes and a few other colors she liked. She also considered looting the register but decided not to press her luck.

Only the very best. Only the very best will do for my Senpai.

Once she'd taken everything she needed, Akane quickly made herself scarce, leaving the store under cover of heavy smoke before fleeing the scene, giggling to herself in delight even as the storefront burned to the ground behind her.