She extends her hand towards me.
A pretty hand adorned with manicured nails catches my eye.
Do we really have to do this on such a hot day?
[Partner. You’re not thinking of not holding my hand, are you?]
The voice of the Black Prince echoes in my head.
Yeah, my fate’s always been like this.
With a sigh, I take her hand.
“Hehehehe…”
Eri, who is giggling for some reason, and I leave the school gates, taking the train to the location, the studio.
“Oh my, is that Nishizawa Eri?”
“The Galaxy Rank Beautiful Girl!”
“Beauty that can’t even be hidden by sunglasses! Truly the best beauty in the prefecture!”
“She really looks like an angel…”
“The top idol of Shuo Academy!”
While traveling on the train, I hear people around me whispering as they recognize Eri.
The best beauty in the prefecture, huh?
It’s sad to think I live in a world where such things are said out loud.
I really need to return to my original world soon.
“Master! Aren’t you curious about what we’re shooting today? If you’re curious, Eri can tell you something special, just for you.”
Eri snuggles up to me and smiles slyly.
“Did you just see that? Eri smiled! She’s a true angel!”
“A guy who can make the proud top beauty in the prefecture smile!”
“That guy is the Black Beast?!”
“He looks like complete trash, totally mismatched with Eri.”
“Enemy of men!”
As soon as she gets close, I hear the extras reacting around us.
No matter how hard I try to get used to it, I’m fed up with this kind of reaction.
[Wow, partner. This girl named Eri is quite popular, huh?]
Even the Black Prince is impressed.
I gently nudge Eri away, who seems to want to link arms with me.
“It’s not like we’ll be there soon. You’ll find out when we arrive.”
I already know the content of the shoot.
It’s bound to be a boring swimsuit shoot.
After it ends, just like in the original, I’ll eat with her, and that’ll wrap up the day.
“Hehe? Is that so? Master, don’t be surprised later. Got it?”
Eri smiles playfully.
As we chat, the train arrives at our destination.
We get off and walk towards the building where the studio is located.
Ding.
The elevator arrives, and the studio is revealed.
“Oh, welcome, Miss Nishizawa. You still look beautiful as ever!”
A man, seemingly from the magazine, greets Eri, mixing in some English.
He looks towards me and asks, “And who might this gentleman be?”
“He’s Eri’s master! He’s going to be my temporary manager today!”
“I’m your manager for the day, Master!”
Her words made the atmosphere slightly awkward.
Master?
No way, did she just introduce me like that to some magazine staff?
People’s gazes became oddly delicate.
“Ahem.”
Eri gazed at me as if to say, ‘Look, Master, I did well, right?’
She fiddled with the collar around her neck, looking proud.
Oh dear, I really can’t catch a break.
“Ah, hahaha. So you’re the… famous Black Beast of Shuo Hero Academy… Nice to meet you. I’m just someone like this.”
A guy handed me his business card with a business smile.
No need to remember his name.
I quickly glanced at it and shoved it into my pocket, bowing my head.
“Oh, yeah, nice to meet you too.”
We exchanged awkward greetings, and the filming began.
“Well then, Nishizawa, please change into your shooting outfit. The manager can wait over there.”
“Master! Just wait a moment! Eri-ring will change right out!”
Eri winked at me and headed for the changing room.
As soon as she disappeared, the studio became awkwardly quiet.
I took a seat on the plastic chair assigned to me.
Without thinking, I opened the YouTube app and saw a flashy thumbnail from a British woman.
[Kim Deok-Sung’s merchandise can’t resist ㅠㅠ unboxing video of my own purchase!]
What? My own purchase?
I clicked the thumbnail out of sheer disbelief.
[Hello! This is British Woman Evangelin! Today, we’re unboxing Kim Deok-Sung’s merchandise! It’s a limited edition merchandise box directly sourced from Korea! Wow, applause!]
Dressed as a princess, Evangelin waved aTaegukgi (Korean national flag) while clapping.
She opened the box with my photo on it.
Out came acrylic keychains, photo cards, and posters.
[Look at this, subscribers. Isn’t it a super rare item? Jealous, right?]
Evangelin blushed as she embraced the merchandise to her ample chest.
[Wow, I’m so jealous of the merchandise!]
[Isn’t that limited edition? How did she get it?]
[They say when you add a shipping fee, the price doubles.]
[I got some merchandise too!]
[- Yoo Se-Ra is here again, haha!]
[- What about your own merchandise? Haha!]
The comments were a sight to behold.
My stomach turned.
Unable to take any more, I closed YouTube.
With nothing to occupy my mind, I started looking around.
But something felt off.
No matter how I looked at the props and backdrop, it didn’t give off a beach vibe.
It wasn’t the backdrop from the OVA that adapted volume 6.5.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a swimsuit shoot?
What was going on?
While my head swirled with questions, I heard Eri’s voice behind me.
“Master! Here’s Eri-ring!”
I turned my head.
What the?
Why does she look like that?
What on earth is she wearing?
What could it possibly be? (Illustration included)
“Hehe.”
She twirled around, showing off her outfit.
It was a pure white wedding dress.
It wasn’t dragging on the floor but rather a short mini dress that came to her knees.
She wore a white veil and held a bouquet in her hands.
She smiled, revealing her white teeth.
In the midst of it all, the collar around her neck remained.
Wait, aren’t you supposed to take that off for the shoot? Why is it still on?
I realized it wasn’t a swimsuit shoot.
But I had no idea it was a wedding shoot.
“So, what do you think, Master? Are you falling for Eri-ring?”
Eri brings her V-shaped fingers close to her left eye and puffs her cheeks.
She winks with a playful squint.
Honestly, I’m a bit surprised.
She’s way prettier than I expected.
After all, she’s literally labeled as the top beauty in the original setting book.
In terms of looks, it’s no wonder she’s prettier than Olivia and Rin.
Plus, in the original story, Nishizawa Eri is even wearing a wedding dress she’s never worn before.
If I say she’s not pretty, that’d be a blatant lie.
“Well, you are pretty.”
I had to compliment her since it felt inappropriate to say otherwise in this situation.
Eri’s eyes widen at my words.
Her face turns bright red.
She cradles her cheeks with both hands and bows her head.
“Aww♥ Even Master! Saying such things makes Eri shy!”
If she could just zip her mouth, everything would be perfect.
Is it possible to tone down that ridiculous tone of hers?
“Wow, beautiful. Wonderful! Miss Nishizawa. Truly the Galaxy’s number one beauty! The very embodiment of a summer bride! I’m so lucky to be able to do a photo shoot with the top beauty of the region like Miss Nishizawa!”
The magazine staff flails their arms about in excitement.
Lucky, huh?
Hearing that out loud gives me a headache.
“Alright. We’ll start the shoot now! Everyone, take your positions!”
It’s a light novel wedding shoot.
The fact that it’s a wedding concept, not a swimsuit one, sends shivers down my spine.
‘This feels a bit ominous.’
[What’s ominous? Your partner?]
The Black Prince asks back.
In light novels or rom-coms, it’s practically a cliché that during wedding concept shoots, they suddenly need a partner and end up dressing the protagonist in a tuxedo.
There’s no way they’ll go that far, right?
Nah, no way.
‘It’s nothing.’
My face isn’t exactly camera-friendly.
That can’t happen.
[Man, you’re just a buzzkill.]
The Black Prince mutters.
I push my unease to the back of my mind and focus on the shooting scene.
Click, click.
Flashes go off.
“Oh, perfect. As expected from Miss Nishizawa!”
Now they’re adding “Miss” as if to show extra enthusiasm.
Unlike usual, Eri approaches the shoot with a serious demeanor.
When she’s calling me Master every day, she looks like a goof, but when it’s time for the photo shoot, she’s a professional model.
No, every moment looks like a photo shoot, to be honest.
Honestly, she does look a bit different now.
‘Master! Isn’t Eri cute?’
Except for the fact that she shapes her lips to say that every time our eyes meet.
Cute? Not even close.
While I sigh at Eri’s antics, suddenly,
“Oh, we need to do a couple shoot now. But the male model we had arranged cancelled due to scheduling issues…”
The photographer clicks his tongue, looking disappointed.
Seeing that, Eri covers her mouth and acts dramatically in a textbook-like tone.
“Really? That’s a big deal. We can’t just skip the couple shoot!”
“Yes, exactly. It’s quite troublesome.”
The photographer scratches his head.
Clearly, this is all staged.
I can see right through it.
Yeah, I had a feeling this would happen.
Clicking my tongue,
“Oh, Kim Deok-Sung, since you’re acting as the manager, how about being the model opposite Miss Nishizawa? The outfit is already prepared. It should fit you perfectly.”
The photographer suddenly offers me the modeling gig, like he’s been waiting for this.
Of course, right?
How can it be that this isn’t even slightly different from the clichés? It’s honestly amazing now.
Is this the power of the light novel world?
“I don’t want to.”
I already feel embarrassed being featured on some national pride YouTube channel as it is.
But what? A photo shoot?
Absolutely not.
“Master… Can you do a model shoot with Eri-Ring? Please?”
Eri gives me a wink and puts on her cutest face.
Honestly, her wearing a wedding dress is a bit tempting, but a no is a no.
Just as I was about to refuse again.
“Then I guess I’ll have to hire another model…”
The photographer trails off ominously.
A wedding concept shoot with another male model and Eri? Just the thought of it makes me feel uncomfortable.
I don’t want to do any wedding shoots, but it seems I have no choice.
“I’ll just do it myself.”
I have to do it to get rid of that unpleasant feeling.
[Oh, partner. But he’s a guy?]
The Black Prince unnecessarily praises me.
What do you mean, a guy?
“Ah, thank you for accepting this unreasonable request, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. The outfit is ready in the changing room. It’s over there.”
Following the staff’s guidance, I step into the changing room.
Inside, there’s a mirror reflecting the place. There’s a tuxedo hanging there.
When I put it on, it fits perfectly.
Wearing the tailored tuxedo, I check myself out in the mirror.
[As before, but our partner, even if the face is whatever, the body is impressive. The suit fit is absolutely perfect.]
The Black Prince is getting all excited.
I need to finish this shoot quickly.
Just as that thought crosses my mind, I grab the doorknob.
[Partner, since you’re doing a photo shoot anyway, you should at least fix your hair. You can’t go out like that; it would be rude to the lady, or rather, the bride.]
The Black Prince advises.
A bride, huh.
I click my tongue internally and go back to fix my hair.
[Okay. That works. Now you look decent enough.]
After receiving the Black Prince’s approval, I exit the changing room.
*
Studio.
“Hehe.”
Eri giggles, pressing her hands against her flushed cheeks.
The collar around her neck clinks as she moves.
“Doing a wedding shoot with Master. Eri-Ring as the bride and Master as the groom…”
Eri mutters dreamily.
Thump.
Bride and groom.
Just saying the word wedding makes her heart race like crazy.
As Kim Deok-Sung suspected, instead of a swimsuit shoot, she meticulously orchestrated this wedding shoot, making excuses about not having other models to steer it in this direction.
Behind this plot was the enthusiastic support of magazine staff and photographers who couldn’t afford to miss out on featuring the ‘Galaxy’s number one beautiful girl.’
“Heeheehee…”
Eri buries her face in the bouquet, laughing.
Olivia and Rin haven’t done wedding shoots yet.
She’s the only one conducting an actual wedding shoot under the guise of a photo shoot.
Right in front of him.
“Master…”
Thump thump.
Just imagining him in the tuxedo sends her heartbeats skyrocketing.
The collar feels like it’s heating up.
She was happily smiling at that moment.
