Yuriko carefully kept her expression neutral. She didn’t whip her head about, nor did she sweep everyone with her gaze. Her perception, if she pressed hard enough, could be felt, so she was also careful with how closely she scrutinised the people around her. It was the overcoat that moved by itself to mimic the feel of something pressing against it. And Yuriko couldn’t feel anything from it.

No threads of energy, no swirl of ambient Elemental energy, no Animus, and certainly no Anima. But when she used her perception to infuse the fabric, that was when she felt it. A resistance. As if she were trying to infuse her Anima perception into someone else. For all intents and purposes, the overcoat felt alive. And that sent a shiver up her spine.

There was no Anima in the thing, but there was an echo of one. The thought that someone was feeling her up through her clothes wouldn’t leave, though, so she made sure the layer of condensed aura over her skin was tight.

She moved from her faux leaning pose and the overcoat returned to normal. She held her poses for a bit, then sat down in midair, as if she was on a bench. Her control over her body and her strength allowed her to hold the pose naturally, and she even leaned over and rested her hand on the same plane where the bench would have been. Her expression was one of pensive thoughts, as though daydreaming while waiting.

She nearly laughed at the gasps of surprise and admiration. She could feel emotions boiling over and more than a few threads connected to her dreamscape domain. That was fine. She preferred having a job that paid well and didn’t occupy all of her free time. Otherwise, when would she have time to train properly?

The overcoat shifted a bit, just to seem like it was draped over the bench, but not to the point that it was obvious. Yuriko continued scanning the people around her, but she still couldn’t determine who made the cloth move. But…there was the distinct possibility that it was Lance Hiller since he was the fashion designer. She couldn’t be sure, since she didn’t know if he also made the outfit. Either way, since the overcoat did nothing overtly harmful, she let it be.

An hour later, she changed into a different cold weather outfit and continued the shoot. At one point, the photographer requested that she smile, and when she complied, she felt a wave of attraction through her Mien. She kept her expression demure but wasn’t sure if it actually helped or hindered. Well, it depended on what she wanted to accomplish, really.

For now, she would simply enjoy her time in Astoria. The infrequent run-ins with the daemons spiced up the mundanity, but she had an inkling that they were a powder keg just waiting to explode. She wasn’t about to go looking for them, though she half wished she had Saki with her here.

By six o’clock, the shoot was finished.

“Hey, stay awhile,” Lance said as Yuriko exited the dressing room. “There’s pizza coming.”

Yuriko nodded and walked over to join the other models and staff who were in the main room, socialising. Lance walked by her side with a small smile on his lips. Yuriko didn’t know what pizza was, other than it was food. She had vague memories of Lilibeth eating it, but also the fact that the girl had sworn off it beyond her childhood. It was too greasy and fattening, she recalled.

“Nice work, Miss Lilibeth,” a photographer, a young man with raking looks and a dashing smile, said. “You’re a natural.”

“And the fact that she’s gorgeous and naturally photogenic doesn’t hurt,” Lance chuckled.

Yuriko just blinked in response, not really answering. Both men beamed at her and the photographer asked, “Which agency do you belong to, Miss Lilibeth? Dreamedia’s always looking for new talent.”

Yuriko raised an eyebrow, “Are you offering more modelling work?”

The photographer, who introduced himself as Davin Gilmore, said, “I mean, yeah. Your work’s fantastic! How did you sit in thin air? That was amazing! I mean, logically, if your core and legs are strong enough…”

“Hmmm, yes, it’s that.” Yuriko smiled. “I train extensively.”

“Calisthenics? Gymnastics? You don’t look like an athlete…” Davin muttered.

“I’m not one,” Yuriko said, “but I enjoy working out. Ah, as you can see, I don’t train to bulk up.”

“I can see that. Hmmm, I think we have an athleisure client that could use a brand ambassador like you. Ah, what did you say your agency was?”

“None,” Yuriko replied. “This is my first commercial model job.”

“Ah, that’s right,” Lance added. “My friend recommended her since she did well as a model for a painting class. Looks like I owe her a favor.”

“Oh, newbie, huh?” Davin said as they reached the dining table. He nodded towards the other models gathered at the other side of the room. “I think they belong to Pixel Fairy.”

“Is that an agency?” Yuriko asked.

“Yes. It’s a multi-field agency though. Dreamedia is an advertising agency, you know? We focus on helping companies and brands get their message out there. To drive up business, as they say. Heh.”

The lift door opened and in came a delivery person carrying a pile of boxes twenty high. He walked in, his head peering around the stack, and one of the assistants waved him towards the dining room.

“Ah, food’s here,” Davin said gleefully. “I’m starved!”

Everyone rushed towards the food as soon as it was laid out on the table. Twenty boxes, each about fourteen inches wide, were opened and folded back to reveal a variety of pizzas. Yuriko peered at it curiously while she let the others take the first shares. Circular flat bread baked with layers of toppings, cheese, tomato sauce, and an assorted mix of vegetables and meats, then cut into triangles. They were piping hot, too, and she could see steam rising from the slices.

Davin didn’t hesitate as he rushed to the table and pulled out a slice. He looked back and jerked his head at her, “Come on, don’t just stand there, both of you!”

Lance and Yuriko exchanged glances and the other man smiled and nodded for her to precede him. The other staffers hadn’t hesitated and by the time they arrived at the table, most of the others were already chowing down. Except for the other models.

There were two men and another woman, all of them skinny. None of them picked up a slice of pizza, and when the other female model saw Yuriko about to grab one, she gasped.

“You sure you can break your diet, honey?” The model, a dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty who was just a little bit shorter than Yuriko, strolled up.

“Well, I am hungry,” Yuriko admitted.

The model glanced at Lance and Davin, sniffed and said, “Don’t lead the children astray.”

“Hey, she said she trained hard,” Davin said while raising his hands in mock surrender.

“That’s true.” Yuriko smiled. “I do eat a lot.”

“Oh my, how that makes me envious.” The woman giggled. “Marina Burke. That’s Jackson Blue, and Dale Johnson.”

Jackson was a dark-skinned young man with black hair and dark brown eyes, while Dale was a tall young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Neither of them was bulky though Jackson showed off his wiry muscles. Both men were taller than her true body.

“Lilibeth Lawson,” Yuriko said and shook Marina’s hand while nodding to both young men. She snagged a slice of pizza afterwards though all three of them winced.

“Well, it’s your body,” Marina murmured. “I got a look at your work. You’re incredible.”

Her emotions weren’t quite honest though since Yuriko felt a bit of envy and jealousy coming from her. Both men were ambivalent, except for the usual attraction most people felt towards her. Dale had excellent control of himself, but Jackson’s unfortunate choice of wearing tight pants meant that his erection was painfully obvious. He was also visibly blushing. Cute.

The first bite of pizza, plain cheese, was like the first time she took Ambrosia. Blissful, sinful, goodness.

“Oh…” Yuriko breathed, “this is good.” Why did Lilibeth boycott pizza? Ah, it was too good. How could she stop herself from eating more than normal, huh? It was a good thing that her current body needs a greater amount of nutrition.

“Please don’t tempt us,” Marina begged, and Yuriko realised that she was still moaning in pleasure.

“Ah, sorry,” she muttered.

“No, that’s fine. I think I want a slice after all,” Marina muttered. She took one and nibbled on it. She moaned in pleasure too, then both of them giggled. “Yeah, I guess I missed this.”

Yuriko nodded. “Yup. I made a resolution a decade ago not to eat pizza, but my childish self was wrong.”

“You girls better not ruin your figures. Then you’d be out of a job,” Jackson said. His voice warbled and almost broke. He blushed even harder.

“You must be younger than you look,” Yuriko grinned.

Jackson sighed. “Sixteen.”

“Anywho, you don’t have an agency, right?” Marina interjected, “You wanna join ours? Pixel Fairy’s pretty, well, fair. The commission’s twenty, but they keep the gigs coming.” She handed Yuriko a calling card, well, it was Marina’s, but it had Pixel Fairy’s address and network site.

“You get a referral fee?” Yuriko asked curiously.

“That’s how it works.”

“I’ll give it a look.”

Talk of business stopped at that point and the models went off to talk to the director. Yuriko turned to Lance, who was nomming on his third slice. “Who do I go to regarding the talent fee?” Yuriko asked.

“Ah, I’ll take care of it. Give me you details and contact number,” Davin said. “Hmm, you were a last minute addition, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thanks,” Yuriko said. She took another slice but from a different pie. After she finished, she said her goodbyes. “I hope we can work together again soon.”

“I’ll see to it!” Davin said with a wide smile. Lance nodded his goodbyes and turned away, but when Yuriko had her back turned, she noticed that his gaze returned to her. She exaggerated her gait a bit to emphasise the sway of her hips, but his eyes didn’t drop to her bottom. Interesting. Perhaps he was the one after all.

It was a good thing she overpaid the parking pacer, otherwise she might have gotten a ticket. She tapped the close button and rode off. It was nearly seven o’clock in the evening, and the traffic flow in Winderfield was even worse than she thought. She noticed many motorcycle riders weaving in between the stuck cars. Lane splitting was illegal, but every biker was doing it. Hmmm, should she follow? She didn’t want to be stuck here for hours, so…

Well, if every motorcyclist was doing it, the authorities must not enforce that particular law. An unenforced law was nothing more than a waste of space.

She hummed happily as she drove towards the Winderfield-Burmington Bridge. It took half an hour to get there, and by the time she crossed, for some reason, traffic flow got even worse, and this time, every motorcyclist was backed up too.

Then, something suddenly felt off. A ripple in the air, of energies that were native. Daemonfyre? But…where?

There was a large blast, but nobody else detected it. The winds weren’t affected, but the electric street lights flickered for a moment. She felt the wave come from the southeast, along the riverbank?

She turned down the highway and followed a road that led to the riverbank quay. The Santana River was nearly a longstride wide and several dozen paces deep. Cargo travelled up and down the Santana and many ships that came from the sea offloaded cargo in the warehouse district.

The wave came from there, and Yuriko was too curious not to investigate.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep