“Wait a second, interlocking fingers is something only lovers do, right?”
Yuriko sat up and asked.
At least from Yuriko’s perspective, no one but lovers would do something like that.
She had only seen this gesture in comics.
“Eh, Ruri, that’s a bit shallow of you. Interlocking fingers isn’t exclusive to lovers. Sure, it most commonly appears between couples in movies and TV, but aside from that, doing it with family or friends represents the highest level of trust. It means you truly understand each other and deeply value the relationship.”
“Right now, your roles are best friends who trust each other completely, so it’s not strange at all!”
The Splendid Clothing Club President gave Yuriko a thumbs-up.
“So it could be explained like that?”
Still, what she said made some sense.
Yuriko was used to thinking from a male perspective and had overlooked the fact that she was now a girl.
It was definitely more acceptable for girls to do this.
“Alright then.”
Yuriko lay back down, looked at Carmilla, and extended her left hand.
Weren’t she and Carmilla exactly the kind of people who could share secrets and trust each other?
As their fingers interlocked, a strange sensation Yuriko had never experienced before spread through her palm.
Aside from Carmilla’s soft, delicate hand feeling nice to touch, there was also a strong sense of exposure.
Their fingers were tightly entwined, and those rarely touched parts pressed against each other, as if she were laying herself completely bare.
Yuriko could barely control her hand. She glanced at Carmilla and noticed a faint blush on her face as well.
Did Carmilla feel the same way?
As the initial sensation faded, an indescribable sense of comfort took its place, because it was Carmilla—someone she liked and trusted.
A flash of white light captured the moment, freezing it into a photograph.
“Get a little closer. Gently press your foreheads together and close your eyes.”
This was even more intimate than before, yet Yuriko found she could do it without any burden.
She could feel that Carmilla was happy right now.
She trusted her too.
They leaned against each other, feeling each other’s pulse and warmth, their bodies gradually relaxing.
“So comforting… I want to stay like this forever…”
“Alright, next pose!”
After finishing this set, Yuriko opened her eyes and looked at Carmilla, reluctant to separate their intertwined fingers.
The warmth still lingered in her palm.
Yuriko clenched her hand slightly, trying to preserve it.
“Wait, what am I doing? Isn’t this basically something a creep would do?”
After taking over a hundred photos in this outfit, the Splendid Clothing Club President finally nodded in satisfaction.
“Excellent, absolutely amazing! I’ve never taken such great photos before. Asking you two to be my models was the best decision ever!”
While she was still praising them, the President of the Plain Clothes Club walked over.
“Alright, alright, you’ve had your fun. Time for the next set.”
“Tch, I know, I know.”
Even though she didn’t know what the next outfit would be, after what she had just experienced, Yuriko felt like no pose would make her feel awkward anymore.
“The next theme is Knight and Girl. Now then, Ruri, please lift Carmilla in a princess carry!”
“What?!”
Dressed in a neat white knight outfit, Yuriko thought she had misheard.
“A princess carry? That sounds like something lovers do. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
“That’s right! This theme is about romance! It’s the story of a white horse knight and a beautiful commoner girl falling in love at first sight!”
“We even prepared a white horse for this!”
The Splendid Clothing Club President clapped her hands, and a member led out a fine white horse.
“You even prepared that?!”
As expected of nobles—not only did they prepare real props, they even managed to get an actual horse.
Yuriko thought she was fully prepared and wouldn’t be shaken by posing anymore, only to be proven wrong immediately.
No wonder they gave her a masculine-style outfit.
“Mira, is this okay?” Yuriko asked Carmilla for her opinion.
“Mm…”
At the thought of being carried in Yuriko’s arms, Carmilla felt shy.
Even a pure girl like Carmilla had, like most girls, imagined having her own prince on a white horse.
And this prince… was Yuriko, the person she liked most.
Yuriko crouched slightly to let Carmilla settle into her arms.
Carmilla wasn’t heavy, so Yuriko lifted her easily.
However, her arms and body were stiff, like a puppet.
She was actually holding Carmilla like this—it felt like a dream.
If one day they really became lovers, would she be able to hold her like this openly…?
Carmilla, being held, wasn’t doing much better.
She lowered her head, hands pressed against her skirt, not daring to meet Yuriko’s eyes.
“You two are a bit too stiff. Get closer. Carmilla, wrap your arms around Ruri’s neck. Ruri, lower your head a bit more—give it that affectionate look.”
This time, the shoot didn’t go very smoothly.
After learning the theme was romance, both Yuriko and Carmilla became noticeably restrained.
When Carmilla leaned against Yuriko’s chest, she could feel her strong and rapid heartbeat.
“Yuriko’s heart is beating so fast… is she nervous because of me?”
Carmilla felt a small surge of excitement.
“If they really became lovers, would she be able to be held like this all the time?”
After a few minutes of adjustment, they finally managed to take a satisfactory photo.
Once the shoot ended, Yuriko quickly set Carmilla down.
Neither of them spoke, both feeling guilty, afraid their not-so-innocent thoughts might show.
“Good work. This set turned out pretty well. After the last one, we’ll be done,” said the Splendid Clothing Club President.
Yuriko let out a sigh of relief.
She had been tense the whole time, worried she might act strangely in front of everyone.
If anyone noticed her wandering thoughts, it would be utterly embarrassing.
Just one outfit left.
Once that was done, it would all be over. She would push through in one go!
For the final outfit, Yuriko wore a set of everyday clothes made by the Splendid Clothing Club, but the style was extremely flamboyant.
According to them, her role this time was a villainess who liked to bully her pure, innocent younger sister.
That younger sister was Carmilla, dressed in the Plain Clothes Club’s outfit.
“Make your expression more arrogant, more wicked. Raise the corners of your mouth—yes, that’s it. Now press down on Carmilla and use your index finger to lift her chin!”