If the Shoe Fits Chapter 3
The sound of agitated voices from the direction of Eriko’s bedroom made Akihito look up from the sinkfull of dirty dishes in front of him. A few seconds later a girl in Goth-style leather jacket, whom he recognized as Eriko’s makeup artist, appeared at the kitchen door, her hands fluttering wildly.
“Er...Mr. Dishwasher? Eriko-san’s feeling faint. Do you have anything sweet but low-fat that I can give her?”
“I think there’s some yogurt in the fridge,” said the photographer. “It’s plain non-fat yogurt, though.”
“It’ll have to do,” said the makeup girl, retrieving a carton from the almost-empty refrigerator. “Gosh, this fridge is so...barren!”
“Well...” Akihito barely stopped himself from saying that with Eriko on a calorie-restricted diet in preparation for tonight’s ball, the rest of the household was not allowed to leave any food around that might tempt her.
“Can you bring her a glass of water?” said the girl as she scurried back to her client. Sighing, Akihito washed the suds off his hands and dutifully took a glass of mineral water to Eriko’s bedroom.
“Hey Aki!”
Akihito turned and saw his cousin Jun sitting crossed-legged on Eriko’s peach-and-cream bed, his frilly-fronted shirt untucked over black leather pants.
“Toshi said he gave you an invite. So you’re coming?”
The photographer handed the water glass to a girl who was hovering over Eriko’s recumbent form, comb in hand, a couple of bobby pins between her lips. Eriko opened her eyes at the sound of her brother’s voice and looked up sharply at Akihito, her dizzy spell apparently over.
“Nah,” said Akihito, hoping he sounded nonchalant. “It’s for my boss’s daughter.”
“Oh yeah?” said Jun, his eyebrows forming perfect arches over gleaming dark eyes. “That’s not what Toshi said. According to him you were really keen to go...”
I bet he didn’t tell you he asked me to be his date, thought Akihito.
“Well, what did he think I was going to wear to the ball? A rag?”
Jun looked at his threadbare T-shirt and cut-offs and snickered.
“I didn’t know your boss had a daughter,” said Eriko, now back on the gilt armchair, her feet propped on the footstool to give the manicure girl easy access.
“My editor doesn’t, but the invite’s for the publisher’s daughter, Yu-chan,” said Akihito, internally marveling at how easy the lie came to him.
“Doing the big boss a favor, huh?” Jun said in an insinuating voice. “Didn’t know you to be so... career-minded.”
“Well, it never hurts to do someone a favor, does it?” The photographer tried to keep his voice light though he was feeling anything but light-hearted. “Can I get you guys anything else? If not, I’d better get back to the dishes.”
Glancing at the wall clock, Akihito’s heart raced. It was already ten to six! There was no way he was going to make it to Takato’s in time. The party didn’t start until 8, but the previous day Yu-chan had called to tell him not to be late, because the hair and makeup would take close to two hours...
“Hi Takato, it’s me!” The photographer tried to keep his voice down even though no on was within earshot. “I’m gonna be late... Yeah, still got lots to do around the house, Can you tell Yu-chan... Alright, man, I’ll be there as soon as I can, maybe six thirty, quarter to seven.”
But it was five minutes past seven when he finally made it out of the apartment, hair still damp from his three-minute shower. As he tiptoed past Eriko’s room, he glanced in and saw her preening in front of the mirror in a clingy, fire-engine red number that showed off her model figure and ivory skin to full advantage. Flagging down the first taxi that came along, he realized that he had forgotten one of Yu-chan’s instructions and was wearing boxer shorts under his jeans...
“Hey, our Cinderella’s here!”
Akihito brushed past Kou into Takato’s apartment still trying to catch his breath. The next ten minutes went in a blur as he was sent into the shower with Michi’s feminine shaver with instructions to rid his underarms and legs of hair - not that he had much hair on them to start with. Then, as he gingerly wrapped a towel around his waist, his legs and underarms freshly hairless and baby-smooth, Yu-chan knocked on the door and handed him something soft and slippery, which on closer inspection turned out to be a pair of underwear. Dainty lace-trimmed silk underwear, to be exact. He opened his mouth to protest but, realizing instantly that he would accomplish nothing by doing so, decided to put himself in the capable hands of his fairy godmother.
“I...I don’t think I can walk in these...” said Akihito, apprehensively eyeing the red satin pumps that Yu-chan had just put on his feet.
“Of course you can, darling! They’re only two and a half inches high. Come have a look at yourself in the mirror.”
Taking his first few steps in the unfamiliar footwear, Akihito had to suppress the fear of tripping and losing his balance. Looking up at Yu-chan and Michi, both of them beaming encouragingly, he concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other and arrived at last in front of the full-length mirror.
“Look at yourself, baby. Aren’t you gorgeous?”
Akihito tried to smile but only managed a grimace at the stranger in the mirror, her hair in a chic updo held in place by a thin tiara, her face subtly made up to accentuate the delicate bone structure and naturally rosy skin, her statuesque body clad in a blush pink tulle dress with a draped bodice that gave the illusion of a small bosom and a full skirt that ended just above the ankles, revealing a few inches of smooth, shapely calves...
“Hey, Cinderella, are you about done? It’s nine-“
Kou’s voice trailed off into a gasp as he took in the vision before him. Curious, Takato joined him at the bedroom door and slowly whistled.
“There you are,” said Yu-chan as she finished adjusting the red satin sash around Akihito’s slender waist. Taking a step back to admire her handiwork, she announced in her inimitable booming voice:
“Princess Aki is ready for her close-up!”