[Cherry Heart] Wizard Weekly Competition!

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

“Alright, ladies, let’s hit the beach~ Does anyone need to buy a bikini or a swimsuit?”

 

"...Oops, I really think I need one. Thank you a lot for this!"

 

Swimsuit or bikini was really low on the list of things Angela ever felt that she should even bother buying during her journey, so the fact that they're kind enough to buy someone like her a bikini was really nice. It's something she's really grateful for. Just earlier, she had unknowingly stripped off her clothing completely without pausing a beat after she said when she should change to the cameraman. Thinking about it, it's probably instinct for her at this point. Hopefully he enjoyed the brief show. He later gave her a towel to wrap herself with though, so perhaps in heart he's quite the decent man, or more likely, he's already used to this kind of thing. Either way, it's something she really appreciated, and the towel's pretty comfy too. Maybe she could ask them later whether she could keep it or not.

 

He also said that they're heading to Prunus' famous beach for the photoshoot. Quite a wonderful place, though probably the only reason she didn't really ever considered to go there was just how hard it was to get a place to wash herself after a day at a beach, since most of those places requires some fee she couldn't be bothered to spend. And contrary to popular belief, doing her usual trick on the beach...wasn't really as wonderful as people thought. Sand is the last thing one would like to be stuck on her places. Still enjoyable to a degree, but not something she'd like to constantly do to justify going on a free holiday into that beach.

 

But really, those didn't matter. She's going to go there as a part of this. No more worrying about money for a day at the beach!

 

She signed the letter of concern after reading it carefully. Her previous experiences taught her that it's kind of pretty important. It's not like she'd care of the potential abuses of concern letter when one didn't read it carefully, especially since she had no financial or physical worth (and even if that consent letter ended up being used to kidnap her, her parents probably wouldn't bother paying any kind of ransom). The reporters then escorted the four of them outside, to the sight of...wait, a horseless carriage? Angela stared on it for a bit in awe. She had heard about such vehicles, but seeing one with her own eyes, nay, actually riding one was a pleasant surprise. When she was inside, she was still visibly looking pretty uplifted with the fact, though not long afterwards Angel whispered something to her. Somewhat dampened her mood, but it's fine. It's good to listen to people.

 

"What am I going to do? I don't exactly have a body underneath this armor, this is my body, how am I going to explain this to the reporters?"

 

"Hmm...you're right. I think you're mentioning to them that you're not a robot, right? Would be awkward if they really do find out.

 

Can I cop a feel a bit to confirm myself?" Angela asked politely, and afterwards, she started doing what she asked, to feel what's pretty much cold metal. Yeah, this would be awkward. Angela thought about the topic more, thinking about what kind of solution could come off from it. Her first thought was just having Angel admit that she's a robot, but that would be contradictory to her wish. The armor being actually a part of her body instead of being just attachments made this even more awkward. Why her creators couldn't create her like a proper human, then add the armor as-

 

Create.

 

Right, Angel could patch herself up on her own. If she's aware of on how to create her own body, given the material....

This would physically change her though. Would she be fine with this? Angela had no idea, but it's something she had to try suggesting.

 

"Hey...listen. This might sound really absurd, and I don't know if you could do it in time, but...since you can repair yourself and recreate parts of your body if given the material...pardon me for saying this...

 

Let's rework your body." It was whispered during the carriage trip, but even doing it like that still made Angela felt weird and remorseful. It's quite a wild thought, doing something that for humans should be unthinkable. "Just...I think it's our best bet. I'll find the materials, and I assume you have the tools necessary within you to perform the "repair", right? I'll also help you stall for time and assist you in the process if necessary.

 

I'm sorry for saying something this outrageous to you. I really do. But...I don't think I know any other way."

 

The rest of the trip was spent with Angela being silent. Whether Angel liked her idea or not, it still felt like Angela had crossed a line with what she said. Getting into something that she might find to be too personal. At this rate, she should find a good distraction once they're on the beach and she finished her photoshoot. Her thoughts were getting problematic again.

 

 

A while later, they arrived on the beach. Distracting herself with the fact she fact she needed a swimsuit, Angela rushed to a nearby shop to get herself pick one of the choices there. She at first considered wearing a one-piece swimsuit - a conservative and purer-looking swimsuit that honestly would fit someone like her, and it should be pretty comfortable too. However, using something like that against Lily would mean that she's admitting defeat. She had to choose something that would look more daring while emphasizing the few edges she have over Lily.

 

Her next choice was a...uh, that one lacked the top. Would that even fly with the photographers? It would only work if she had something to flaunt anyway. Angela didn't give that much thought afterwards, and continued to the next line. This one looked like it would barely cover her chest - practically really just a strap of cloth over each of the mounds for the sake of decency and a barely covering bottom. She lacked the behind to properly use that. Not something that would fit her.

 

And next...was the stringed-type. Pretty skimpy, and looking at it at a glance Angela would've skipped it for something else - perhaps something less risque, but walking a bit around the display aisle, she found something that she found to be really cute. It was a set of peach colored string bikini, though it looked like it covered more than the other ones. She decided to try it out, so she took it off the display and went to the shopkeeper to ask about where she could find a fitting room. The shopkeeper threw her a weird glance due to the fact that Angela was still only wearing her towel, but he pointed where she could try the new swimsuit out.

 

Once she was safe inside, she discarded her towel and secured it on a nearby coathanger. There was a full body mirror there, so she could look at how her body looked like now. Her body frame was still as unremarkable as ever. She's sure that she had hit puberty properly, but her hips were barely noticeable, and her chest was still as unappealing as ever. She's quite thin, somewhat dangerously so due to her not really eating much until recently, but some people at least dig that kind of thin-ness. At the very least, her ribs weren't showing just yet. Her skin was less tanned than she would expect with how much she spent her time outside.

 

Looking at her own naked reflection, she tried to smile as she tried out several poses. But no matter what kind of pose she tried out, Angela couldn't see anything other than a disgusting figure being reflected before her. Nothing cute about her fake smile. People wouldn't really see her as nothing but a disgusting human, so why should she even bother competing properly? She probably should just go outside now without bothering with this and screw it all. No way she'd win anyway.

 

"...Hey, how long will you stay inside?!"

 

A voice from outside broke her thoughts. Realizing that she's wasting her and other people's time, Angela decided to move on and started to try out her swimsuit. She tried out the bottom first. Looking at it first, she thought that it would be a bit tight for her, but wearing it herself made her realize that it was actually quite nice - the friction from the strings that she was worried about at first was practically nonexistent. It didn't cover as much as she hoped, but it covered enough, probably. The top was an instant hit for her however. She could appreciate the brassiere's comfiness better with it, and it looked pretty sweet on her. Satisfied with the set, she went outside with her towel being wrapped around her waist. The fact that there was a longish line outside for once didn't bother her.

 

Having paid for the swimsuit, she also decided to buy a white shirt along the way. Its material was pretty thin, and she really only thought of buying it because it's cheap, it covers her before the photoshoot, and it also would theoretically look nice when wet. With that purchase's done, she went back to the reporter's location. The set for the photoshoot has been set up, it seemed.

 

"Alright...I think I'll be ready for this. I-I'll do my best!"

 

It's really hard to sound cute, but she needed to get into character first before the session. No matter how impossible it would be, she need to try her best to defeat Lily and the others.

 

"Io...Angel...y-you're already ready for this, r-right?"

 

Thinking about it, perhaps this tone didn't fit her as well as she first thought. A better adjustment would be necessary.

 

---

[Wind Rider]

"Hmm...you're right. I think you're mentioning to them that you're not a robot, right? Would be awkward if they really do find out. Can I cop a feel a bit to confirm myself?" Angel let her feel her body... Angela had a bit of a discouraged look. "*sigh* Yep, nothing underneath either, just wireframe and motors, not exactly a swimsuit body huh?"

 

"Hey...listen. This might sound really absurd, and I don't know if you could do it in time, but...since you can repair yourself and recreate parts of your body if given the material...pardon me for saying this... Let's rework your body." Rework? Maybe but how, there wouldn't be much time to reconstruct a whole body, let alone the fact that Angel was just used to replacing a limb or patching a hole or two not a whole body. "Just...I think it's our best bet. I'll find the materials, and I assume you have the tools necessary within you to perform the "repair", right? I'll also help you stall for time and assist you in the process if necessary. I'm sorry for saying something this outrageous to you. I really do. But...I don't think I know any other way." It seemed like the only way... If it meant not screwing up the quest, Angel was willing to risk. "It seems there isn't any other option, if your willing to help me I'd appreciate it."

 

Later that day, the group had just arrived at the beach, Angela seemed to be ready with the swimsuit she picked, it looked cute on her. "Io...Angel...y-you're already ready for this, r-right?" She had a nervous tone, who could blame her. " I got all the materials I could find, the most I can do is change my upper body... If your still willing to do this, just stall the reporters for a few minutes, it won't be perfect but at least I will be able to do this." It wasn't full body reconstruction, but Angel still didn't know if this would work.

[Astolfo]

---

At Kelly’s mention of the bikini picture shootout, Io’s fluffy ears perked up, almost knocking her cap off, before drooping back down as she recalled Lily’s entrance not too long ago. How was anyone supposed to win against a boobmonster like that? Grumbling slightly as she boarded the car, Io wondered what kind of swimsuit she should wear. It’s not like she’d have won either way with or without Lily, given her more boyish looks, but it really seemed hopeless now. Oh well. Might as well have fun and get some juicy pictures while she’s there.

After arriving at their destination, Io wandered off to one of the nearby shops. As she browsed the selections the place had to offer, her face took on a deep scarlet as she noticed some of the more… liberal ones, to say the least. N-N-No way I can wear something like that! Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down again, Io stepped into another one of the isles, scanning the various swimsuits. Suddenly, someone tapped on her shoulder. Whirling around to face them, Io immediately palmed her camera and took a shot. Oh, it’s the store cler- ”W-W-Whaaa?!” Io pulled back as the clerk tried to snatch her camera away from her. Giving Io a stern look, the clerk spoke.

“The selection of outfits here are for ladies, boyo. So you should make your way out of here, please. And I wonder what else you have on that camera..."

Huh? What? Io halted as she tried to process what the woman was saying. For ladies? Boyo? Wait, did the clerk think she was a boy? Stashing away her camera safely before the woman could steal it, Io shrugged apologetically. ”I-I’m actually a girl… yeah… and I just have this habit of taking pictures of people I meet for the first time, sorry." Well, this was definitely awkward. Fidgeting as the clerk’s piercing gaze swept over Io’s body, the woman sighed before she shooed Io away. Io sighed in relief, and picked a swimsuit that looked nice quickly, avoiding the clerk’s gaze as she ordered and left. Well, there was one more place Io wouldn’t be going to again.

Walking to a bathroom, Io entered the stall, changing quickly and folding her other clothes neatly before placing them inside her bag. Ah… I can’t bring along my revolver. Sighing, she tucked it underneath her clothes, before taking a look at herself in the mirror. She had chosen a simple but cute two-piece with a frilly top and a modest bikini in a nice light pink color. It wouldn’t beat someone like Lily, but Io hoped it still looked alright. I don’t think it’s too bad… is it?

Peeking out, it seemed as if the others had finished already. At Angela’s suddenly higher-pitched cutesy voice, Io raised an eyebrow. It seemed as if Angela was stressed out for the upcoming photoshoot. Smiling and waving, Io reassured her.

”Don’t worry about it, I think you look great! How do I look?"

---

[Cherz]

---

 

 

“Alright, ladies, let’s hit the beach~ Does anyone need to buy a bikini or a swimsuit?”

 

At this comment, Lily's perked up. The beach was one of her favorite spots to visit. She had an outfit for the occasion. 

 

"Perfect! Let me just grab mine, cya at the beach~" She said, blowing a kiss before departing quickly.

 

She made her way to her little home, a cozy place. She entered it and made her way right to the Master Bedroom. Once arriving at her destination, she closed her blinds and stripped out of her nurse garbs, folding them and preparing them for Dry Cleaning. After doing that, she slipped into her white pretzel maillot. It was brand new, so she adjusted it to her size, then slipped on a pair of white flipflops with a blue flower on the center. She threw on some sunblock, then grabbed a towel in her left and beach umbrella under her right arm, before heading out.

 

After convincing a guy to give her a lift to the beach, she sent him on his way with a kiss on the cheek. She casually strolled onto the sand, hips swaying as she strolled along. She set up her towel on the sand, and spiked the hot pink umbrella into the sand, before laying on her back, right leg crossed over her left. She was sure the others would arrive in a few.

[Kyng]

Wilbert could tell there was a very clear and obvious divide between the two groups. There you had Lily, of course, she was eager as always clad in a gorgeous piece of swimwear that rocked her every single curve. She was in her element and was evidently going to be a pleasure to work with. She had no reason, really, to not be confident in herself and it was more than obvious. No surprises there.

 

However, then you had the other three. It was clear that they weren’t nearly as developed as Lily was and it was even more apparent the three had all their own reasons to worry over it. With this in mind Wilbert knew he had to do something to chill their worries. Angela had a brave face, sure, but there was hesitancy in her voice. Angel simply felt alien in it all too. Io was, fortunately, keeping calm about it all too.

 

With that, Wilbert approached the three girls and, after thinking for a moment, began to explain a simple tactic they could use. They were all so worried about seeming inferior to the obvious glamour Lily held, but Wilbert told them to disregard it. Yes, Lily had a rocking figure, but their audience was looking for more than glamour - not only would a variety in body types make for a better shoot, as Wilbert prided himself on picking the best models he could from all shapes in the world, but it’d show off the raw variety of mages within the Cheery Heart guild which was, in truth, what he was looking for. He wanted to make it perfectly clear to them that they were meant to be here, and not to be intimidated by Lily either.

 

That, and he told them to just have fun, and if that didn’t work, a bribe of a great BBQ would have to suffice!

 

Kelly, in the meanwhile, was briefing Lily, just keeping their models idle and entertained talking asking her about her experience as a nurse, but once Wilbert told her they were ready, they decided to get the photo shoot on the way. Needless to say, with the Wizard Weekly being there a small crowd soon gathered by to show their support of the girls. Wilbert decided to call up Io first, figuring that his fellow cameraphile might work exceptionally well on the receiving end of the lens - that, and the crowd gathering and cheering would boost the overall esteem of the girls. Wilbert asked Io to do her best and helped lead her into her poses with idle banter.

 

Photo Shoot Start!

With that, and no doubt Angela and Angel both doing their own thing, Lily’d be practically dragged to the crowd, wooing her wildly as, as anticipated, she looked absurdly great in her mallot. From pleas of autographs to selfies and photos, and even smooches on the cheek it was obvious the fan favourite had arrived!

 

Everything seemed great on the beach. The mood was ecstatic. Beneath the tides would soon reveal to be a different matter altogether.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"I got all the materials I could find, the most I can do is change my upper body... If your still willing to do this, just stall the reporters for a few minutes, it won't be perfect but at least I will be able to do this."

 

"I...I think you shouldn't worry about that too much. I can just ask them so you won't get the early shift of the photoshoot."

 

Angela tried her best to calm Angel down, but it's clear that she herself wasn't really sounding calm. It seemed that Angel noticed it too, but neither her nor Angela herself decided to talk about it for now. Though, soon she noticed Io waving towards her from the distance as she approached the two. She was wearing a cute frilly two-piece set. It was pretty modest, and it felt like she actually pulled off the image Angela tried hard to pull off a lot better than her. Ah, that was quite disheartening, but...

”Don’t worry about it, I think you look great! How do I look?"

 

"You look really cute, Io. It...it really suits you! Yeah...I-I'm sure you'll do well!"

 

The tone really didn't suit her, but Angela really wish she could win over Io too. It's not like she'd be mad if she lost. In fact, she's perfectly content if Lily, Io, or even Angel won this contest over her and be their guild's representation, and she herself actually vouched for Lily to win this, since Angela felt that she's the best representation this guild could have right now for this. It's really just that she couldn't let herself lose on this. No, she want to try to see if she could win. No fun in it if she would just lose without trying.

 

It was then that the cameraman from earlier approached the three. Angela was startled at first, thinking that the photoshoot session had started, but instead, he started to talk about not worrying about Lily. That was weird. Unsure about why she was told something like this, nevertheless Angela listened to his words regarding on what kind of appeal would people see when it comes to the competition. His words were nice, and he encouraged them that each of them had a reason to be here, as the magazine wanted to have people with many different body types. But, as much as it was nice, his last mention was what hit Angela the hardest.

 

He reminded her to just have fun with this.

 

That notion, had Angela suddenly broke a laughing fit. What was she laughing about? Perhaps it's just her idiocy, though mostly she just wanted to laugh that loud after stressing herself out due to something that's not really that important anyway. That entire notion of her needing to try her best to win this had clouded her for why she even wanted to do that. Most of all she wished to have fun. That's why she's even here in this quest. Have fun, get to know some new people, play around, and such things. Of course she need to try her best on it, but stressing out about it won't do her any good. And hey, the cameraman promised that they'd have a nice BBQ going after this was all done.

 

"...Right. Thanks a lot for telling me this. I really need it.

 

I'll do my best, that's for sure! Maybe, after this is done, I can...nah, don't mind me. That will just tarnish things. But once again, thank you." She gave her best smile to the cameraman, shifting her tone back to her normal one. She's probably not fitting in the mold of "cute and innocent" that she had in her mind anyway. No need to force herself to fit in it. She just need to show all of herself like she actually was, and see whether people like it or not. She bowed at the man, before leaving him and the other two girls. She had to do one last thing to finally ease herself up in this fully.

 

"Lily...I..."

 

The nurse was resting under an umbrella, calmly waiting for the event to start. For a bit, Angela felt some jealousy at how calm she could be at facing something like this, but she buried the feeling immediately. That kind of feeling would be bad. They're all here to represent Cherry Heart. And...it's really unfair that she actively avoids her so far. She did Angela nothing wrong, and Angela didn't even have any feelings of animosity towards her. It's not even about insecurity either. There's no points in her not interacting with Lily in the first place.

 

"I...it's really nice to have you here. For being...ah...for being someone that I can look up to here, thank you." It felt awkward at first, but Angela finally gave her smile at Lily. "Let's do our best here, alright? You, me, Io, Angel, everyone. We're here for the sake of Cherry Heart, after all.

 

So, let's do our best and show everyone what our guild has!"

 

She had no idea how would Lily take it. She might be annoyed that she suddenly talked like this to her. Maybe she wouldn't care. Angela really just wanted to say it. Leaving those weighs behind, Angela continued to smile earnestly. The fact that she managed to say those things was enough for her.

 

---

 

"Right, I think we should be fine here."

 

Angela and Angel ended up on a relatively secluded part of the beach, hiding themselves behind a rock. It's not really that far away from the photoshoot location, and she had mentioned to Io that she'd be there to help Angel do her thing. Io herself was getting the first chance to be in the photoshoot, and Angela had asked the crew to let Angel get the later schedule for it, which they agreed with. As asked, Angel had brought the necessary materials for the reconstruction, so, what's left was to finish it.

 

"Just ask me what can I do to help, and I'll try to do so.

 

Hopefully this plan of ours works."

 

---

[Wind Rider]

It seemed that everyone was ready for the photoshoot, Io was going first too, the frilly two piece swimsuit looked cute on her. The reporter tried to assure everyone that there was no reason to worry and to just fun, easier said than done when Angel doesn't even have a body to show off.

 

Angela came back from talking with Lily, she seemed to be less nervous than before now. Angela led Angel away to a secluded spot so they could work on the body reconstruction. "Uhhh... Good luck Io we'll see you in a bit." The spot Angela found was close by but it was hidden enough to where no one would see them.

 

"Right, I think we should be fine here. Just ask me what can I do to help, and I'll try to do so. Hopefully this plan of ours works." OK it seems Angela was ready to help, time to give it a try. "Alright I got materials here, not enough for a full body just the torso, but it should be enough for the photoshoot, let me take my plating off first..." Angel began to detach her armor plates off, luckily she could easily contract and detach her armor at will... Nothing but a wire frame and a blue glowing core in the chest area, no one would see this as a swimsuit body. "This feels embarrassing to not have anything covering my frame, anyways here's a blueprint I sketched out," Angel handed Angela a piece of paper with a roughly sketch but elaborate blueprint, " The design is not as... Attractive as lily but it's enough to get attention from the magazine, just uh... Need to put the parts together and this should only take a minute... Or two."

 

Hopefully Angela understood the blueprint, it seemed simple enough, but then again no one has even seen a robot again, so no one would even know how to fix one up.

[Cherz]

---

 

"I...it's really nice to have you here. For being...ah...for being someone that I can look up to here, thank you.Let's do our best here, alright? You, me, Io, Angel, everyone. We're here for the sake of Cherry Heart, after all."

 

At first, she was rather surprised Angela had approached her. The speaking was really awkward at first, and it made her internally cringe. However, the girl seemed geniune, so Lily smiled to her and gave her a nod.

 

"Thank you. And yes, ladies, lets represent!~" She said, getting up and heading towards the crowd.

 

 Io was first for the photoshoot, so in the meantime Lily was just providing fan service for the fans. She was blowing kisses, signing autographs, speaking and doing other miscellaneous activities. However, when Io was to move Lily would cease her actions and attempt not to draw attention away. All of the girls looked decent in their swimwear...except the awkward Robot, but indeed they were quite stunning. She would be cheering for Io when it was her turn to walk down the runway. She was willing to overlook the blatant disdain Io had shown her for the sake of this photoshoot.

 

"Doesn't everyone just love a good show?"

[Kyng]

While the photoshoot went underway, everything seemed to be going swimmingly for the girls. The sun was shining, the sky was a mid of beautiful blue and picturesque clouds, and the sand was just delightfully warm. There was that soft breeze that carried the warm air throughout the beach. That, mixed with the sounds of delighted people enjoying the sand and the likes, just said good things for the day. Nothing could possibly go wrong on a day like this, eh?

Kelly delighted to see the way Lily was working the crowd. She was definitely the crowd pleaser, the female face of the Cherry Heart guild. But she was honestly thoroughly intrigued in her abilities combatively - she had stated her intent to take part in such after all. With that she decided to call Kelly over, but the crowd simply would give her up. She’d have to try and practically drag her away from them!

If she managed such a feat she’d begin to chat with her, sitting her down and handing her a bottle of water as she began to talk. She figured that Lily might also be able to melt Tyson’s cold shoulder with the press.

“Say, now, I don’t suppose you could do Wilbert and me a favour, could ya?” She asked rather sincerely with a gentle smile that quite frankly could hold no malice. “Ever since I was a little girl, its been my dream to be a mage in one of the magic guilds - they’re so cool, I’ve always admired them.” Scratching her cheek with a finger she chuckled nervously. “Though, since I have no magic ability, I guess that fell flat on its face.”

Kelly perked up after with a bright smile. “But, I still want to help you guys however I can. I want to give you guys good press and help bring you so many quests Cherry Heart’s treasury’ll be overflowing! Hehe - ahem, but, your guildmaster seems to be unsure of my intentions.” With that she gently went to take Lily’s hands, the contact to make it much more personal. “You don’t have to do this, but if you could try and open him up a little to Wilbert and I, I reckon we could have an amazing mutual relationship, don’t you think?” It was clear Kelly didn’t see this as a monetary exploit at all - she wanted to live her dream.

Wilbert, meanwhile, was handling Io during her photoshoot. Wilbert began to take shots and give her directions on poses she could take, props she could use, whatever to get her sexy charm across - well, as much as you could when your model had the body of a boy. There was no beating around the bush, Io had no curves, frail limbs, and no meat on her at all. He was half concerned about her physical well being for that matter. But, one thing he could definitely focus on and work with was her face. Needless to say, Wilbert would make use of the cute expressions she might be able to make. She’d be able to use the cute appeal at least, so Wilbert didn’t have Io model herself in erotic poses to convey her form’s shape or figure. She would be far better suited to expressing her appeal through playfulness and sweetness. He’d even recommend Io take a shot of her with her camera - after all, it was her passion.

After Io’s shoot Wilbert wiped his brow as he glanced over to Kelly letting her know Io was good to go. Giving Io a thumb’s up, he happily showed her the photos he had taken - and well, Wilbert was a professional. No photoshoot was perfect, and there were some duds, but he had an ensemble of wonderful photos that just worked swimmingly with Io. However with that, he felt it was time to call up another girl.

Needless to say, Kelly smiled and called out for Angel. Time for her to shine!

 

[Wind Rider]

With Angela's help, Angel's new body was complete and just at the right time too. Angel could here the reporter calling her up for the photoshoot. Angel wore a nice blue and white striped top that she picked out earlier and her upper body actually looked more attractive than it would've with her metallic plates. "Right, I guess this it, wish me luck Angela and thank you so much..." Angel gave Angela a quick hug before proceeding to where the photoshoot was taking place. Io was done and was looking over the pictures that were taken and Lily was wooing a crowd of people that had gathered to watch the photoshoot.

 

Angel walked over to the reporter to confirm she was ready, she couldn't help but feel nervous, but with Angela and Io backing her up she felt she could do this. "I'm ready for the photoshoot... Uhhh... How do I look?" Angel posed a bit to the reporter, hopefully she could get by with just half a body.

[Astolfo]

---

At Angela’s compliments, Io smiled. ”Thanks Angela!" As Wilbert called for the start of the photoshoot, Io skipped over upon hearing her name. I guess I’m first! Taking various poses of both Wilbert’s requests and her own fun ideas, Io flashed a wide, genuine grin at the camera. She was having fun with this, and any earlier annoyances with the Lily woman were long since dispelled. Wilbert obviously had experience in this sort of thing, and it showed with how calmly and smoothly he handled the photoshoots. Not to mention, he was good at keeping the mood positive. That little remark about not to worry about Lily as compared to themselves was a small one, but it went a long way.

Io already knew that she wasn’t anywhere near as charming as the other girls, with her more boyish frame and looks, but she didn’t mind as much anymore. With her mind no longer caught on that, Io was able to relax and simply enjoy the situation. Getting a shot of herself with her camera was a nice bonus too, as she flicked through a few of the shots the man showed her after her photoshoot ended. Io glanced towards the others.

The robot girl had… gotten a new top in the most literal sense. Io walked around Angel, looking at her new body from various angles, snapping a few choice shots here and there. She was slightly puzzled. How did this even happen? She shuffled through the photos that were taken. Angel’s new upper body was apparently constructed out of rubber, plastic, and other materials. Where did those come from? It looked surprisingly alright though. The difference between Angel’s upper body and the rest was somewhat jarring, but for the sake of a photoshoot, it would be more than fine - outside of full-body shots. Io gave an approving thumbs-up to the robo-girl’s new look.

Wandering back over to Angela, who was still waiting for her turn, Io waved. ”Well, that was that, ahaha. Wilb kept tellin’ me I looked fine, but he was probably just tryna’ be nice ‘n all. Fer’ crap’s sakes, I look more like a guy. At least ya’ look sorta girly. Did you do that to the robo-girl by the way? That was a pretty good job, if I do so say myself!"

---

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"Yep, looks pretty good! Good luck, Angel! You definitely look pretty, so go there and wow everyone!

 

Oh, and maybe consider asking for waist-up photos only if you're still feeling pretty awkward."

 

Waving her hands, Angela sent Angel off as she was called as the next one for the photoshoot. Reconstructing her was...really freaking hard to tell the truth. Angela was barely able to follow the blueprints, and at times even Angel had to dictate her on what to do. The actual physical tinkering wasn't that bad at least. They didn't get enough time or material to reconstruct everything for Angel, but at the very least, the two of them managed to finish her upper body in time. Looking at her as she went towards the photographer, Angela admitted that the robot was quite pretty, outside of her robot-like features. There was a sense of pride and accomplishment inside her when she watched her friend go there with what looked like a renewed confidence.

 

"...I'm feeling pretty dirty...maybe I should take a dip for a bit before my turn."

 

Though, before she went towards the ocean and play in the water to wipe off some of the stains from working on Angel, a familiar voice called out towards her.

 

”Well, that was that, ahaha. Wilb kept tellin’ me I looked fine, but he was probably just tryna’ be nice ‘n all. Fer’ crap’s sakes, I look more like a guy. At least ya’ look sorta girly. Did you do that to the robo-girl by the way? That was a pretty good job, if I do so say myself!"

 

"It's going pretty nicely, eh? Sadly I can't really watch your session earlier due to being pretty busy, but I guess I can wait for the photos to be showcased.

 

And shush, I definitely looked a lot more like a boy than you. Hell, even my daily outfit looks more like a boy's than what a girl would wear. Though...I guess you can say that puberty has hit me for a bit. Guess my hips' slightly shapelier than you or something.

Ah, and yeah. Well, kind of. She provided me with the necessary blueprint, and I was just following her instruction. But it's looking pretty nice, if I must say so.

 

Hey, you want to play on the water for a bit while we wait for my turn? I'll need to wash out some of these stains but a bit too lazy to go to a shower right now. Sounds good, right?"

 

---

[Cherz]

---

 

 

Lily noticed Kelly seemed to want her attention, so she broke from the crowd after a moment, following the reporter to a spot slightly out of sight. She would have made a serial killer joke if the mood was different. But, she was a bit too happy and giddy to make a witty remark. Instead, she listened.

 

“Say, now, I don’t suppose you could do Wilbert and me a favour, could ya? Ever since I was a little girl, its been my dream to be a mage in one of the magic guilds - they’re so cool, I’ve always admired them. Though, since I have no magic ability, I guess that fell flat on its face. But, I still want to help you guys however I can. I want to give you guys good press and help bring you so many quests Cherry Heart’s treasury’ll be overflowing! Hehe - ahem, but, your guildmaster seems to be unsure of my intentions. You don’t have to do this, but if you could try and open him up a little to Wilbert and I, I reckon we could have an amazing mutual relationship, don’t you think?”

 

Lily was quite shocked to say the least. She didn't expect a request of this. After Kelly retracted her hands, Lily brought a finger to her chin as if thinking it over. From what she gathered it seemed as if Kelly was being genuine. Lily knew for a fact good PR is key. She also felt bad for the reporter. After thinking it over for a moment, she flashed a charming smile.

 

"I would love to help. I'll do my best to convince him." She said, flashing a wink at the end of it. She glanced over for a moment, seeing Io model. While she was no Aphrodite, she did have a certain facial charm. 

 

"Rock it girl!~" She shouted encouragingly over the distance, hoping to catch Io's ears. Once she was done, Willbert notified Kelly and the next girl was up. Angel. Angel had changed within the last few minutes, that was for sure.

 

"Show 'em your stuff~" She said, giving a smile. This would be interesting to watch to say the least.

[Kyng]

Kelly was, naturally, delighted to hear the news that Lily would try and help her out. She clearly wore her heart on her sleeves as her eyes practically sparkled with happiness. However, Lily’s attention was soon, once again, demanded by the horde of fans who simply wanted to gobble her up. More autographs, some cheeky buggers even bringing their casts for signatures and the like! Lily’s reputation was somewhat known as a nurse but this publicity stunt was having almost immediate effects.

 

Though to no discredit of her own, Io too had her own partition of the crowd asking for her. Mind you, it was notably smaller than Lily’s and was mostly cameraphiles but, hey, it gave her a nice chance to geek out for a bit, eh? Of course, when the cameraphiles and Lily’s crowd teamed up it was inevitable that photos of the two were practically demanded in uproar!

 

Wilbert handled the unorthodox model. Evidently it seemed Angel had reconstructed herself - which in itself was an amazing feat - to appear more...aesthetically appealing to the particular target audience? Needless to say he avoided having Angel involve herself with the ocean or any sort of moisture, not certain how well she would possibly work with it but in that vain tried to get creative with some props like beach balls and the likes to try and get Angel into it.

 

Another thumbs up to Kelly, who in turn gave him a subtle nod and, getting up, called for Angela - it was the Heaven’s Hole to get ready and see how she coped under the lens. She’d have to wait for her dip in the water sadly, but then again who knew? Wilbert might even shoot her in the water.

 

In the distance, the sea’s surface began to bubble. Only a sharp eye would notice it.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"It's my turn already...?"

Angela heard a faint voice calling her as she was playing on the waters, and noticed that it was her turn now. Something felt slightly amiss, but she chalked it just as what's left of her anxiety. Without anything else weighing her down now, Angela rushed towards the photoshoot site. She greeted Angel once she noticed her there, and said some words of encouragements and such to her, then asking her to watch her session if she could, but perhaps it's better if Angel use this time to remodel the rest of her body. Nevertheless, Angela gave her a smile, before turning around to look at the cameraman and the reporter.

 

"Uh...it is fine if we're doing it here, right? I'm already this wet....and well, getting covered by sand would feel pretty uncomfortable.

 

Though, I'll go continue dipping for a bit if it's fine. I'm still feeling a bit sticky."

 

Giggling to herself at the accidental innuendo, Angela then waved her hand at the two before she continued playing in the water again, waiting for her proper sesesion. Aside from playing and washing herself from the earlier stains and grease though, she also used the time before the photoshoot to stretch her muscles by a bit. It would be pretty bad if she looked stiff during the session. The day would definitely have more activities after this photoshoot anyway, and she need to make sure that she wouldn't get cramps with that much strain she put on her body. Minor exercises, and some light swim around the shore was enough, and around five or so minutes later, Angela returned to the two reporters after she picked her beloved hat and wore it on her head.

 

"I'm ready now. Let's start this up!" She said cheerfully. The sun served as her backdrop, its soft rays went through her translucent wet shirt while it was blown by a gentle breeze. It was time. Not by voluptuousness, and not by forced cuteness and "innocence". While winning or losing mattered little for her personally, if she would win this, then...well, she should just show herself as she truly was here. Showing these people the actual person bearing the Heaven's Hole title.

 

---

[Kyng]

Angela's playful appeal was nothing short of gold for Wilbert. The shoot went effortlessly. She certainly wasn’t what most might consider the ideal model body type but she had some more than Io, which was always plus. That, and her overwhelming enthusiasm was just giving him a scrumptious cake to slice from. With that much Wilbert couldn’t fail - and he didn’t. In fact, looking over the photos in the magazine but for the glamour that only Lily could provide, Angela’s pure facial expressions guided with the photographer poured a sense of fun and that’s just what you need in a beach edition of a magazine. The beach was many things, and fun was perhaps one of the most important factors there!

In that regard, Wilbert had Angela in a variety of poses in the sea and with some props to convey, and reap the plentiful playful vibes she was throwing at him this way. Especially with the beach ball, she seemed to work incredibly well with it in truth, even throwing some more sensual appeal to her shoots - which didn’t work against her, to her credit. Yes, Lily had the body of a goddess, but Angela certainly catered to her own audience in that regard and it was evident from the crowd whistling and cheering her on in her shoot.

After her shoot Angela was handed a towel by Wilbert who gave her a thumbs up. The silent, big goof’s thumb of approval had the awe of a thousand generalissimos riling their civilians into action, which was weird considering how subtle and demure he was in his nature. Though it was warranted, as modelling wasn’t as easy as people made it out to be. It was quite a tiring process, maintaining stances and poses, and going throw a large ensemble of them to get just the right shots. Only a few could be used of course, as the world wide web wasn’t a thing in the world of Arbolia.

Though, of course, it was time for the main event. It was to no surprise that saving the best for last was ideal, as the crowd practically exploded once Wilbert called up Lily for her shoot. It was almost timed perfectly, the sun was setting filling the sky with a beautiful array of orange that contrasted with Lily’s skin swimmingly. The tide was low and the sea was calm and warm, the sand was cozy. In essence, the shoot should go perfectly.

It did.

Wilbert had worked with models of Lily’s figure many times, and her personality too. Her flirty and playful demeanour, poses framing her shapely hips and glamourous form, every movement having her buxom jiggle just right to entice and enthrall. Her maillot was just scrumptious and complimented her aesthetic exceedingly well. It would be no surprise that she’d be the front page model at this rate, and it was completely justified. Every single shot of Lily’s seemed to be perfect, it would definitely be an exceptionally hard time choosing between them.

As the sun set, Kelly called the girls into the wagon as the warmth would soon turn to subtle chill of night, handing them their clothes as she giggled in delight. Wilbert, of course, was at the front of the wagon driving the thing as Kelly debriefed the girls.

“You guys did wonderful!” Kelly cheered in delight, sitting in the back with the girls. “I can’t wait to get these things looked over. I can’t thank you guys enough for this!” They could tell how delighted Kelly was from the exclusive interview and shoot with the girls. Bowing herself to the floor of the wagon - which given how she was kneeling made sense - she expressed her gratitude with a smile as she adjusted back, hands together in a prayer like demeanour as she smiled to the four. “I’ll be sure to let your guildmaster know your quest has been completed with flying colours!”

With that she smiled and took out a form - a familiar form. The four might recognize it from the bulletin board, but this was evidently the client’s version. Kelly hummed delightfully as she began to write up her summary of the four and their work today. It was a nice insight on how the bureaucracy of the system worked. Though arguably Kelly should’ve handled it in her own privacy she was simply too delighted to worry about that and too grateful to not portray the four in a light.

With this, Kelly began to write her comments aloud to hopefully appease the four.

“Io was a sweetheart! She really knew how to make Wilbert smile. The two were cameraphiles so you can tell they hit it off. She handled herself well and I can happily recommend her services to others in tasks of this nature.” Kelly smiled to Io, giving her a happy giggle hoping she did her justice.

“Angel was quite fun to work with too. A little bit reserved but she could clearly handle something out of her comfort zone with some…” Kelly giggled to herself when writing this next bit. “...transformative effect! I would happily recommend her again to others for similar quests.”

“It should come to no surprise Lily excelled here.” Kelly smiled as she wrote away. “While only a little bit late, she more than made up for it with how she carried herself in the interviews and in the photoshoot. I could not recommend anyone else more than her for a task like this, she fits for it perfectly!”

“However I feel Angela deserves the most commendation here.” Kelly chuckled softly. “She managed to not only perform well, but help bring the four together and build a strong sense of team camaraderie between the mages! I would not only hope to see her in this sort of quest again, but I would also like to strongly place emphasis on her promising ability as a leader!”

With that, she heard Wilbert clear his throat and, glancing to him listening to his whispers, she giggled softly. “Oh right, your wages.” With that she went to a small little strongbox in the back of the wagon and, keying it open, reached into a purse and handed the 4 girls a golden doubloon each - needless to say the weight behind such an amount was quite considerable. “I hope that should cover you. We’ll drop you guys off - do you guys live at the guild or your own personal lodgings?”

With that, the quest had came to a close. After dropping off the girls where they needed to be, the two would go their own way back to print the presses. By the morning the magazines would stock shelves and throughout the entire kingdom it was quite loudly announced by Lily’s glamorous guise on the front cover that Cherry Heart were back in business!

[Wind Rider]

"Well, that was surprisingly fun." Angel and the other girls, having gotten done with the photoshoot, were now on their way back to the guild with the reporters. The beautiful sunset drifting on the horizon saw them off as they left the beach. On the way to the guild, the reporter was praising the girls for the good job they did in the photoshoot, Angel felt a feeling of accomplishment as she actually had completed her first quest for the guild. She had fixed her body back to the way it was, but she couldn't stop thinking about having an actual body.

 

The reporter had gotten a piece of paper out and was reading off the results of everyone. “Angel was quite fun to work with too. A little bit reserved but she could clearly handle something out of her comfort zone with some… transformative effect! I would happily recommend her again to others for similar quests.” The sound of this brought a smile to Angel's face and it looked like everyone else got good report too. Of course, Angel couldn't of gotten through this without everyone's encouragement, especially Angela's.

 

"This was probably the best time I've ever had, I've made some new friends, helped out Cherry Heart, and my confidence has never felt this high! Angela, Io, Lily, thanks for all of your encouragement, especially you Angela, I hope that when we get back to the guild, we can go on other quests together." Angel was beaming, she has never felt this happy before, it felt... Great, to actually give it her best, hopefully she'll have an better time as she continued to help the guild.