A photoshoot for Ibuki and Peko.

For the next shoot, Mahiru relocated to the doorway set they’d built: it was essentially part of a single wall of a building, designed to mimic a front door that would open to reveal carolers standing in the snow. Everyone was putting their bodies on the line for this, and Mahiru wouldn’t allow it to fall apart because of some error in the props. She spent some time checking that everything was set up as she’d envisioned it.

Behind her, Sonia, who had quickly dressed back into her clothing at the finish of the sleigh-setting shoot, and Mikan, who’d recently been rescued from a chimney and was still wearing her breezy dress, stood next to Yasuhiro, watching Mahiru work. Feeling an icebreaker was needed, the fortune teller tried to make conversation. “Y’know, Sonny, you’ve got a lotta guts for appearin’ in a photo shoot like that.”

“Yes, well, it would be my pleasure not to be reminded of it again,” Sonia remarked with a frown and a red face. “I’m sure Mikan feels the same way.”

The nurse wrung her hands in front of her, wearing an awkward smile. “Um… F-for me, it isn’t that much different from my day-to-day… I’m in these kinds of situations a lot. I'm just happy I could help for once!”

Yasuhiro placed a hand on his chin stubble contemplatively. “That’s all well and good, but I was expectin’ you girls to be a little more bashful about it. Y’know, sure, it’s cause’a the contract, but I’m required to stand here as a guy and watch while ya bare it all! Was kinda expectin’ ya’ll to be all ‘Kyaaa! Yasuhiro!’ or somethin’. Did I find an invisibility cloak?!”

Sonia gave him a polite smile. “I imagine that is because each of us sees you more as an animal than a person, like a dog.”

“My intuition is tellin’ me you’re not talkin’ about a beloved household pet…” the fortune teller responded, rubbing the back of his heavy-dreaded hair. “Guess I can’t complain about my front row seats, anyhow.”

Without turning around, still adjusting her camera, Mahiru addressed her upperclassman. “Yep, it’s fine if you stay completely quiet. Peko, Ibuki, are you ready?”

There wasn't an immediate answer. Just as Mahiru was thinking she'd have to start tracking people down, the horns of Ibuki's hairdo peeked from behind the edge of the doorframe. "Mahiru..." Slowly after, the rest of Ibuki's face appeared, although it was red in a way the hot-blooded performance artist almost never appeared. "So! I was ready to knock socks off before, but uh, would ya believe that now that the gloves are off, I'm gettin' cold feet? Because the socks are off, too! I'm used to barin' my soul on stage, but barin' my body's kinda another thing..."

The redhead sighed. She'd gotten caught up in it when Sonia had surprisingly taken part before, but, of course, this was the normal thing. "I get it... Ibuki, you're planning your solo tour soon, right? There's no way I can ask a soon-to-be famous star like you to take part in a humiliating nude photo shoot. Don't even worry about it! I get that a hit like that to your reputation-"

"No no no," Ibuki interrupted, waving a hand in the air energetically. "That's wrong! Appearin' naked in charity photos as an up-and-coming artist would kickstart my charts for sure. Well, now that you say it like that, I'm like 'Oh yeah! Maaybe~!'"

"Really? Well, thanks..." Mahiru told her friend with a smile. "Although I don't know if I said anything like that..."

Peko's muffled voice joined her, speaking in a dramatic tone the two of them had never heard. "And I've prepared to do what I must... for justice! (｀∀´)" The swordswoman stepped from behind Ibuki, who was, herself, still hidden. For who knows why and from who knows where, she had produced a plastic mask depicting the cartoon face of a blonde girl in a tiara, the tongue stuck to the upper lip in a juvenile gesture. That was the only article clothing on Peko's body besides the ribbons that gave her braids shape. Otherwise, the entirety of her pale, fit and shapely body was bare to the room (mostly to Mahiru and Ibuki based on the framing of the doorway set).

The two stared at her for a moment before Ibuki raised her hand, like a student addressing a teacher. "Photographer-sensei! Is this okay?"

Mahiru frowned. "Uh... I think a shot like this would be more compelling if we could see the face, but-"

Without waiting for the finish, Ibuki reached over from where she hid and yanked off the mask. "Ya gotta bare it all, Peko! Show us some of that swordswoman spirit!!"

As soon as the mask was off, Peko's arms flew in a flash to cover her naked breasts and pussy. Despite how confident she'd looked a moment ago, her face was as red as her eyes, which shot over to Ibuki accusingly. "What is the meaning of this? Sonia was allowed to hide her identity!"

As Peko seemed to be trying to find a way to intimidate Ibuki into giving it back without removing her arms from their places protecting her, Mahiru gave it some thought. "Well, she was, but that was with her own panties. You could still see her eyes, and it has an erotic element that fits. The mask... would look out of place in the scene. If you want to wear your panties over your head... that could work."

Peko bit her lip, then glanced away from them both. "That's... unreasonable. I am uncertain how Sonia managed it, but, ignoring that..." she trailed off, blushing silently and pensively.

Ibuki pointed both fingers at her from behind the doorframe and smiled. "Say no more! Read ya loud and clear. None of us have ever seen em, but Peko, I'm guessin' you've got a frilly princess pair matchin' that mask that you don't want to show anyone?"

"Certainly not," Peko dismissed the accusation with a straight face. "They simply... they will not work as a mask."

Mahiru gulped. She understood what that probably meant: it wasn't that the panties were embarrassing, it must be that they were too low coverage for the purpose of serving as a mask. There was no point in humiliating Peko by pursuing that any further. "To be honest, it isn't a great idea. Sonia came up with it herself, so I didn't say, but... surely, if anyone vaguely knew you or Sonia, a mask wouldn't help disguise you with your hair still showing? Actually, there's an idea: if you style your hair differently and take off your glasses, I bet most people won't recognize you."

"Hmm..." Peko considered it, trying to stand tall in spite of wanting to retreat. "... All right. Very well." With the speed of an expert sheathing technique, Peko whipped her arms across her braids and collected her ribbons, allowing her hair to first fly from the momentum, then settle in a long, wild curtain behind her. To complete the image change, she ran her hands back through her hair from her forehead, mussing the neat bangs she ordinarily kept. "... The glasses are already off. Shall we get on with it?"

Mahiru nodded. Peko had shown her resolve, and she owed it to her two friends to get it over with as quickly as possible. "So... The idea here is a door is opened to reveal two, uh, exhibitionist carolers, performing naked."

"Ho ho ho!" Ibuki chuckled, throwing her arm around Peko's shoulders. "Say, if two saucy pale bodies like this show up at your door, kinda gives a new meaning to the words 'White Christmas,' don'tcha think?"

Peko obviously didn't return any joke of her own, so Mahiru continued. "The first shot is simple, then. You two just act like you're singing Jingle Bells, and-"

"Stop stop stooop right there!" Ibuki demanded, throwing her hand up in front of her. "Ibuki Mioda doesn't pretend to sing anything. Even if I'm singin' in front of a sold-out sports stadium, I'm gonna crank up the volume and sing it live!"

"Sure, that's fine. Sing your heart out. Just put off some cheery holiday image and keep your eyes forward like you're supposed to be there."

"All right! I'll show you why everyone who's ever heard me play with broken equipment calls me 'the Alchemist of Acapella!' A one and a two and a- Dashing through the snow!! In a one horse open sleeeigh!!!"

Immediately, almost all of the women gathered were covering their ears as Ibuki's ear-splitting acapella carol rang through the auditorium. The exceptions were Hiyoko, the one person in the group who seemed to enjoy the musician's unique vocals; Mahiru, who had a camera to hold and a photo to take; and Peko, whose hands were tightly gripping a prop hymn book in front of her, incidentally hiding her bare chest from view. It was a lively photo, and Mahiru took a shot as she intended, but the quality wasn't quite what she'd pictured. When she took the quick-developing film from the camera and shook it, the picture revealed one enthusiastic, belting caroler and one stone-faced, sheet-white statue.

As the one caroler continued singing, Mahiru tried to instruct the other, pantomiming as though she were lip-syncing a song. Peko remained completely silent: she would occasionally start to part her lips and then shut them firmly again.

Finally, Ibuki seemed to realize what was happening, as well. She glanced at Peko for just a moment, then winked at Mahiru cheekily. She turned her head, tilting it to a funny angle and holding her hymnbook one-handed in the same slightly diagonal way. Meanwhile, she began to count down, holding up three fingers behind Peko's head like she was giving her a mutant form of bunny ears. As Mahiru watched, the fingers folded, first to two, then to one. The photographer realized she was being given a cue, and hastily readied her camera for a shot.

When Ibuki's count reached zero, it reset to five- that is, she unfolded all of her fingers in an open palm. Peko was still staring awkwardly forward, trying and failing to produce any song. She was clearly trying to overcome her stage fright in order to do so, though, leaving her completely unprotected from an incoming surprise strike.

There was a loud smack, then a shrill cry accompanied by a bright flash. Ibuki had come through, and the proof could be found both in the reddened handprint she'd left on her co-caroler's round bottom and the film now developing from Mahiru's camera. When the redhead shook it to develop it, it showed the ordinarily stoic swordswoman with her jaw wide open from an indignant holler, her book fumbled in the air. At this point, the singing had naturally stopped, so Mahiru spoke aloud. "Oookaaay... Well, though the methods were a little rude, I've got two good shots now. What to do for the third."

Before Ibuki could offer an idea or crack a joke, Peko's threatening voice cut through the air like a sword. "I have an idea." Peko wore an awkward smile: Mahiru had seen it before when she'd asked Peko to smile for photos, and while she'd always thought it looked frightening, she knew it was just the trouble the swordswoman had communicating. Now, however, she thought it fit, as Peko wrapped her assailant in the crook of one arm. "This makes for an interesting photo, does it? And interesting sounds, too... Is that right, my friend?"

For a moment, Ibuki was uncharacteristically quiet, trying to find her words. "... U-Uh, Mahiru, this ought to do for the third photo, right? Go ahead and- kyaaaaaaagh!!"

Her plea turned into a scream as Peko began raining open-palmed strikes on Ibuki, each with twice the ****, twice the volume, and twice the reaction as the single one being avenged. The songstress became a percussion instrument to her own tortured vocals as she begged for Peko to stop. Realizing that the punishment wasn't stopping, Ibuki begged with Mahiru instead. "Fuuuuck!! J-just take the photo before ugaaah! I start cryin'! I c-cageeeeh!! Can't appear cryin' on camera... That wouldn't be 'rock' at aaaaahh!! Oh shiiiiiit!! A-ah take it quick take it quick! O-oh-oh I'm feeling a kyeeeeh!! New inspiration comin' from this...! Yahooo-o-oh~!!"

Again, Mahiru couldn't believe the kind of situation she was capturing on camera, featuring the kinds of people who seemed on track to become some of the biggest names in the country, if not the world. She waited for a moment where Peko's hand was raised and Ibuki's poor, sore bottom had come to a rest from both momentum and struggling, then took the final shot of her set. "P-Peko, we're all done!" she shouted. "You can give it a rest now...!"

"Nonsense," Peko declared, continuing her punishment feverishly and mercilessly. "Our friend is on the verge of inspiration, and I vowed to do what I must... for justice!"

"... Oookaay." Mahiru backed away from the menacing aura Peko was putting off. "Don't go too far... As if I have any right to say that, right now. Lemme see... Who was up next?"