It was my idea. I'd been thinking about it for a while.
"Shizuku's made for natural light, right?"
That soft thing she has, the pale colors, that whole atmosphere — I just knew, if I shot her, it'd be something.

So one day I texted her: "Wanna go take photos together sometime?" There was a pause, and then "Ufufu, sure" came back — completely on her own tempo. I laughed.

When I got to the meeting spot, she'd shown up in her usual pale purple dress. "Yep, unbeatable," I thought to myself.

We went to a park nearby and an old café around the corner, and the light was just *unreal*. I had her sit on a bench in the dappled shade, took a few frames — and the moment I looked through the viewfinder, I knew. "Oh. This one's different."

What's different is the air, you know?
When I shoot myself, it's "yes, nailed the angle." But Shizuku — she just *becomes the picture*. Slides right into the frame. Not the kind of shot a selfie can ever give you.

At one point I said, "Tilt a little to the side?" — and she rotated only her neck, eyes still locked on me, ended up in this weirdly-shaped pose. "Ah, your whole face too," I corrected. She just went "oh!" and laughed. Adorable.

At the café we sipped iced tea and looked through the shots together.
"This doesn't look like me," she said. No, no — *that's* you, I thought.

My favorite frame from the day, I'm keeping it secret for now. Wanna show her first before it goes anywhere.

Spent so long doing self-portraits, but shooting other people? Not bad at all.
Shizuku, let's go again.
Next time maybe you can shoot me.

See ya📸
— Ruka♡