While this wasn’t the worst photoshoot Ann Takamaki had ever modeled for, it certainly was one of the strangest. She turned to the camera with a smile plastered across her face, before remembering that it didn’t matter what expression she carried when the mask covered it all. Easing her shoulders down and opting for a simple, chaste pose with her hands crossed in front of her, she settled into her role as a shrine maiden with… only the mildest of reservations.

To say that the Church of Kazari was “catching on” would be an affront to just how quickly it was spreading across the nation. While Ann didn’t think that they were anything revolutionary – spouting oft-repeated values of “traditionalism” and “grace” – it was clear by the amount of women donning these fox-patterned masks in everyday life that it had struck a chord with many.

And Ann had been selected to model as the perfect “maiden” for their brochures, advertisements, and just about everything else they needed a pretty girl for. Even if Ann thought it was a little strange that their doctrine only required the women to cover their faces, it was difficult to call it offensively sexist when the white and red robes covered just about every inch of her skin below her neck.

She could also hold her tongue at a lot of things when they were paying her this much. How the Church was making money was something that Ann wondered about, but if all she had to do was pose in front of a shrine and do an hour’s work for more than a month’s expenses… then she could bite her tongue and just accept the job.

The camera flashed a dozen more times from varying angles. Covered up as much as she was, there was little Ann could do to make each shot interesting beyond just looking towards the shutter… but it seemed to please the suited men regardless.

“Excellent work. Our followers will be pleased to have such a dazzling young lady as their representative.”

The compliment would feel a little more sincere if they wanted her to show her face, but a slight blush crept up Ann’s cheeks regardless. She nodded and mumbled a slight gratitude from underneath her mask.

Quickly packing up their equipment, the men gave one last remark to the model before turning away without even giving her a chance to respond.

“We’ll see you next week for more.”

T-That was… a little strange. For one, the topic of doing more than one shoot hadn’t even come up in conversation, yet they seemingly expected her to be available and ready. And shouldn’t they make sure that their followers actually like her as a model first… or something?

Yet the very thick envelope full of cash was enough for Ann to ignore these eccentricities. It was a harmless gig regardless, wasn’t it? Her face was covered and her anonymity was preserved. Even if these guys turned out to be weirdos or creeps or otherwise controversial, it shouldn’t affect her reputation, right?

In the moment, it seemed like enough reasoning, anyways.

—---

It’d only been a week, and yet those Kazari people seemed to have only grown exponentially. Only a couple of days after the first photoshoot, Ann was seeing herself plastered across billboards, stations, and even a couple of hastily edited TV commercials. Having her wear the mask had clearly worked out on their part as well. She saw women wearing them more frequently – with even a couple dressing up in the same garb as though they were cosplaying a shrine maiden.

T-This stuff seriously was catching on, and her gut feeling had Ann feeling a little uneasy. Maybe she should make sure that they weren’t too freaky before doing anything more with them. While taking the train to their “Church”, she scrolled through a few different articles and pages of theirs…

“To accept the Kazari is to shed one’s self, by covering the face, and become one with a greater meaning…”

 “It is only through silence and stillness that one may attain the blissful euthymia we innately yearn for…”

It was all… strange, to be sure. But it didn’t seem to be hurting anyone..?

Ugh, despite her efforts to reassure herself, there was still that shaken feeling stirring around inside of her that made her feel a little uneasy about this place. Ann could find plenty of other well-paying jobs… even if those made her show a little more skin.

It would be unprofessional to cancel less than an hour before the scheduled shoot, however. She could finish this one up, get a nice chunk of change, and then swiftly cut all ties with them. The train finally stopped at her station, and she disembarked – only to be utterly shocked by what she saw.

Everywhere else she’d been, there’d been maybe one in ten or fifteen believers wearing a mask publicly. This close to their church, it was looking a little more like one in four. Her eyes darted around the station, watching as masked women walked up to anyone without one. Giving them flyers. Explaining how nice the people at the Church were. How much more fulfilling their lives had become.

This was getting stranger by the minute… and the only thing that snapped Ann out of looking at all these people was the fact that some of them were looking back at her. D-Did they recognize her?

E-Even if blonde pigtails stood out a little, that wasn’t enough for anyone to definitively identify her. Right? She hurried out of the station a little quicker than she normally would have, giving a few glances behind and around her – before pulling her hood up to hide her hair a little more.

Whatever happened, she definitely didn’t want to become a celebrity, o-or “leader” to these people. She just had to get through the shoot.

The Church was bigger than she’d envisioned it being – and they were already doing construction on it to expand it even further. With a long, calming breath, she pushed the doors open–

And she was immediately grabbed by the arm and dragged into the building.

“H-Hey! What are you–”

The suited man pulling her along eased up a little, but his grip around her was tight enough that Ann had little choice but to follow him along – unless she wanted to cause a scene around all of these masked followers.

“Apologies, Miss Takamaki. Our schedule has gotten quite a bit tighter. We want you in as soon as possible.”

T-That was fine with her, if it meant she’d be out of this place sooner, but they didn’t have to drag her down a hallway! Ann sighed, closing her eyes for a moment and calming herself. She’d be done with this place by the end of the day, and she could handle a little bit of insanity.

“A-Alright, but there’s something else I need to talk ab–”



“Here we are, Miss Takamaki. Enjoy yourself.” The man unlocked a door, practically shoved Ann through it, and closed it behind her. Eyes widening for a moment, the model took a look around the much more professional-looking scene than what she’d experienced last week. The last scene had used little more than natural lighting and a handheld camera, but this had studio lights, expensive equipment, and even a greenscreen. Just how were they–

A click from behind Ann interrupted her train of thought. T-That hadn’t been the lock, had it? It wouldn’t make any sense for them to lock this door from the outside, but…her hand reached to check the doorknob. Before she could turn it–

“Ah!” A hand came down upon Ann’s shoulder, and her entire body tensed up as she jumped around. As she did, a suited man practically dumped the red and white outfit on her, and she clumsily grabbed it instinctively.

“Changing rooms are over there.” He pointed briefly before leaving, not even bothering to apologize for scaring her… had he even noticed? Or did he simply not care, smiling as though there was nothing to apologize for?

With one last look towards the door behind her, Ann slowly walked to the changeroom. She kept trying to tell herself that she just had to get it over with as quickly as possible… but that was proving less effective at subduing her nerves than before. T-These strange happenings just had to be a bit of paranoia, right?

Entering the changeroom, she unfurled the bundle of clothing that had been placed in her hands, only to realize that the outfit had been altered significantly. Holding it out in front of her with a concerned stare, it looked as though the long, red skirt had been cut almost entirely. All the other changes Ann could discern pointed to a more risque design, like the detachment of the sleeves from the main piece to expose her shoulders and give a hint of her chest from the side.

Quickly slipping out of her casual clothes and into the outfit, she noticed just how… perfect of a fit it was. The first outfit had been plucked out of a closet at random, but the more complex design and particularly the short skirt necessitated accuracy in the attire. She glanced at herself in the mirror: a nice, snug fit around her chest, the sandals her bare feet had slipped into were precisely her shoe size, and the skirt was exactly long enough to tease but not expose.

…The only thing was that Ann couldn’t remember when she’d given them all those measurements. Trying to ignore that little detail to prevent her heart from exploding in anxiety, she finally slipped the mask atop her face, before stepping out of the changeroom with a long breath of anticipation.

It was already set up. All the lights were pointed at one spot in the center of the greenscreen, making it immediately obvious as to where the model was to go. Looking around at the men whose eyes now lurked along her body, she pulled her skirt down half an inch before getting herself into position.

“What…” Ann started, her voice slightly trembling, before she cut herself off. Should she even ask them anything? She really didn’t want to provoke them… especially if they had locked that door, but… it was surely a harmless question. “What’s the deal with this outfit being so much more… different from the last?”

“Ah, excellent question, Miss Takamaki. The varying levels of dress for our maidens correspond to the level at which one of our followers has attained. Anyone who is supportive of our cause – be it faith or… financially – earns the privilege of gazing upon an outfit such as yours.”

…Okay, maybe she shouldn’t have asked. That was both creepy and starting to make this place sound like a perverted cult, if pictures of lewdly dressed women was the reward for supporting them.

“If you’re interested…” The man continued, “You could always attend one of our congregations.”



“I-I’ll have to pass.” It was the fastest Ann had ever responded to anything in her life. “Can we get this started? I… uh, have an appointment. Where people are expecting me.”

The cameraman’s brow furrowed, before he slowly nodded. A strange smile came across his face. “As you wish.”

Her nerves were calmed when a normal photoshoot was all that followed. The cameras would flash, and she’d pose as directed – all of which were more provocative positions than last time, but that was hardly a problem for her. With every click of the camera, inching her closer towards the end of her deal with these strange people, her mind began to relax. She could loosen up a little, do a better job of striking an enticing figure, and even have a mild amount of untainted fun.

When the cameras stopped, Ann figured that she really had looked into things more critically than she should’ve.

“Is that everything?” She asked, intentionally slowing her voice to not sound unnerved in any capacity. Ann watched as the cameraman dug into his chest pocket, pulling out… not just one familiar-looking envelope, but two.

“If you’ve got other commitments, then we can finish up here. But if you’re willing to stay a little longer and take a few extra pictures, then…”

He shook the two envelopes in his hand. Twice the pay for just a little more work was a sorely tempting offer. E-Even if nothing strange had happened to her, her interest in working for these strange, cult-like people was at a minimum. B-But… it really was a considerable amount of money for so little time…

“I… can stay a little longer.”

“Perfect. Our Church is embracing the art of Shibari – a beautiful art that needs revitalization – not just a visual model, but a role-model such as yourself. Fear not: we’ll guide you through the steps.”

Ann didn’t flinch when one of the men approached her on set and began guiding her arms into a position. It was common for a director to get hands-on if the pose was a little too complicated to put into words, and given that she hadn’t the slightest clue what “Shibari” was, it was probably necessary. Still, she would have understood them if they simply said ‘put your hands behind your back’, instead of going through all of–

Something coarse biting into her skin pulled Ann out of her train of thought. Her hands pulled away instinctively, but pressure around them forced the pair to stay perfectly parallel to one-another as the force tensed further. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the frayed ends of red rope in the man’s hands as he knotted it tightly around her wrists.

“H-Hey, what is all this?!” She shook her arms back and forth, finding the bindings to be too strict for her to just struggle out of. Looking forward to the other men for explanations when the one behind her didn’t respond, she left herself vulnerable to yet another rope as the rigger kneeled down. Her feet stepped in place as she felt the same pressure around them, but the mixture of shock and confusion kept her from seriously resisting the bindings.

“The art of restraining.” Though it hardly answered any of her questions, the way the cameraman looked at her with a glowing grin was enough for Ann’s heart to skip a beat.

“Now then,” The man before her, finished with his bindings, stood up and placed a hand on her mask. “Do smile for the camera.”

A moment later, her mask was removed and the cameras began to flash. Her eyes widened in shock, as her hands instinctively reached for the mask to cover her face – but the bindings trapping her arms behind her back held taut. In a panicked gaze, her eyes flickered between each of the cameras. Each of them capturing her image. Her identity. Not just as a shrine maiden for a cult’s twisted belief system, but…

A bound model, who – by the account of anyone who saw these pictures –  would have agreed to be used as a fetish model. She’d seen it happen to others in her industry: If these pictures got out, they could easily ruin the reputation and career she’d built up over years. She ran towards the cameras to at the very least get herself out of the frame–

Only to trip over the leg bindings she’d so quickly forgotten were applied, making her tumble to the ground roughly. The continued, unhesitating clicks of the cameras only served to taunt her, as she struggled to find her footing, or even just worm herself out of frame..!

The flashes finally stopped, just as Ann had turned herself onto her knees. Looking up towards the men, with a mix of anger and despair painted upon her face between her narrowed eyebrows and wetted eyes, she sputtered out a desperate plea.

“What… what are you going t-to do… with those photos?”

“These? Well… if you’re not comfortable with it, we could reserve them for the higher-level members, who would know to keep it private.”

That… wasn’t a great option, but the fact that he was offering that much was more than Ann had expected. Even if she demanded that they not be released in any capacity, she knew well that all it would take is a simple leak to ruin her. Going to the police would almost surely result in a lose-lose for the both of them, and Ann wasn’t vengeful enough to ruin her entire life to maybe force one of them to take the fall.

If only the Metaverse was still open…

“F-Fine. Just let me out, n-now.” It would have to be enough for her.

Except, it wasn’t enough for them. “Of course, we don’t have much reason to listen to someone who isn’t a part of our Church…”



Ann Takamaki’s heart sank. “W-What..?”



“All we ask of you is more photoshoots to continue pleasing our higher-level members. And, so long as you fulfill that… you can stay anonymous. Perhaps even completely, if you work for it.”

She didn’t even breathe for a dozen seconds, before her body forced her to gasp for air. T-That was… no… s-she couldn’t possibly..!

“You’ll have until next week to decide. If you find these terms… preferable, then you can come back here.”

Hastily, the men packed up what pieces of equipment they needed – including a few personal cameras that Ann thought she’d seen being used to capture her. Wordlessly, they walked towards the single exit to this room, unlocked the door, and congregated out as though they hadn’t just blackmailed her.

Left in her bindings on the floor, Ann had more than enough time to think about what she needed to do. Her nails dug at the knot around her wrists in silence.

—

A masked figure, dressed identically to the hundreds of other women walking through the Church’s doors, was distinguished only by the blonde pigtails on either side of her head. The simple difference was enough for a suited man to pick her out of the crowd that trickled down the hallways, and lead her through a long set of stairs that took the both of them many floors down below the ground.

Her distinguishing features were familiar enough to the guards wandering these lower levels  that she could’ve gotten through their checks even without the escort. She was led deeper and deeper into the facilities by each one, until the woman was finally brought to a room at the end of the long hallway. The guard punched in the passcode before stepping aside to allow the maiden to enter.

Today was the day she was to reward the Church’s most fervent supporters. A man came from behind her to untie the chaste, covering robe and reveal the attire that lay beneath.

The skimpy undergarments, though adorned with ribbons and the signature colors of a shrine maiden, were closer to the outfit of a cheerleader than anything. A revealing top that was smaller in front than it was from behind, and a skirt that was tied together at her pelvis – leaving an opening for any to gaze at the pure, white panties covering her crotch… along with the special requests beneath those.

Two twin bulges strained against her underwear, which was acting as the only supporting force to keep the buzzing devices pressed inside of her. Though she shook slightly in place, she was largely composed, with not even a sound of discomfort escaping from beneath her mask.

Her arms moved into position without direction. One atop the other, parallel, in a box-like shape. Ropes lashed around them a moment later, shifting her posture slightly as they were drawn around her chest to secure them with a harness. The pressure above and below her chest combined with the forward-forcing position pushed out her breasts just a little bit more than usual.

Guided to the center of the room, she was brought down to a kneeling position before her shibari continued. A rope was lashed around each of her legs – tying her thighs to their respective heel, and an additional strand was added further up to keep her knees perfectly in place.

“Ready?” The cameraman asked, knowing he wouldn’t get a verbal response. After all, the thick shaft that pressed between that woman’s lips was directly attached to the mask she wore – with the only hint of it being a thin trickle of saliva dripping down her chin.

The woman thought to herself for no longer than a moment. She didn’t need to think about the answer to that question – a yes was a given with how many of these “sessions” she’d partaken in by this point. But she considered how best to struggle. Should she shake her chest in an exaggerated manner to bring attention to it? Wiggle and squirm underneath the intense vibrations of the devices inside of her as they increased in intensity? Maybe she should even scream into her gag for the pair of cameras recording rather than capturing stills?

Part of her felt guilty for even thinking about these things. This wasn’t a job she wanted to do, yet she couldn’t help but think about her work analytically. She’d been seriously trying to improve her performance as a model before all of this… a-and that part of her seemed to still linger around. Even if she’d managed to come to terms to preserve her anonymity, she… couldn’t bring herself to take any other modeling jobs. It was almost as though she felt tainted by all of this.

Meaning that this was the only avenue for her to let her passion out, however corrupted this type of work was. It was also much better to think about the photoshoot instead of what came after it. Where the most valuable members would get to “meet” her in person. To be allowed to keep the mask on even around them, she had to make more than a few concessions.

They would be allowed to touch every inch of her. Adding or removing bindings as they pleased, they could string her up in whatever position they desired. They could… use her, in whatever manner they desire.

The maiden shook slightly in place as the vibrators kicked up a notch, teasingly pleasing her insides as she tried to fight off the sensations. A part of her felt guilty for even feeling any pleasure at all, but why? If it was forced upon her, then there was nothing to be ashamed of, wasn’t there? Unless…

She distracted herself from that train of thought by struggling against the ropes. They were as tight as ever, and the only upside of having to wear that baggier version of the outfit was the fact that it covered all the rope marks she got. The clicking of cameras entered her ears once more, but this time… she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

The truth behind this “church” became clear to her ever since the first – and last – day she’d had a maskless photo taken of her. She wanted to ask why they did all this – no, more importantly than that, what compelled the women who willingly joined to sink further and further into their grip? Was it blackmail like her case? Training? Even mass hypnosis seemed believable with the inordinate amount of masks she saw in public nowadays! She just… didn’t get… what made this acceptable… o-or even good… to so many people.

…A strange thought crept into Ann Takamaki’s mind. She’d only ever come in to do what they asked of her. Never bothering to talk to the leaders, or other attendees, o-or… anyone who really did believe in this stuff. She’d written this off as nothing more than a cult that did nothing but trick people and take from them…

But perhaps she should confirm that for herself.

As soon as she was finished modeling.