A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"Then you're pretty lucky. You've achieved your goal so soon after your debut."

The agent's tone was so calm that it didn't sound like he was talking to an artist who was about to graduate. Instead, it sounded more like he was chatting with a friend.

"No, not only did you achieve your goal, you even got to wear the clothes he made for you."

"……Yes."

A happy smile suddenly appeared on Hoshino Ai's face.

"I'm truly blessed to be reunited with him... That's why I can't let this opportunity slip away. To ensure I don't lose him again like I did seven years ago, I—"

"I told you, you don't have to explain your thoughts to me."

However, before Hoshino Ai could finish her words, her agent interrupted her forcefully:

"I'm different from you. I was born into a happy, ordinary family, and ever since I was old enough to understand, I've lived a happy life with my significant other by my side. So even if I listened to your explanation, I probably wouldn't understand your extreme behavior, nor would I approve of your choice. Besides, it's not my job to understand all this... But as your agent, I still have something to remind you."

"?"

"If you've decided to graduate from being an idol, then you'd better think about it now and think about what you can only do as an idol."

The agent said:

"Otherwise, it will be too late to regret after you graduate."

"Eh……"

Hoshino Ai was stunned at first, then she repeated in confusion:

"Something I can only do as an idol... I'm sorry, manager, I don't quite understand what you mean..."

"The shelf life of being an 'idol' is very short. You certainly gained a lot of popularity, attention, and love during the Summer Zodiac event, but it was ultimately just a temporary boost based on entertainment relationships. Once you graduate, within a year, your name will fade from the world. Perhaps your loyal fans will still feel regret or even complain about your graduation, but the glory you basked in as an idol will never return to you."

"Wow... Is it really okay for an idol manager to say such negative and realistic things to an idol?"

Hoshino Ai couldn't help but complain:

"If other idols heard this, they would definitely be hurt, right?"

"But you won't."

The agent's expression and tone were as cold as her opinion.

"Because from the very beginning, all you've been seeking is the attention and love of just one person, so other people's opinions aren't that important to you... But don't get me wrong, what others are seeking from you isn't something so lofty. It's just temporary spiritual sustenance, a brief burst of intense excitement, or perhaps some other selfish desire."

"The relationship between idols and fans is inherently one of mutual benefit, but the way this supply and demand is presented is incredibly beautiful. Idols shine on stage with their own aspirations, while fans offstage offer their love and applause to the gods they have created in their hearts."

"It sounds like... it's all lies."

Hoshino Ai tilted her head.

"Whether they're idols or fans, everyone is just pursuing what they want amidst this tacit lie..."

"That's right, but what's interesting is that even in this kind of fake relationship where there's no sympathy, a distant and unreal relationship, something real can emerge."

Having said that, a rare smile suddenly appeared on the agent's face.

"Unbeknownst to you, your singing, your glittering presence on stage, and the beauty you bring to the table may actually give others the motivation and direction to move forward. And their support, which was originally just for their own gratification, will truly become your strength, helping you achieve your own aspirations."

"Since you believe your happiness doesn't lie on stage, then you can leave here and pursue it. However, as your manager and a senior idol, I don't want you to regret it for the rest of your life due to a momentary oversight... After all, in my opinion, as a popular idol, you shouldn't be so concerned about gains and losses. As an idol, you should be more greedy and more self-motivated to get everything you want."

After saying that, she gently patted the hands on her shoulders that had stopped moving at some point, and stood up.

"Don't leave yourself with regrets, love."

After hearing what her agent said, Hoshino Ai couldn't wake up from her daze for a long time.

At this moment, her mind was filled with the words Chihaya Tetsuya said to her that day -

We will definitely have better choices.

——There are still 5 days until the May Live begins.

32

Chapter 32: Bottleneck before moving towards a new stage.

"How did our first week of clothing at Three Peaks go?"

"It's pretty average...it's barely maintaining the sales of previous seasons."

"Yeah, I knew it."

[KaZoKu] Inside the studio, after listening to the sales report, Hasegawa Shin nodded slightly.

"I think it will be like this for the next year..."

“For the low-end and mid-range markets, [NozAK!]”

"The publicity campaign is really too strong."

The sales staff said:

"They signed a large number of popular artists to promote their products in just one month. For young people, brand recognition and fame are obviously more important than the quality of the clothing itself."

"Well, that's not hard to understand... and the quality of their clothing isn't too bad for an amateur."

Even though the former chief designer is no longer with us and the decision-makers are facing comprehensive replacements, as an established manufacturer, the designers who have not yet left and those poached from other brands are still enough to support the overall quality.

And more importantly—

"The people they plagiarized... weren't just Tetsuya-kun."

Her subsequent in-depth investigation into that summer issue revealed that nearly a third of their brand's flagship fashion collections that season had significant creative conflicts with other smaller brands released during the same period. However, because they typically made a series of adaptations during the "transplantation" process, no one could categorize their actions as plagiarism.

Furthermore, their extensive media resources allow them to suppress criticism that lacks sufficient momentum and influence. For those unfamiliar with the fashion industry, they might even mistakenly assume that NozAK! is the one being plagiarized.

"How are the sales of that costume they copied Tetsuya-kun from?"

"It's a super hit. If nothing unexpected happens, it will probably be the best-selling everyday wear of the season."

“…Even with all those weird things added in?”

"It's low-cost, highly comfortable, suitable for all ages and genders, and fits in with current fashion trends... Even the slightest flaw isn't enough to hide its potential."

The sales employee looked at his workstation in the corner and couldn't help but sigh slightly.

"Tetsuya-kun is truly amazing. Honestly, I think his designs are more in line with the mass market than yours... As a former fashion model, your standards are still a bit too high."

"I don't know whether you are praising me or insulting me."

Hasegawa Shin first gave her a cold look, then looked at Chihaya Tetsuya's workbench.

"But the truth is exactly as you said. Because of that kid's unique background, he always pays attention to details in his designs that most people wouldn't notice. Can you imagine? A nineteen-year-old, even while drawing a design, would start thinking about how to save costs and improve production efficiency... This is something that most art school graduates only learn years after graduation."

"So when everyone heard that you planned to let him start his own business, no one objected."

The employee shrugged:

"After all, everyone knows that Tetsuya-kun definitely has the ability. If it's him, he does have a chance to challenge [NozAK!]'s position in the low-end and mid-range market with his hard power—"

"Just the low- to mid-range market? You're underestimating it."

Hasegawa smiled and shook his head:

"Although I always thought he would focus on Real Clothes (daily wear), the couture costume I made for Hoshino Ai already determined that his ceiling would definitely be high. The reason I want him to start his own business is not simply to let him break through the blockade of NozAK!, but to give him the opportunity to step onto a bigger stage."

"...You mean, high-end fashion?"

The employee looked slightly surprised.

"Well... not to mention that Tetsuya-kun's designs haven't really reflected enough [Mode] (fashion concepts) yet, without any background or connections, it's probably going to be hard for him to break into that circle, right?"

"Who knows..."

As Hasegawa Shin spoke, he picked up the bundle of luminous fiber that he had put into the fabric box as a spare part.

"Anyway, I think that performance costume has given Tetsuya-kun what he needs."

Ambition.

Whether it was the performance costume made exclusively for Hoshino Ai, which was made of various fabrics and sewing techniques, or the band performance costumes he later made for the young band members with reflective road signs as the highlight, it was enough to see that his design concept was no longer limited to the original "daily life", but gradually moved towards lights and stage.

The next piece of clothing he will create for Sanjiao Chuhua is also full of trendy ideas that are very personal and creative.

This luminous fiber is one of the best examples.

When he first came to KaZoKu, the child's knowledge of various fabrics was limited to textbooks and common materials for daily clothing.

Now, he has begun to turn his attention to these new materials that have just come out and quickly apply them to his own works.

When we achieve this level, it can no longer be simply summarized by the phrase "striving for excellence".

Ambition.

In this series of performance costumes, Hasegawa Shin shows a very obvious and strong self-assertion.

If Chihaya Tetsuya can continue to maintain this state and continue to create in the future, then as long as he is given a chance to be noticed by the high-end fashion circle, then wanting to step into that circle is definitely not an unattainable fantasy.

"Of course, the prerequisite is to pass the first level first."

Hasegawa sighed.

"May is also a very important promotional window for [NozAK!], so I wish you good luck going forward, Tetsuya-kun."

……

"finished!"

At home, after finishing the sample of the hollow lining in his hand, Chihaya Tetsuya let out a long sigh of relief.

"Let's take a look at the results... I've left the glow-in-the-dark fabric in the studio, so I'll use the lights as a temporary replacement."

Anyway, on the day of the performance, we will be exposed to extremely bright light, so experimenting with lights in advance is an essential process.

So, driven by curiosity, Chihaya Tetsu also pointed the outer garment at the light above his head.

And the next second, when he saw the effect of the clothes in front of him, he suddenly showed a dumbfounded expression——

33

Chapter 33 It’s not just the design that’s been finalized.

“I want to change the design.”

Sanjiao Chuhua, who was urgently called to the studio, heard this somewhat abrupt notice as soon as he came up.

"I overlooked a very important thing in the previous design."

"what……"

The confused Sanjiao Chuhua just asked blankly after hearing this:

"What's going on?"

"In the beginning, in order to control the halo of the luminous fibers, which would reduce the final visual effect, I chose a dark, opaque, but reflective paint surface for the inner layer."

Chihaya Tetsuya said as he took out a piece of patent leather fabric.

"According to my original idea, I wanted to use luminous fibers to embroider a constellation map on the inner layer of the garment, and then use the outer hollow gauze skirt to reflect this part of the inner design..."

"Isn't this great?"

After listening to Chihaya Tetsuya's description, Sankaku Hatsuka couldn't help but hold up her chin with both hands and looked at him with a confused expression:

"So what's the problem?"

“Because I only considered the fluorescence in dark conditions, but ignored the bright lights on the stage that took up a much longer period of time.”

Chihaya Tetsuya rolled up the piece of patent leather again.

"Although I hope you can coordinate this costume by briefly turning off the lights to show the effect, in most cases you will still have to perform under the strong stage lights. In that case, this double-layered costume composed of patent leather and tulle skirt would be too heavy and complicated, and completely inconsistent with the lightness I envisioned for fluorescent lights."

"I see……"

Although she didn't quite understand what Chihaya Tetsuya meant by heavy and light, she could still understand from this description that Chihaya Tetsuya was very attentive to his clothes.

Thinking of this, a smile suddenly appeared on Sanjiao Chuhua's face.

"Well, although I'm quite curious about what the final product of that 'heavy' design will look like, I can't help it if it doesn't fit your creative concept."

Sanjiao Chuhua said in a relaxed tone:

"Speaking of which... since you called me here, that means you must have a solution, right?"