A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"So, how was the admissions interview?"

"Easy to catch!"

Chihaya Aine said in a relaxed tone:

"After all, my middle school grades were excellent, and with my experience as the student council president, it should be pretty easy to pass the interview!"

As she spoke, she took out a transparent bag from her side.

"Clang clang! Look, I even got the uniform!"

"..."

Chihaya Tetsuya turned his head to look at the uniform in Chihaya Aine's hand, and it was indeed the same one worn by Toyokawa Shoko.

"How about it? Do you want to see how it looks when I put it on?"

Chihaya Aine smiled and asked Chihaya Tetsuya:

"This is your sister's first time wearing a high school uniform! Even mom hasn't seen it yet!"

"……OK."

Although he had already seen how this uniform looked when worn by Toyokawa Shoko, Chihaya Tetsu had no reason to refuse his sister since she was so enthusiastic.

Soon, after receiving her brother's reply, Chihaya Aine immediately rushed into her room with her uniform. Not long after, Chihaya Aine, who had changed into a brand new uniform, pushed open the door and reappeared in her brother's sight.

"Cough cough!"

After changing into her uniform, Chihaya Aine did not run directly to Chihaya Tetsuya. Instead, she took out her mobile phone and turned on the music player. After selecting the background music, she put the phone aside first, and then walked towards Chihaya Tetsuya in a serious manner, imitating the way a model walks on the catwalk.

When she walked in front of Chihaya Tetsuya, she even posed specially——

"Hmph, how's it going?"

Chihaya Aine put one hand on her waist and raised her chin proudly:

"Isn't it cute?"

"........."

On the other hand, after watching his sister's series of dazzling actions, Chihaya Tetsu had no intention of responding to his sister's questions. Instead, he began to carefully observe his sister's appearance.

"If you tighten your tie a little, it will give you a more serious, student-like look. Also, since you have a slender figure, it would be better to adjust the shoulders, cuffs, and hem a little."

After saying that, he first stretched out his fingers and gently twisted the corner of his uniform jacket, and then he said:

"Give me the clothes you change into later, and I'll have them altered before tomorrow morning."

"Wow, what kind of answer is that..."

Faced with her brother's serious and formal reaction as a costume designer, Chihaya Aine instantly collapsed like a deflated ball.

She first turned off the music on her phone, and then sat back in her previous seat dejectedly.

"At a time like this, the first thing you should do is praise someone for being cute, right?"

"Cute and all that... I've probably praised her countless times since she was little. There's no point in repeating it now."

Chihaya Tetsuya was unmoved by this.

"Rather than that, my task should be to think about how to make you more lovable."

"Well--!!!"

After hearing this, Chihaya Aine hugged her head and fell to the other side.

The disappointment of not hearing the word "cute" and the loving words just now instantly intertwined together, leaving her at a loss for how to respond.

"ah!"

"You're not allowed to lie down like that when you're wearing a skirt."

Chihaya Tetsuya put the blanket over Chihaya Aine's legs.

"Besides, you're wearing a new uniform. Do you want to go to school tomorrow wearing wrinkled clothes?"

“…I understand.”

After hearing this, Chihaya Aine pouted and sat up again.

"Brother is indeed different from the male protagonists in those girls' comics."

"so what?"

Chihaya Tetsuya asked expressionlessly:

"Disappointed in me?"

"Of course I like it more!"

Chihaya Aine hugged Chihaya Tetsuya's arm, and then naturally put her cheek against his.

"Actually, I'm a little nervous about starting school this time... It's been over half a month since the start of the school year in Japan, and the cliques and classes within each class have already formed. What if I can't fit in well this time, just like I did in England? How can I explain to everyone why I'm starting school now?"

Having experienced a failure, she will no longer be as blindly confident as before.

Before fantasizing about becoming the "top student in the class" again, she first learned to imagine the "worst case scenario."

However, this does not mean that she will become anxious and timid.

"Brother, you just said that it will make me more adorable, right?"

"kindness."

"Then I'll have nothing to fear!"

Chihaya Aine hugged her brother's arms a little tighter.

Rather than verbal praise, what Chihaya Aine needs most right now is the real and practical support and encouragement from her brother.

"Thank you, brother."

"……Oh."

Although she didn't quite understand, her sister's mood finally calmed down.

In this way, this girl should finally go to bed obediently next time...

"Speaking of which, I saw a slightly strange girl on my way to an interview this afternoon. She seemed to have been squatting and picking up rocks from the ground throughout her lunch break!"

"kindness……"

"Also, when I passed by the music classroom, I heard someone playing the piano inside. It was so beautiful! I couldn't tell if it was a teacher or a student."

"kindness…………"

"Hey, brother, are you really listening?"

"...Give me the shirt underneath later. I want to create a corset-like feel."

"You're not listening..."

(It seems that my brother's thinking has not yet been liberated from the work he just did. In order not to disrupt his train of thought, it is better not to disturb him from now on.)

(Come to think of it, I forgot to ask my brother how things were going today. But seeing how absorbed he is in his work…it seems like he's gotten some inspiration, right? Is it really because of that new assistant?)

(...)

(Very good, I will start working hard from now on!)

In order not to lose to this assistant lady whose identity is unknown, Chihaya Aine's heart began to burn with fighting spirit.

Chapter 10: I have to state in advance that this is really serious work

After having a clear idea and inspiration, the process of making terry cloth pajamas can be said to be quite smooth.

Chihaya Tetsuya first completed the entire design in one day, and then completed the paper pattern making in another day.

This incredible work speed is not only due to Chihaya Tetsuya's solid skills as a proof maker, but also mainly due to his personal style preference -

"After all, what Tetsuya-kun is best at is making these everyday clothes!"

While Chihaya Tetsuya was concentrating on making samples, the cheerful female assistant explained to Toyokawa Shoko:

"Like the work clothes you're wearing, and the warm autumn clothes and men's pajamas he made earlier...these have all achieved considerable sales!"

"..."

After hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa couldn't help but look down at her work clothes.

The comfort this dress brought her was proof that was more powerful than any words.

"Come to think of it, Chihaya-san has always emphasized 'comfort' when designing pajamas..."

"Because his core design concept is 'warmth and comfort', he came to our studio which is more inclined towards 'real clothes' (daily clothing)."

The female assistant said:

"As long as he has a clear idea, making pajamas or something like that is too easy for him."

"I see!"

After hearing the explanation from the female assistant, Shoko Toyokawa's respect for Tetsuya Chihaya deepened even more.

However, the assistant's next words made her suddenly nervous.

"It's just that... the next outfit might not be as simple as pajamas for him."

“…Idol’s performance clothes.”

Toyokawa Shoko also noticed something.

"It's not everyday clothing... and it's far from the idea of ​​'warm and comfortable.'"

"That's it."

The female assistant nodded.

"Performance clothes are more about 'decorativeness' than comfort. Especially for idols, this aspect must be taken to the extreme."

When it comes to the feeling that idols give people, it must be cute, shining, and eye-catching.

As entertainers active on stage and in front of the camera, the costumes they wear have only one purpose, which is to satisfy the audience's visual effects as much as possible.

No matter whether it is gorgeous, exaggerated, bold, sexy... as long as it can attract enough attention, it is a success. All other factors are not important to idols.

"This is completely different from Tetsuya-kun's design concept. In fact, I still can't understand why he was so persistent in taking on the design of this performance costume."

The female assistant showed an incomprehensible expression.

"Is he trying to challenge himself with this opportunity? But he doesn't seem like the type to take work lightly..."

"........."

As for the specific reasons why he took the job, Toyokawa Shoko had already heard from him.

However, the assistant's concerns did indeed trigger her thinking.

Chihaya Tetsuya is indeed a genius with outstanding abilities and all-round skills, but his special childhood experience also brought him a more special weakness - modern common sense.

During the two days of contact, Shoko Toyokawa has truly experienced this.

Although Chihaya Tetsuya does use a smartphone, he basically doesn't use any of its functions except for calls, text messages, email, and social software.

In addition, Chihaya Tetsuya's computer skills are also very poor. It goes without saying that he doesn't know the software and one-finger typing method. He even mistakes the monitor switch for the computer's power button.

For such an abnormal existence who is like an old man from the Showa era, it is really unrealistic to expect him to understand idol culture or something like that.

There are less than four days left until the deadline.

Mr. Chihaya... can you really design qualified performance costumes before this?

……

(No matter what, in order to repay Mr. Chihaya's kindness, I must do my best to help him!)

Toyokawa Shoko thought so.

........................

"Phew, it's done."

By the time Chihaya Tetsuya finished making the samples, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.

At this time, as usual, only he and Toyokawa Shoko were left in the studio.