A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

After receiving this answer, Wakaba Mutsu nodded slightly, then looked at Chihaya Tetsuya:

"Thank you, Chihaya-san."

Although her tone remained calm, Chihaya Tetsuya could still clearly feel her sincere gratitude from the way she lowered her head.

"You don't have to thank me, Wakaba-san. Our relationship isn't one-sided. In fact, I've also received a lot of help from Toyokawa."

Chihaya Tetsuya replied:

"If you're interested in our past experiences and work, feel free to ask Toyokawa about them. As for me, Wakaba-san is always welcome to supervise. I can assure you that as a member of KaZoKu, Toyokawa will never be wronged... nor will he receive any preferential treatment."

After saying that, he looked at Toyokawa Shoko with a slightly smiling look.

"Isn't that right? Toyokawa?"

"Yes!"

Toyokawa Shoko answered affirmatively:

"So...don't worry, Mu, I'll be fine here."

"Really? I understand."

After hearing the two people's repeated assurances, Ruoye Mu nodded gently again.

"Well, I wish you all good luck in your work... Xiangzi."

"what happened?"

"You said before... that you would go see her sooner or later, right?"

"……kindness."

"If that's the case, then remember not to get close to [RiNG] during this period."

Seeing Toyokawa Shoko's frown, Wakaba Muru said:

"She probably goes there quite often lately."

…………at the same time…………

"My guitar skills are getting better and better. Should we start thinking about forming a band next?"

Chihaya Aine, who had just finished practice, took out her phone while humming a song and opened the map app:

"Is there any livehouse around here that's looking for guitarists? Hmm? This livehouse called [RiNG] looks pretty good. I think I should check it out after school starts~"

With full of anticipation, Chihaya Aine wrote down this place in her notebook.

Chapter 29: The Bitter Cold Wind Behind the Summer Special

The last day of Golden Week may simply mean the end of the precious holiday for most people, but for the members of [KaZoKu], it has another very important meaning.

"I bought the new issue of [Mode.Modern]!"

An employee who was forced to run errands after losing a game of rock-paper-scissors returned to the studio carrying two paper bags full of magazines.

Mode.Modern is a fashion magazine aimed at a broad range of young people. For young people, the fashions featured in Mode.Modern not only reflect the upcoming season's fashion trends but also offer affordable fashion that is easily accessible to them.

For KaZoKu, whose main selling point is daily wear, Mode.Modern will also largely influence their general work direction for the coming quarter.

"I just took a peek while buying a magazine, and this year's summer special cover is from the same magazine that commissioned us to design the costumes."

The errand boy said this as he placed the paper bag on the workbench in the middle of the office.

"Once they release that music video and become a huge hit, our studio might also benefit from it!"

"It's very likely... But compared to that, I'd rather know what kind of clothes I'm going to make next month."

A pattern maker took out a magazine from a paper bag and quickly saw the location of the summer special issue.

“…Ah, the prediction for [Mode.Modern] turned out to be this style.”

"What kind?"

"The first page is all about loose T-shirts and wide-leg pants, the second page is all about tank tops and thin short-sleeved outerwear, and hey, dresses are on the third page..."

The pattern maker showed an expression of great surprise.

"Dresses used to be a staple on the first two pages, right? This year, they're on the third page..."

"Yeah, the fashion world is really hard to understand."

"I'm actually very happy. After all, making a dress is much more difficult than the first two."

"That's right."

The members of [KaZoKu] gathered together and started discussing with their magazines.

Chihaya Tetsuya and Toyokawa Shoko are naturally no exception.

"Ah... the first page is Chuhua."

Seeing her childhood sweetheart appear on the front page of the special, a smile involuntarily appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's face.

"She's worthy of it."

Of course, while feeling proud of Sankaku Hatsuka in her heart, Toyokawa Shoko did not forget to focus on the fashion she was wearing.

However, the moment she cast her eyes on the outfit, she subconsciously let out a surprised sound:

"By the way, this outfit on the first page... looks similar to what I'm wearing."

"Hmm? Now that you mention it... loose T-shirt, wide-leg pants...ah."

"It seems like that's true!"

Shoko Toyokawa's unconscious thought instantly attracted the attention of the entire studio.

"Xiangzi! Stand up quickly and let us see!"

"Yes!"

Under the eager gazes of her seniors, Toyokawa Shoko stood up and posed like Sankaku Hatsuka in the summer special.

"Ah, really. The pattern and design are basically the same as the one Xiangzi is wearing."

"If you add the logo to the top and remove the leggings on the pants, it's basically the same outfit as the one on the homepage."

"But if I remember correctly, the clothes Xiangzi is wearing... were made by Tetsuya-kun last year, right?"

As everyone was talking, they turned their attention to Chihaya Tetsuya, who had been flipping through the magazine intently since the beginning.

"Could it be that Tetsuya-kun had already predicted this summer's fashion last winter..."

"Isn't our assistant designer too amazing?"

"…………"

Feeling the gazes of his colleagues, Chihaya Tetsuya silently raised his head and said calmly:

"This is very common with minimalist designs. It's not so much that I predicted the trend, but rather that I was lucky enough to coincide with Mode.Modern's predictions."

After saying that, he put the magazine aside and motioned Toyokawa Shoko to come back to him.

"As for the question about the dress's positioning, it's actually quite easy to understand. The "all-gender" movement is gaining widespread popularity around the world, and as a fashion magazine, Mode.Modern naturally cannot go against this global cultural context."

"In other words, it's to cater to the general environment..."

"But it's true that almost all fashion trends have been moving towards 'neutral' and 'conservative' recently."

"It seems like this will be the direction of my work for the next year..."

The direction of the discussion gradually became serious and professional.

Chihaya Tetsuya put down the magazine and quietly left the crowd, returning to his workbench.

"That's a brilliant analysis, Tetsuya-kun."

Hasegawa Shin, who had been listening to the conversation, walked up to him.

"Your perspective and way of thinking are becoming more and more like a professional designer. But..."

Halfway through her speech, Hasegawa Shin suddenly changed the subject.

"Is the outfit on the front page of that special issue really just a simple design collision? Even if it's both minimalist, don't forget that design collision and style collision are two different things."

"..."

After hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed across Chihaya Tetsuya's face. After a long while, he shook his head.

"Actually, I'm not sure what's going on here... but as a widely recognized magazine in the industry, Mode.Modern would never do something like 'plagiarism', which is a taboo in the industry, so..."

"[Mode.Modern] certainly wouldn't do that, but the brands they work with might not necessarily do that."

Hasegawa Shinru said:

"Although your products were only on sale at the Sanfeng Chamber of Commerce for a week, they were enough to attract the attention of some interested parties. Also, don't forget why you dropped out of Yihua University... If this happened once, it could be explained as coincidence, but if it happened twice, it would be wrong."

"..."

Hearing this, Chihaya Tetsuya's brows suddenly frowned deeply.

Hasegawa Shin's reminder reminded him again of the incident that almost ruined his entire career.

Seeing Chihaya Tetsuya's visible hesitation and vigilance, Hasegawa Shin shook his head and said:

"Let others handle the rest of the 'daily design'. For the time being, focus on the new commission from Watanabe Office."

"Isn't that necessary? Maybe this is just a simple coincidence—"

Hearing that he would suddenly be away from the core work of the studio, Chihaya Tetsuya subconsciously wanted to refute.

However, Hasegawa Shin was very persistent about this:

"Zheye-kun, this is the experience I've gained from working in this industry for over a decade. For your own future, you must keep a low profile for the next period of time."

"………………I see."

Although Chihaya Tetsuya still regarded this incident as a coincidence, since Director Hasegawa insisted so much, there was no need for him to continue to argue about it.

(I hope this is just Director Hasegawa's illusion...)

Looking at his colleagues not far away who were still working hard to analyze fashion magazines, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but think so in his heart.

Chapter 30: Tonight, the stars shine

“Cut——!”

Following the director's order, the entire crew held their breath, waiting for his final "review".

Soon, after repeatedly checking the footage from all the cameras, the director stood up from his chair and clapped his hands vigorously:

"Passed! Thank you for your hard work!"

"Ohhh! That's great!"

"Thank you for your hard work! Happy holidays!"

At this point, the filming of the MV has been completed, and the remaining work is the editing and production by the director and post-production team. As for the props team, lighting team, and other logistics personnel on the set, they naturally ushered in their long-awaited day off.

Snapped!

The lighting team pressed the switch to turn off the lights on the stage, and the props team also removed the scenery around the stage and began to prepare for the final finishing work.

However, the two idols standing on the stage were reluctant to leave the stage.

"..."

Sanjiao Chuhua turned his head and looked at his companions.

On the stage without lights, the originally dazzling light on Hoshino Ai also dimmed, and with her head slightly lowered, it was even more difficult for Sanjiao Chuhua to see her face hidden under her bangs and shadows.

"Thanks for the hard work, love."

Sanjiao Chuhua spoke first, breaking the strange silence:

"You've been having a hard time this week, haven't you?"

"…………"

After hearing what Sankaku Hatsuka said, Hoshino Ai's body trembled slightly, then she raised her head and a smile appeared on her face.

"Nothing. Compared to the previous seven years... these mere seven days are nothing."