A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

(Who on earth would use this kind of stuff to dye their hair?)

Out of curiosity, Chihaya Tetsuya finally couldn't help but look in the direction where the smell came from.

At the end of his sight, a woman wearing a thin windbreaker, a hat and a mask was adjusting her seat.

Because the lighting was too dim and she was wearing a mask, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't tell her exact age. However... judging by the curve of her windbreaker's waist and the small face almost completely covered by the mask, she must be a woman who pays close attention to her figure...

Using hair dye because you care about your appearance... Well, there's nothing strange about it.

After resolving all the doubts in his mind, Chihaya Tetsu finally focused his attention on the starry sky above the dome with peace of mind again.

However, at this moment, the woman in the windbreaker who had raised the back of her chair also began to silently cast her gaze towards where Chihaya Tetsuya was...

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

Not long after, the planetarium's tour guide began the explanation of this afternoon's session.

Since it is almost summer, this explanation will naturally start with the most famous "Summer Triangle".

When talking about the Summer Triangle, the well-known legend will naturally be mentioned.

(The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.)

Following the commentator's introduction, Chihaya Tetsu also turned his attention to the two specially marked stars.

(Forcibly separated by fate, these star-crossed lovers can only see each other on the annual Tanabata Festival...)

So how do they spend their time outside of Chinese Valentine's Day?

Will they quietly wait for that day to come, or will they try their best to find a way to cross the Milky Way and be together forever?

He subconsciously recalled the memory of looking for Hoshino Ai at the old site of the orphanage.

But compared with the Qixi legend, his experience seems to be much more of a failure.

Even until now, he has not been able to see Hoshino Ai again.

On the one hand, he was not mentally prepared to meet her, and on the other hand, he was not sure whether Hoshino Ai would want to see him again.

Waiting, searching, meeting...

Starry sky, constellations, lost...

Along with some entanglement and pain in his heart, some inspiration seemed to emerge in Chihaya Tetsuya's mind.

Then, his designer instinct made him immerse himself in his own world.

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

As the commentator's voice gradually faded away, after nearly an hour of contemplation, Chihaya Tetsuya's consciousness finally returned to reality.

Compared to the initial cluelessness, he now had a lot of inspiration and ideas in his mind.

"It's a great place...a planetarium."

After sighing in his heart, Chihaya Tetsu also stood up and prepared to leave.

When he passed by his original seat, although it was very faint, he still clearly heard the voice of the short-haired girl——

"Thank you."

"……You're welcome."

After responding to her with a smile, Chihaya Tetsu left the planetarium.

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

“…He left.”

After Chihaya Tetsuya left, the "black-haired" woman in the windbreaker murmured softly.

Then she stood up from her seat and went straight to the front row...which was where Chihaya Tetsuya had just been sitting.

After arriving at her seat, she first slowly unbuttoned her windbreaker, revealing her summer clothes underneath, and then carefully leaned against the back of the chair.

"As expected...I can feel Zhe's warmth."

Feeling the warmth that seemed to be holding her in his arms, a happy smile suddenly appeared on her face.

"At this hour, Zhe should be going to work... Be careful on the road, Zhe."

As she spoke, she took out a notebook from the pocket of her windbreaker.

And on that notebook, there were densely written things, like a schedule.

"Not now... Wait for me, Zhe."

After turning to the last page of the notebook, Hoshino Ai set her sights on the two specially marked names.

"Toyokawa Shoko, Chihaya Aine... I'll just lend him to you for a while."

Snapped!

The notebook was slammed shut.

The residual warmth from behind was gradually covered by her body temperature.

She finally completed her own "recharging".

"Well, I'm going to start working on it too."

After saying that, Hoshino Ai put on her windbreaker again and left the planetarium with a lighter pace than when she came.

However, as she left, the short-haired girl in the Yugaoka uniform was also quietly watching her from behind...

Chapter 2: Preventing the spread of dangerous gossip is also one of the apprentice's responsibilities

After returning to the studio, Chihaya Tetsuya subconsciously walked towards his colleagues' workbenches, ready to provide them with some suggestions on proofing and cutting as usual.

However, after he looked around the entire studio, he revealed an expression of great surprise:

"Eh? That's amazing! I have no chance to fight back..."

"Isn't this natural? After all, we already made the same style of clothing last year. If we can still make mistakes like this, then we shouldn't be in this business anymore."

A pattern maker who was drawing a paper pattern said:

"Besides, we can't always rely on Tetsuya-kun to correct our mistakes, right? What if one day Tetsuya-kun has something to do and can't come to work, won't we all have to shut down?"

"Rather, we've been a little too dependent on Tetsuya-kun... And putting that aside, Tetsuya-kun himself has some pretty important work to do, right?"

Another employee followed suit:

"[Summer Zodiac] is the most popular idol group right now. You, Tetsuya-kun, are under a lot of pressure to meet the expectations of your fans!"

"...Yes, I know."

Chihaya Tetsuya nodded.

As the popularity of [Summer Zodiac] soared, the special live show in mid-May gradually became the focus of attention of the entire network. Correspondingly, the responsibility on his shoulders as the live costume designer became increasingly heavy.

"But this time, I already have a general idea of ​​the design, so I won't be as embarrassed as last time."

As he spoke, he walked towards his workbench and asked the girl who had arrived earlier:

"Toyokawa, is the thing I asked of you ready?"

"…………"

However, Toyokawa Shoko seemed to have not heard Chihaya Tetsuya's voice at all, and just stared blankly at the workbench in front of her...

Seeing this, Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but call her name again with some confusion:

"Toyokawa?"

"Eh!? Oh, sorry! I was just thinking..."

After repeated calls from Chihaya Tetsuya, the slow-reacting Toyokawa Shoko finally came back to her senses. She then hurriedly took out a loose-leaf notebook from her schoolbag and handed it to Chihaya Tetsuya.

"Here's the first draft of the Summer Zodiac program. However, according to Chu Hua, the program sequence and inter-show interactions won't be officially finalized until after the first rehearsal."

"But the content and tone of the show have basically been decided, right?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

Chihaya Tetsuya nodded.

"Thank you, Toyokawa."

"Nothing, this is what I should do."

The reason why Toyokawa Shoko asked Chuhua to meet outside in the afternoon was to ask her about the arrangements for this live performance.

Although it is possible to directly request the necessary information from the other party's firm, it is obviously more efficient for Shoko Toyokawa to communicate directly with the parties involved, and she can also get more intuitive impressions and evaluations.

However, in addition to Live's intelligence, Toyokawa Shoko also received another more important piece of intelligence -

(The idol named Hoshino Ai was Chihaya's friend in the orphanage, and she has been in love with Chihaya since seven years ago...)

The information from Sankaku Hatsuka not only let her know Chihaya Tetsuya's past, but also gave her a more intuitive understanding of this super popular new idol.

(Just an idol for one person... that sounds a bit too dangerous.)

It's no exaggeration to say that if this news were to become known, Hoshino Ai's idol career would likely be over, and she would face a massive backlash commensurate with her current popularity. If she were to encounter such extreme fans, her life might even be in danger.

But putting aside this chilling risk, Toyokawa Shoko, who is also an adolescent girl, can't help but feel some admiration... and yearning for her persistence and deep affection.

(A companion who has depended on each other since childhood, and a relationship that lasted seven years...if you ignore their idol status, it's really quite romantic.)

Not only that, Chihaya Tetsuya also has very deep feelings for Hoshino Ai.

Whether it was the dedication he showed in making the performance costume by himself, or the entanglement he showed when he had a heart-to-heart talk with her that night, it all showed that Chihaya Tetsuya valued and cared about Hoshino Ai.

The only difference between Chihaya Tetsuya and Hoshino Ai is that his feelings for her are not admiration, but a complex emotion born out of responsibility, guilt, family affection and other considerations.

(So, should I tell Chihaya about this...?)

Shoko Toyokawa once again began to think about the problem that had been bothering her since she separated from Chuhua.

(As Chihaya-san's apprentice and companion... I shouldn't hide anything from him. But... if I really tell him, what choice will he make?)

(If he rejected Hoshino Ai's feelings, then Hoshino Ai would probably lose the motivation to continue being an idol, and the group would disband. In that case, Chuhua's dream might also be frustrated.)

(What if he accepted Hoshino Ai's feelings...)

For a moment, many images flashed through Shoko Toyokawa's mind.

For example, after the two began dating secretly, they were discovered and exposed by paparazzi, and then they were both caught up in a huge public opinion storm.

For example, the two of them simply eloped, gave up their respective careers, and never heard from each other again.

For example... the two of them lived happily together, and Chihaya Tetsu no longer needed her help and companionship. In this way, the relationship between the two gradually became distant, and eventually became strangers...

……

(As expected, I better not tell Chihaya-nii for now.)

No matter which possibility it is, it is not what Shoko Toyokawa wants to see.

She did hope that Chihaya Tetsuya could be happy, but if possible... she would rather that happiness be given by her own hands.

Whether as an apprentice, as an assistant, as a companion, or as...

……

My thoughts were originally a bit confused, but gradually I got a clear answer.

To protect Chihaya Tetsuya and Sankaku Hatsuka, and also... for her budding desires and feelings.

She had to keep this secret.

Finally, Toyokawa Shoko stopped hesitating, and her eyes and expression returned to their usual calmness.

She first turned her head to glance at Chihaya Tetsuya's focused profile, and then a smile appeared on her face involuntarily——

"Chihaya, is there anything I can help you with?"

Shoko Toyokawa, today, as always, is working hard for her own destiny.

Chapter 3: Fixing the Fence After the Sheep Have Been Lost

Thanks to the program list provided by Sankaku Hatsuka, Chihaya Tetsu was able to quickly decide on the design theme and ideas for the dancers' costumes.