A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

When Takamatsu Deng was shocked by Chihaya Tetsuya's behavior, Chihaya Tetsuya explained:

"You'll definitely come here again in the future, right? I need to prepare in advance to deal with the next overtraining."

Having said that, he directly handed one of the bags of gummy candies to Takamatsu Deng.

"I, I bought my own lozenges—"

“Let’s try this one too. I don’t know if it will work, but Aine seems to like this one anyway.”

Chihaya Tetsuya directly interrupted Takamatsu Touma's refusal.

"By the way, this is just a small token of my gratitude. I haven't seen Aine having so much fun with her friends in ages."

“I want to thank Aine too…”

Gao Songdeng whispered:

"This is also the first time I've spent such an unforgettable day at a friend's house."

"Unforgettable..."

Upon hearing this word, Chihaya Tetsuya immediately repeated it meaningfully.

"That's right. I was just visiting normally, but suddenly I was threatened by my friend's brother for no apparent reason... Thinking about it this way, it was indeed a very unforgettable experience."

“!? I, that’s not what I meant—!”

Because she was eager to refute, Gao Songdeng subconsciously raised her voice, but then the severe pain in her throat made it impossible for her to continue making a sound.

And Chihaya Tetsu seemed to be waiting for this moment, and suddenly took something out of his pocket -

"Well, as an apology for my disrespectful behavior today... Takamatsu-san, please accept this."

"...???"

Takamatsu Deng, who had not yet adjusted his voice to the vocal position, took the thing handed to him by Chihaya Tetsuya with a confused look on his face.

It was a square transparent sealed bag, and inside the sealed bag were two small mysterious pieces of jewelry printed with golden five-pointed star patterns.

"These are magnetic earrings. I bought them when I was still at Yihua University... But don't worry, I never wore them until the day I left, so they're 100% brand new."

Chihaya Tetsuya introduced it this way.

At the same time, Takamatsu Deng cast a confused look at Chihaya Tetsuya, as if he wanted to ask why he gave her this pair of earrings.

"For most people, change usually begins with appearance. But I know that Gao Song is a very delicate and cautious child. Out of self-preservation, you will not be able to accept too drastic and direct changes. Therefore, I hope this can be the first step in your appearance."

Chihaya Tetsuya explained while looking at Takamatsu Touma's temples.

"Magnetic earrings don't require piercings, and they're not too conspicuous. This small piece of jewelry won't draw criticism from those who don't care about you, nor will it attract so much attention that you feel anxious... It will only attract those who pay attention to you and care about you."

"They will notice this tiny change, they will sense your desire to change, and maybe some of them will even be bold enough to directly compliment you on the cuteness you've always been afraid to admit."

"This is my apology for what happened today, and also my humble encouragement as a fashion designer to a girl who longs for change."

Under Takamatsu Touma's gradually dazed gaze, Chihaya Tetsuya smiled and said to her:

"So, please accept it."

"…………"

Like a stranded fish, Gao Songdeng's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but he could not make any sound.

After a short rest, she should have been able to make a sound again. However, the earrings in her hand, which seemed to still have some warmth, and the smile on Chihaya Tetsuya's face, which was as warm as the sunset at that moment, made it impossible for her to make a sound smoothly from her throat.

It was as if her current mood and thoughts could no longer be squeezed out of her tiny throat.

"Okay, let's go, Takamatsu-san."

On the other side, seeing that Takamatsu Deng didn't seem to intend to refuse this small gift anymore, Chihaya Tetsu turned around with peace of mind.

"The station is about ten minutes' walk from here. You should memorize the route so it will be more convenient for you next time you come."

"…………"

Looking at the tall and straight figure so close to him, Gao Songdeng suddenly felt thankful for his throat which was still aching.

It gave me a reason not to give an immediate answer, and it also gave me the opportunity to take deep breaths to calm my heartbeat under that back.

She quietly took out the earrings from the sealed bag and put them on her earlobes.

Because she was a little shy, she moved her temples deliberately, as if she wanted to slightly hide the courage she had finally mustered.

However, when the two arrived at the station, this little bit of courage was immediately overwhelmed by even greater joy and shyness——

"Well, just as I expected, these earrings really suit Takamatsu-san."

Without even a second of hesitation, the moment Chihaya Tetsuya turned around and saw her, he immediately said:

"Whenever you want to make more changes, feel free to come back to me. See you next time, Takamatsu-san."

"Well...see you next time, Chihaya-san."

Vows and agreements will only take effect when both parties acknowledge them.

So this was the only answer she had to say in person.

The dazzling golden light spread the crimson warmth from her ears to her entire cheeks.

Gao Songdeng welcomed her summer under the setting sun with twinkling stars.

Chapter 14: Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes isn’t always appropriate

Although there is no doubt about Takamatsu Deng's purpose of forming a band, Chihaya Tetsu has not forgotten another thing he accidentally learned in the process -

"...You said that Deng blamed herself for the band's breakup?"

"Not only that, she seemed to deeply regret that she couldn't do anything for you back then."

The next day, Chihaya Tetsu also conveyed what Takamatsu Touma had said to him truthfully.

"I'm afraid this goes against your original purpose, doesn't it?"

"yes……"

Shoko Toyokawa couldn't help but frown deeply.

"Although I've long known that Deng is someone who doesn't blame others, but...I said such harsh words that day, doesn't Deng have even the slightest bit of resentment towards me?"

"Not only that...from what she said, she seems to be very grateful to you."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"She said it was you who taught her how to get along with others properly, and that it was everyone at CRYCHIC who gave her the opportunity to change. In her eyes, you're the hero who led her out of her loneliness for the first time. In this situation, no matter how harsh your words are, with the way this child thinks, she'll probably interpret them as your 'disappointment' in her."

"how so……"

After hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa sighed in annoyance.

"No matter how much you embellish memories, there has to be a limit, right? I'm not the gentle person she imagined..."

"I think it's not embellishment, but what she really felt at that moment."

Chihaya Tetsuya shook his head.

"A child's world is inherently limited to home and school. And for Takamatsu, who has always been alone at school, her understanding of the world is far narrower than we imagine. In such a situation, even the faintest ray of light is enough to illuminate her soul. Not to mention that you later provided her with what she cherished most, a place to escape loneliness and solitude... Rather than her overly embellished impression of you, it's more accurate to say that this is exactly who she thinks you are."

"…………"

Chihaya Tetsuya's words made Toyokawa Shoko fall silent.

Although she knew that Takamatsu Deng had lived an extremely lonely campus life before, she had never thought about what meaning it meant to her in that situation for being the first to lend a helping hand to her.

As Chihaya Tetsuya said, a child's world is inherently narrow, not to mention that the other person is a lonely person who has never had any friends or understanding people before -

Hey...wait a moment.

If we think about it from this perspective, then it's not just Deng, but also Li Xi and Su Shi... Did they also experience different kinds of pain and self-blame on that day because of her careless and rude words?

……

"Chihaya-nii's way of thinking... isn't it a little too mature?"

Whether it was the realization of the harm caused by her own negligence or her yearning for Chihaya Tetsuya's empathy, Toyokawa Shoko felt extremely bitter in her heart.

Shoko Toyokawa, who has always prided herself on her maturity and hard work, while constantly recognizing the mistakes she made in the past, once again deeply felt the huge gap between herself and Tetsuya Chihaya.

"He's only three years older than me, so how could he notice so many things that even I, the person involved, couldn't notice..."

"In fact, it was because of my experiences during this period that I realized this."

In response to Toyokawa Shoko's self-doubt, Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"Ever since I saw Ai's presence on camera, I've been thinking a lot... The reason I valued our promise so much was because Ai was the only person I could rely on. And because of that, I cherished every little detail of our relationship as my everything. But now, I'm no longer an orphan with nothing. I have a family, a dream worth striving for, and companions I can trust. If I were still bound by the narrow-mindedness of the past, it would be a bit immature."

"..."

So that's how it is. Chihaya-san had the opportunity to realize all this because of what happened with Hoshino Ai.

But after that, Chihaya immediately made up for his mistake with the clothes he made by himself and completely freed himself from the constraints of the past.

And until now, she is still not mentally prepared to face them, and she doesn't know how to make up for the harm she has caused to everyone.

I don’t know how long it will take for her to truly break with the past like Chihaya Tetsuya did.

Just as Toyokawa Shoko was still secretly expressing her admiration for Chihaya Tetsuya, Chihaya Tetsuya's next words made her look a little surprised:

"I think Ai probably realized this a long time ago, so she chose to become an idol."

Chihaya Tetsuya looked at the night sky outside the window and said with a tone full of emotion.

"That wasn't a lie, nor was it a betrayal. She was simply using a completely different attitude to break free from the constraints of the past... She should be the truly mature one."

"………………kindness?"

This unexpected statement instantly caused Shoko Toyokawa to fall into a brainstorming session.

Hoshino Ai? Did she become an idol to escape her past?

Huh? Is this what Chihaya-san understands as the reason why Hoshino Ai chose to become an idol?

You were clearly making very reasonable and sensible arguments before this, so why did you suddenly come to a conclusion that is completely contrary to reality?

This almost blind admiration and trust was just like the lamp... Ah, could it be because of the lamp? Because I had just put myself in the lamp's shoes, I had accidentally caught her "problem" of not suspecting or harboring malice towards anyone!

But if I think about it carefully, if I hadn't deliberately concealed the truth about Hoshino Ai, Chihaya probably wouldn't have come up with such an outrageous guess...

However, if I tell the truth to Chihaya-nii, other troubles will arise...

Although the current misunderstanding is completely contrary to the facts, it has stimulated Chihaya-san's positive thinking to some extent, so it is actually not a bad thing.

On the contrary, once the misunderstanding is resolved, it is very likely to trigger a series of chain reactions and lead the situation to a completely uncontrollable point.

(As expected, I should continue to keep it a secret from him...)

Looking at the profile without any gloom, Toyokawa Shoko once again made her own judgment.

Chapter 15: Attraction and Repulsion

On this day, when Shiina Riki saw Takamatsu Touma and Chihaya Aine walking into the recording studio, the first thing she noticed was the quietly shining golden light.

"Eh!? Deng, what are those on your ears..."

"Look, I knew this person would be able to see it right away."

Chihaya Aine shrugged without surprise at Shiina Riki's reaction, and then before Takamatsu Touma could respond, she asked Shiina Riki with a smile.

"How is it? Does it suit the lamp well?"

"Need I tell you? The lamp will look good on anything!"

Shiina Riki first subconsciously spoke up to rebuke Chihaya Aine, then when she saw the smile on Chihaya Aine's face that hadn't faded at all, she couldn't help but ask in a skeptical tone:

“………………You gave it to me?”

"No, it was given to me by my brother!"

"Then why are you so proud... No, your brother?"

Shiina Riki was stunned.

"When did your brother send it?"

"I gave it to you when Deng came to our house last Saturday! Right, Deng?"