A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"Because my goal of becoming an idol has been achieved, I have now been noticed by Zhe, and I have already found where Zhe is, so next... naturally there is no reason for me to continue activities for a long time."

"!"

After hearing this, Sanjiao Chuhua realized the thing that she had subconsciously ignored.

Her dream is to be a professional singer who can be active on the stage for a long time, so she subconsciously regards her idol career as a job that requires long-term development.

But Hoshino Ai is different.

The reason she became an idol was just to reunite with Chihaya Tetsuya. Now that they have successfully found each other, Hoshino Ai, who has achieved her goal, naturally no longer needs to continue being an idol.

"If that's the case... then why do you take on so many jobs?"

"Because what I want is not just a simple reunion, but to have him completely and forever."

Hoshino Ai said:

"Even though Zhe isn't self-aware, he's always been quite attractive to the opposite sex, even since his orphanage days, not to mention the fact that he's become such a remarkable designer. If I were to reunite with him as a half-baked idol, I'd just be the same as I was seven years ago, the one-sided object of his care. To become a suitable match for him, I need even more popularity and influence."

"Besides, Zhe's mind is completely focused on saying goodbye to me right now. Even if I do go back to him, there's no way we can take our relationship any further... In order to achieve my goal, I have to become someone he can't refuse. I don't want to wait until the day we meet again, only to be pushed away by him for some inexplicable reason."

Having said that, with Sankaku Hatsuka's expression gradually dimming, Hoshino Ai came in front of her and gently hugged her:

"I'm sorry, Chuhua, I can't accompany you to be active as an idol forever. But before I graduate, I will do my best to make you the most famous idol singer, and I will make sure that the agency earns back all the resources invested in me. So-"

"You don't have to apologize to me or do anything for me...love."

Sanjiao Hatsuka shook her head slightly and interrupted Hoshino Ai's words.

"Although our time together was short, I have indeed embarked on the path to realizing my ideals because of you. You don't need to make up for anything to me, and you don't need to push yourself too hard for me... But Ai, regarding your relationship with Chihaya-san, I do want to give you some advice..."

"what?"

"If you truly want to be with Chihaya-san forever, then relying solely on your own feelings won't do the trick... Before you make a formal decision, I think you should have a good talk with Chihaya-san first... Although he certainly made that dress with the intention of saying goodbye to you, he certainly wouldn't be so indifferent to your words."

"…………"

After hearing what Sankaku Hatsuka said, Hoshino Ai's eyes flickered slightly, and then she shook her head.

"How dare you say that? Chuhua has only met Zhe once."

"But at least what I saw was the present Chihaya-san, while what you were thinking about in your heart was still the 'Zhe' from seven years ago."

Sankaku Hatsuka gently pushed Hoshino Ai away and said to her again in an extremely serious tone:

"Whether for your own sake or for Mr. Chihaya's... please think about it again, Ai."

"...Time is running out. I have to leave first."

Hoshino Ai turned around and had no intention of responding to Sankaku Hatsuka's advice.

"Chuhua, you are the person I trust the most besides Zhe and my agent. I don't want to see you as my enemy, so please don't get in my way."

After saying that, without waiting for Sanjiao Chuhua to respond, she left the lounge directly...

"Are you going to become someone Chihaya-san can't refuse? Ai...what are you planning?"

Although she understood Hoshino Ai's obsession with Chihaya Tetsuya, but... the approach she took was too extreme, so she was very worried that Hoshino Ai would be burned by her overly passionate feelings.

"Should I...get involved in this?"

With full of hesitation and anxiety, Sanjiao Chuhua fell into a dilemma.

Chapter 27: Aftermath from the Past

"Well, no, we can't do that here, otherwise the outline of the clothes will be deformed."

"Here... if we want to achieve this effect, lacing alone is definitely not enough. Hmm, what should we do?"

"The fabric should be a bit stiffer, but if that's the case, won't it be too hard for Su Shi to wear it?"

When Shoko Toyokawa completed all the work from design to proofing by herself, she finally understood why Tetsuya Chihaya was respected by everyone in the studio.

Due to the large gap in experience and ability, Shoko Toyokawa encountered many problems and blind spots that she had never encountered before when drawing paper patterns.

It is no exaggeration to describe her current situation as being unable to move forward.

"Should we try changing the design..."

Just when Toyokawa Shoko was still at a loss as to how to draw the paper pattern, a sound gradually approaching from the door suddenly caught her attention -

"Neither you nor we can conceal the origin of that dress forever. That's why I hope to discuss a solution in advance."

"I know they might not take action again, but if they do, the damage to Tetsuya-kun will definitely be no less than what happened last year... Wait a minute."

When Hasegawa Shin walked into the office and saw Toyokawa Shoko in front of the workbench, she immediately put down the phone.

"Xiangzi? Didn't you take a day off today? Why are you still in the studio?"

"Because I drew a design myself before this, in order to make it as soon as possible, Chihaya-san asked me to come to the studio first to finish the proof..."

"Oh? Xiangzi has already started drawing his own designs? That's amazing!"

Hasegawa pressed the hang-up button without leaving a trace and walked up to Toyokawa Shoko with a smile.

"Can I see the blueprints?"

"…………yes."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded, and then handed her the design drawing she had drawn for Nagasaki Suyo.

Then, when Hasegawa Shin saw Toyokawa Shoko's design, the expression on her face gradually changed from a smile to surprise.

"Double-layer design?"

"Yes."

"The picture next to it should be the deformation effect you expected, right?"

"Yes."

"...You really did come up with a pretty amazing design, Xiangzi."

As Hasegawa Shin said this, he returned the design drawings to Toyokawa Shoko.

"However, although the idea of ​​this design is very good, it is also very difficult to produce it. You must have felt when drawing the paper pattern that many of the effects you envisioned are difficult to achieve with existing fabrics."

"You're right."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded.

"So I was just wondering whether I should change the design or something..."

"Ah, that's not necessary."

In response to Toyokawa Shoko's statement, Hasegawa Shin quickly denied it.

"Difficult doesn't mean impossible. With your current abilities, you might not be able to complete it on your own, but with Zheye-kun's help, that's not necessarily the case. Zheye-kun asked you to complete the pattern on your own just to help you understand the complete process from design to proofing."

"It's really... difficult."

Toyokawa Shoko sighed from the bottom of her heart:

“When I first drew the design, I had no idea how difficult it would be to turn it into a paper pattern.”

"That's right. There are many excellent designers and pattern makers in this world, but those who can handle both jobs will become the best in the industry without exception. Just like Tetsuya-kun..."

Having said that, a trace of indescribable confusion suddenly flashed across Hasegawa Shin's face.

On the other side, when Toyokawa Shoko saw Director Hasegawa's strange expression, she finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked:

"Director, that phone call you just made...wasn't it about Chihaya-san?"

"……kindness."

When she walked into the office and saw Shoko Toyokawa staring at the door, she immediately realized that the other party had heard what she had just said.

But it cannot be blamed on her being too negligent. After all, she only called Toyokawa Shoko and Chihaya Tetsu to discuss this matter with them at this time after she learned that Toyokawa Shoko and Chihaya Tetsu would also take leave today.

But plans can never keep up with changes.

"Since you've already heard everything, there's no point in me trying to hide it. Besides...as his apprentice, you have the right to know about Tetsuya-kun's affairs."

Hasegawa sighed, then took out his phone and found a photo of a design from his album.

"Xiangzi, take a look at this blueprint first."

"Yes!"

After hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko immediately looked at Hasegawa Shin's phone screen——

"...Is this the design for the coat? The pattern is so beautiful, and this way of marking the design..."

Toyokawa Shoko hesitated for a moment, then said in an uncertain tone:

"This, is Chihaya-nii's design?"

"Yes."

Hasegawa Shin nodded.

"Beautiful layout, disciplined drawing techniques, and careful annotations—these are all Tetsuya-kun's hallmarks. And... take a look at this next one."

"........."

Immediately afterwards, Shoko Toyokawa turned her attention to the second design drawing shown by Shin Hasegawa.

However, the moment she saw the design, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Eh? How come?"

Shoko Toyokawa subconsciously let out an exclamation of disbelief.

"Except for the waist ornament... they are almost identical..."

However, although the pattern and design concept are exactly the same, this drawing style is completely different from Chihaya Tetsuya.

The crude drawing, the blank markings, and the rather unpleasant-looking decoration on the waist...

"If I add this decoration here, if it's made of lightweight fabric, it won't match the overall heaviness of the coat. If it's made of stiff fabric, the weight of the decoration itself might affect the waist-cinching effect..."

Toyokawa Shoko murmured:

"It's a completely redundant design..."

"...You really are a genius, Xiangzi. Just as you said, the extra decorative strip in this design is completely redundant."

Hasegawa Shinru said:

"Even so, this design still won first place in Yihua University's design competition last year."

"And Tetsuya-kun, it is after this match that he will decide to drop out of school."

"……Eh?!"

Chapter 28: As a Beginning to Prove Myself

"how so!?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked in confusion.

"Isn't this plagiarism? How could someone win first place with a design that was copied like that?!"

"For those of us who know Tetsuya-kun's design habits and abilities, it's easy to draw this conclusion. Unfortunately, in this competition, the judges give more weight to the decision-making process by the first submission. And unfortunately... in that competition, the other party was indeed the first to submit the design."

"Because that design is essentially just copying! If it's just submitted first, it won't be convincing at all..."

Shoko Toyokawa's voice became smaller and smaller, because she herself understood that for completely neutral and uninformed judges, details such as the precision of the design drawings alone could not explain anything.

Without favoring any party, the submission time of the work is the simplest and fairest judging criterion.

"I'm not going to defend Tetsuya-kun with words of justice and morality. For the fashion industry, this kind of behavior is as common as eating and drinking. His failure to recognize the differences between himself and others and to protect his own work is also a sign of his immaturity."

Hasegawa Shin shook his head.

"In the fashion industry, only the most exceptional talents can emerge from the hellish competitive environment. Tetsuya-kun is undoubtedly a genius, but the problem is that he's simply too exceptional. His skilled sewing techniques and sample-making abilities aside, his early exposure to society also gives him a far superior sense of fashion and sales—"

Having said that, Hasegawa Shin pointed at the work clothes on Toyokawa Shoko.

"Take this dress, for example. Its popularity wasn't accidental; it was a completely predictable and intelligent move. The 'all-gender' concept within the global cultural context, the conservative leanings amidst the economic downturn, and Tetsuya-kun's impeccable 'concept of comfort' meant this design was destined for success from the moment it was created."

"..."

Shoko Toyokawa also had a very deep impression about this incident.