A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

But this band is different.

Their story will not be as short as that of [CRYCHIC], and this live performance will not be a happy ending for them like that time.

And in such a memorable first Live, they will not only play their first original song...but also "Spring Shadow", which represents their past.

if it is like this--

“…I want to see it.”

Thinking of this, Shoko Toyokawa said it almost subconsciously.

"I want to see what kind of beginning they will have... and I also want to know how they will perform our "Spring Shadow" on this stage."

"It seems you have made your decision."

Chihaya Tetsuya nodded, then he took out his cell phone again.

"So, I'll convey this to Shigaraki-san then?"

"……kindness."

This time, Shoko Toyokawa no longer hesitated.

"By the way, tell her for me... I'm really looking forward to the live performance that day."

"Is this really okay? She keeps telling me every day that she hasn't given up on reuniting with CRYCHIC."

"So, that must be just an excuse she uses to be tough with you... huh? Every day?"

Hearing this word, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but frown.

"What do you mean? Does Su Shi contact you every day?"

"Well, she was the first one to ask me about the progress of the costume, so I took the opportunity to discuss with her how to stand in the right position for the best effect. I also paid her for Lenai's daily parfait."

"...are these the only serious matters?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked with some doubt:

"Didn't you talk about anything else?"

"Oh, the only other thing she said was that she contacted me because other people weren't suitable for this kind of thing, and that she would be responsible for all these things from now on..."

Chihaya Tetsuya told the truth:

"But there's nothing wrong with what she said. Aine's words are a bit unreliable, and Deng's communication skills are not good enough. Riki needs to focus on music, not to mention Lenai... Come to think of it, it seems that this kind of thing really only belongs to her."

"That's what I said..."

But, I always feel like something is a little weird.

Although according to Mu, Su Shi always seemed to have some complaints about Chihaya, but now she is the one who communicates with Chihaya most frequently in the band.

How does she view Chihaya-san?

“All problems are being solved, but there are more and more things to consider…”

Shoko Toyokawa sighed slightly, then stopped thinking about random things and began to concentrate on the work at hand.

——There are still 6 days until the Live starts.

Chapter 41: Belated adolescent troubles

Although he was also designing performance costumes, Chihaya Tetsuya could clearly feel that this time the design was much smoother than when he designed the performance costumes for love.

On the one hand, it was because the requirements for clothing quality were completely different, and on the other hand... it was also because he actually heard and understood what these girls wanted to express.

Aine who seeks recognition from others, Takamatsu Touma who longs for change, Shiina Tatsuki who lacks confidence, Nagasaki Suyo who is trapped by memories, and Kaname Rakuna who is too unrestrained.

Their directions and reasons for forming a band are different, but they are brought together by a miraculous fate and try to achieve their respective goals in the same way.

From an adult's perspective, the difficulties faced by these girls may indeed be simple matters that can be easily resolved with just a little guidance, but the problem is that they are not adults, and are destined to be unable to have such an objective and mature bird's-eye view in advance.

For these young girls who have just begun to explore their way forward, even a little bit of obstacles and fog is enough to make them lose their direction and hesitate.

“So, I chose to use the pattern design of [road signs].”

Chihaya Tetsuya showed his refined paper pattern to Chihaya Aine, who had been clamoring to see the design of the performance costumes.

"This is to provide you with guidance for the journey ahead, and at the same time, we hope that you can step directly out of the predicament."

"Can road signs... also be used as clothing patterns?"

Chihaya Aine stared blankly at Chihaya Tetsuya's paper pattern.

"And each road sign is made up of graffiti patterns...is this also your brother's design idea?"

"Graffiti symbolizes street culture, which embodies freedom and boldness. Combining the strictness of 'road markings' with the freedom of 'street culture' is the second meaning I want to express...that is, 'contradiction'."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"As a rock band, you already possess a certain level of iconoclasm. In this situation, while you navigate your own obstacles in a one-way street, you must always remember to maintain your own identity and individuality, and find your own 'direction' as you 'move forward.'"

"…………"

Amazing.

This was the only thought in Chihaya Aine's mind after listening to Chihaya Tetsuya's design ideas.

For Chihaya Tetsuya, excellent design and appearance were already basic things that did not need to be emphasized any more. However, in addition to that, the meanings and words hidden in these clothes were what made Aine marvel at them.

Whether it was the encouragement given by the one-way street sign or the thoughts hidden in the patterns of the street graffiti, Chihaya Aine was extremely amazed.

Especially when she also knew the troubles and thoughts that the members of the band were carrying, the content expressed by this dress became even more exquisite.

"Everyone, you can definitely feel it."

Chihaya Aine said firmly:

"As long as they wear the clothes my brother made for them, they will definitely feel your encouragement and guidance!"

"My encouragement wasn't just mine... The core design of this performance costume lies in the one Toyokawa designed for Nagasaki."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"In order to achieve the best stage effect, she has been revising her design for the past few days... She finally completed the final version before leaving get off work today."

"...Huh? So...it took five whole days to revise it?"

Chihaya Aine couldn't help but widen her eyes after hearing this.

"So, what's the final result of the modification?"

"very perfect."

Chihaya Tetsuya gave this evaluation without hesitation.

"Besides helping her correct some technical and professional knowledge omissions, she designed the costume almost entirely by herself. Furthermore, when I proposed graffiti and road signs as the theme, her final revisions helped us reach a consensus on the design concept..."

Having said that, he couldn't help but lean on the sofa and sighed:

"Toyokawa is truly a genius. It was a wise decision to recruit her as my assistant that night."

"…………"

Hearing this, Chihaya Aine was silent for a moment, and then asked:

"By the way...if brother really plans to start his own business in the future, then what about Toyokawa-san...?"

"Regarding this, we have already agreed that if I really set up my own studio, Fengchuan will be my first employee."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"Although she still has many shortcomings and blind spots in her fashion experience, her talent and understanding are a very reliable aid for me. For me, who already lacks connections, her presence is indispensable."

"Well--"

After hearing these words, Chihaya Aine immediately put her head in her hands and fell to the other side.

"Not only Li Xi and Su Shi have been praising her, but even her brother has been praising her..."

Having said this, she couldn't help but look up and asked Chihaya Tetsuya again:

"Brother... Between me and Toyokawa-san, who is more important to you?"

"...? What's the problem?"

Chihaya Tetsu also showed a very confused expression.

"One of you is my sister, and the other is my work partner. There's absolutely no comparison between you two, right?"

"Hmm... let me ask you another question. Between me and Hoshino Ai, who is more important to my brother?"

"This is even less comparable, right? Although Ai and I are somewhat aware of each other's current situations, before we officially meet, we are still 'lost'... How can you expect me to compare?"

Having said that, Chihaya Tetsuya cast a somewhat strange look at Chihaya Aine.

"Why are you so persistent in asking this kind of question? Did you see some weird article online again?"

"Nah……"

Chihaya Aine muttered as she sat up.

"I just suddenly felt that compared to the girls around my brother, I don't seem to have any competitiveness at all except for my identity as 'sister'..."

“Competitiveness?”

Chihaya Tetsuya tilted his head slightly, then asked:

“What is this competition for?”

"Well, I'm not sure..."

Chihaya Aine lowered her head in confusion.

She knew very well that no matter what happened or how much time had passed, Chihaya Tetsuya would always love and care about her as always.

However, whenever she thought about the fact that there was another girl who was much better than her around Chihaya Tetsuya, she would feel inexplicably anxious and bored.

"Could it be... this is the legendary 'puberty'?"

"Stop talking nonsense. It's getting late. It's time to go to bed... Don't forget, you still have school and rehearsals tomorrow."

Chihaya Tetsuya first ruffled Chihaya Aine's hair, then stood up from the sofa.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you standing on the stage in your performance costumes in five days."

"'You'...?"

"? What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"No la……"

Chihaya Aine shook her head, then stood up and staggered towards her room.

And it's hard to say how long it will take for her to fully understand her current mood...

Chapter 42: The beginning of the desire for independence

"Speaking of which... even though we haven't reached a conclusion on our mainstream debut, shouldn't we at least decide on a band name?"

During the rehearsal, Chihaya Aine suddenly remembered this:

"Otherwise, it'll be hard to MC the live show... ahem, 'Next up is... an unnamed high school girl band!' Do you want that to happen?"

“…It’s a bit annoying indeed.”

Perhaps because Chihaya Aine's imitation show was a little too real, Shiina Riki, who was suffering from empathetic shame, couldn't help but put down his drumsticks.

"Whether or not we want to debut in the mainstream, at least we need a band name..."

Having said that, she couldn't help but look at Nagasaki Suyo.

She was a little worried that this guy who kept talking about "CRYCHIC" all the time might simply suggest putting the name "CRYCHIC" directly on the new band.

Meanwhile, upon noticing Shiina Riki's gaze, Nagasaki Motoyo snorted softly before sitting down on a nearby chair, her bass in her arms, seemingly unwilling to join in the discussion...

However, staying out of it also means not intervening.

It seems that at least I don't have to worry about her doing anything unnecessary next time...

"As for the band name, does Deng have any good suggestions?"

Shiina Riki asked Takamatsu Deng very naturally.