A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Chihaya Tetsuya's suggestion made her involuntarily recall her spacious but cold home and the loneliness she felt when CRYCHIC had just disbanded.

Before this, Nagasaki Suyo had never considered a future other than being in a band. However, after talking about this topic just now, some new ideas began to emerge in her mind.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but whispered quietly:

"Long-term peace of mind and companionship..."

It seems that she has found what she has been looking for.

On the other side, Chihaya Aine returned to reality, swallowed the unhappiness and irritability that had just surged in her heart, and picked up the guitar again.

She looked at the other members of the band, and when she found that everyone had a similar expression, an unprecedented sense of power and excitement surged in her heart.

She could clearly feel that from this moment on, the band had finally reached a consensus in the true sense.

"Not only for ourselves, but also for my brother... Let's work hard together!"

——There are still 5 days until the Live starts.

Chapter 44: The pull from Tokyo's night sky

Under the overloaded activity of Hoshino Ai, Sankaku Hatsuka's main task was only to compose new songs for the May Live.

However, for this talented girl who loves music very much, this arrangement made her full of entanglement and hesitation.

"If love's plan can't be stopped... this live will probably be the last one of [Summer Zodiac]."

With such thoughts in mind, Sanjiao Chuhua really couldn't treat the creation of new songs with a normal mind.

"...Let's go out and relax."

Although it's getting late, if I can't calm down, I won't make any progress even if I waste time here.

Thinking of this, she stood up, grabbed her coat, and subconsciously prepared to go out. However, as she was about to step out of the house, the baseball cap that she had specially placed on the coat rack at the door reminded her of something very important -

"Ah, a hat and a mask..."

This was the first "gift" she and Hoshino Ai received from the agency after their idol debut, and it was also the first training course they received - self-protection.

She often forgot all these things during the early days of her debut. However, with the popularity of her first MV and the activeness of Hoshino Ai, she has become a super popular new idol. If she goes out alone at this time, she will easily be recognized and cause unnecessary trouble.

As for the other side… In order to hide Hoshino Ai's highly recognizable eyes, the agency even specially prepared a pair of very old-fashioned sunglasses for her. While such an outfit is conspicuous to a certain extent, it does indeed hide her face, which is like a gift from the gods.

"...If she could focus on her idol career, she would definitely create an idol legend that is unprecedented and unparalleled."

Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Although most of the outside world's comments on her focus on her appearance...but Ai's merits are far more than that."

For example, the observation skills she gained from her time in the orphanage, and the acting skills she honed in that harsh environment.

The most direct manifestation of these two points is her performance at work.

When facing younger or less experienced colleagues, she will actively act "clumsy" or "careless" to reduce the other party's nervousness and leave the other party with the impression of "innocence" and "naivety".

When facing older or serious people, she will also show a serious attitude. Even though her business ability still has a lot of room for improvement, at least she will not give people a bad impression of "improper attitude".

This impeccable adaptability earned her the favor and admiration of almost all the staff. Although it sometimes sparked jealousy and criticism from others, compared to the recognition she had earned, these voices were probably not even noise.

Among all the people Sanjiao Chuhua has come into contact with, perhaps only Xiangzi's intelligence can be compared with her.

"But... such a smart girl would actually give up everything for a relationship."

Sanjiao Chuhua was quite emotional about this.

"Just how deep is her obsession... that would lead her to make such a choice?"

However, while feeling emotional, Sankaku Chuhua also did not forget the scene he had seen in the [KaZoKu] studio.

Chihaya Tetsuya's complete concentration on clothing is enough to reveal his feelings towards love.

Perhaps the two people's feelings and thoughts did not agree, but at least the choice to burn themselves for each other was enough to prove that the bond and longing between them had not weakened in the slightest even after seven years.

……

So, when the day comes that the two of them meet, how will Chihaya-san respond to love?

Although according to Xiangzi...Mr. Chihaya has already decided to reject his love.

But...depending on the way of rejection, Ai will definitely take different countermeasures.

If Chihaya-san's rejection was too direct or resolute, then... Ai would definitely take more extreme and forceful measures than that.

By then, there might not be any need to wait until the live performance in mid-May. Love might just start her actions ahead of time and end everything.

"……Ugh."

Thinking of this, Sanjiao Chuhua's mood suddenly became more complicated.

In order to dispel these distracting thoughts as quickly as possible, Sanjiao Chuhua opened the door, hoping to take a walk to dispel the lingering heavy worries in his heart.

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

Sanjiao Chuhua has loved the starry sky since he was a child.

On the small island of her hometown, whenever night falls, countless bright stars light up in the clear and deep night sky.

She enjoys the feeling of weightlessness and floating in space when looking up at the starry sky, which makes her feel that the worries and pressure in her heart become insignificant.

It’s a pity that the Tokyo sky is filled with too many complex and brilliant lights.

Even though there was no more noise on the street to distract her, she still could not find what she needed most at this moment among those stars.

After wandering aimlessly on the street for a long time like a lost child, she suddenly remembered something she had mentioned in a casual chat with Toyokawa Shoko before -

"Oh right... I remember Xiangzi said that under the influence of Chihaya-san, she also liked riding the night train."

According to her, the slight rocking feeling and the noise mixed with the sound of wind and rail friction seem to be relaxing.

As for those neon lights that we regard as pollution, from another perspective... they may also become another kind of scenery worth appreciating.

With a little curiosity and helplessness of having nowhere to go, Sanjiao Chuhua set out on the road to the tram station.

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

If you think about it carefully, what exactly does she think of Hoshino Ai?

First of all, gratitude

Without Hoshino Ai, she would not have been able to gain such popularity and attention as an idol and singer in such a short period of time.

Secondly...it should be envy.

There was an instinctive admiration for her beauty, an appreciation for her sharp intellect... and also a longing for the bond between her and Chihaya Tetsuya. Even though that costume revealed many unresolved misunderstandings and gaps between them, the passionate and devoted love they shared was undeniable.

As for the last part, it should be a complaint about her giving up the [Summer Zodiac] without hesitation and rushing into the foolish act on her own.

However, this is just a minor complaint at best.

She had no right to deny Hoshino Ai's feelings, nor did she have the right to interfere with her choice.

She simply hoped that Hoshino Ai could choose a more appropriate, gentle way that would not hurt anyone to convey her feelings to Chihaya Tetsuya.

But now it seems that the conditions for achieving this outcome are no longer on Hoshino Ai.

If we really want the story to have a perfect ending where no one is hurt, we can only place our hopes on that person—

"……Eh?"

"……what."

That is the man in front of me who is leaning his forehead against the car window.

Chapter 45: Late-night topics are often extensible

"Mr. Chihaya...how did you recognize me right away?"

This was the first question that Triangle Chuhua had after taking his seat.

She thought she had disguised herself well enough, but she was genuinely confused by Chihaya Tetsuya's lightning-fast recognition.

"I'm wearing a hat and a mask."

"Because I'm a designer, I'm more sensitive to body proportions."

Chihaya Tetsuya answered very directly:

"Your model-level figure is rare to begin with, and the color of your hair and eyes that are exposed are enough for me to recognize you."

"…………"

The identity of a designer is really a bit tricky.

Although he probably recognized his identity through this, this explanation, which was completely mixed with compliments, could be said so openly.

Sanjiao Chuhua, who had originally planned to take off her mask, suddenly felt a hint of heat rising on her cheeks. In order to slightly cover up the change in her expression, she simply pulled the mask down below her lips.

"Besides that, Miss Sanjiao is riding the train at this time... Could it be that she just finished work?"

On the other side, Chihaya Tetsuya asked curiously.

After hearing this, Sanjiao Chuhua shook his head slightly.

"No, I haven't made any progress in composing music, so I wanted to come out and relax and adjust my state of mind."

Having said this, she paused for a moment before continuing:

"By the way, I heard about this way of relaxing from Xiangzi."

"Eh? So, it's because of me?"

Chihaya Tetsu was also stunned after hearing this.

"I feel... a little sorry."

"? Why would Mr. Chihaya want to apologize?"

"Because of me, the idol has developed such dangerous interests..."

"What kind of ambiguous and misleading statement is this?"

Sankaku Hatsuka complained about Chihaya Tetsuya's wording and glanced at him with a smile.

However, she couldn't help but gasp when she noticed that there was no trace of playfulness on Chihaya Tetsuya's face as he was joking, but an expression of extremely serious reflection.

What? So he was serious about what he just said? Was he truly sorry for what happened?

"Um... Chihaya-san, this is just a normal topic that girls bring up when chatting. You don't need to take it so seriously!"

Sanjiao Chuhua hurriedly explained:

"Besides, I only came here to give it a try this time. I won't come here often enough to cause a commotion, so it's okay!"

"Ah, that's right."

After hearing this, Chihaya Tetsuya also showed a relieved expression.

"That's good... Although there are basically no passengers at this time, Miss Triangle's appearance is still quite recognizable, and your fans will easily recognize her. Considering the time, it's best to be vigilant... By the way, if you don't mind, if you want to take the last train to relax in the future, you can contact me in advance. Anyway, this time is very close to our working hours, so it's not inconvenient for me-"

"Eh... that would be too much trouble for you."

Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but waved his hand:

"Taking up Mr. Chihaya's rest time for a stranger like me is inappropriate no matter how you look at it!"

"It doesn't matter. For me, taking the last train is the best way to relax."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"And as Toyokawa's childhood friend and Ai's companion, Miss Sankaku is no stranger to me... Speaking of which, this time Ai's matter was also made possible thanks to your advance notice. Thank you very much, Miss Sankaku."

"I'm doing this for myself and Xiangzi...so it's okay if you don't thank me so formally, Chihaya-san!"

Faced with Chihaya Tetsuya's series of words filled with sincerity and honesty, Sankaku Hatsuka couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

Although she didn't intend to really do this, if she really contacted Chihaya Tetsuya at this time in the future and said that she wanted to take the last train to relax, she believed that Chihaya Tetsuya would come immediately to act as her protector.

While this thoughtfulness was touching... was it really okay? Was he sacrificing his most precious rest time to someone else just for a few insignificant chats? And the most terrifying thing was, Sanjiao Chuhua was almost certain that he had no intention of protecting him at all!

Oh, by the way, speaking of this, there seems to be a sentence in Ai’s evaluation of him: "It is quite easy to attract boys of the opposite sex."

Originally, Sankaku Hatsuka thought that this was just a compliment to Chihaya Tetsuya's maturity and thoughtfulness. However, through her two brief encounters with him, the reason why he attracted the opposite sex was probably not just that simple.

Should we say it's natural or unconscious? In any case, Chihaya Tetsuya's words and actions always have a kind of unguarded and misleading frankness.