A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"? Who else?"

Sakurakoji Luna asked curiously:

"Besides us, is there anyone else who noticed Chihaya Tetsuya?"

"Well, not many, but there are some... For example, the Watanabe Agency, to which Ms. Hoshino Ai works, hasn't made a clear statement, but the fact that they're still working with Mr. Chihaya shows their confidence in him. And then... there's another company I'm not familiar with. They contacted me out of the blue yesterday and seem interested in investing in Mr. Chihaya's brand."

Yamabuki Yachiyo slowly spoke the name of the company in a somewhat bewildered tone.

"The name of that company... is Nagasaki Economic Consulting Company."

Chapter 14: Dinner Time for Nagasaki Mother and Daughter

This day is special for Nagasaki Suyo.

Because her mother finally made some time to come home and have dinner with her.

"...Even though it was just the sushi I ordered."

Nagasaki Suyo's mother shook her head regretfully.

"If I had known I could spare the time tonight, I would have invited the chef to my house directly."

“You don’t have to go to that extent.”

Nagasaki Suyo shook her head.

"Just being able to talk to Mom... to my mother for a few more words like this is enough for me."

"Su Shi..."

Nagasaki Suyo's mother touched her daughter's hair with a look of pity on her face.

"I'm sorry, did you feel lonely? But there's nothing I can do. After all, this is for our happiness..."

"..."

After hearing this, Nagasaki Suyo pursed her lips slightly.

She could feel her mother's care for her and never doubted her love for her, but even so, she still could not get what she desired most from the "happiness" described by her mother.

However, it doesn't matter.

She is not such a willful child.

As long as I know that my mother still loves me and will not disappear like my father, that's enough.

and so……

"it does not matter."

Nagasaki Suyo smiled and said:

"I don't have to worry about anything. Both my studies and the band are going well."

"band……"

When she heard this word, Nagasaki Motoyo's mother suddenly showed an expression of enlightenment.

"Oh, yes, Su Shi has a new band now! How is it? Do you need mom to buy you new instruments or something?"

"No, I don't need anything now."

Nagasaki Suyo couldn't help but smile bitterly and waved her hand:

"Even the costumes for the performance have been prepared for us."

"Oh?"

After hearing this, Nagasaki Motoyo's mother immediately showed a very curious expression.

"What costume? Can you let me take a look?"

"Ok."

After hearing this, Nagasaki Suyo immediately took out her phone and pulled out the photo that she had taken under Chihaya Aine's almost pleading attitude.

"Wow, what a cute dress!"

Nagasaki Motoyo's mother sighed like a high school girl, with a limited vocabulary but rich emotions.

"Which girl is so clever and dexterous?"

“We didn’t make these clothes.”

However, in response to her mother's question, Nagasaki Suyo shook her head slightly.

“It was done by the brother of one of our band members.”

"Oh..."

Nagasaki Suyo's mother blinked, then moved closer to Nagasaki Suyo's mobile phone screen and began to look at it carefully.

"...That member's brother is a practitioner?"

"He is indeed a professional, and a very talented young designer. He and his apprentices were responsible for the entire design and production of this costume."

Nagasaki Suyo was somewhat surprised by her mother's comments.

"Mother obviously doesn't know anything about clothes, right? How could she tell at first glance?"

"Eh? Because there aren't many boys making clothes, right? I can't think of any other reason besides being a professional."

Nagasaki Suyo's mother gave a reason that made Nagasaki Suyo speechless.

"But... I'm really concerned that you've praised me like this."

Because of her daughter's additional explanation, Nagasaki Suyo's mother suddenly became more interested.

"How much did he charge you?"

“It’s free.”

Nagasaki Suyo answered truthfully:

"After all, his sister is here."

"Even so, the entire process from design to production is incredibly time-consuming and laborious. Furthermore, these clothes look so beautiful. As someone in the industry, he's a bit too generous..."

Nagasaki Motoyo's mother showed a rather surprised expression.

"He must love his sister very much, right?"

"………………Um."

Nagasaki Suyo looked away and replied softly:

"He really dotes on his sister. As his sister's friends, we have also received a lot of care from him."

"That's great! A man who is responsible and values ​​his family is a real good man!"

Nagasaki Suyo's mother immediately said with admiration:

"Su Shi, if you want to find a husband in the future, you must find this type!"

“! What are you talking about?!”

This overly abrupt topic made Nagasaki Suyo subconsciously straighten her back.

"I, I never looked at him that way!"

"Hey, don't react so strongly. I'm talking about the future, the future!"

Nagasaki Suyo's mother said carelessly:

"By the way, which company does this designer work for now? I'd like to take a look!"

"here we go again……"

For Nagasaki Suyo, her mother's "occupational disease" of frequently investigating other people's workplaces has long been commonplace.

"He's currently working as an assistant designer at the KaZoKu studio for the EGAO brand, but... he's about to strike out on his own and start his own brand."

"...Huh? At this time?"

The carefree smile on Nagasaki Motoyo's mother's face suddenly faded a little.

"The clothing industry has been quite volatile lately. Quite a few small and medium-sized brands have been acquired by nozAK!. Furthermore, since they've gained financial backing, their shady dealings have increased. Many of my clients have withdrawn due to their disruption..."

She muttered to herself and asked subconsciously:

"Who on earth would dare to sponsor a personal brand at this time...ah."

Halfway through the questioning, Nagasaki Motoyo's mother suddenly realized that the person sitting in front of her was not a colleague from the company, but her own daughter.

However, just as she was about to apologize for her negligence, her daughter actually gave an answer:

"...It's a young lady named Sakurakouji Luna."

Nagasaki Motoyo shared this information that she had recently obtained during a conversation with Wakaba Mutsu.

"The two sides have already negotiated the contract. Once he finishes his current work, he will officially start preparing to start his own business."

"Sakurakouji Luna..."

After hearing this name, Nagasaki Motoyo's mother's expression became completely serious.

"This was our consulting firm's biggest enemy last year. I never want to be questioned about the logic behind such a capricious investor again... But she's been pretty quiet in recent months, so why would she suddenly invest in a personal brand now?"

And as far as she knew, while Sakurakouji Luna's investments were haphazard, they were generally in well-known or promising companies. What on earth could have attracted this reckless young lady to a studio like this, bucking the industry trend and with an uncertain future?

……

"Su Shi."

"Yes?"

"Have you invited this designer to your celebration party this weekend?"

"Eh? Ah, well, her sister did say she would come..."

"Okay, then, this weekend... I'll also take an hour or two off."

Under Nagasaki Suyo's somewhat bewildered gaze, her mother said:

"I'd like to meet this designer for a bit."

Chapter 15: Before moving into the future

"Mr. Chihaya, now all the fabrics you ordered have arrived."

At the KaZoKu studio, the staff of Ogi Fiber compared the delivery form in their hands and officially handed it to Chihaya Tetsuya for signature.

Because it is a family business, this young employee is also one of the future managers of the fabric factory.

"I didn't expect you would want to use such a special fiber to make clothing. To be honest, I'm looking forward to the final product."

"Thanks for your hard work."

After Chihaya Tetsuya finished signing, he handed the delivery form back to the employee.

"So, regarding what we discussed the other day...is there really no room for further negotiation?"

"…I'm so sorry, Chihaya-san."

The employee shook his head with regret:

"If you had discussed this with my father earlier, there might have been some wiggle room... But now, at least as far as I know, all the fabric manufacturers in Tokyo should have signed new contracts with [nozAK!], so you'll have to find a way out from outside... Or, if you're willing to postpone the launch of your own brand for a few years, maybe we could have a chance to work together! You're still so young, there's definitely no problem—"

"I understand your difficulties and choices... but I have my own reasons."

After hearing this, Chihaya Tetsuya did not show any disappointment, nor did he say any complaints to the employee in front of him who rejected him.

"Goodbye, Mr. Di. I hope we can have the opportunity to cooperate again in the future."

"..."

For this employee, Chihaya Tetsu of KaZoKu is also a client with considerable cooperation value.

Although he is a designer, he is not like other colleagues who talk to themselves and are difficult to communicate with. Moreover, his knowledge of fabrics is better than other designers.

Not only that, the strength of this young designer should not be underestimated. The fact that he was promoted from assistant to deputy designer in just half a year is enough to show his potential and growth rate.

However, the adult world is very cruel.