A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Page 133

"Toyokawa! You're here too!"

When he saw Toyokawa Shoko, whom he hadn't seen for a few days, a smile suddenly appeared on Chihaya Tetsuya's face.

"I was thinking of calling you over after I'd finished preparing for the new studio, but I didn't expect Ms. Yamabuki to call you over right away."

"about this……"

After hearing what Chihaya Tetsuya said, Toyokawa Shoko hurriedly explained:

"Actually, I didn't come here because I received an invitation from Maid Yamabuki. After helping Chuhua finish composing the music, I came to Sakura Mansion every day... and took tutoring lessons from Maid Yamabuki with Miss Luna."

After that, Toyokawa Shoko told Chihaya Tetsuya that she was going to enroll in Filia Girls' Academy as a companion student to Sakurakouji Luna.

"I see. This is indeed a win-win proposal..."

After hearing this, Chihaya Tetsuya nodded thoughtfully.

"But this will inevitably reduce the time Toyokawa can spend working with me."

"...That's true."

Although Toyokawa Shoko's expression seemed a little lonely, she had already made up her mind at this time.

"However, in order to keep up with Chihaya-san in the future and to go further on the path of designer, this is indeed a very valuable opportunity for me! So... I'm sorry, Chihaya-san. I vowed to be your number one employee before this, but I failed to serve you wholeheartedly!"

"Eh? Toyokawa, you don't need to apologize at all!"

Seeing the extremely guilty expression on Toyokawa Shoko's face, Chihaya Tetsuya quickly said:

"I'm not saying you're refusing to join my brand because of this. I'm just reducing my work hours. There's nothing to apologize for! And you agreed to this proposal for my sake, right? How could I possibly blame you? I'm actually really touched by your ambition!"

"But……"

"No problem, anyway, I think this is a great decision! I support you!"

Chihaya Tetsuya gave a thumbs-up to the girl in front of him.

"I'm looking forward to the day when you learn something and surpass me!"

"If that's the case, then you should witness this process in person. After all, we invited you here today to discuss this matter..."

The voice of head maid Yamabuki suddenly came from behind the gate of Sakura Mansion.

Then, in front of Chihaya Tetsuya's somewhat puzzled expression, Maid Yamabuki said:

"We hope you can join us as a teaching assistant next year at Filia."

……

"Although I know that for you who are about to open a personal brand, this decision may take up a lot of your work time. But please believe me, this proposal will definitely benefit you more than it will harm you——"

"Hey, please wait a moment!"

In the reception room, before Head Maid Yamabuki analyzed the pros and cons of this proposal, Chihaya Tetsuya first raised his question:

"I understand why you invited Fengchuan, but why did you invite me too?"

"Well..."

After hearing this, Maid Yamabuki hesitated for a moment before saying:

"There are two main reasons for inviting you. First, the young lady admires your design concepts and talents, so she's very interested in you. Second, it's for my own selfish reasons. As you know, Luna-sama isn't very good at socializing. Although she'll be attending school with several other young ladies who have a good relationship with her next year... I still hope that through you, I can increase her opportunities to interact with the opposite sex."

Having said that, Head Maid Yamabuki couldn't help but reveal a somewhat worried expression.

"Ms. Luna is still young, so it might seem unnecessary for her to interact with the opposite sex. However, she will eventually have to leave Sakura Mansion and interact with the outside world. If she continues like this, I simply cannot be at ease. Before she graduates from Filia and enters society, I believe she needs further socialization."

"..."

Faced with these remarks that sounded like a "guardian", Chihaya Tetsuya immediately fell into deep thought.

From Maid Yamabuki's perspective, this proposal was indeed well-founded. Not only could it secure a teacher for this young lady who aspires to become a designer, but it would also allow her to develop the necessary social skills.

But the problem lies in his own position.

He was about to establish his own brand. In order to quickly gain influence in this uncharted industry, he had to race against time to secure a living space for himself! If he really agreed to Maid Yamabuki's proposal, he would inevitably have to spend part of his time as a teaching assistant, which would conflict with his own plans.

So... although it was a pity that he couldn't accompany Toyokawa Shoko to school, he could no longer give up his time so easily.

Thinking of this, Chihaya Tetsu also raised his head, ready to reject the proposal of the head maid Yamabuki.

Then, as if she had seen through Chihaya Tetsuya's attitude, Maid Yamabuki suddenly took out a document.

"This document contains the names of students who will be enrolling at Filia next year, as well as their family backgrounds, according to my current research. I'd like you to review it before making a formal decision."

"..."

After hearing this, Chihaya Tetsuya took the list and read it carefully.

Soon, the intelligent boy immediately understood what the head maid Yamabuki was intending.

"Fabric factories, textile factories, even logistics and large shopping malls..."

Chihaya Tetsuya instantly realized that what he held in his hand was not an ordinary list, but a huge treasure trove called "network resources" -

"Next, let me formally analyze the pros and cons for you."

Yachiyo Yamabuki said:

"Would you like to become a well-known fashion brand throughout Japan within a year?"

Chapter 79: Future Investment.

The reason for KaZoKu's defeat this time is actually very simple, that is the overwhelming lack of resources.

As a subsidiary studio, KaZoKu has only four designers, excluding Chihaya Tetsuya, who designs costumes for Hoshino Ai and Mikado Hatsuka. The rest of the staff are assistants and pattern makers. While four designers might be sufficient for a full-fledged ready-to-wear studio, it's far from enough compared to NozAK!, which is aggressively acquiring other brands.

It was for this reason that Chihaya Tetsuya used the word "luxurious" to describe the clothes he saw that day.

The dance costumes corresponding to each program can be seen as the work of different designers, and the fabric and details of each costume are enough to show the work of the sample maker.

Just for a single commission, they directly mobilized almost the entire human resources of a small brand.

It was precisely this extravagant waste of wealth that made Chihaya Tetsuya realize the other party's true advantage.

“In this world, only the highest-end luxury brands can ignore scale and win industry recognition with just a small number of high-quality products.”

Maid Yamabuki said:

"For the average designer, it's unrealistic to expect to achieve this goal overnight, and this is even more true for business owners. If you want to make a name for yourself in the fashion industry, relying solely on yourself and the limited resources you have is definitely not enough."

"..."

Chihaya Tetsuya naturally understood this truth.

He certainly had the ability to design outfits for Hoshino Ai and Mikado Hatsuka that would garner praise from the entire idol industry, and even the fashion industry. But if the demand were to multiply several times, his own abilities alone would be far from enough to fill the gap in design resources.

"However, no matter how big their scale becomes, if their quality can only be maintained at the current 'good' level, they will ultimately not be able to become a truly leading fashion brand."

Yamabuki Yachiyo suddenly changed the subject:

"That's why I'm not optimistic about NozAK!'s prospects. Perhaps in the early stages of their expansion, they're still enjoying dominance in the low- and mid-range markets thanks to their excess resources. But as long as their designs remain as flawed as they are now, their position will remain limited. If a brand emerges from behind with quality and fashion that surpasses their expectations, while also maintaining a stable scale and production capacity, the situation will be completely different."

Having said that, she gestured again to the list in Chihaya Tetsuya's hand.

"Now, do you understand the value of this list?"

"……Yes."

Chihaya Tetsuya felt that the list in his hand suddenly became extremely heavy.

It is not just the companies behind these young ladies, but more importantly, if a relatively harmonious relationship can be established with them, then after they graduate, this high-threshold fashion college may even become an extremely reliable and high-quality "talent market" -

"And all I have to pay is to occasionally take care of Miss Sakurakouji and spend some time training my future designers."

Faced with such generous conditions, Chihaya Tetsuya sighed.

"You've convinced me, Miss Yamabuki. I can't think of any reason to refuse."

"Then the negotiation is established."

Head Maid Yamabuki smiled and took the list back from Chihaya Tetsuya.

"By the way, by the way...Mr. Chihaya, do you have a lover?"

"……No."

Although he did carry the feelings of two girls, Chihaya Tetsuya still gave a negative answer.

"And there won't be any in the short term."

"Really... Well, in that case, you'd better be careful then."

Head maid Yamabuki, or her future colleague Yamabuki Yachiyo, couldn't help but shake her head.

"After all, these days, the daughters of wealthy families are more difficult to deal with than the other."

……

After completing the negotiations, Chihaya Tetsuya left the reception room under the leadership of Yamabuki Yachiyo.

However, he did not leave immediately, but followed her to the basement of Ying Mansion.

That is the studio of Luna Sakurakoji herself.

As soon as the two entered the basement, they heard an argument between two students:

"So, this treatment clearly goes against the inherent advantages of chinos."

"You're the one who should think outside the box! Your designs are so boring because you're so conventional."

"Because rather than being interesting or not, I focus on practicality, just like Chihaya-san!"

"That's something we'll have to wait until you officially start working. Of course, your regular prototypes should be more daring!"

“……”×2.

Chihaya Tetsuya and Yamabuki Yachiyo exchanged a helpless glance before each of them stepped forward to mediate the dispute, which lacked a clear solution. They then explained the outcome of their discussion to the two.

Then, Chihaya Tetsu also saw very clearly how a smile gradually appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's cheeks -

"That's great, Chihaya-nii!"

Toyokawa Shoko's tone was filled with unconcealable anticipation.

"This way, we'll actually be able to spend more time together than before."

She really couldn't imagine how pleasant her school life would be if she could meet Chihaya Tetsuya at school.

But then, the eccentric young lady suddenly said something that made her expression freeze -

"It's just as a servant~"

"What did you say!?"

"Although I did say I wouldn't constrain you with the requirements of a servant, if a 'companion student' with such an arrogant attitude appeared in Filia, a noble school, it would probably cause quite a bit of controversy. I don't mind my words, but for someone who has always valued the opinions of others, can you really accept criticism from others?"

Sakurakoji Luna smiled and said:

"By the way... I've already made a maid outfit for you. How about trying it on now?"

"Absolutely not!"

Toyokawa Shoko first glanced at Chihaya Tetsuya beside her, then immediately refused with a blushing face:

"I'll try it myself when I get back!"

"Eh? Chihaya Tetsuya will see it sooner or later anyway, right? And I think the maid outfit designed by Yachiyo really suits you--"

"Stop rambling, I'm definitely not wearing it today!"

Shoko Toyokawa's attitude was extremely firm.

"Nothing can be said!"

"Even if Chihaya Tetsu wants to see it himself?"

As Sakurakouji Luna spoke, she looked at Chihaya Tetsuya with a slightly malicious smile.

"How about it, Chihaya-san? Do you want to see Toyokawa in a maid outfit?"