A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Well, that’s good.

After that, she must have experienced a lot and gained a lot of insights and growth that she could not imagine.

Becoming an idol is by no means a wrong decision, and the path she has chosen seems to have been recognized and supported by everyone.

Ai is no longer the lonely and helpless little girl she was seven years ago, and he is no longer the naive boy who always hopes for luck every day and subconsciously looks towards the gate of the orphanage.

There was no need to worry about her being hurt by lies anymore, and there was no need to maintain that fragile connection.

Everyone is doing the right thing and working hard for their own future.

As a designer and also a benefactor, what he has to do has actually not changed since the beginning.

“…It’s time to get off.”

…………The next day…………

"Good morning, Chihaya-nii!"

As usual, Shoko Toyokawa greeted Tetsuya Chihaya first when she walked into the studio.

After a whole night of cooling down, she was now able to confidently call out this slightly affectionate name.

"Well, good morning, Fengchuan."

Chihaya Tetsuya's tone and expression were as calm as ever.

"You're just in time. Help me get the lace fabric from the box over there."

“Yes… huh?”

Toyokawa Shoko agreed subconsciously at first, but when she saw what was in Chihaya Tetsuya's hand, she immediately showed an expression of disbelief.

"No way, that... is a sample?"

"Well, although I've only made a rough version at the moment."

Chihaya Tetsuya nodded calmly.

"By the way, can you also get me my workbox?"

"This, how is this possible?!"

Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"I had no idea last night, but within a day, I not only finished the design but even started making samples..."

Having said that, she subconsciously glanced at Chihaya Tetsuya's face, and as expected, she immediately caught the abnormality that she had expected.

"Chihaya-san...when did you come to the studio..."

“………………three o’clock in the morning.”

Chihaya Tetsuya said without raising his head:

"I couldn't sleep, so I just came back to work."

"How could this be? Doesn't this mean that you haven't slept a wink for a whole day and night..."

Looking at the extremely obvious dark circles and the sample clothes that had already begun to take shape in Chihaya Tetsuya's hand, Toyokawa Shoko's brows suddenly furrowed deeply.

"Chihaya-nii, no matter how serious you are, you shouldn't push yourself like this."

"I've told you before, right, Fengchuan? This mission is really important to me."

Although his face was pale and haggard, Chihaya Tetsuya's tone did not waver in the slightest.

"As a way of repaying her and saying goodbye to the past, I must give my all to this dress. And this time, I used all hand-stitched embroidery. It's a very time-consuming job, and I only have two days left. It doesn't matter if I have to reduce my sleep time a little for this."

"…………"

I'm no longer as excited and happy as I was when I was designing pajamas, nor as enthusiastic as I was yesterday when I was discussing the performance costumes.

The tone, neither sad nor happy, was filled with a firmness that left no room for questioning.

Even though Toyokawa Shoko had a lot of worries and resistance in her heart, she still found it difficult to say anything against it.

As an apprentice and also as someone who was repaying a favor, she had no intention of stopping him.

In this way, Shoko Toyokawa finally placed the cloth and needle and thread in front of his workbench.

Chihaya Tetsuya simply thanked him and continued to focus on the work at hand.

「It’s really annoying, lies and all. 」

click-

[I hate lies the most.]

sizzle-

[The only thing I don't want is any lies in our relationship.]

Click——

【First-magnitude star——Hoshino Ai. 】

"Take care."

Chapter 16: People with sharp eyes can see stars even in the daytime

"[KaZoKu] Studio... Ah, I found it."

Sanjiao Chuhua, wearing a hat and mask, looked at the sign at the elevator entrance of the office building and found the destination of her trip.

"Since you're so interested in that studio, you can go check it out yourself and pick up the clothes while you're there. I'll send you the address later."

"I didn't expect that they would actually let me pick it up in the end... That's five full sets of clothes. Isn't that a bit too much of a pushover?"

Thinking back to the merciless face of his agent, Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but curl his lips.

"You should feel a little sorry for your younger generation."

Of course, although Sanjiao Chuhua was full of complaints, she really wanted to meet this mysterious designer who had a close connection with both Ai and Xiangzi in person.

In order to confirm the other party's identity as soon as possible, she even arrived here two hours earlier than the agreed time.

So, with curiosity, anticipation, and a little nervousness, Sanjiao Chuhua pressed the elevator button——

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

"Eh? You're from Watanabe Office? But...it's not even the scheduled time yet..."

The assistant in charge of reception was flipping through the reservation form with a panicked look on his face.

"Sorry, we haven't finished the costumes yet, so I hope you can wait a moment."

"Ah, don't worry about it. It was my own decision to pick up the goods early."

Sanjiao Chuhua said this while smiling and pulling down his mask under the receptionist's dull gaze:

"Because I'm really curious about what kind of costumes I'll be wearing next, so, can you let me take a look at how the costumes are made?"

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

After obtaining the consent from the studio, Sanjiao Chuhua walked into the studio under the guidance of the reception assistant.

As soon as she entered the room, Sanjiao Chuhua was immediately startled by the person standing at the door to greet her and was unable to move.

"Ah, what a lovely guest! You must be Miss Hatsuka, right? I'm the studio director, Hasegawa Shin, and welcome to our [KaZoKu]."

"Eh……"

Looking at the tall woman in front of him who was a full head taller than him, Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but reveal an extremely stunned expression:

(Such a beautiful lady. Speaking of height… she must be 1.80 meters, right? And her head-to-body ratio is so textbook fashion. It’s really amazing…)

(And her standing posture is exactly the same as that of the physical education teacher, and her aura is even better than that of the active model.)

(As for her age, she should be around 30? But her skin is really well maintained...)

Just by seeing this director, Sanjiao Chuhua immediately felt that he was in contact with the "fashion industry".

Out of curiosity, Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but ask:

"Excuse me...Have you ever been a fashion model?"

"Oh? You have good taste."

Hasegawa Shin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"That's right. Before I became a designer, I did work as a model for a while. But that was a long time ago... You're here to pick up the clothes, right? I'll go give you the finished clothes first."

"Yes... thank you for your help."

Sankaku Hatsuka nodded and watched Hasegawa disappear into a room marked "Products Room." Then, she began to look around at the other people in the office.

Because it was not Xiangzi's working hours yet, she naturally did not appear here.

This is also one of the reasons why Sanjiao Chuhua came here early. She didn't want to bring unnecessary worries and pressure to Xiangzi because of her arrival.

"This is the costume studio...how spectacular."

The spacious room is illuminated by the sunlight coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making it extremely bright and transparent. There are six huge workbenches in the entire studio, which are equipped with sewing machines, measuring tools and computers. In front of each workbench, there are employees doing their work seriously and attentively.

Some are drawing, some are cutting fabric, and some are embroidering with needle and thread... Hmm? But isn't the person embroidering a little too young?

Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but cast her eyes on the young man who was concentrating on embroidery.

(Judging from his facial features, he was probably only a few years older than me, but judging by his embroidery movements and the workstation he sat at, his status was definitely not just that of an ordinary apprentice...)

(Speaking of which, he looks terrible! Not only is he already thin, but his face is completely pale! Huh? Is work in a clothing studio really that hard? But… the others don’t look as miserable as he does… What’s going on?)

Looking at the man's extremely miserable appearance, Sanjiao Chuhua felt confused and couldn't help but worry about Toyokawa Shoko's work situation.

At this moment, Hasegawa Shin walked out of the "product room" carrying five cloth bags.

"In order, they are Miss Hoshino Ai's pajamas, your regular clothes, your performance clothes, and two sets of the same team uniforms."

Hasegawa Shin introduced the clothes in the bag one by one.

After receiving these bags, Sanjiao Chuhua immediately understood which one was not yet completed.

"So, the only thing left to do is Ai's performance costume?"

"Yeah, but it shouldn't take long—"

Having said that, Hasegawa Shin suddenly turned his head and looked towards a corner.

"Tetsuya-kun, how long will it take?"

"...Ten minutes."

A slightly hoarse voice came from the end of her sight.

"There's only a little bit of embroidery left, and then I have to do one more final check."

"Ok."

After hearing this, Hasegawa Xin's face flashed with helplessness, and then she immediately turned around and introduced Sankaku Hatsuka:

"That's Chihaya Tetsuya, the designer responsible for Miss Ai's pajamas and performance costumes... Because he used a rather complex design and all hand-embroidered, it will take a little longer than for regular costumes. Please wait for him for a moment."

"……what?"

Sanjiao Chuhua, who had seen the entire scene, uttered a surprised sound for the umpteenth time.

"He... is the designer who designs clothes for love? But, he looks so young..."

"That's indeed the case. He's only nineteen years old. He's a genuine minor."

Hasegawa Shinru said:

"However, I can assure you of his personal ability and the reputation of KaZoKu that the clothes he makes will definitely not disappoint you."

"…………"

Hearing this, Sankaku Hatsuka once again turned his gaze to the man called Chihaya Tetsuya.

It was noon, and the bright sunlight outside the window shone down on the man standing with his back to the window, casting a shadow that was incongruous with the entire studio. This pale, haggard man seemed completely cut off from the world, his expressionless face focused on his needlework, completing his work of art.

"It's like a sad religious painting..."

Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but sigh like this.

But then again, a designer who is only nineteen years old... is it really okay?