A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"Just a nap can't cause such a big change in a person's condition, right?"

Chihaya Aine couldn't accept their answers at all.

"Something decisive must have happened during this time! But it's impossible for my brother to lie to me... Hmm, what's going on..."

"..."

Faced with his sister's suspicion, Chihaya Tetsuya's gaze involuntarily drifted away.

Although what he and Su Shi did was just child's play compared to what happened in the hotel that night, but thinking back to that nightgown that was so bold that it made his body hot just by thinking about it, Chihaya Tetsuya really couldn't tell his sister all the details.

Meanwhile, Nagasaki Motoyo noticed that Chihaya Aine's expression had become increasingly cautious and uneasy. She also put away her malicious smile and said in a slightly serious tone:

"Don't worry, Aine. We really didn't do anything extreme, and I don't intend to 'surpass' you and Hoshino Ai. In a sense... I should be the least threatening to you two right now, because everything I wanted has been realized by Tetsuya this afternoon."

Having said that, Nagasaki Suyo slowly turned her head and looked at Chihaya Tetsuya with eyes full of happiness. Faced with her undisguised statement, Chihaya Tetsuya did not dare to speak at all. He just silently picked up the water cup and tried to hide his hesitation by drinking water.

On the other side, after hearing what Nagasaki Motoyo said, Chihaya Aine frowned and thought for a moment before saying:

"Although I don't know what exactly happened, this should be a good thing worth celebrating for Su Shi, right?"

"……kindness."

Nagasaki Suyo nodded.

“To me, today is as important as the day we founded CRYCHIC.”

"Well, since you've spoken so sincerely, I can't pursue it any further..."

Faced with Nagasaki Motoyo's sincere self-confession, Chihaya Aine, who had committed a crime with Hoshino Ai before, suddenly shrank her neck with a guilty conscience.

"And Su Shi does seem to be much more positive now than before. If everyone can be happy, there's nothing wrong with that, um..."

(Compared to the extremely possessive Hoshino Ai, Aine-san's defense is practically useless.)

Looking at Chihaya Aine who had let down all her vigilance and precautions, Wakaba Mu couldn't help but think so.

The brother and sister's innocence and kindness doomed them to be passive victims in the days ahead. If Xiangzi wanted to take the initiative, then Aiyin would be the easiest hurdle to overcome.

As for Su Shi... now that she has achieved what she wanted, she will be invincible even if she does nothing next, right?

……

As long as he continues to be with Chihaya-san, will Shoko be able to make an expression like hers?

And when Xiangzi finally gets what he wants and achieves his ideal ending, will she be able to find her own happiness?

"so good……"

Looking at the natural and gentle smile on Nagasaki Suyo's face, Wakaba Mu lowered his head slightly and whispered again the exclamation that he had repeated countless times.

69

Chapter 69: Thus said the proud man who works alone.

"I didn't expect you to reach an agreement with her so quickly."

After listening to the report from Wakaba Mutsu on the phone, Toyokawa Shoko finally put down the pencil in her hand.

"Then I'll just have to coordinate with her regarding the specific salary and benefits, as well as the band's activities. Thank you for your hard work, Mu. Actually, inviting new members is something I should be in charge of as well."

【It was my decision to invite Miss Yutenji, so I should be responsible for it myself.】

Wakaba Mu's voice came from the microphone.

[The reason Xiangzi asked me to leave the Wakaba family was to let me learn these things, right?]

“…Yes, you are right.”

Shoko Toyokawa held the phone between her shoulders and used her other hand to gently knead her fingers, which had marks from holding a pen for a long time.

"But I didn't expect you to grow so quickly... Is it because of Tetsuya-kun's influence?"

[Well, actually, I’m not too sure…]

In response to Toyokawa Shoko's question, Wakaba Mu's tone became a little hesitant.

Chihaya-san didn't do anything special for me, but just seeing him working hard for his brand and for the people around him makes me want to try my best too...

"That's right, that's it."

After smoothing out the indentations from her fingertips, Shoko Toyokawa picked up her phone again, stood up, and stretched her stiff legs in the room.

"I had the same feeling when I first met Tetsuya-kun. He was clearly just doing his job seriously, but he was able to inspire those around him to move forward with him. Should I say it's infectious, or is his existence itself very inspiring? In short, for people like us who have seen so much of the complexities of human nature, such pure and kind people are indeed easy to be mesmerized."

【…】

After hearing Toyokawa Shoko's sentiments, Wakaba Mu was silent for a while before he said:

[The same goes for Sushi. Since being with Chihaya-san, she's been smiling more and more, and she's become happier and happier. Now, she's completely considered Chihaya-san as her home. Judging from her expression... no matter what choices Chihaya-san makes in the future, she'll always be by his side.]

"Well, when I first heard that she moved upstairs from Tetsuya-kun's house, I already thought it would be like this."

Toyokawa Shoko was not surprised at the choice made by Nagasaki Suyo.

"Compared to a group of children who have yet to decide on their future, Tetsuya-kun is someone more worthy of her heart and soul."

Coupled with their inseparable work relationship, a living environment that is almost like cohabitation, and Tetsuya-kun's own charm that needs no explanation, this heavy dependence will naturally develop to the level of entrusting one's life to someone.

"What about Tetsuya-kun? How did he respond?"

[Although this is just my guess, he seems to have decided to respond properly to Su Shi's dependence.]

Recalling what Nagasaki Suyo confessed to Chihaya Aine, Wakaba Mutsu said:

[In a sense, she has become a "lunwai character" who will never fail, just like Aine and Hoshino Ai.]

"..."

After hearing this expected answer, a hint of bitterness inevitably emerged in Toyokawa Shoko's heart.

She was the first one to meet Chihaya Tetsuya, she was the first one to fall in love with Chihaya Tetsuya, and she was still the one who decided to become Chihaya Tetsuya's strength... However, at this time, Nagasaki Suyo had undoubtedly taken the position beside Chihaya Tetsuya before her.

As for the reason, in addition to Su Shi's own charm and her ability to take care of others... the more important reason is her mother who has a keen eye and is willing to provide unconditional help to her and Zhe Ye.

The only condition Nagasaki offered to support Chihaya Tetsuya was that they remain close, a condition that both of them had always sought. In other words, Nagasaki Motoyo not only faced no "obstacles" in her pursuit of Chihaya Tetsuya, but also found "help" that bound them together.

As for herself...

……

【Shoko...】

The long silence made Ruoye Mu unable to help but make a worried sound.

"Although you might not be happy with what I said, I think you can rely on Chihaya-san a little more... You should have seen the message I sent you, right? In order to provide clothing support for "AveMujica", he is secretly studying your favorite gothic culture and design. 】

“…Yes, of course I saw it.”

A complex smile, a mixture of emotion and bitterness, appeared on Shoko Toyokawa's face.

“He always takes a lot of notes when he encounters new designs and cultures. I saw this when I first designed costumes for a performance.”

"So Xiangzi should understand, right? Just like you're working hard for your future and Chihaya-san's, Chihaya-san also wants to help Xiangzi..."

If Ye Muru said:

[So, if Xiangzi feels that it is difficult to work hard alone, why not try to share the burden with Chihaya-san——]

"I know what you mean, Mu."

Toyokawa Shoko Shoko interrupted Wakaba Mutsu.

"After experiencing the disbandment and reconciliation of [CRYCHIC] last year, I am no longer as paranoid and stubborn as I used to be. There will definitely be times in the future when I need Tetsuya-kun's help, but at least not now."

"Even if that's the case, you wouldn't keep such a distance from Chihaya-san, right?"

Ruoye Mu was still very confused.

[Shoko, who arranged the music for this live, was also invited to the celebration party, but Chihaya-san was completely unaware of this and never mentioned anything about working with you—]

"Well, after all, I really didn't plan to act with Tetsuya-kun."

Toyokawa Shoko looked out the window at the night sky and said:

"As for the reason, it's actually not complicated. It's just that among the important people attending tomorrow, especially those in the music industry, there's a high probability that they'll know about 'Toyokawa Shoko'. It would be bad if Tetsuya-kun and [StarrySky] were looked at differently because of me."

Tomorrow's celebration party is a precious opportunity for Chihaya Tetsuya and [Starry Sky] to expand their network. In order to prevent the negative rumors about the Toyokawa family from affecting other guests' first impression of him, Toyokawa Shoko decides to avoid Chihaya Tetsuya as much as possible and act alone tomorrow, and to win all the support she needs in the name of [AveMujica].

"Don't worry, Mu, this is just temporary patience. Once [Ave Mujica] officially starts its activities, I will be able to return to Tetsuya-kun openly."

And before that day officially arrives, she will have to continue working hard on her own for a while.

It is to protect her own dignity, but also to protect the ideals of those she admires.

As for during this period, how many people will be able to get ahead of him and win his promise and response?

How long will it take me to catch up to the starting point of others?

……

No matter what, we can only keep working hard... Shoko Toyokawa.

"After all, life is such an unfair thing."

Listening to the white noise on the other end of the phone, which had no clear response, Toyokawa Shoko returned to the coffee table and picked up her pencil again.

70

Chapter 70 The celebration banquet begins.

The celebration party was held in a private club in Ginza, and the invited guests, in addition to the people involved in the live show, were all industry insiders who had close dealings with Watanabe Office.

Photographers, stylists, musicians, directors, producers... the lineup basically covers all industries related to "idols". According to the agent, they were all the people who took the initiative to ask to cooperate with [SummerZodiac] after watching the live performance.

"It's a good thing they didn't hire any famous designers from Paris or Milan, otherwise I wouldn't even have the courage to show my face."

Chihaya Tetsuya looked at the list in his hand that he had specially asked for from his agent and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The agent standing next to him said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"After all, the idol industry primarily caters to young people, while designer brands cater to high-net-worth individuals in the upper class. Generally speaking, there's no overlap between the two, just like how high-end brands never appear on TGC... That being said, there was indeed a French designer on the president's original invitation list."

At this point, she suddenly thought of something and took out her cell phone to check the list again.

"But he hasn't given us any response yet, so we can't confirm whether he will actually be there."

"Ah, is that the one marked as 'pending', whose name is [JP]?"

Chihaya Tetsuya recalled the only abbreviated name that was specially marked on the list.

The agent nodded and said:

"Yes, that's him. He's a friend the president met overseas. It seems he's planning to start a new project in Japan soon... But that kind of thing is obviously not something I should be concerned about."

"That's right."

As she just said, high-end designers and idols usually exist in completely different worlds. For this dedicated agent and producer, designers from overseas really have little to do with her.

"Compared to this designer whose presence is uncertain, these are the ones you should focus on today."

The agent pointed to a few names on the list.

"For example, this Mr. Kachi is very likely to be the chief stylist for this [TGC], so getting to know him would definitely be a good idea. And this Ms. Ichihara is both a renowned photographer and the owner of a private boutique. If you can make a good impression on her ahead of time, it will definitely be beneficial to the initial development of your brand..."

Just like that, the agent told him all the names she had screened in advance that might be helpful to Chihaya Tetsuya.

"Anyway, this is all I can do to help you. As for how to win their support, that's up to you."

"Yes!"

After Chihaya Tetsu patiently wrote down these names and their corresponding identities, he immediately bowed to her with gratitude and said:

"Thank you very much for your guidance and help. I will definitely work hard to seize this opportunity!"

"Don't be so polite. After all, I'm just trying to make my idol happy, and..."

Having said that, the agent suddenly looked at Chihaya Tetsuya meaningfully.

"Perhaps through your support, we will become the first idol agency to reach in-depth cooperation with a high-end fashion brand in the future."

"……Yes!"

Sensing the underlying meaning of these words, Chihaya Tetsuya nodded vigorously.