A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

This is both his way of repaying a favor and his apology to Hoshino Ai.

Apologize for not being able to stay with her after that, apologize for not being able to find her after that.

"But even so, making two pieces of clothing from scratch within a week is still a bit too much..."

Chihaya Aine, who has some knowledge of clothing making under the influence of her brother, is a little worried about this.

"Although I know that my brother is very good at making clothes, is it really okay if you rely on yourself?"

Chihaya Aine never doubted Chihaya Tetsuya's ability.

Design, proofing, cutting and sewing.

These tasks should have been coordinated by a team, but Chihaya Tetsuya was able to do it all by himself.

However, the difficulty of this work does not lie in the difficulty, but in the one-week time limit.

It would be too difficult for Chihaya Tetsuya to complete so much work within a week by himself.

Furthermore, Chihaya Tetsuya was still in the process of finalizing the design. If he couldn't find a suitable design idea within a short period of time, the deadline would become even tighter...

However, Chihaya Tetsuya also had his own preparations for this.

"Don't worry, I've asked the director to help me recruit assistants. If nothing unexpected happens, we should have results today—"

Jingle bell bell bell!

As if hearing the conversation between the two, Chihaya Tetsuya's cell phone suddenly rang at this moment.

When Chihaya Tetsu saw the name on the caller ID, he immediately stood up.

"Good morning, Director Hasegawa!"

Chihaya Tetsuya bowed to the empty space in front of him.

On the other side of the phone came a very gentle and mature female voice:

Good morning, Tetsuya-kun. I just received a call at the studio. Someone's looking to apply for the position of your assistant. Is tonight a good time for the interview?

"Tonight...?"

Having said that, Chihaya Tetsuya subconsciously looked at Chihaya Aine, as if hesitating whether to change the interview time.

However, Chihaya Aine simply waved her fist at him, pretending to cheer him on.

"...I understand. Let's set it for tonight."

[Okay, I'll reply to her like this.]

"Yes, thank you, Director!"

How is your design progress?

"For now... I don't have any particularly good inspiration."

"If this is too much of a stretch, then I'd better leave the costumes to someone else—"

"It's okay on my end! I'll definitely be able to finish the work within this week!"

Chihaya Tetsuya quickly said after hearing this:

"Please, just this once... please give me this chance."

[Although Tetsuya-kun has always been very serious, he seems to be working extra hard this time... I understand. I'll trust you this time.]

Faced with Chihaya Tetsuya's earnest request, Director Hasegawa thought for a moment and agreed:

"Speaking of the assistant, I've tentatively decided to meet you at the cafe across from the studio. Since you're hiring this assistant personally, I'll leave the salary and other matters up to you... Is that okay?"

"no problem."

[Very good, then I'll leave the studio to you for the next week. I have to return to the "EGAO" headquarters to attend the meeting for this year's Spring Fashion Week... See you next week, Tetsuya-kun——]

"Um, wait a minute! You haven't told me the name of the interviewee yet..."

[Ah, look at my memory, it's really getting worse and worse...]

Director Hasegawa smiled and then said the name of the girl who came to apply for the job -

Her name is Toyokawa Shoko, so don't forget her.

Chapter 4: High School Uniforms in the Evening

Chihaya Tetsuya didn't think much about why the interview was scheduled at night. After all, he was a true nocturnal animal.

However, Chihaya Aine was very concerned about this.

"If the person is a woman...wouldn't it be strange to choose an interview at night?"

Chihaya Aine frowned and said:

"If I go out alone for an interview at night and come home too late, wouldn't it be dangerous on the road?"

As a girl who once lived alone abroad, Chihaya Aine is particularly sensitive to such safety issues.

"...You reminded me."

After hearing this, Chihaya Tetsu immediately nodded, agreeing with Chihaya Aine's statement.

"When the interview is over, I'll take her home."

"Hey, wouldn't that make you come home even later?! But... well, there's nothing wrong with you doing that, brother..."

Faced with her brother's gentlemanly behavior, although it did reduce the time they spent together, Chihaya Aine could not say anything to object.

(Well, it’s only tonight anyway, so I’ll just bear with it for now…)

Although Chihaya Aine is an out-and-out brother-con, she is essentially a good child who cares about others.

"By the way...what kind of person usually works as a designer's assistant?"

Chihaya Aine asked curiously.

"It's hard to say. She could be a student at an art university, a seamstress with years of experience, or even a pattern maker who's been unemployed at home..."

Chihaya Tetsuya pinched his chin and recalled what he had seen and heard at work:

"I've even seen housewives working as assistants before, and their skills were surprisingly good... maybe they used to work in the clothing industry."

"Oh... the range is surprisingly broad."

Chihaya Aine nodded in understanding at first, then suddenly had an idea and pointed at herself.

"What about me? Can I be my brother's assistant?"

"Well……"

Under Chihaya Tetsuya's influence, Chihaya Aine did possess a certain degree of draping and sewing skills. However, her subtle fashion sense made it difficult to entrust her with any work.

"You still have to prepare for the entrance exam, right? Plus, it takes time to adapt to the new environment... Yeah, it still doesn't work."

"Oh, that's great~"

Because she didn't have much hope in the first place, Chihaya Aine didn't feel disappointed when she was rejected.

"So, brother, what time do you usually work?"

"Not necessarily, but it shouldn't be later than midnight at the latest."

"Eh? It's too late! Won't this affect my classes at the university?"

"…………"

After hearing this question, Chihaya Tetsuya was silent for a while, and then said:

"I've dropped out of Yihua University."

"……………………………………What?"

For a moment, Chihaya Aine couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with her ears.

Only after she looked at Chihaya Tetsuya again and confirmed that there was no joking in his eyes did she ask in a trembling voice:

"Quit, quit school?! Why? Brother, didn't you work so hard to get into Yihua?"

"...That happened several months ago, so let's not talk about it."

Faced with Chihaya Aine's hesitation and questioning, Chihaya Tetsuya shook his head and refused to answer the question directly.

"Furthermore, in the apparel industry, what takes a year to learn in college can be learned in just a month on the job. Direct employment requires a wealth of basic skills and work experience, both of which I luckily possess. Now that I've found the job that suits me best, dropping out of college doesn't matter."

"But……"

Ding-dong-

The sudden ringing of the doorbell interrupted Chihaya Aine's words before she could finish them.

Unable to let go, she stared closely at Chihaya Tetsuya, trying to read something from his calm face.

However, Chihaya Tetsuya didn't intend to respond to his sister's gaze, but walked directly to the door to greet the delivery man outside...

Although Chihaya Aine was full of confusion and worry, she could tell from her brother's series of reactions that he didn't want to talk about this topic for the time being.

Realizing this, Chihaya Aine had no choice but to bury this question deep in her heart. She shook her head slightly to put aside the distracting thoughts, then stood up from the sofa, ready to have lunch with her brother for the first time since returning to China.

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

After lunch, the brother and sister started cleaning.

In addition to clearing the piles of unused manuscripts, the two also did a series of housework together, such as sweeping, mopping the floor, washing clothes, and replenishing daily necessities.

Although Chihaya Aine repeatedly said that she could do these things by herself, Chihaya Tetsuya insisted on accompanying her.

"Doing things that I wouldn't normally do will help stimulate my inspiration." Although this statement was obviously a lie, Chihaya Aine really couldn't resist the temptation of doing housework with her brother.

The warmth and busyness that she had been away from for a long time made Chihaya Aine once again truly experience the feeling of "going home".

After a series of busy times, time soon came to seven o'clock in the evening.

That is the time when Chihaya Tetsuya is about to go out for an interview.

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

【Have a bon voyage...Please come back soon.】

Thinking back to Chihaya Aine's reluctant look before she left, Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth slightly.

Even though the two were not related by blood, and even though Aine had already entered high school, some things were destined not to change.

Family, affection, warmth, trust.

These wonderful things that he had once dreamed of, he now has.

Because of this, he hopes to convey what he wants to say most to Hoshino Ai through this work -

(Thank you, love. Now I have obtained what I desire most...so, I also hope that you can get your own happiness.)

He didn't know the idol, nor did he know what kind of life Hoshino Ai led after that.

He only knew how to make clothes, so this was the only way he could convey his feelings and thoughts to her.

Absolutely no failure.

We must complete this task well.

We must produce a work that leaves no regrets!

Try your best, rack your brains, and devote your all without reservation.

This was Chihaya Tetsuya's decision.

In order to turn this determination into achievements and actions, this interview is also crucial.

As a helper in his work and a helper to help him fulfill his wish, he must make sure that the person he recruits is a trustworthy companion.

Thinking of this, he immediately quickened his pace again, eager to meet the interviewee.

However, when he actually arrived at the interview location and saw the "prospective assistant" he had been waiting for for a long time, he showed an extremely stunned expression——

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Chihaya Tetsuya. My name is Toyokawa Shoko."

A pretty and lovely girl in a high school uniform with long blue hair bowed gracefully to him.

"Please take good care of me during this interview."