Upon returning home, the moment his head hit the pillow, Chihaya Tetsuya completely lost the strength to open his eyes again.
Although he hadn't calculated it precisely, in the last three days of making the stage outfit, he seemed to have only slept for a total of about six hours.
The overloaded work had squeezed his last bit of energy dry; he didn't even have the strength to take off his suit jacket.
And in the instant before his consciousness completely faded, an image like a vision suddenly appeared before his eyes—
He saw Hoshino Ai, wearing the stage outfit he had made, standing on a stage that was the center of everyone's attention.
The dazzling lights shone only on her, causing the golden star embroidery on her clothes to bloom with an incredibly brilliant light.
That girl who once had nothing, lonely and helpless, had now truly become the [First-Magnitude Star] on this stage.
His applause was drowned out by the tsunami-like cheers, and his vision was gradually obscured by the increasingly brilliant lights.
(This way, my longing and apology for her... should all be conveyed, right?)
With this thought, Chihaya Tetsuya's consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
However... he wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that on the stage that was gradually receding, those sparkling purple eyes seemed to still be watching him closely.
But at this moment, he had absolutely no extra energy to think about these things. Overwhelming fatigue swept over his entire consciousness in an instant.
And so, Chihaya Tetsuya finally got his first good night's sleep in a week.
...
[Tetsuya-kun, after becoming a designer, do you have any "ambition"?]
[..I hope to bring a feeling of warmth and comfort to more people.]
[That's just your "design philosophy," isn't it? What I'm talking about is a force that can compel you to keep moving forward in this industry.]
[Compel? You mean, without ambition, it's impossible to persevere?]
[That's right. After all, a person's passion and love will eventually be worn down by reality and time. In order to have the strength to remain in this industry, you only have two choices... one is "compromise," and the other is a "reason" that drives you to never give up. And that reason, we generally call it "ambition."]
[Compromise and ambition...]
[So, Tetsuya-kun, I'll ask you one more time. After becoming a designer, do you have any "ambition"?]
[...]
[Alright, as a newcomer, you probably can't find the answer so quickly. But at least before you compromise with reality, I hope you can find it.]
[Find that "ambition" that belongs only to you, one that will never let you stop.]
...
"..."
As if urged on by Director Hasegawa's words from his dream, Chihaya Tetsuya's consciousness gradually awoke from the chaos.
And when Chihaya Tetsuya forced his eyes open and looked out the window, he was very surprised to find that the sky outside was almost the same as before he had closed his eyes...
(*Could it be that I didn't sleep for long at all?*)
The moment this thought appeared, it was immediately dispelled by the splitting pain in his throat.
Then, he took out his phone to check the current time, only to find that his phone had completely shut down due to a dead battery...
(*Ah... right, the battery was already low at the studio... Speaking of which, how many times have I forgotten to charge it.*)
Looking at the sleepy-eyed, messy-haired "wild man" on the phone screen, Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but sigh:
(*Besides making clothes, I really can't seem to do anything right...*)
In any case, he should charge his phone first... or should he get a drink of water first?
And so, Chihaya Tetsuya, while hesitating, rolled over and got out of bed, then subconsciously sat down at his workbench...
...
(*No, that's definitely not it, no matter what.*)
This overly foolish conditioned reflex, on the contrary, instantly cleared Chihaya Tetsuya's head quite a bit.
At the same time, he also discovered that his suit had, at some point, been replaced with a full set of pajamas...
(*When did Anon change them for me? And I didn't even notice the process at all...*)
Just how deeply had he slept?
Speaking of which, Anon must be furious about him not coming home for three whole days...
*No, I have to apologize right away!*
Thinking of this, after quickly plugging his phone into the charger, Chihaya Tetsuya immediately started moving, wanting to complete the preparations before his apology.
However, the moment he pushed open his door, Chihaya Anon's voice immediately came from the living room.
"Heh... so you're finally awake?"
On the living room sofa, Chihaya Anon, holding a guitar in her arms and a wet wipe in her hand, looked at him with a blank expression.
"You've been asleep for a whole day. I was starting to think you'd never wake up again!"
"...A day."
Thanks to his sister's sarcastic "well-wishes," Chihaya Tetsuya was now certain of how long he had slept...
No wonder the sky outside looked exactly the same as before he slept. So he had slept for a whole day.
*No, my throat hurts even more now that I know the specific duration...*
"There's warm water in the kettle."
At the same time, as if seeing through her brother's thoughts, Chihaya Anon pointed to the kettle on the table.
"There's toast and fried eggs in the fridge that I made for you this morning... but even if you reheat them now, they probably won't taste good anymore."
"..."
At this moment, no matter how dense Chihaya Tetsuya was, he should be able to hear the dissatisfaction in his sister's tone.
In order not to provoke Anon any further, it was best for him to first maintain his basic vital signs, and then think about how to coax his sulking sister.
Thinking of this, Chihaya Tetsuya wasted no more words and walked straight into the kitchen...
...
"Thank you, Anon."
Not long after, having devoured all the food in the fridge, a revived-from-the-brink Chihaya Tetsuya sat down next to Chihaya Anon.
"If you weren't at home, I probably would have died of loneliness here."
"..."
Faced with Chihaya Tetsuya's thanks, Chihaya Anon acted as if she hadn't heard, merely wiping her guitar quietly with a wet wipe.
And faced with such a deliberate cold shoulder, Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but sit up straight in embarrassment.
"Um, I'm sorry. I was too focused on work these past few days, so I barely came home... I'm really sorry for making you feel lonely."
"..."
The movement of Chihaya Anon's hands gradually slowed down.
Seeing this, Chihaya Tetsuya continued:
"But for now, all my work is done. Plus, the director was very satisfied with my design this time, so I probably won't have to go back to the studio for the entire Golden Week."
Or rather, even if he did go, he would probably be sent straight home...
Remembering the smile-less look in Director Hasegawa's eyes, Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but shiver.
"...Really?"
Chihaya Anon was finally no longer silent, glancing at Chihaya Tetsuya with suspicion.
"You won't leave me at home alone again, and disappear for three whole days?"
"Absolutely not!"
Faced with his sister's questioning, Chihaya Tetsuya gave her a very serious guarantee.
No matter the reason, the fact that he had left Chihaya Anon at home alone would not change. For his "crime" of these past three days, Chihaya Tetsuya had no intention of making any excuses.
Compared to useless excuses, he preferred to offer actual compensation.
"As compensation for these three days, I'll grant you any one wish within my power!"
Chihaya Tetsuya said with the utmost seriousness:
"Anything I can do, whatever it is."
"...Anything?"
"Mhm."
"You said it."
Hearing this, Chihaya Anon finally stopped pretending to be angry. Just as if she had long expected her brother to make this promise, her face instantly broke into her usual cheerful smile, and she stated her request without hesitation:
"Then, for the entire Golden Week, you have to stay home and practice guitar with me!"
Under Chihaya Tetsuya's somewhat surprised gaze, Chihaya Anon announced as such:
"Because soon, I'm going to form a band with my classmates!"