After seeing Chihaya Anon and Wakaba Mutsumi out the door, Chihaya Tetsuya returned to his room and continued to draw the designs for the first exhibition batch.
Although Misumi Uika's surprise attack during the live show had brought him a massive amount of attention, it had also, in a way, moved his original schedule forward.
He had originally planned to hold the first exhibition for [Starry Sky] after the September [TGC]. However, given the current public anticipation and momentum, he could move the exhibition up and have his official "grand opening" right after the [TGC].
"To do that, I'll need at least forty different autumn/winter designs."
Tetsuya calculated under his breath.
"Fifteen menswear sets, twenty womenswear sets, and five 'genderless' themed outfits."
As the initial pieces to showcase the brand's theme, these clothes had to be up to par in both design quality and cost control, and they needed to reflect his personal style as much as possible. Then, on the day of the exhibition, he would consult with Chief Hasegawa about production and sales targets based on the orders from various buyers...
(There's more and more to think about.)
After finishing the draft for the fringed skirt in his hands, Tetsuya let out a long breath.
Back when he was working at [KaZoKu], as an associate designer, he basically only needed to think about design matters. Things like marketing, profit margins, and even public relations were things he only had a cursory knowledge of before.
It was only when he actually started running his own brand that he finally understood why many famous designers would voluntarily join other brands instead of striking out on their own.
If it weren't for the trustworthy partners he had by his side, he probably would have been defeated by the incredibly heavy workload, losing the energy to focus on design—
"Tetsuya, I'm back from my mother's."
Just then, Nagasaki Soyo's voice came from outside the door.
"Are you awake right now?"
"Mhm, I'm awake."
Tetsuya replied directly.
"You can come right in."
"Then excuse me."
Soyo pushed the door open, then sat directly on Tetsuya's bed and opened the file folder in her hands.
"Regarding the venue for the exhibition, my mother recommends we choose Shibuya. On one hand, our brand's current audience and followers are young people, so it's a better fit for the overall environment of the Shibuya commercial district. On the other hand, she predicts that the advertising space in Shibuya will be dominated by [Summer Zodiac] for the next few months, so holding the exhibition there will give us a major promotional advantage."
At this, Soyo pulled out a stack of documents and leaned forward to hand them to Tetsuya.
"Of course, another rather important reason is that my mother knows people there, so they'll cut us some slack on both the rent and venue support... Take a look. These are the prices and specific layouts for the different exhibition halls. I looked through them earlier, and I personally recommend the one at the very top."
"..."
Tetsuya nodded and took the documents, reading them carefully.
After comparing the hall Soyo recommended with the other options, he immediately understood her reasoning.
"You're probably planning to make use of this small stage located in the center, aren't you?"
"Exactly."
Soyo nodded.
"After all, we have the invincible ace that is [Summer Zodiac] in our hands for the next year. It would be too much of a waste not to use it. We won't even need the two of them to perform. They just need to wear the two exclusive outfits you made. Just them standing there will be the most persuasive advertisement."
As she said this, she couldn't help but recall her mother's serious evaluation during their negotiation at the company—
[The commercial potential brought about by that concert and those two performance outfits has far exceeded my imagination. From now on, I'm officially upgrading the collaboration regarding "Starry Sky" to a formal contract with our company. Soyo, you need to keep a close eye on little Tetsuya from now on. I can't find a boy more outstanding than him, not even among my own clients! It might sound a bit strange coming from me, but Soyo, as a strong woman of the new era, you must act decisively when the time comes!]
(Even if you say that... how am I supposed to 'act'?)
Soyo, who had been running around all day, leaned wearily against the headboard of Tetsuya's bed.
(I can't just seduce Tetsuya recklessly like Hoshino Ai, can I?)
Although she also liked Tetsuya very much, she pursued a more stable and reassuring relationship rather than a momentary thrill. Just like today, even though her precious day off was occupied by work, she didn't complain in the slightest and even felt a sense of fulfillment from the bottom of her heart.
Perhaps she couldn't provide Tetsuya with the kind of help that would lay the foundation for his future, with irreplaceable talent and vision like Sakiko could. But at the very least, she could help him shoulder some of this work that was within her ability, allowing him to spend more time on design.
And just seeing Tetsuya sign the documents she handed him without hesitation was enough to make Soyo feel his trust and reliance on her. As for other things, like physical desire and pursuit...
(Well, I do want to! But Anon is always clinging to him these days, and Mutsumi has been reading in the living room recently. There's just been no opening to make a move...)
Soyo grumbled to herself.
But just then, she suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Anon or Mutsumi at all since she got back, and there was no sound of piano practice coming from the opposite room either.
"By the way, are Anon and Mutsumi home right now?"
Soyo couldn't help but ask.
Tetsuya answered truthfully:
"They said they had something to do, so they went out together."
"!"
Eh? Does that mean... it's just him and me in the house right now!?
"When did they leave?"
"Just now, probably about ten minutes ago."
"Did they say when they'd be back?"
"They didn't say, but Anon did tell me beforehand that I don't need to wait for them for dinner."
Tetsuya said, handing the signed documents back to Soyo.
"Looks like it'll just be the two of us for dinner tonight."
"Is that so..."
After getting Tetsuya's answer, Soyo couldn't help but widen her eyes.
In other words, from now until dinner time, it's just me and Tetsuya in this house?!
[As a strong woman of the new era, you must act decisively when the time comes!]
And her time to "act" might be right now!
Looking at the side of his face as he lowered his head once more, the desire that had been buried deep in Nagasaki Soyo's heart finally began to burn quietly.