When Chihaya Tetsuya heard the doorbell ring, he assumed it was Anon, having forgotten her keys and come back to get them.
However, when he opened the door and saw the unfamiliar girl he had never met before, he froze on the spot.
"Good afternoon, Chihaya-san!"
The brown-haired girl first gave him a cheerful bow, then introduced herself with a vibrant voice.
"My name is Sumita Mana, and I'm a new member of [Summer Zodiac]! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"New member..."
After hearing this introduction, Tetsuya had to expend a great deal of effort to pull a fraction of his brainpower away from the designs and clothes that currently consumed it to recall this matter. After a good while, he belatedly nodded.
"Ah, right, I think I remember hearing something about that..."
Then, he replied to the girl before him with a somewhat wooden expression.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sumita-san... May I ask why you've come to my home?"
"The manager asked me to deliver this to you!"
Mana said as she took a folder out of her bag.
"This is the information on all the artists and models who have been confirmed for the [TGC]! She said you might need it, so she specifically asked me to bring it over!"
"...I-I see."
Perhaps it was because the girl's aura and smile were too sunny, but Tetsuya, who had just been holed up in his room focusing on his work, found it difficult to adjust to the temperature difference, which was like going from mid-winter to high summer.
Even so, he did his best to squeeze out a polite smile.
"Thank you for your trouble, making you come all this way for something like this..."
"It's no problem, it wasn't any trouble at all!"
Mana shook her head.
"I've actually been looking forward to meeting you, the unsung hero who has been silently supporting our two senpais, and the genius designer who created those two solo performance outfits! Ah, here's a small gift. Please accept it!"
With that, Mana handed Tetsuya another bag she was holding.
When he saw the design on the packaging, he couldn't help but let a word escape.
"...Donuts?"
"Yes! They're the signature item from my favorite dessert shop!"
Mana said with immense pride.
"Anyone who likes sweets will definitely fall in love with them... Ah, whoops, I forgot to ask... do you like sweets, Chihaya-san?"
"Please don't worry. I like all kinds of food."
Seeing the uneasy look on Mana's face, Tetsuya immediately took the bag.
"And my little sister also loves these kinds of photogenic sweets... Hm?"
As he took the bag, he was startled by its substantial weight.
Meanwhile, Mana first patted her chest in a gesture of relief, then a radiant smile bloomed on her face once more.
"That's great! I didn't know which flavor you'd like, so I bought one of every kind the shop has!"
"..."
Tetsuya first looked as if he was questioning his life choices as he hefted the bag again. Then, he glanced at the faint sheen of sweat on Mana's forehead and stepped aside.
"If you don't mind, please come in and sit for a while. Take a short break."
Tetsuya said.
"As it happens, there's something I'd like to ask you as well."
"Ah, okay!"
Mana, who was about to tell him "don't go to any trouble," immediately nodded and agreed upon hearing there was business to discuss.
And so, welcomed by Tetsuya, Sumita Mana stepped into his home—
...
"Sorry, I'm not very good at making tea, so this is all I can offer you."
Tetsuya brought a chilled drink over to Mana.
"Not at all, you've gone to so much trouble already. I'm embarrassed."
Mana took the glass with a grateful expression and downed it in one refreshing gulp.
"Hah— I'm saved! Thank you for the drink!"
"...It's nothing."
Watching Mana's completely frank and undisguised reaction, and the cheerful aura that emanated from her every move, Tetsuya felt his own mood being slightly lifted.
"Give me your glass, I'll get you another."
"Ah, no need to trouble yourself! That one was enough to get my spirits up!"
Mana made a muscle-flexing pose.
"Besides, I'm controlling my calorie intake recently. One drink every now and then is enough!"
"..."
Tetsuya looked down at the girl.
"I don't think that's necessary."
"It's not about my figure, it's a display of self-discipline!"
Mana said with great seriousness.
"Being able to join an amazing group like [Summer Zodiac] is a miracle that I need to thank the heavens for! To make myself worthy of this miracle, I have to show my 'sincerity' as much as possible! And strict self-discipline is one of the ways I show that sincerity!"
"Ha, hah..."
Faced with Mana's exaggerated, almost believer-like attitude, Tetsuya let out a sound of mild confusion.
While [Summer Zodiac] was indeed a very popular group at the moment, if the agency was letting her join, that must mean they trusted her abilities, right? Was it really necessary to be this grateful?
Tetsuya couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
But speaking of [Summer Zodiac], he had another question that was bothering him.
"By the way, why were you the one to deliver this file, Sumita-san?"
Tetsuya asked.
"Normally, they would send someone I'm more familiar with, wouldn't they?"
"Ah, because both senpais are very busy recently!"
Mana answered truthfully.
"Ai-senpai is busy with recording for the new album and practicing her runway walk with a modeling coach, and Uika-senpai has another band project on top of her walking lessons. Plus, I really wanted to come and say hello to you, so the manager gave me this task!"
"Runway walk..."
Hearing this, a thoughtful expression appeared on Tetsuya's face.
"Isn't it a little too early to be practicing that, three months in advance?"
"Well, I don't know the specifics, but it seems this year's [TGC] is going to be on a much larger scale than previous years."
Mana said.
"Usually, only popular celebrities and young models appear at the [TGC], but this time, it seems a top model who has walked in Milan Fashion Week is also going to be on stage. In order not to lose the finale spot, both senpais decided to start intensive training early, so they can also deliver a world-class walk at the [TGC]!"
"...What?"
Tetsuya couldn't help but be startled by this answer. He quickly opened the folder Mana had brought him.
Sure enough, after flipping through just a few pages, he immediately saw the world-class model she had mentioned.
"Fantina. A model who has walked the runway at Milan Fashion Week. Why would a model of this caliber come to the [TGC]..."
"It seems she was invited by this year's organizers."
Mana said.
"I overheard it when the manager was in a meeting. This time, the organizers have invited a lot of fashion magazines and media that wouldn't normally pay attention to the [TGC]. Plus, with that unprecedented warm-up exhibition in August, this year's [TGC] won't just be for young audiences, but also a grand event that will receive a lot of attention from the fashion world! As for the reason... it seems someone on the organizing team strongly insisted on it... but I don't remember who—"
"..."
Jean-Pierre Stanley.
Such a sudden and whimsical change of rules made the name pop into Tetsuya's head instinctively.
According to Yamabuki Yachiyo, this top designer often threw his surroundings into chaos with his whims. Coupled with the fact that the expanded scale of the event was very similar in nature to the August exhibition, Tetsuya was almost one hundred percent certain that this was another one of that designer's selfish acts.
A top model who has walked in Milan Fashion Week, paired with a world-class top designer...
Tetsuya's mood instantly became several shades heavier.
Already lacking confidence that he could win against the other in terms of clothing, Tetsuya now felt his chances were even slimmer.
Can he really withstand this pressure and produce fashion that can compete with such a terrifying combination?
Can he really, in the face of such a powerful enemy, protect Ai's and Uika's position as the 'protagonists'?
If, due to his incompetence, Ai and Uika were to lose to this Fantina... would he still have the face to continue being those two girls' 'exclusive designer' in the future?
Just as his thoughts were spiraling into a vortex of self-doubt, Mana's voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
"Chihaya-san, what's wrong?"
Mana looked at the somewhat dejected Tetsuya with a puzzled expression.
"You look quite unhappy. Did I say something wrong by accident?"
"...Not at all."
Tetsuya shook his head.
"I just feel... like my chances of winning are getting smaller and smaller."
"Chances of winning?"
Mana was taken aback by the phrase, then couldn't help but ask.
"About what?"
"This [TGC]. I was originally hoping to help Ai and Uika win the finale spot."
Tetsuya said in a solemn tone.
"But, because of a certain top designer and the addition of this fashion model, it might be difficult for me to win against them with my current skills..."
"Oh, I see..."
Mana, who understood the literal meaning of his words, first nodded, then said.
"So, it's something like a man's pride?"
"...Huh?"
Hearing this strange phrase, Tetsuya was taken aback.
"Wh-what? A man's pride? Why would you suddenly say something like that, Sumita-san?"
"Eh? Am I wrong?"
Mana asked back with a strange look on her face.
"Because your tone, Chihaya-san, sounded like you were shouldering all the responsibility yourself. I've seen a similar plot in an idol drama before! Something like, 'I don't want my woman to lose to anyone else'..."
"No, no, setting aside the fact that 'my woman' is a bit of an overstatement, this should be called 'a designer's dignity,' shouldn't it?"
Tetsuya quickly shook his head in denial.
"I just don't want them to lose the finale spot because of me—"
"You say that, but winning that spot isn't just up to the designer's efforts alone, right?"
Mana said.
"In fact, in this kind of situation, the competition between the models is more important, isn't it? If the clothes are beautiful, but the model can't bring out their charm, that's the real defeat... No, wait, in the first place, just being on the [TGC] stage means there's no such thing as 'defeat,' right? For idols to win the 'First Look' spot is already a miracle in the idol industry, not to mention being on the same stage as a world-class model. Isn't that already a win?"
"Already... a win?"
This was a perspective he had never heard before, and it made Tetsuya's train of thought grind to a halt.
Mana continued.
"As for that top designer, I don't really get it, but I heard you're only three years older than us, Chihaya-san. To be able to hold an exhibition with a top designer and even compete for the finale spot at your age... if an achievement of this level can't satisfy you, then I think you're either being a little too greedy, or it's what I just said, 'a man's pride' acting up!"
She said with a look of conviction.
"After all, the [TGC] itself isn't a place for competition, it's a festival for all the young people in Japan to enjoy fashion together. There's no need to fight to the death over it. Rather than fighting for the finale spot, becoming the model who enjoys the runway the most at the fashion show is also a kind of victory, you know."
"..."
Mana's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Tetsuya's head, instantly calming his mind.
A man's pride, being too greedy...
And instead of fighting for the finale spot, become the model who enjoys the runway the most?
"Sumita-san, I'm going to get some snacks. Would you mind chatting with me for a little longer?"
Under Mana's surprised gaze, Tetsuya said.
"Your opinion... is crucial for my upcoming design!"
"...Huh?"