August 1st, Wednesday.
In the future, some people would jokingly refer to this as an "earthquake" in the French fashion world.
…
A Parisian publishing house released a novel centered on fashion and reflections on the human spirit.
The Tears of the Muse, written by the Japanese author "Reader," officially appeared in bookstores large and small across the country. The novel's fresh and unconventional content shattered many traditional notions. Its protagonist, Shibukawa Ryuuji, was a fashion designer who entered the French fashion industry as a newcomer. Through his experiences and observations, readers—even those in the real world—found themselves captivated, as though they were glimpsing the future of fashion itself.
There was Chanel, embodying the style of high society women—elegant and minimalist.
There was Dior, renowned for its emphasis on sculpting and enhancing the human silhouette.
There were countless top-tier luxury brands, each armed with ingenious marketing strategies and visionary designers.
One passage in the novel offered an exaggerated description of Hermès handbags: [If a miserly millionaire wore cheap clothes from head to toe, yet his belt, wallet, and other accessories were unmistakably luxury goods, then his wife was undoubtedly hard at work buying enough products to qualify for the handbag she wanted.]
Every one of these brands was French.
With unmistakable admiration, the author painted a vivid portrait of a French fashion industry flourishing in all its diversity and brilliance.
The fashion capital of the world!
Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, and London Fashion Week were collectively known as the world's four major fashion weeks. Held twice a year—once for the Autumn/Winter collections and once for Spring/Summer—they drew fashion icons, celebrities, models, and journalists from across the globe. Two of these prestigious events took place in France. Through vivid prose, the novel conveyed the grandeur of these occasions so convincingly that readers felt as though they were standing inside a cathedral of art itself.
The story used an amnesiac genius designer as its point of entry. Through the eyes of Shibukawa Ryuuji, a Japanese designer, readers were led into that dazzling world, where Japanese minimalism pierced the fashion industry like a sharpened blade.
A journalist who enjoyed reading novels casually flipped through his newly purchased copy.
Before long, he slapped the table in delight.
"The France in this novel is incredible!"
This was by no means an insult to his homeland.
National power and international influence were separate matters. The real French fashion industry did not possess such an astonishing variety of elite brands, nor could it completely overshadow Britain. Yet within the novel, France stood at the very summit of the fashion world, crowned with the laurels of the Muse herself.
It greatly satisfied the French competitive spirit.
The journalist immediately sought out his colleagues to investigate whether these brands had any real-world counterparts.
The conclusion was simple:
None of them existed.
Not in France, not in any of the European nations that had endured world wars and economic decline.
While the French fashion industry remained among the world's finest and arguably held the unofficial title of number one, its momentum had recently begun to fade. A new generation of designers had yet to fully mature, and Britain, the United States, and Italy all refused to acknowledge France as the undisputed ruler of the fashion world.
The journalist's professional instincts immediately picked up the scent of a major story.
He flipped to the sections discussing marketing strategies. The most effective tactic, according to the novel, was always "scarcity marketing", where essentially a strategy of never fully satisfying the customers, and always keeping them wanting more. Then there was the bizarre rule requiring customers to purchase other products before they could buy a handbag. Somehow, this had turned the brand's bags into status symbols in their own right.
As he read the novel's endless praise of the so-called Birkin bag—whose price had supposedly risen so high that even millions could not guarantee a purchase—he could not help marveling at the lengths to which women would go.
["The Hermès Birkin Bag."]
["During a flight, a famous French singer once complained that she couldn't find the large handbag she wanted. In response, the president of Hermès personally designed a handbag to meet her needs and named it after her. Thus was born the Birkin bag, which would later become famous throughout the world."]
"It sounds completely plausible," the journalist muttered. "Too bad we don't actually have this celebrity in our country."
Then inspiration struck.
"What if I use it in an article promoting luxury handbags? How many people would assume it's real and start looking for bags from this 'Hermès' brand?"
"And I can add a link on the website that leads directly to bookstores!"
The moment the idea formed, he lunged for his desk and began furiously drafting his article.
He was determined to get ahead of everyone else and use this remarkably creative foreign novel to create a sensation.
The theme would be:
"The Luxury 'Brands' of the French Fashion World You've Never Heard Of!"
Cause a stir, cause a stir, cause a stir!
All kinds of news articles and gossip began to ferment...
In less than half a day, countless people had already come across headlines such as "Ten French Brands You Didn't Know About," "The Most Expensive Crocodile-Skin Birkin Bag," and "How Many of These Brand Logos Have You Seen?" Their curiosity was immediately piqued.
As if we need someone else to introduce French fashion brands to us? They thought. The country's famous brands are already etched into our memories...
Then—
Holy shit!
The moment they saw those familiar-yet-unfamiliar brand names, French readers collectively froze.
Some were looking at their phones and abruptly sat up straight. Others gripped their newspapers tighter, adjusted their glasses, and prepared to examine the brands' philosophies and business strategies in detail.
The articles sounded remarkably convincing. Every brand was described as though it had once led a fashion revolution. They used fashion to stimulate economic consumption and revive the vitality of the postwar era. High-ranking fashion designers gathered in salons, chatting back and forth as they casually decided next year's trending colors.
That confidence and composure felt like the very brilliance of ordinary people elevated to extraordinary heights.
Those who actually understood the industry scoffed.
"As if it's that simple. How could any brand establish itself in France through nothing more than a few lofty ideals?"
"The author doesn't understand the real France or the real fashion industry."
"This is practically nonsense. We've never had a famous Japanese designer like this."
Determined to scrutinize the novel more carefully and tear it apart point by point, they kept reading.
Unfortunately for them, the novel was only around one hundred thousand words long. Barely a third of it focused on the protagonist's experiences in the fashion world. Even then, the fashion industry portrayed in the story encompassed many countries rather than France alone. The remaining two-thirds were devoted to the protagonist's personal growth and development.
The protagonist, "Shibukawa Ryuuji", was a champion of minimalist aesthetics. He loved the color white and excelled at using simple methods to express complex artistic designs.
Naturally, where there were voices of criticism, there were also voices of praise.
Many French readers who had never seen the novel before were drawn in by the sensational headlines and bought copies out of curiosity, only to find themselves pleasantly surprised.
"These ideas are actually quite good."
"The marketing strategies are pure genius—wait, this is all from a novel?"
"Wow, that's an interesting pen name. The author calls themselves 'Reader.'"
"Global shortages? Luxury-goods resellers? So Asians really are that enthusiastic about buying luxury brands."
"Our country's brands are that popular, huh?"
The rare Asian perspective was a refreshing experience for European readers.
In their minds, Japan—the distant island nation of the Far East—was still a poor country that had lost the war.
"This novel even includes poems written for the protagonist by Monsieur Jean Nicolas? My girlfriend and I both love his poetry! I'll buy a copy to take home. Wait a second—the translator is him too? He stopped writing poetry and became a Japanese-French translator instead?!"
These were the French readers astonished by Jean Nicolas's unexpected career path.
His fans had finally tracked down what he was doing.
In any case, the novel provided no shortage of things to discuss. Those knowledgeable about fashion talked about fashion. Those who knew nothing about it discussed the protagonist's thoughts and emotional journey. Stories about amnesia had remained popular for generations, but very few works explored how someone with no love, friendship, or family ties could reconnect with the world and devote their passion to a profession.
The protagonist's inner world was like a snow-white void—brimming with talent, yet cold and rational.
Beautiful, yet profoundly lonely.
A perfect portrayal of a flawed but powerful individual.
French readers who were less interested in such emotional subtleties simply ignored the protagonist's psychological state and instead delighted in reading about how wealthy people purchased luxury goods.
Most importantly, the novel was remarkably effective at awakening women's desire to shop, much like how a cooking show could instantly make viewers hungry.
"My handbag is getting old anyway. I could spend a month's salary on a beautiful new one."
"Honey, I want to buy some clothes. A dress for our summer vacation..."
"Girls, let's go shopping!"
After making those calls, many casually asked whether the luxury brands described in the novel actually existed in France.
As a result, their boyfriends, husbands, and the broader male population also became aware of the phenomenon. What had begun as a discussion among women gradually spread outward, growing larger and larger.
A few hours later—
No such stores existed.
The fascinating fashion brands that had captured everyone's imagination were completely fictional.
Those reading the news online eventually discovered that it had all been part of a promotional campaign for a novel. They had been thoroughly "tricked."
Yet rather than becoming angry, most people could only laugh.
"It sounded completely real."
"Those marketing strategies and the whole concept of Fashion Week are incredible."
The more deeply people understood the fashion industry and the importance of brand identity, the more astonished they became by the author's boundless imagination.
Many began quietly wondering whether French socialites and wealthy aristocratic women would embrace the concepts if they borrowed the branding philosophies and marketing strategies described in the novel.
And if they did...
If the novel's vivid depictions of rival fashion houses and competing schools of design were transformed into reality...
Could the fashion industry experience a new renaissance?
No one knew the answer.
At the same time, in Japan, which shared the Northern Hemisphere with France, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko established a studio dedicated to handcrafted clothing and jewelry.
Just as Shibukawa Ryuuji in the novel had never bothered naming his studio, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko felt no interest in doing so either. Why should creations made by his own hands require deliberate promotion? As his reputation within the ability-user world grew, customers would naturally come to him.
Therefore...
Only the people he wanted to know needed to know.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko stared coldly at the cat he had found for quite some time. Then his pen moved swiftly across the paper, sketching out a logo for the studio.
A white Chinchilla cat with a thoroughly world-weary expression.
"Sensei will like it."
And if he didn't, he could always change it to a black cat, a ginger cat, a ragdoll cat...
Surely one of them would be a cat his teacher liked.
On his bookshelf sat a book titled "One Hundred Ways to Deal with Cat Lovers."
Across from him—
A one-year-old chinchilla cat stood on a soft white cushion, its beautiful long fur trembling slightly as it slowly kneaded the surface beneath its paws.
From the cat's perspective, it was the most beautiful creature in existence. The two-legged creature with fur the same color as its own was ugly—completely unattractive. Its face was chestnut-colored, and its eyes were black.
Cat's look of disdain.jpg
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko disliked the way the cat looked at people, as though he ranked below a mere feline.
The proud White Kirin would never admit that he resembled a Chinchilla cat. But since his teacher and Ranpo-kun thought so, then so be it.
Rising to his feet, he pinched the cat by the scruff of its neck with two fingers and carried it outside.
When the family butler saw him emerge with the cat, he looked back and forth between the two several times.
They really did resemble each other!
A pity the cat's eyes weren't red.
Ahem. He was absolutely not lamenting the Chinchilla's lack of accuracy. Young Master Tatsuhiko was the Shibusawa family's "Kirin," and his name also contained the character for "Dragon." (龍, ryu/tatsu.) No matter how one looked at it, he belonged to the realm of divine beasts.
In a merciless tone, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko shattered the butler's fantasies.
"Get rid of it."
The butler nearly jumped out of his skin and hurried to save the innocent animal.
"Tatsuhiko-bocchan, this Chinchilla is a purebred cat carefully selected from a cattery. I can return it for you."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko rejected the suggestion outright.
"My possessions are not meant to be touched by others."
The butler suddenly had an idea.
"Then why not give it to your teacher?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko: "?"
"A good relationship between teacher and student needs to be maintained. A gift from a student to their teacher is a heartfelt way to show their appreciation."
The butler carefully accepted the chinchilla cat, blissfully unaware that it had just escaped disaster. He gently stroked its long fur. No one could resist such a beautiful long-haired cat—especially with a giant, life-sized "chinchilla" standing right in front of them.
The icy expression on Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's face softened into a smile.
"Very well."
He still didn't dare become part of that family until he had defeated every single one of them. But if this chinchilla cat could occasionally remind his teacher that he still had a student like him, then that would be enough.
Sometimes, ordinary people really did have good ideas.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko turned and headed back into his studio, once again immersing himself in the time-consuming world of handicrafts.
He would design even more elegant white outfits, invent even prettier hair ties, and before becoming Japan's strongest ability user, he would first become an internationally renowned designer.
The studio door slowly swung shut.
The butler remained respectfully composed, quietly taking all the credit without a word, while gripping the chinchilla cat tightly as it desperately tried to wriggle free.
Don't run!
If you do, you're dead for sure!