[There are generally two approaches to design. The first is to take existing things, stack and assemble them in a conventional way, to create everyday clothes that can be used immediately.]
[The other is to incorporate the designer's personal assertions and thoughts, thereby designing clothes that are one-of-a-kind in the whole world, something that has never been seen before.]
[The former requires a great deal of experience and fundamentals, while the latter requires... a unique sensibility, and an assertion so strong it allows you to ignore conventional constraints.]
[As for how to infuse your thoughts and consciousness into the clothing, and whether the content of that assertion can be accepted by the other person, that depends on the designer's own method of presentation, and the other person's own aesthetic sense.]
(...Which kind of design should I choose.)
Conventional clothes that follow the rules, to let the other person know I'm now on the right path.
Or... unique clothes that can express my thoughts and feelings, that only I can design?
Do I even have feelings and thoughts that I want to express?
...
["From today on, we're a band... a community of fate, playing together in a band!"]
["I'll definitely write music worthy of these lyrics!"]
["We definitely have to hold another concert next time!"]
Even if only a faint echo remains, that melody still occasionally resounds from the depths of my consciousness.
This warm and dazzling memory remains stubbornly vivid in my heart, yet I have never dared to touch it again.
Because it was I, myself, who personally cast a dark and icy shadow over this memory that was as warm as a spring day.
["I'm quitting CRYCHIC."]
["Stop saying such childish things!"]
["Especially you, Tomori, you're the one who needs the most practice, aren't you? But what have you been doing until now?"]
A damp and icy breath instantly swept away what little warmth was left. The faint melody gradually faded, leaving only the noise of rain hitting the glass.
This was the choice I made.
To draw a line between myself and that past in the cruelest way possible, and to bid the most brutal farewell to those who were once so important to me.
Once a person becomes obsessed, it's easy for them to become blind.
Thinking back, wasn't I exactly like that?
Carrying the anger stirred up by fate and family, I stubbornly believed that they would become as hard-hearted as I was when faced with unfair treatment... but in the end, what I left behind wasn't the resentment I had hoped for, but a confusion that deeply binds them even now.
And to make them give up completely, I even made Mutsumi say those insincere words.
Looking at it this way, I really have no right to criticize the Soyo of today, do I.
Ahh, I really, really regret it.
If I had been able to think of these things back then, I would have chosen a different way to say goodbye.
Even if I still couldn't tell them about my experiences and hardships, at the very least, I shouldn't have used lies and slander to cover up the truth.
But... people are fated to be unable to return to the past. Time that has passed, does not return.
The regrets and pain of that time were destined to become an unchangeable reality, pushing us all the way to the moment we are in now.
So, I won't think about trying to make up for the immaturity of that time, nor will I think about denying my mistakes.
What I want them to see is the me who has cut ties with the past and is walking towards the future again.
And what I hope is that they, too, can be like me, and leave that ring road called [CRYCHIC], no longer lost in an irretrievable past and an unchangeable reality.
I am not mature; it's just that those experiences, filled with helplessness and hardship, forced me to learn to think things through more thoroughly.
I am not gentle; it's just that under the shadow of that back I admired so much, I came to understand what is right and what is responsibility, like a child learning to walk.
But even a person like me now finally has an assertion and feelings I want to express, and the courage to look back on that memory once more.
So, as proof of my growth, and also to take responsibility and formally end the story that began because of me, I... must design unique clothes, something that only I, and only she who has not yet left [CRYCHIC] behind, can understand.
...
The meeting was set for Saturday afternoon.
Tetsuya would first meet up with Wakaba Mutsumi and Togawa Sakiko, and then the three of them would go to [RiNG] together to meet with Nagasaki Soyo and explain everything.
Anon had already made plans with Takamatsu-san and Shiina-san to go shopping in Shimokitazawa, so there was no need to worry about them interrupting the meeting.
At the same time, Tetsuya had already prepared to have a complete falling out with the obstinate Nagasaki Soyo.
Even if doing so would cause Anon's band activities to halt once again, it was at least much better than wasting time together while being at odds with each other.
And so, with thorough consideration and determination, Tetsuya walked towards the meeting point at the appointed time.
However, when he saw what Togawa Sakiko was wearing, he couldn't help but reveal a look of utter surprise—
"...Good afternoon, Chihaya-nii."
Togawa Sakiko, dressed in her Haneoka uniform and looking slightly haggard, greeted him with a smile.
"You look a little serious."
"..."
Tetsuya was silent for a long moment before he finally said:
"This uniform... it's so she can better understand your current situation, isn't it."
"Mhm."
Sakiko nodded.
"Relying on Mutsumi to hide it forever isn't a solution, especially since Tomori and I are at the same school. No matter how hard I try to hide it, the truth will come out one day."
"It seems you're truly prepared."
"After all, this time, I finally have a more persuasive 'weapon' besides words."
As she said this, Sakiko lifted the bag in her hand.
"It's all thanks to your guidance, Chihaya-nii. Otherwise... I absolutely wouldn't have been able to finish it in such a short amount of time."
"..."
Recalling how Togawa Sakiko had been one hundred percent focused while studying design these past few days, Tetsuya asked:
"So... can it properly express all of your thoughts and feelings?"
"I don't know. But in any case, this is the best work I am capable of producing right now."
Sakiko said as she looked towards a light green figure approaching them in the distance.
"I hope it will allow all of us... to truly move forward, each on our own path."
"Is that so..."
After seeing the calm expression on Sakiko's face, Tetsuya, who had originally intended to use his status as an adult to control the entire negotiation, changed his mind.
"Good luck, Togawa. I will be by your side, and I'll witness it with you until the very end."
"Yes!"
After hearing these words, a smile finally bloomed on Sakiko's face—the very same smile Tetsuya had only ever seen in the video.
After a year of being lost and wandering, Togawa Sakiko had finally found her own exit.