"Ngh, no, I can't do it like this here, otherwise the silhouette of the clothes will be completely deformed."
"Here... to achieve this effect, just a tie is definitely not enough. Hmm, what should I do?"
"For the choice of fabric, I should use something stiffer, but if I do that, will it be too difficult for Soyo to wear..."
It was only after Sakiko had completed all the work from design to sampling by herself that she finally understood why Tetsuya was respected by everyone in the studio.
Due to the many gaps in her experience and ability, Sakiko encountered many problems and blind spots she had never dealt with before while drafting the pattern.
It would be no exaggeration to say she was completely stuck.
"Should I try to change the design..."
Just as Sakiko was at a loss for how to draw the pattern, a voice gradually approaching from outside the door suddenly caught her attention—
"Neither you nor we can hide the origin of that piece of clothing forever. That's why I was hoping we could discuss a solution in advance."
"I know the other party might not take action again, but if they really do, the damage to Tetsuya-kun will be no less than what happened last year... Wait a second."
When Hasegawa Kokoro walked into the office and saw Sakiko at the workbench, she immediately put down her phone.
"Sakiko? Didn't you take the day off today? Why are you at the studio?"
"Because I drew a design sketch before, and to get it made as soon as possible, Chihaya-nii told me to come to the studio first to finish the sample..."
"Oh? Sakiko, you've already started drawing your own designs? That's amazing!"
Kokoro discreetly pressed the hang-up button and walked over to Sakiko with a smile.
"Can I see the design?"
"...Yes."
Sakiko nodded, then handed over the design sketch she had drawn for Soyo.
Then, as Kokoro saw Sakiko's design, the expression on her face gradually shifted from a smile to surprise.
"A double-layered design?"
"Yes."
"And this one on the side should be the transformation effect you envisioned, right?"
"Yes."
"...You've really drawn quite an incredible design, Sakiko."
Kokoro said as she handed the sketch back to Sakiko.
"However, while the idea for this design is excellent, the difficulty of actually making it is also quite high. You probably felt it when you were drafting the pattern; many of the effects you envisioned are very difficult to achieve with existing fabrics."
"You're right."
Sakiko nodded.
"That's why I was just thinking about whether I should change the design or something..."
"Ah, you don't need to do that."
Kokoro quickly refuted Sakiko's suggestion.
"Difficult doesn't mean impossible. With your current skill, you might not be able to complete it independently, but it's a different story with Tetsuya-kun's help. The reason Tetsuya-kun told you to complete the pattern by yourself was probably just to let you understand the entire process from design to sampling."
"It's really... so hard."
Sakiko sighed from the bottom of her heart.
"I didn't realize it at all when I was first drawing the design, but turning it into an actual pattern is such a difficult task."
"That's exactly right. While there are many excellent designers and pattern makers in the world, those who can do both jobs will, without exception, become the leaders of this industry. Just like Tetsuya-kun..."
At this, an indescribable look of conflict flashed across Kokoro's face.
On the other side, when Sakiko saw Director Hasegawa's slightly strange expression, she finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked:
"Director, that phone call just now... you were talking about Chihaya-nii, weren't you?"
"...Mhm."
When she had walked into the office and saw Sakiko looking towards the door, Kokoro immediately realized that she had overheard her conversation.
But she couldn't blame herself for being too careless; after all, she had only decided to discuss this matter over the phone at this time after learning that both Sakiko and Tetsuya would be taking the day off.
It was just that plans could never keep up with changes.
"Since you've already heard it, there's no point in me being secretive anymore. Besides... as his apprentice, you have the right to know about Tetsuya-kun's past."
Kokoro sighed, then took out her phone and found a photo of a design sketch in her album—
"Sakiko, take a look at this design first."
"Yes!"
Sakiko immediately looked at Kokoro's phone screen—
"...This is a design for a coat? The silhouette is so beautiful, and this method of adding annotations to the design..."
Sakiko hesitated for a moment before saying in a slightly uncertain tone:
"This is Chihaya-nii's design, right?"
"That's right."
Kokoro nodded.
"A beautiful silhouette, proper drawing technique, and careful annotations—these are all Tetsuya-kun's trademarks. Now... take a look at this next one."
"..."
Next, Sakiko shifted her gaze to the second design Kokoro was showing her.
However, the moment she saw that sketch, her eyes immediately widened in surprise—
"Eh? How could this be?"
Sakiko let out an involuntary cry of disbelief.
"Except for the decoration at the waist... it's almost completely identical..."
However, while the silhouette and design concept were identical, the drawing style was completely different from Tetsuya's.
A crude drawing, blank annotations, and that incredibly displeasing decoration at the waist...
"If this decoration is added here, and it's made with a lightweight fabric, it won't match the overall heavy feel of the coat at all. If it's a stiff fabric, the weight of the decoration itself might affect the cinched waist effect here..."
Sakiko murmured.
"It's a completely superfluous design..."
"...You really are a genius, Sakiko. Just as you said, the decorative belt added to this design is completely superfluous."
Kokoro said.
"And yet, despite that, this design sketch still won first place in last year's Yihua University design competition."
"And it was after this competition that Tetsuya-kun decided to drop out of school."
"...Eh?!"