"How could this be!?"
Sakiko let out a confused question.
"Isn't this situation plagiarism? How could a plagiarized design sketch possibly win first place?!"
"For those of us who know Tetsuya-kun's design style and abilities, of course we would easily reach that conclusion. Unfortunately, for the judges of that competition, the party that submits first holds more sway. And unluckily... in that competition, the other party did indeed submit that design sketch first."
"But what that design did was basically just copying! Just submitting first has no persuasive... power..."
Sakiko's voice grew softer and softer, because she herself understood that for a completely neutral and uninformed judging panel, details like the refinement of the design sketch alone couldn't prove anything.
Without favoring either side, the submission time is the simplest and fairest judging criterion.
"I'm not going to use words like justice and morality to defend Tetsuya-kun. Because for the fashion industry, this kind of behavior is practically an everyday occurrence. It was also a sign of Tetsuya-kun's immaturity that he failed to realize the difference between himself and others, and to protect his own work."
Kokoro shook her head.
"In the fashion industry, only the top talents can stand out from that hellish competitive environment. Tetsuya-kun is certainly a genius, but the problem is, he stood out just a little too much. His masterful sewing techniques and sampling ability aside, having been exposed to society early on, his instinct for fashion and sales was also far superior to ordinary people—"
At this, Kokoro pointed at the work clothes Sakiko was wearing.
"Take this piece, for example. Its success as a bestseller wasn't a coincidence, but a completely predictable and wise move. The 'All Gender' trend in the context of global culture, the 'conservative tendency' in a declining economy, plus Tetsuya-kun's impeccable 'comfort concept'—this design, from the very moment it was created, was already destined for success."
"..."
Sakiko had a very clear memory of this as well.
When the members of [KaZoKu] were discussing and analyzing the new summer special issue, Tetsuya had already explained a similar theory to everyone...
It was not luck, nor was it a coincidence.
Half a year ago, Tetsuya had already predicted the future trends of fashion.
"Do you understand, Sakiko? A young man who hasn't even graduated from university not only possesses the hard skills to independently design and create samples, but also has the keen instinct to predict market trends... What do you think a person like that would be in the eyes of his peers and competitors?"
"An unbeatable opponent..."
Sakiko paused for a moment, then added:
"And at the same time... the biggest eyesore."
"That's exactly it. And because of that, even when Tetsuya-kun tried every way he could to explain his design concept and use his past achievements to clear his name, not a single one of his classmates was willing to vouch for him. Some even kicked him while he was down, constantly submitting false complaint letters to the school."
Kokoro shook her head.
"After that, the school administration spoke with Tetsuya-kun privately. Fortunately, because there was no concrete evidence of plagiarism, and because anyone with eyes could see the difference in quality between the two sketches, the final judgment of the incident, under the school's control, was simply a 'creative conflict.' But for Tetsuya-kun, this incident made him completely disillusioned with the environment at Yihua University. In the end, under the recommendation of the university's president, he went to [EGAO] and eventually came here."
"..."
Hearing this, while Sakiko felt indignant about the injustice Tetsuya had suffered, she was also relieved that the outcome hadn't been the worst-case scenario.
"That's great, Chihaya-nii wasn't wrongly accused of being a plagiarist in the end... And he's been able to continue his activities as a designer without any trouble."
"Ordinarily, the story should have ended there, but... the recent summer special, and the brand that launched that similar design, have given me a very bad feeling."
Kokoro shook her head.
"[nozAK!i], an old-fashioned brand. Ever since their last head designer retired, their performance has been in steady decline... until they were acquired by someone with a powerful background—"
"Diye Ming. A former board member of the long-established entertainment company [Pulchra]... Although this is just hearsay, it seems he decided to switch industries after suffering a major defeat in the idol world. After acquiring [nozAK!i], he began to formally enter the fashion industry. I don't know what he's done since then, but under his leadership, [nozAK!i] has indeed expanded at a visibly rapid pace." - (TN note: I find it funny that the two guy characters are "villains" lmfao)
"And now, look at the name on that plagiarized design sketch from before."
"...Diye Qing, eh? Diye?"
The shared surname instantly made Sakiko think of many possibilities.
Two similar designs, the same surname... and the same target of plagiarism.
"Although it's still just baseless speculation for now... I'm afraid Tetsuya-kun's talent has already been noticed by them. As for what actions they'll take next, no one can say for sure."
Kokoro shook her head.
"So, in order to gain enough influence to contend with them in the future, and also to prove to [EGAO] that Tetsuya-kun is a talent worthy of our protection, he needs more achievements to prove himself. And the method I personally prefer... is for him to 'start his own brand'."
"Start his own brand..."
Sakiko repeated the words blankly.
"Does that mean Chihaya-nii is going to leave [KaZoKu] and start his own studio?"
"That's right. Once he achieves success after striking out on his own, not only will he gain fame and influence in the fashion industry, but [EGAO] will also begin to value him and start collaborating with him. And compared to being just a subsidiary studio like [KaZoKu], having his own brand will greatly expand his own room for development. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"To start one's own brand, there are several essential conditions. Besides the most basic designer and pattern maker... first, there's the brand concept, which you could also call the head designer's design philosophy. Tetsuya-kun already has that."
"Secondly, and most importantly... is an investor who can provide financial support. And that was the reason for my phone call just now."
"Recently, a very generous heiress has been investing everywhere. And judging by the trend of her investment projects, this young lady seems to be quite passionate about the clothing and fashion industry. If we can win her favor, then Tetsuya-kun's new brand will have its most basic support."
Then, under Sakiko's curious gaze, Kokoro said:
"That young lady's name... is Sakurakouji Luna."