As it turned out, the prior arrangement between Tetsuya and Soyo was entirely necessary.
By the time Tetsuya finished the final adjustments, it was already midnight.
Although he had told Sakiko beforehand that she could leave work and go home early, Sakiko insisted on staying with the two of them until the very last moment.
Finally, when Soyo put on the sample garment and, following instructions, unzipped the pair of tight zippers, the resulting effect made all three of them gasp in amazement.
"Mhm, not bad."
"This is it!"
"Amazing..."
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Soyo stared with a dazed expression at the outfit on her body, which was now completely different from just a moment ago.
"This is Sakiko's design..."
Faced with a creation that would astonish even a layperson, Soyo marveled at her talent while at the same time, any doubt she had about the choice Sakiko had made completely vanished from her heart.
Even after choosing a field she had never set foot in before, Sakiko was still the powerful and unique genius she had always known.
"...Hey, let me ask you."
Soyo turned her head and asked Tetsuya.
"An outfit like this, could you design it?"
"Technically, it's possible, but this creativity and design concept belongs solely to Sakiko."
Tetsuya replied.
"In other words, this outfit is something only Sakiko could have designed... and at the same time, only you can understand the full heart contained within this outfit."
"..."
On the other side, watching Soyo wearing the outfit she had designed in front of the mirror, an unprecedented feeling stirred in Sakiko's heart.
When she wrote "Haruhikage," she held the hope that everything would begin, but she ended up composing a song that brought everything to an end.
When making this outfit, she did so with the resolve to end the past, and completed a design that marked a step towards a brand new beginning.
Completely different thoughts, completely different works... brought with them completely different feelings.
"Soyo."
After a long silence, she finally spoke slowly.
"If I have the chance to design clothes for you again in the future... would you be willing to wear them?"
"!"
Hearing this, Soyo subconsciously wanted to blurt out an affirmative answer. However, when she saw Sakiko's calm face, which looked even more mature than it had a year ago, she paused for a moment, then replied with a smile.
"...If it's as good as this one."
"Is that so."
At this, a genuine smile blossomed on Sakiko's face as well.
"It seems I'll have to work even harder from now on."
This sense of relief, a year overdue, allowed both of them to finally cast off the last of their burdens and emotional knots.
Meanwhile, watching the two of them look at each other and smile, Tetsuya also nodded with a look of gratification.
This way, both Togawa and Nagasaki-san should be able to reconcile with that immature past and move forward together towards their respective futures—
"Alright, you two high school students. Work for today is over. It's time to go home and get some rest."
Although he wanted to give them a moment to be emotional, considering the time, Tetsuya clapped his hands to remind them.
"Togawa, I've already called a taxi for you. You can head straight home. As for Nagasaki-san, I'll have to trouble you to walk with me for a bit."
"! Ah, right!"
Speaking of which, Sakiko turned to look at Soyo as if suddenly waking from a dream.
"Um, Soyo... are you really staying over at Chihaya-nii's house today?"
"Mhm. My house is pretty far from here. Rather than sitting in a car for another hour to get home, it's better to stay over at this guy's place for a night since it's close."
Soyo said.
"It's fine, Sakiko, you don't have to worry. His sister Anon is also at his house, so nothing will happen to me."
"...Eh? Ah, about that..."
Sakiko's expression became somewhat troubled.
For her, who knew Tetsuya's personality well, she certainly wasn't worried that he would "make a move" on Soyo... in fact, what she was worried about was the complete opposite.
Although Soyo was always taunting him with sarcastic and harsh words, the contact between the two of them was far more frequent than with the others.
And... even with Soyo's deep attachment to [CRYCHIC], she wasn't the type to get close to people easily. In fact, unless it was someone she truly acknowledged, she would absolutely not initiate contact with them, let alone go directly to their house to stay the night.
In other words, Soyo's actual feelings for Tetsuya were perhaps far more trusting than she let on...
...
"Togawa, your taxi is downstairs."
Just as Sakiko was mentally speculating about Soyo's true feelings for Tetsuya, his call interrupted her thoughts.
"You've really worked hard these past few days... Tomorrow, just stay home and get a good day's rest."
Tetsuya said.
"Then the day after tomorrow, we'll go watch Nagasaki-san and the others' live show together."
"...Mhm."
Although she was a little concerned about the subtle relationship between the two, considering the time and that Soyo wasn't good at staying up late... she ultimately swallowed the miscellaneous thoughts in her heart.
"Well then, I'll be going... See you the day after tomorrow, Chihaya-nii."
"Mhm, see you then."
"Soyo, the live... I'll be looking forward to it."
"Mhm, I'll do my best."
...
After Sakiko left, only Tetsuya and Soyo remained in the studio.
"You've worked hard too, Nagasaki-san. You can go to the changing room and get out of the sample garment now."
Tetsuya said, turning his head.
"I can finish the remaining detailing on this outfit tomorrow morning. You can just take the finished product with you then."
"...In the morning?"
Soyo's brows furrowed slightly.
"Then when are you planning to sleep?"
"I won't sleep tonight. I'll catch up on sleep after I finish this outfit."
Tetsuya said it without batting an eye.
Hearing this, Soyo's frown deepened.
"From the way you say that... it sounds like you do this often."
"Not that frequently, maybe two or three times a month."
Tetsuya shook his head.
"For a designer, that's a very low frequency for pulling all-nighters."
"..."
That's just unacceptable.
This attitude of treating an unhealthy lifestyle as a matter of course was simply impossible to accept.
"Absolutely not. You're going to get a proper night's sleep tonight."
Under Tetsuya's somewhat stunned gaze, Soyo crossed her arms and said with a serious expression.
"As for the outfit... you can make it after you've woken up. Until then, I'll be waiting at your house until it's finished."
"...Eh?"