Because Chihaya Tetsuya had never been good at waking up early, he had long since set two extra-loud alarms on his phone, five minutes apart. While this method of waking up wasn't particularly heart-friendly, for him, it was clearly the most efficient solution.
On this day, however, what woke him from his slumber was not the deafening sound of an alarm, but a gentle shaking and a whisper in his ear.
"Ah, his eyelashes moved. Looks like he's about to wake up!"
A familiar voice sounded by his ear, initially stirring his consciousness.
However, before he could recognize the source of the voice from his hazy state, the "threat" that followed instantly dispelled his sleepiness:
"By the way, I read in a manga before that men seem to have a reaction when they first wake up in the morning. I'm going to see if it's true—"
"You wait right there!"
Words far more refreshing than any alarm clock made Tetsuya shoot up from the bed.
"Wow, what an energetic way to wake up!"
Seeing his swift action, Hoshino Ai, who was squatting by the bed, couldn't help but clap her hands.
"It's like you were woken up by a nightmare."
"This is much scarier than a nightmare!"
Tetsuya, who was now wide awake before Ai could flip the covers, panted heavily.
"Please, Ai, next time... I mean, if there is a next time, please wake me up in a more normal way."
"? But this is how they wake people up in the manga I read."
Ai said with an innocent look.
"The female protagonist in it not only looked, she even used her hand to—ouch!"
"Don't talk about such unhealthy topics first thing in the morning."
Fortunately, Misumi Uika appeared by Ai's side in the nick of time, stopping her outrageous words with a karate chop.
"Please go wash up, Tetsuya-san. I'll hold her back for you."
"Uh, okay. I'll be there in a minute."
Tetsuya said, subconsciously pulling the blanket a little higher.
Seeing this action, a look of realization dawned on Ai's face.
"I see. So what the manga said is true."
"Alright, alright..."
Seeing the "thirst for knowledge" in Ai's eyes growing stronger, Uika had no choice but to pull her away from the bedside with a look of resignation.
"I admit that Tetsuya-san does make one want to tease him, but now is not the time for that... Let's go, Ai. Let's go back to our room and get our base makeup done first."
"Mmm, okay."
Although her tone was a little reluctant, Ai obediently left his bedside.
"Well then, we'll see you later, Tetsu!"
"Yeah, see you later..."
Tetsuya watched the two girls leave the room before letting out a long sigh.
"I'm definitely never letting Ai wake me up again."
...
The small disturbance in the morning did not affect the day's proper business.
Just like yesterday, the three of them were taken to [K-Arena] by their manager and went to their respective jobs—
"Hello, I'm Tsukimi, the stylist from Watanabe Productions."
Now that the lighting plan was complete, Tetsuya's next task was to work with the stylist to design the two idols' overall look.
As soon as he walked into the dressing room, a very fashionable young woman immediately took the initiative to shake his hand.
"A pleasure to meet you, Chihaya-san."
"You too. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsukimi-san."
After a simple self-introduction, the two got straight to the day's work—
"I was only just informed by Higuchi-san yesterday that you were the designer in charge of the performance outfits for Ai and Uika."
Tsukimi said, taking out various bottles and jars with names Tetsuya didn't recognize from her bag.
"Honestly, I'm surprised. I never thought such an experienced and cunning design would come from the hands of such a young designer."
Compared to yesterday's lighting director, today's stylist clearly had a much clearer understanding of Tetsuya's abilities.
But that was hardly surprising. After all, a stylist's profession involves working with clothing and makeup every day. Some excellent stylists even possess considerable design skills themselves.
"You don't seem to know much about makeup, Chihaya-san, do you?"
"That's right."
Tetsuya nodded and admitted frankly.
"I haven't been exposed to any related knowledge."
"I see. In that case, I'll make the decisions regarding the makeup. If you have any other opinions, please feel free to tell me at any time."
With that, her gaze went past him to the two idols behind him.
"You two, come over here."
"Yes!" x2.
The two idols immediately sat down obediently at the vanity.
What followed was a series of operations that left Tetsuya feeling quite dazzled.
Powder puffs, sponges, various brushes, and all sorts of tools he couldn't name danced in the stylist's hands.
And in front of the vanity mirror, the faces of the two girls gradually underwent a series of changes under the stylist's meticulous work—
(I see. In addition to eyeshadow, the treatment of the eyebrows and eyelashes also makes the eyes appear more three-dimensional on stage and under the lights... Ah, and this lip gloss. That's right, with their original lip color, it would be too indistinct under the strong lights...)
Tetsuya stared intently at the stylist's movements, mentally recording the purpose and effect of each tool.
His focused attitude, however, brought a surprised expression to the stylist's face.
"You seem to be very interested in makeup."
"Mhm, I am a little interested."
Tetsuya nodded, his eyes still fixed on her hands.
"Although my job is just to design clothes, for outfits like performance costumes, I need to consider not just the simple pattern and design concept, but also the overall effect in a stage environment. If I can learn more about makeup and stage effects, I might be able to apply it to my future designs."
"Oh? That's quite unexpected."
Faced with his serious and frank attitude, the stylist couldn't help but look surprised.
"Most of the designers I know are the egoistical type, completely unwilling to learn about anything outside of clothing. Your attitude towards learning is practically an anomaly in this environment... But I admire it. At least from what I know, many designers lack so much awareness of the stage that the performance outfits they design are completely unusable, and in the end, we stylists and the lighting team have to make up for it. I remember last time..."
Just like that, the stylist and Tetsuya began to chat as they worked.
Because they both had a certain amount of knowledge about clothing, and his attitude towards learning was so sincere and serious, the atmosphere between them was quite harmonious.
At this, the two idols sitting in front of the mirror each cast a wary glance.
Although they already knew that he was the type to easily win the favor of women, for him to be able to chat so harmoniously with someone less than ten minutes after meeting was still a bit of a surprise. This was especially true for Tsukimi-san, who had always been a cool beauty who rarely smiled or initiated conversations with others. To think that she would take the initiative to open up to him today...
It seemed the scope of who they needed to be wary of was about to expand!
Just as the two were exchanging their worries through glances, a knock on the door sounded again.
Then, a name that Tetsuya did not expect to hear reached his ears—
"Tsukimi-san, the people from [NozAK!]have brought their costumes over."
The assistant outside the door said.
"Would you like to check them now?"