Chapter 43

Chapter 43: 043, Make Sure It Has That Fluffy Feeling!

The May sunlight was growing brighter,

and temperatures were rising noticeably.

The moody, unpredictable spring of a girl was fading away,

while the passionate summer was already waving toward Tokyo.

On the streets, more and more girls wore “Seiko hairstyles.” The new song “Natsu no Tobira” perfectly matched Tokyo’s current mood and once again topped the Oricon charts, proving Matsuda Seiko’s dominance in Japan’s idol scene.

On programs like “THE BEST TEN” and “Yoru no Hit Studio”, she appeared everywhere. As the top idol after Momoe Yamaguchi’s retirement, her status was well deserved.

And one of the few idols in the future capable of challenging her—Nakamori Akina—was now sitting across from Naoki Nagayama at a café table, using newly bought drawing tools to sketch a design for a cat-ear head accessory.

“Akina-san, Akemi-san, your coffee is here.” Akina wasn’t alone; her younger sister Akemi had come with her. After all, coming alone might look like a date, and bringing her sister also meant they could go shopping afterward.

The two of them were now trying to draw cat-ear accessory designs based on Naoki’s description. Both sisters actually had decent drawing skills.

“You two don’t need to rush. Have some drinks first,” Naoki said, placing the coffee in front of them.

“I’m really sorry for suddenly asking you to help, but I truly don’t know anyone else who can draw,” he added.

“Haha, it’s fine, Naoki-san. Getting a meal in exchange for drawing a picture is totally worth it,” Akemi said cheerfully.

Akina was still working on her sketch.

“A cat-ear accessory… it’s kind of interesting,” she said. “What colors do you want it to be?”

“Black and white for now. If it becomes popular later, gray, red, yellow… any color is fine.”

“It’s cute,” Akemi said. “I think it’ll definitely become popular.”

Not long after, two simple colored design drafts were finished—one black, one white. They weren’t precise like a professional designer’s work, but they clearly showed the intended form.

“Akina-san, Akemi-san, want to go to the factory together?” Naoki asked. “Let’s see if they can actually make it.”

The two were interested, so they agreed.

However, he couldn’t use his sports car for this—there were only two seats.

In the Showa-era Tokyo, small workshops were still common, especially for simple accessories that didn’t require large factories.

Naoki found a small workshop that made hair accessories and clothing, called Shōgo Processing.

The owner, Shōgo Tsuchida, was a smiling man in his thirties who handled negotiations, procurement, and shipments. The factory was essentially run by a family of three—him, his wife, and his mother—and the total staff was only seven people.

After seeing the sketches, Tsuchida immediately patted his chest.

“No problem at all! We can definitely make this!”

In reality, most hair accessories were semi-finished products anyway; only the cat ears needed shaping.

He handed the sketches to his wife, Tsuchida Kyūka, and after a brief discussion they confirmed they could produce samples on the spot.

“Absolutely no problem!” Tsuchida said confidently. “We’ve never made this before, but we have fluffy materials ready. It’s just simple shaping—half an hour and we can finish two samples.”

“That’s great,” Naoki said happily. “Please make sure it has that fluffy feeling.”

Akina and Akemi were also excited. Watching their own drawings turn into real objects was deeply satisfying.

Half an hour later, Naoki looked at the black and white cat-ear accessories in his hands and was very satisfied.

“Akina-san, Akemi-san, please try them on.”

Once they put them on, the two of them really did look like little cats—extremely cute.

“Tsuchida-san,” Naoki said, “please embroider 001 and 002 on the inside of these two pieces.”

“Tsuchida-san, I want to order 1,000 units initially—half black, half white, all numbered. Future demand may increase.”

Tsuchida was delighted.

“Understood! When do you need them?”

“Within one week, is that possible?”

“No problem at all!”

And so the order was placed, the contract signed, and pickup scheduled for next week.

By the time everything was settled, it was already noon.

“Akina-san, Akemi-san, let me treat you to lunch.”

“Thank you, Naoki-san.”

The meal was at a high-end French restaurant.

The service was slow, so they chatted while waiting in the private room.

“Akina-san, are you going to participate in “STAR! Is Born” this year?” Naoki asked.

“I want to, but I was eliminated twice before… I don’t feel confident,” Akina said, poking at her food with a fork.

“They said my age didn’t match the songs…”

“Haha, you were still too young those years. You debuted too early,” Naoki said with a laugh. “But reaching the finals was already impressive. Your singing ability has been recognized.”

“But they still said it’s because of my age… But Momoe Yamaguchi also debuted at 14,” Akina still sounded frustrated.

“Then just choose Momoe Yamaguchi’s songs,” Naoki said. “Your voice is somewhat similar to hers. If they worry about age, you could grow your hair longer to look more mature.”

“That would be cheating,” she said, blinking innocently.

“In show business, how is that cheating?” Naoki chuckled. “That’s called packaging. You still don’t understand the entertainment industry well enough. Real ‘truth’ is very rare in this industry.”

“I don’t really understand what you two are talking about…” Akemi said, focused entirely on her food.

Naoki didn’t continue and instead pointed at the next dish.

“Akemi, the next dish is escargot. Want to try it?”

“Eh? Snails can be eaten?” she said, looking uncertain. “It looks kind of disgusting…”

After the meal, the two sisters went shopping in Shinjuku.

Naoki didn’t accompany them, since it wasn’t a proper date.

In the afternoon, he still had to handle the patent application for the cat-ear accessory design. He would need an intermediary to deal with the process, otherwise it would take too long.

Even if not all future cat-ear accessories would pay him royalties, this specific black-and-white design absolutely needed protection. The first batch would be limited editions—future collector’s items.

If the product eventually made significant profits, Akina and Akemi, the designers, should also receive additional compensation.