"Although I don't think I need to remind you, Soyo, you must have known for a while, right? About Sakiko's feelings for Chihaya-san..."
"Mhm, I know."
Nagasaki Soyo nodded, then put on an uncharacteristically frank expression.
"Sakiko and I... both like Tetsuya."
"Ooh—"
Even though it was a topic that had nothing to do with her, after hearing Soyo's confession, Wakaba Mutsumi still subconsciously looked away.
"Since you know, why do you still want to help Sakiko?"
"Well..."
Faced with Mutsumi's perfectly normal question, Soyo thought for a moment before saying:
"Because the way we both express our feelings is the same."
"?"
Mutsumi looked confused, and Soyo continued to explain:
"As a consultant and Sakiko as an apprentice, no matter what we do, it's always about providing Tetsuya with whatever help we can. Rather than pursuing him, it's more like we both genuinely want to help him achieve his dream and stay by his side forever as an indispensable part of his life. So, you could say Sakiko and I are partners with the same goal. As for possessiveness towards Tetsuya... mhm, well, there's a little, of course, but it's completely different from Hoshino Ai's 'I'll sacrifice anything to have him' kind of feeling."
"...That's true."
Mutsumi nodded in deep agreement.
"Sakiko is indeed putting Chihaya-san's career first right now. As for Chihaya-san's body... she doesn't seem to have any particularly strong desires."
"His body... that's so direct..."
Soyo couldn't help but blush.
"But in my opinion, Sakiko probably isn't completely uninterested. She's just temporarily set aside her desires because she has more important things she wants to do... After all... mhm... Mutsumi, you might not understand yet, but Tetsuya is actually... quite lewd. Both his body and his unguarded demeanor... for a girl who likes him, it would be difficult not to have those kinds of thoughts about him..."
"?"
"Ahem, it's nothing! Let's get back to serious matters!"
Faced with the confused Mutsumi, Soyo suddenly realized just how lewd the things she usually thought about were.
No, I can't contaminate this child, who is currently so eager to learn about everything around her, with this kind of knowledge!
"Anyway, what Sakiko is planning to do next will definitely be beneficial to Tetsuya, right? If that's the case, I want to help out a bit too."
"...But Soyo, you've already helped Chihaya-san a lot, haven't you?"
Mutsumi tilted her head.
"After all, it was your mother who helped contact all the various channels for [Starry Sky]."
"That can only be considered my mother's investment in him. It doesn't count as my contribution at all."
Soyo was very clear on this distinction.
"Right now, I can only correct his various unhealthy little habits in daily life and do some record-keeping that even a child could do. When it comes to what he truly wants to achieve, I haven't really contributed much strength. So, if possible, I want to do something more for Tetsuya, just like Sakiko."
"...I see."
So, rather than getting jealous and fighting with Sakiko, Soyo is more inclined to prove her own worth this way? Although it's still fundamentally a competition, this kind of competition doesn't seem to hurt anyone...
Thinking this, Mutsumi let out a long sigh of relief.
Until now, she had been worried that she would once again be caught awkwardly in the middle of the two of them like a year ago, but now it seemed that worry was completely unnecessary.
In that case—
"Actually, Sakiko is planning to form a faction with everyone related to Chihaya-san..."
This time, Mutsumi was no longer conflicted about her own position, nor was she worried about their relationship deteriorating further. This sense of ease, so completely different from her previous impression, finally allowed her to speak of everything she knew with peace of mind.
...
"...I see."
Because the plan itself wasn't complicated, Soyo quickly understood Sakiko's idea.
"This doesn't seem like a plan a high school student could come up with... As expected of Sakiko."
If the plan succeeded, the benefits from joint promotion across multiple fields would undoubtedly be enormous.
However, having been influenced by her workaholic mother, Soyo noticed another risk—
"But for a new brand, this kind of large-scale promotion will also cause more people to set their sights on us. As for Tetsuya, he probably doesn't have the energy to deal with all that right now."
"..."
Although Mutsumi didn't know much about business, she understood the principle that a tall tree catches the wind.
When Tetsuya was an assistant designer at [KaZoKu], he was already so excellent that he was being plagiarized by his peers. If his competitiveness and fame were to rise further, then more rivals would surely follow.
Therefore—
"It's best if Sakiko's plan is executed in stages."
Soyo analyzed with a serious expression:
"The first stage will naturally be the initial exposure from [Summer Zodiac]. For the second stage, the news of Hoshino Ai being the 'exclusive model' can further open up the low-to-mid-end youth market. As for the third stage..."
"..."
Watching Soyo's incredibly focused expression, Mutsumi felt both admiration and relief in her heart.
If this were a year ago, she could never have imagined Soyo and Sakiko working hard for a common goal. She also could never have imagined that the two of them had now become as mature and strong as adults.
(There are so many amazing people around Chihaya-san.)
Mutsumi couldn't help but think to herself:
(Whether it's Hoshino Ai, Sakiko, or Soyo, they all know what they need to do next, and they don't hesitate to work hard for it...)
...
Come to think of it, it seemed they all had such clear goals because they had someone they loved.
In that case, if she also had someone she loved, could she too escape her current confusion and find her own direction?
(Love makes it easier for a person to find their ideals and goals.)
Gazing at Soyo's incredibly focused side profile, Mutsumi quietly wrote this discovery in her heart.
And so, the puppet girl seemed to have found her second string.