When the exhibition officially opened and all the media and buyers poured into the hall, they were immediately greeted by a very strange sight.
Beyond the various fashion brands scattered throughout the hall, each participating with tremendous enthusiasm, what they found most incomprehensible were the three key brands placed by the organizers in the deepest part of the venue.
For some reason, there were [JP] and [NozAK!], whose styles, themes, and even featured garments were remarkably similar. And then there was [Starry Sky], with a giant planetarium that made it look like it wasn't participating in a fashion exhibition at all...
"...Let's start with the other brands."
The lead chief editor of a fashion magazine said to his assistant.
"I have a feeling we're going to end up wasting a lot of time on those three."
Years of work experience had given him a keen sense for the carefully engineered discord between [JP] and [NozAK!]. As for [Starry Sky], while he had only caught a distant glimpse, the massive planetarium had certainly piqued his curiosity.
The other industry professionals who overheard the editor exchanged glances. In the end, under the lead of this veteran editor, the crowd of visitors spontaneously formed a line and began to browse the brands one by one, starting from the outer edge...
...
"...Excellent!"
Watching the path the visitors were taking, Ko Ogino's face flushed with irrepressible joy.
Based on their current movement, his brand would naturally be seen before [JP]. When that time came, as long as he employed his usual "first strike wins" tactic and subtly provided the models with his plagiarized designs and pre-fabricated evidence, these designs would become his! And that renowned overseas designer would, just like Chihaya Tetsuya a year ago, become another stepping stone on his path forward!
"Talent, attitude... in the end, it's all just a drawing and a few pieces of cloth."
Feeling that victory was already in his grasp, Ko Ogino puffed out his chest and shot a smug look at Tetsuya in the distance.
In his mind, standing on the shoulders of a world-class designer, there wasn't the slightest possibility of him losing.
As for that famous designer who had come all the way from overseas... he could go right back to where he came from!
As long as he could take the top spot in this joint exhibition and use the hype of being the finale brand for the [TGC] in his promotions, the future of Japan's fashion industry would soon belong to [NozAK!]!
Just as he was gloating over his bright future, in a spot he failed to notice, one of the fashion models he had invited began to show a look of discomfort. She started making small, subtle movements, adjusting her sleeve.
To avoid being noticed, she deliberately kept her head up. And for that very reason, she was completely unaware that after wearing the garment for less than half an hour, a glaring red chafe mark had already formed on her arm.
...
"Wow, they've already gone through half the brands in less than thirty minutes..."
Nagasaki Soyo stood on her tiptoes, nervously watching the crowd as it drew ever closer to their booth.
"And I don't know if it's my imagination, but it feels like they haven't placed many orders at all."
"That's because this exhibition will, to a large extent, determine the reputation and quality of this year's [TGC], so the invited buyers are likely acting with the self-awareness of being [TGC] judges," explained Yuutenji Nyamu, who had done her homework beforehand. "Thanks to Jean-san's antics, this year's [TGC] has been elevated to a national-level event. But under such massive hype and scrutiny, not even the wealthy [NozAK!] can bribe the judges in plain sight."
"Everything is going according to Jean-san's plan..."
Tetsuya once again marveled at the great senior's foresight. Just then, his phone chimed with a notification.
[The new song has been submitted to the record company and approved. Mutsumi and I are heading back now.]
"Looks like Sakiko should arrive at the booth after the first group of judges is done..." Tetsuya said.
At the same time, Soyo, who had received a similar message, also put down her phone.
"Anon's live stage is all set up. Once a few more people gather, I'll go meet up with them."
"...Everything's going smoothly."
The back-to-back updates brought an involuntary smile to Tetsuya's face.
Meanwhile, Hoshino Ai, who had been waiting on standby at the bar counter ever since she changed, was starting to get restless.
"Tetsu, are Uika and I really okay just sitting here like this?" she couldn't help but ask.
According to his instructions, not only were she and Miyata Uika not required to stand in front of the booth and display the clothes in specific poses, they were simply to sit there and act as if they were relaxing on a break. To make the relaxed state as authentic as possible, he had even prepared drinks and books...
"If Uika and I take the initiative now, we could probably attract some media to our booth early and get some initial attention—"
"Trust me, Ai. What I want to show is your truest, most relaxed side."
Unlike the slightly antsy Ai, when Tetsuya saw that Jean's booth was now fully set up, his own nervousness actually began to calm down.
Within that extremely plain booth, which had little more than a giant logo, were world-class fashions refined and condensed from cultures and histories all over the globe.
Despite having no decorations or background, one could feel the complexity and high quality at a single glance.
Even more ridiculously, although the setup was simple, the top model who was supposed to only appear at the [TGC]—Fantina—was now standing by Jean's side, chatting and laughing with him...
"..."
As Tetsuya watched Jean from afar, Jean seemed to sense his gaze and looked back. When their eyes met, Jean gave him a very mischievous smile.
"Because I invited Ai and Uika, he brought out a model who could rival them."
Tetsuya instantly understood Jean's intention from that wicked grin.
"It seems he really has no intention of going easy on me..."
While being taken seriously and acknowledged by Jean was certainly gratifying, the pressure that came with that recognition made him feel helpless. But, just as he had said before, since he had done everything he possibly could, he would gladly accept any outcome.
Even if his opponents were a powerful combination of a world-class designer and a world-class model, it made no fundamental difference to him. All that was left... was to enjoy this exhibition that was about to receive the attention of the masses.
"Aaaah—!"
Just as Tetsuya was preparing to continue waiting for the judges, a shriek suddenly came from nearby. When he looked in the direction of the sound, the scene before him made him freeze on the spot.
In front of the [NozAK!] booth, a female model was clutching her arm in pain. And beneath her fingers was a streak of blood, freshly drawn and not yet wiped away.
"...Eh?"
Tetsuya and the girls around him all let out a sound of utter shock in unison.
"What on earth... happened over there?"
...
"What is going on?!"
Ko Ogino looked at the frantic model before him, a mix of anger and anxiety on his face.
"Why is your arm suddenly injured?!"
"I-I just felt that the cuff was really uncomfortable, so I thought I'd move my arm a bit, and when I made a slightly larger movement, it cut my skin!" the model answered hurriedly. "I'm sorry, Ogino-san, I can't continue with the exhibition! I have to take care of this wound right away! If it leaves a scar, my modeling career will be ruined!"
With that, ignoring his furious expression, the model clutched her arm and hurried toward the backstage area. At the same time, the other invited models began to look worriedly at their own outfits, afraid they would suffer a similar career-threatening injury.
On top of the models' attention being diverted, what was worse was that the judging panel, which was now approaching the [NozAK!] booth, had witnessed the entire commotion. The lead editor, a former model herself, was now frowning deeply.
"What just happened?"
The chief editor strode up to the booth and asked Ko Ogino directly.
"Why was that model's arm injured?"
"Th-that..."
Already confused about the situation, Ogino began to stammer.
"Sh-she was just being careless..."
"...Careless?"
The editor's frown deepened.
As an industry insider, she knew perfectly well that for fashion models, a static display segment that didn't require walking the runway had absolutely no room for error or carelessness.
"Let me see the outfit that model was wearing."
"It's this one here."
Ko Ogino quickly pulled himself together and presented the mannequin wearing the same outfit to the editor.
"The inspiration for this garment comes from a West African tribal coat used to care for women in labor. The material is a local specialty fabric, mudcloth, which symbolizes protection and safety for the local people..."
He recited the explanation and information he had received beforehand.
But the editor's expression didn't relax in the slightest.
"It holds such symbolic meaning, yet it injures the model?"
She couldn't help but shake her head.
"That's a rather difficult source of inspiration to accept..."
Then, under Ko Ogino's increasingly ugly expression, the editor reached out and felt the cuff of the sleeve.
As expected, the moment she touched the mudcloth, its texture and feel told her everything. She shot her head up and looked at him.
"...You are the head designer of [NozAK!]?"
"Yes, I am the head designer of [NozAK!], Ko Ogino."
"Then let me ask you, why is there no hem finishing on the sleeve cuff of this garment?"
The editor showed the cuff to him.
"This mudcloth is not only as coarse as burlap, but it's also very dry and stiff. Without a rolled or finished hem, it would easily injure the wearer's skin, wouldn't it?"
"...Wh-what?"
Ko Ogino was stunned. He quickly reached out to feel the cuff himself. The next second, the incredibly rough and hard edge made his face turn pale.
"How can this be? When I watched them process it before, they didn't do anything to it..." he mumbled, his eyes vacant.
At that moment, the editor's assistant keenly noticed a coat with the same pattern and a similar shape at the neighboring [JP] booth.
"Chief Editor, look over there..."
"..."
Following the assistant's direction, the editor immediately noticed the remarkably similar garment at the [JP] booth. When her eyes fell upon its sleeve cuff, her expression changed to one of dawning realization, as if she had just seen the reference answer.
"I see..."
She muttered to herself, then reached out. Under Ko Ogino's bewildered gaze, she folded the cuff slightly inward, while also gently gesturing how the front and back hems should fall at the body's sides.
"My apologies, Ogino-san. My previous statement was too imprecise."
The chief editor looked up and said to him.
"It seems... there is nothing wrong with your garment."
"Phew..."
Ko Ogino involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.
But the very next words out of her mouth made him break out in a cold sweat.
"Because the mistake you have made is the most foolish and inexplicable one... which is the correct way to wear the garment."
The processing method, originating from an arid region, gave this fabric the ability to be shaped through folding. And after being folded, the coarse and stiff texture became thick and substantial, which indeed better fit the description he had given—"protection and safety."
"Now this is strange. If you designed this garment, then how could you, the designer, possibly make such a mistake? And if you personally selected the fabric, then how could you not know its specific texture?"
As the editor explained and pointed out the flaw, the entire judging panel gathered around the West African coat, each feeling the texture and material for themselves.
While they had never learned about the clothing culture of this so-called West African tribe, they at least understood that a garment that would cut the skin when worn should not exist under any circumstances.
And so, as Ko Ogino's expression grew more and more desperate, the chief editor said in a cold voice:
"Please give us a reasonable explanation, Ogino-san!"