[Novel: Venus Syndrome] (110) Overseas Expansion

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Voyage

Low voices overlapped in the conference room of the Akasaka dress brand "Felice."
No slides were projected. Just a few documents and people sitting in silence.
That was the atmosphere today.

"--We've reached our limit. We can't keep going just within Japan."

The sales manager was the first to break the silence.
He said, tapping the table lightly with his fingertips.

"The entire market is shrinking. The trend of young people moving away from dresses is particularly serious. Rental is becoming the mainstream even for coming-of-age ceremonies, and it's an era where people even get wedding dresses through subscriptions."

The graph in the document was sloping downward, slowly but surely.

"To begin with, they don't find value in owning things. It's the mindset of 'it's enough if it looks good once.'"
The marketing manager added.

"Even so, if we cater to subscriptions, it's the end for us."
The design chief interrupted in a somewhat harsh tone.
"Our dresses are 'clothes where the act of choosing has meaning.'"

A silence fell for a while.

"--I understand that."

The sales manager said, turning his gaze to the whiteboard.
Nothing was written on it yet.

"However, now is the only time to make a move. You all saw the reaction at the joint exhibition in Paris, didn't you?"
"Yes."
The public relations manager nodded quietly.

"The texture, the tailoring, the silhouette. All of them were evaluated without the prejudice of being 'made in Japan.'"
"And some buyers even said, 'It's interesting as an urban dress line.'"

"Urban?"

The design chief frowned.

"In short--"
The PR manager continued, searching for words.

"Not for weddings, not too casual, but something you can wear as-is to the office or a party. Dresses that people living in the city can wear day and night. That kind of demand exists over there."
"...Our origins are in weddings, you know."

The design chief said quietly, but did not deny it.

The CEO finally spoke, as if lifting a heavy burden.

"--Whether to be bound by our origins or to expand. Now is the time to decide."

It was a quiet voice, but no one could argue back.

The documents on the table trembled slightly in the breeze.

"Felice will take the step toward overseas expansion."

"First, London and Paris. Let's proceed with preparations, aiming for next season's joint exhibition."
The air in the conference room tightened just a little.

This was the beginning of Felice's voyage.

Chapter 2: Prototype Dress

"--Who will wear it?"

The design chief said to the few staff members gathered in the fitting room.
In their hand was a design sketch.
A quiet long dress made of midnight charcoal silk taffeta, as if drawn with only straight lines.

Taut fabric.
A high waistline.
A sleeveless structure that drops from the shoulder to the side, without assuming the presence of arms.

--This was the first piece for Felice's overseas expansion.

"...Wouldn't Riko-chan be good?"

The pattern maker muttered.
"She has the height, and she can balance it, right? They said they wanted 170cm by their standards."

"Yeah, Riko is the closest."
Nao agreed.
"Without height, this dress will just look like a piece of cloth."

"...Me again?"

Riko Takekuma, who was standing by the wall of the fitting space, shrugged with a bitter smile.
172 centimeters. She was exceptionally tall even among Felice's mannequin team.

"Please."
The design chief smiled slightly.

"This time, you won't be 'walking.' Just standing is fine."
"Even if you say that, the fabric will move, right? Like with the wind."

"It will move. It will move, but you have to make it look like it's not moving."

Riko sighed.
But inside, she was a little happy.
She would be the first to wear the 'prototype' of Felice's first overseas specification.

"Is the size okay?"

"If it hasn't changed since we measured it before..."

They immediately started the fitting.

---

The freshly cut silk taffeta was spread out on the workbench.
When she touched it lightly with her fingertips, the fabric brushed against her skin coolly and then sank softly.

The fitter placed pins, and Nao made fine adjustments.
The fabric at the shoulders was just gently placed there--
The very act of putting one's arms through the dress did not exist.

Riko stood still.
Suppressing her breathing and movements as much as possible.
She felt the weight of the fabric pulling her spine straight.

"...Good."

Nao narrowed her eyes.
"Just by standing, the dress looks like it's floating."

"It really does."
The pattern maker also muttered with admiration.

Every time a pin was placed, the dress quietly changed shape along her body.
The waves of charcoal gray pooling at her feet--
Those waves, overlapping with Riko's body heat, gradually began to dominate the space.

It was not yet complete.
It was just a prototype.
However, Riko felt more strongly than anyone else, without saying a word, that Felice's future depended on this one dress.

Chapter 3: Silent Concerns

"And so--"

The sales manager's voice fell heavily into the conference room.

The prototype, having finished the fitting, had already been photographed.
A charcoal gray dress. Structural and with a quiet presence.
No one disagreed with its level of perfection.

The problem was the method of display.

"Regarding the local exhibition, is it... acceptable to proceed with using human mannequins?"

The air in the room stiffened slightly.

Felice does not use plastic mannequins.
They display living bodies—the Venus children—as symbols of motionless beauty.
That was the brand's philosophy.

However--.

"...It wasn't a problem within Japan, but"
The PR manager searched for words carefully.

"In the West, there is a possibility it will be seen differently."

The CEO raised his gaze.

"Specifically?"

The marketing manager answered while operating a tablet.

"There is a person in Australia named Stella Young... She spread the term 'inspiration porn' in a TED Talk."
"Inspiration porn?"
The young sales staff tilted his head.

"It's consuming disabled people as 'beings that give courage.'"
The PR manager added.
"Even if it looks like good intentions, it's criticized as the self-satisfaction of able-bodied people. This awareness is quite widespread in the English-speaking world."

"Actually, Nike also faced a backlash, didn't they?"
The young sales staff continued.
"When they used a para-athlete in an ad and added the tagline 'You have no excuses,' they were slammed for 'pushing excessive expectations onto ordinary disabled people.' It's called Supercrip criticism."

"...In other words"

The CEO summarized briefly.

"Over there, whether we make disabled people 'look strong' or 'look beautiful,' it becomes a risk."

"Yes."

"There is also a non-zero possibility that the exhibition organizers will judge it to be in violation of ethical codes."

The PR manager's voice was also cautious.

"Even if they outwardly respect freedom and equality, if you handle it wrong-- even if it's 'with good intentions,' the exhibitor is the one who gets slammed."
The people around the table fell silent.

"--Operating on principles is only for domestic matters."

The CEO concluded briefly.

"If a problem arises locally, switch to plastic mannequins immediately. Always have a backup ready. Don't forget the second arrow."

"Understood."
The sales manager nodded.

What was asked here was, "Is it convenient?" "Is there no risk?"--that was all.

Chapter 4: Shadows in the Dressing Room

The dressing room door closed with a creaking sound.

Riko, having just finished the fitting, exhaled heavily and sat down on the sofa by the wall.
The charcoal gray dress had not yet settled on her body.
The slippery feel of the silk was faintly brushing against her skin.

Opposite her were Yumi Yakuno, holding a canned coffee, and Nao Hiyabidani, who was stretching.
No one spoke.

Only the old air conditioner in the dressing room was humming quietly.
Riko muttered.

"Hey..."

No one turned their face, but their ears were turned toward her.

"Wasn't the West supposed to be freer and more understanding of disabled people than Japan?"

Silence.

Riko continued.

"That's what I heard. But, I heard it in the meeting earlier. About 'inspiration porn' and 'excessive expectations are bad'... If that's the case, we might even get scolded just for standing with bodies like ours."

Irritation seeped into the edges of her words.
"Isn't it a land of freedom? Isn't it an understanding society? And then, to be told 'you'll get slammed if the way you show it is bad,' what is that?"
Yumi answered while spinning the can with her fingers.

"...Freedom probably includes the 'freedom not to look,' you know."

"The freedom not to look?"
"Yeah. The freedom to leave things alone if you think 'I don't want to see.' They don't want to make us 'special beings' or 'pitiful beings.' But if we're treated too 'normally,' that's uncomfortable for people over there, too."

Nao said, leaning back slightly.

"Also, if they think we're being made to stand for the sake of able-bodied people, that's an automatic out. Even if our reason is 'we're here to convey the beauty of the dress,' we'll be treated like 'exploited victims' on their own."

"That's..."

Riko sighed in disbelief.
"Either way, it's selfish."
"Yeah, it's selfish."

Yumi smiled faintly.

"But that's the world. Freedom isn't just beautiful."
Nao also nodded slightly.
"That's why--you have no choice but to stand on your own. Whether you're seen or not, if you decide to stand, that's the answer."

The air conditioner in the dressing room hummed low again.

Riko closed her eyes.

The weight of the charcoal gray dress soaked into her shoulders, her chest, and her back.

--Not for anyone else.

--Standing for myself.

That answer was beginning to be born within her, even while it hadn't yet taken shape.