Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

When it comes to "idols" and "talent shows", Kitamura Hanamichi withdrew his hands in embarrassment, with a look of disdain on his face.

"No, it would be boring if I just passed easily..."

"So, if you have a dance performance later, you can break down the movements for me, and I will borrow the movements and dance them myself, and then record a teaching video for you..."

"Even if it's a style of dance I'm not good at, I can help you find a dancer of the same level as me to demonstrate it to you."

"The condition is that you have to come to my studio and take the basic street dance class."

Touching his stubbled chin, he smiled sinisterly and made a suggestion to Xia Fan.

"With Kitamura-sensei's personal demonstration, it will definitely surpass the level of the 'original jump', so of course it's good..."

“But your studio’s street dance classes aren’t very expensive, right?”

Xia Fan confirmed cautiously.

"Expensive? Just like today, I will teach you one-on-one..."

“Tuition is free!”

Kitamura patted his chest generously.

Although he was rejected by Xia Fan today, as the "first generation street dance old boy", Kitamura Hanamichi naturally has an indomitable heart.

As long as Xia Fan is willing to learn from him and feel the joy of street dance, participating in street dance competitions will be a natural and gradual process.

"Free? That's fine."

Xia Fan originally needed dance training courses. Now the courses were free, and he also had a "former world champion" as his dance technical consultant. It was a treatment that others would envy, so he naturally wouldn't be stupid enough to refuse.

"Then it's a deal, let's do a Dap to show our sincerity..."

"DAP?"

"What, you don't know how to do it? Just bump fists like this, and move your fingers like this, like this... You are indeed a genius at imitation, you have done it really well!"

So, the two of them, each with their own thoughts, did a fancy fist bump and reached an agreement.

……

Half an hour later.

In the deserted dance studio, the locker in the corner suddenly opened by itself from the inside...

"Hehe, the way Master Xia Fan learns to dance is so handsome, cool, and cute."

The petite Yui Aiba walked out of the closet with a satisfied blush on her face.

"What a pity. I don't have enough time to install a camera in the lounge. I can't enjoy Mr. Xia Fan's lunch break..."

She lay down, searching around like a dog, and suddenly stretched out her finger and touched the wooden floor...

"I've been staring at this for a long time. Master Xia Fan's precious..."

She held a drop of crystal clear water on her fingertips as if it were a treasure, then put it into her mouth and sucked it hard.

"The afternoon class is a vocal lesson. It's really hard."

After doing all this, Yui Aiba's face flushed. She took out her tablet computer with an unsatisfied look and checked the course materials.

"Speaking of which, Master Xia Fan suddenly signed up for body shaping, dancing, and vocal courses. Is he preparing for some important performance?"

"We need to investigate thoroughly..."

Aiba Yui seemed to have realized something, so she spread out the Magic Keyboard and started typing away.

……

"Mr. Xia, this is the lunch prepared for you by the academy. Because you have vocal lessons in the afternoon, you cannot eat spicy, hot, greasy, or irritating foods, nor can you drink overly sweet drinks, and you should not eat too much..."

"After you finish your meal, you can take a nap here. During this time, remember to drink small sips of water to moisten your throat and ensure that your vocal cords are in the best condition."

After the dance class, Xia Fan was taken to a separate lounge by the staff and lunch was thoughtfully prepared for her.

"So professional, is there so much to it?"

After taking a shower in the lounge and changing out of his sweaty clothes, Xia Fan ate a light lunch and finally had time to look at his phone.

"Horiie Tsubasa: The finals of the campus singing competition will be held next week. I have selected a few songs. You can take a look at them when you have time. We can discuss it later when we meet."

Following Horie Tsubasa's message, there was also a list of alternative song links.

Chapter 173 It’s actually you?

2024-07-13

"I didn't even notice. Is the final next week?"

"The song for the finals... the song by Mitsushima Kana-senpai, but I haven't found the lyrics yet. What should I do..."

Looking at the selection list carefully prepared by Horie Tsubasa, Xia Fan suddenly felt that the food in his mouth didn't taste as delicious anymore.

He originally planned to perform the song left by Manshima Kana at the campus singing competition, one to fulfill her last wish, and the other to fulfill the oracle of Ame-no-Miyako to "play the elegy of death."

But now I have the music but no lyrics, so I have no idea where to start.

Not long after the break, it was time for vocal class. Xia Fan had no choice but to put the matter aside and go to another classroom under the guidance of the staff.

In a classroom filled with various top-notch musical instruments and vocal equipment and with a huge blackboard, a middle-aged man in a black kimono was already sitting next to the piano.

"Xia Fan?"

"Are you the student in this class?"

As soon as Xia Fan pushed the door open, the middle-aged man called out his name.

"Mr. Horie? Why are you here?"

Xia Fan was also surprised to recognize the other person.

That’s right, the vocal teacher invited by Horikoshi Gakuen for him was the famous musician and the father of Horie Tsubasa, Keizo Horie.

"Ahem, don't be surprised. I'm an honorary professor of Horikoshi Academy. I have to sponsor a certain number of classes for them every year, but in previous years they were all large-scale open classes."

"On the way here, I was wondering why Horikoshi Academy would be willing to use my precious teaching time on a student..."

"So, this person is you?"

Keizo Horie was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

He had a close relationship with Horikoshi Gakuen, and he couldn't resist the favor, so he accepted this one-on-one vocal lesson. However, he didn't expect that the student was actually a cutting-edge music producer.

"But, isn't it a waste of talent to let Mr. Horie teach me a beginner's basic vocal lesson?"

Xia Fan was also flattered and subconsciously wanted to go out and find the staff to confirm.

"Forget it, let's make the best of it now."

"You may not know this, but teaching people to sing is my main profession..."

"When I first joined Tokyo University of the Arts, I was a vocal music teacher. I also participated in the compilation of the vocal music textbooks of Tokyo University of the Arts."

"When I was struggling financially in my early years, I took on a lot of vocal lessons at Horikoshi Gakuen, including arranging resident singing programs at major performing arts venues in Tokyo, and one-on-one tutoring after art exams..."

Keizo Horie was quite calm. He pulled Xia Fan to sit down and recalled the past with a nostalgic look on his face.

Many people only know him as a music critic, composer, and a long list of impressive titles...

Little did people know that before publishing those classic works, achieving academic success and becoming famous, Keizo Horie was just an ordinary teacher at Tokyo University of the Arts who devoted himself to academic research and daily lectures, and who, due to financial difficulties, secretly took on singing performances and vocal music lessons as a part-time job.

His friendship with Horikoshi Gakuen began decades ago when he came here to teach part-time.

In today's entertainment industry, there are many famous singers and musical actors who were once taught by Keizo Horie.

"By the way, the song you wrote for Yayoi Tsuki, "I Once Thought of Ending It All," is so touching, warm and powerful!"

"The most rare thing is that you and Yayoi Tsuki are willing to give up the royalties and publicly authorize this song so that it can encourage more people. It is really rare."

"These past two days, I can hear it playing everywhere I go. I never get tired of it. It's so memorable..."

After sitting down, Keizo Horie did not start vocal teaching, but instead started praising Xia Fan's new song.

"No, no, I just agree with Miss Yayoi. She probably wants to leave this song to her fans as a gift during her break from music activities."

Xia Fan could only scratch his head humbly and listen attentively.

"By the way, how did you come up with the idea for the third bar of the melody of that song when you were composing it?"

"And after the climax, the rhythm of the chorus and the coordination of the lyrics into position..."

“The lyrics are very delicate and the melody is powerful, both of which fit the core emotion of the song. Which came first, the lyrics or the melody…”

But after the praise, Keizo Horie still had no intention of attending class. He stroked his hands on the piano, playing "Once I Thought About Ending It All" in fragments, and discussed his creative journey with Xia Fan.

As a national treasure-level musician and retired music critic, Keizo Horie has a strong curiosity and desire to explore excellent musical works.

Even though he knew every detail of the song, Xia Fan was still overwhelmed.

"…Um, Mr. Horie, aren't we here to teach singing today?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity when Keizo Horie lowered his head to drink water, Xia Fan asked.

"Oh, yes, singing... Sorry, when it comes to music creation, I tend to forget other things..."

"I really appreciate your willingness to learn singing systematically."

“As a gifted music producer, being good at singing will allow you to have a more detailed grasp of the fluency and look of singing when creating and arranging music.”

Keizo Horie put down his teacup, and the topic finally returned to "singing".

Many well-known music producers in the industry are actually "KTV-killing" level singing idiots themselves, so they don't find Xia Fan's idea of ​​"learning to sing from scratch" strange.

"I haven't thought about it that far ahead. I might have a live singing performance in the near future, so I want to cram for it. I wonder if there is any quick practice method?"

Xia Fan expressed his demands honestly.

"Quick..."

"Singing requires constant practice and hard work. How can there be a quick way to achieve success?"

Horie Keizo was stunned for a moment and felt a little amused and helpless, not expecting Xia Fan's purpose of studying to be so "short-sighted".

"Anyway, let's test your current level first. The music department of Tokyo University of the Arts should also have vocal lessons in the freshman year..."

"First, the sense of pitch and range... I press a note, and you sing the corresponding scale based on your feeling, from high to low..."

Keizo Horie took out his mobile phone, opened an app called "Scale Tester", and tapped the black and white keys.

"Ah...ah...ah...ah..."

Xia Fan raised his neck and cried out "ah" like a drake waiting to be fed.

"Voice range... C1 to C5, which is the level of an average person... Expanding the vocal range is a long-term process, and you can't rush it..."

"The tone... doesn't have much distinctiveness..."

"The only thing that can be praised is that the pitch deviation is not too big, the sense of rhythm is OK, the breath is stable, and the lung capacity is good..."

After a series of tests, Keizo Horie's face visibly stiffened.

Chapter 174: Peerless Singing Talent

2024-07-13

"Mr. Xia, I suggest that you just dabble in singing and focus more on music creation."

After praising Xia Fan a few times in a reluctant tone, Keizo Horie tactfully gave some teaching suggestions.

Judging from his master-level vocal level, Xia Fan's timbre is ordinary, his range is not wide, and his sense of pitch is not particularly sharp. His talent can be described as quite mediocre...

Even if you spend a lot of time honing your basic skills, you may only be able to reach the "qualified" standard in terms of professional level.

"I also know that I don't have much talent for singing. I just want to cope with the stage performance so as not to be so embarrassed..."

Xia Fan naturally knew very well the extent of his own singing talent.

"As for stage performances, there are some tricks. Just try to choose songs within your vocal range. After practicing hard, you will be able to perform to a satisfactory level. But with your current vocal range, the range of songs you can choose from is very narrow."

"Also, when singing, proper pronunciation, breath control and emotional expression can also be of great help..."

Although he had no hope for Xia Fan's singing talent, Keizo Horie still gave him "utilitarian" training directions.

"Why don't you actually sing a song... I think you can sing 'Hometown', a folk song from an elementary school textbook."