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

He was a trainee selected by A Club and was considered a junior of Hirai Shouta, so he had never been keen on talking to these trainees from S and J Clubs.

According to the previous negotiations between several companies, even if he successfully debuted as a group, his position would still be fourth or fifth...

At this moment, Xia Fan suddenly appeared and took the first place. The possibility of his debut failing was higher than that of several others, so he naturally felt a strong sense of crisis.

"You're right. Even if several people join forces, can they still be no match for Xia Fan?"

"No matter who comes first, it can't be a Dragon Countryman."

With their own interests at stake, five-star trainees from different companies formed a silent alliance.

……

The next day, Ikebukuro Commercial Pedestrian Street.

As summer progresses, by five o'clock, the sunset in Tokyo hides behind the clouds.

"I spent the whole afternoon thinking about this outfit. Is it too mature?"

"But, if it's the elders, they would probably prefer this..."

Horie Tsubasa stood in front of a fashion store, carefully checking her makeup in the mirror behind the floor-to-ceiling window.

Today, she did not wear her school uniform as usual, but changed into a slim black dress and paired it with rimless glasses.

The magnificent curves and the quiet face combine to create a strong contrasting beauty.

"It's all that guy's fault. He called me out of the blue to arrange a dinner date today..."

"If it's his own restaurant, that means his father and mother will be there too... What the hell!"

After checking her clothes and hairstyle, Horie Tsubasa stamped her feet in annoyance, then took out a small mirror from her bag and started to touch up her makeup.

Last night, she suddenly received a message from Xia Fan, saying that he would fulfill the "thank you banquet" that had been agreed upon previously.

Because the recording schedule for the "Idol Birth Festival" is tight, the time is set for today, and the location is Xia Fan's own restaurant.

Thinking of the special meaning of the three words "meet the parents", the usually calm Horie Tsubasa couldn't help but become a little flustered.

"Ok?"

Just as Horie Tsubasa finished applying lipstick and turned around, a thin figure came into her sight...

She was a cute girl wearing a small round hat and a little dress.

She was facing the floor-to-ceiling window of the shop next door, took off her mask, and put on makeup in almost the same posture as Horie Tsubasa.

"Hori, Horie..."

The girl put away her makeup mirror, turned her head and saw Horie Tsubasa, and took a step back stiffly like a frightened rabbit.

"Star name?"

Horie Tsubasa naturally recognized the other person.

It was her new best friend, the popular new star of the Burning Style, the girl idol singer, Hoshina Hanami.

Chapter 267: I invited you too?

2024-07-13

"Really? Long time no see..."

"Are you here for shopping today?"

The two of them had stiff smiles on their faces and greeted each other with an inexplicable sense of guilt.

"Shopping, not really, but actually with Xia Jun..."

Xing Minghua lowered her head with a slightly blushing face, stood on tiptoe nervously, and spoke hesitantly.

"Wait, could it be..."

"That guy Xia Fan also invited you to have dinner at his restaurant?"

Horie Tsubasa's expression became strange.

"That's right. Xia Jun said that he participated in the program during this period and thanked everyone for helping him canvass votes within the Burning Department. He specially invited me, President Higashino and President Tachibana to dinner..."

"Wait...you just said 'also'...so, did Xia-kun invite Miss Horie as well?"

Hoshina Hanami explained weakly, and suddenly seemed to understand something, and looked at Horie Tsubasa with a pair of big round watery eyes.

"It turns out that besides me, so many other people were invited..."

Hearing this long list of names, Horie Tsubasa felt inexplicably relieved.

"It's so rude to be so unclear when sending a message to invite someone to dinner."

But when she thought about how she had been struggling for a whole day over some unnecessary fantasies, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists holding the bag, with veins faintly showing.

……

"By the way, it seems like you haven't updated your recent singing videos?"

"Well, the cherry blossom season is coming to an end, and the project is almost over..."

The two girls walked towards the shopping street arm in arm, chatting.

"I have traveled to almost all the cherry blossom viewing areas in District 11, and have seen beautiful scenery. I have also introduced many people to the song "Sakura" and let them know me..."

"It's really meaningful and a project that makes us reluctant to end. Thanks to Xia Fan for coming up with such a good idea."

When talking about the singing project "Sakura Front, the Farewell Song of the Beautiful Girl!", Hoshina Hanami's face was full of emotion.

This period of singing and performing with the Sakura Front was a very valuable travel experience in her life. It also allowed her to accumulate performance experience in various occasions and she was able to handle interactions with passers-by and fans with ease.

Given the limited human and financial resources of the agency, the publicity and promotion plan proposed by Xia Fan was a radical move. It not only achieved very good publicity effects, but also accumulated a group of loyal fans for her when she just debuted.

Along the way, Hoshina Hanami is no longer just the stereotyped label of "Original Sakura Singer", but a lively and cute idol singer.

"Hey, this plan was actually thought up by Xia Jun, isn't it amazing?"

"Not to mention writing lyrics and composing music, his singing and dancing have also improved recently. What else can he not do…"

When Horie Tsubasa first learned that the idea for this project came from Xia Fan, he couldn't help but be amazed.

"Wynn Chinese Restaurant... should be here, right?"

Chatting along the way, Hoshina Hanami and Horie Tsubasa arrived in front of a shabby Chinese restaurant.

On the main entrance of the restaurant, there is a sign that says "The owner is busy, closed today."

"excuse me……"

Having said this politely, the two girls cautiously pushed open the door of the restaurant.

In the middle of the not-so-wide hall, three square tables were put together to form a long table.

From the semi-open kitchen inside, the sounds of spatulas clashing and oil and water stirring could be heard, and the air was filled with the enticing aroma of fireworks and food.

Yoshie Higashino, wearing a casual T-shirt, Ryoko Tachibana, wearing a sexy black dress, and Xia Fan's parents were sitting at a long table, looking like they were having a great time chatting.

"Oh, the two ladies are here together."

Tachibana Ryoko waved enthusiastically and invited the two girls to come in.

"Let me introduce you. This is Xia Fan's father."

"And this one is Xia Fan's mother..."

Higashino Yoshihide stood up and introduced Xia Fan's parents to the two of them.

"Nice to meet you, please take care of me. I'm Hoshina Hanami, and I'm an artist from the same company as Xia Fan. I've always been very grateful to him for taking care of me..."

Hoshina Hanami suddenly straightened her small waist and bowed stiffly repeatedly.

The posture seemed as if she wanted to hit the ground 180 degrees, showing her flexible dancing skills.

"Hello, uncle and auntie, I'm Horie Tsubasa, and I was the class monitor of Xia Fan's high school and university..."

"It's my first visit, so a small gift is not a sign of respect."

Horie Tsubasa seemed much more graceful and polite. He greeted with a polite smile and handed over a box of tea that looked very expensive.

However, her wildly trembling little finger silently exposed the panic in her heart.

Looking at the handsome uncle-like father Xia and the charming mother Xia, the two girls instantly confirmed where Xia Fan's amazing looks came from.

"It's enough for you to just show up. Why bring any gifts? That's too polite."

Father Xia smiled simply in return and took the tea.

"Okay, okay, they are all good children. Xia Fan is a dull and sickly child. Thank you for taking care of him."

Mother Xia warmly took the two of them in her arms, brought them to sit next to her, and poured them two cups of hot tea.

"Speaking of which, where were we talking about just now?"

"We talked about the time 20 years ago when we went to sell our goods to him, Brother Xia thought we were collecting protection money and came out to greet us with a knife..."

"Yes, yes, yes. He had the aura of wanting to chase someone and hack them down across eight blocks just because they disagreed with him. If he wasn't wearing a chef's uniform, I would have thought he was a top assassin from some gang."

Yoshihide Higashino and Ryoko Tachibana chatted with emotion.

"Ahem, that's all your fault. You two look too much like gang members..."

"No, you were in a gang at the time!"

Father Xia almost choked on his tea.

"Society? Goods?"

"Twenty years ago? Have the two presidents and Xia Jun's father known each other for so long?"

Hearing the conversation between the three, Hoshina Hanami and Horie Tsubasa, who were originally a little reserved, also cast curious glances.

"Yes, twenty years ago, when we were just married, we crossed the sea to District 11 with a knife, a shovel and a pot to make a living."

"District 11 was already in turmoil at the time. I had just taken over the store when these two guys came to visit me stealthily..."

"Who would have thought that these two guys who look extremely vicious are not here to collect protection money, but to sell vegetables..."

Recalling those years, Xia's father's face was filled with sorrow.

At the beginning, Higashino Yoshihide and Tachibana Ryo said with a grim smile, "Boss, we have the highest purity of top-grade goods here. Do you want some?", and then what they took out from the inside of their suits were fresh tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers...

"We had just joined the club at that time, full of ambitions, wanting to dominate the Tokyo Yakuza, but we were assigned to do 'agriculture' in the mountains..."

"Yes, I dug the soil every day and applied fertilizer myself. I got tanned and my hands were covered with calluses. Later, I finally got a position in the 'sales team' and returned to the city..."

Yoshihide Higashino and Ryoko Tachibana talked about their bitter tears from the past.

In that era when the yakuza were rampant, the two were well-known bad boys who "dominated Tokyo High School" and received employment invitations from many yakuza clubs before they even graduated.

As a result, just after they chose a large gang to join, they encountered the promulgation of a series of laws and regulations targeting the development of gangs, such as the "Countermeasures against Gangs Law". The gangs were in danger and sought transformation, and the two were arranged to engage in agricultural planting in the deep mountains and forests.

Chapter 268 The Second Generation Chef

2024-07-13

At that time, labor costs in District 11 were high, taxes were numerous, and vegetable supply was monopolized by the Agricultural Association. Using cheap illegal labor to secretly grow agricultural products in the rivers in the mountains, and then selling them directly to avoid taxes, was a very profitable gray business.

Of course, in addition to vegetables, there may be some other green plants grown in the mountains, but these are not something that two mere brothers are qualified to touch.

After finally waiting for the first batch of vegetable harvest, Higashino and Tachibana volunteered to take on the task of "expanding sales channels" in order not to continue wasting their youth as "illegal farmers" in the mountains and wilderness, and went door-to-door to sell their products to restaurants.

As the business came and went and goods were delivered every few days, they became familiar with Xia's father, and they would have a few drinks together from time to time when they were delivering goods after closing time.

"Speaking of which, after you had your 'gender awakening' and went to the entertainment industry, I was ambushed by a 'companion' while delivering groceries. I didn't expect that the other party was carrying a firearm, and I almost lost my life..."

"Thanks to Brother Xia's rescue, I am still alive today."

Yoshihide Higashino picked up the huge beer glass and toasted to Xia's father.

At that time, selling "illegal agricultural products" was very profitable, so naturally there was more than one underworld group involved.

In order to seize the catering supply rights in the golden area of ​​Ikebukuro Commercial Street, several associations competed with each other and often fought behind the scenes.

Once, Higashino Yoshihide was ambushed by a rival on his way to deliver vegetables and was shot in the abdomen. He managed to escape all the way to Xia's father's store and hid in the attic where Xia Fan was sleeping, and thus survived.

Since then, he and Xia's father became friends for life and he treated Xia Fan as his own son.

"Ahahahaha, did something like this happen later? Come to think of it, I haven't had a drink with Brother Xia in years..."