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

Chapter 91 Image Ambassador

2024-07-13

"Although we alerted the enemy this time, fortunately the middleman had an insider in the Metropolitan Police Department. After receiving the news, he fled without hesitation. The police have lost the clues of the investigation and will not involve us."

The man in the suit handed over a towel and a can of beer at the right time, signaled others with his eyes, and took the two half-dead men away.

"Humph, those illegal immigrants from India can't even speak clearly. Apart from growing vegetables in the mountains and fighting in the streets to make a living, they can't even go door-to-door to collect debts, let alone kill people."

"This matter is a long one and there are many complications. When the police come to their senses, they may connect Xia Fan to the Ikebukuro incident and restart the investigation. We must deal with that kid as soon as possible."

After wiping the blood on his hands onto a white towel, Takenaka sat down on the sofa angrily, opened a can of beer and took a big gulp.

"You four, do you know what to do next?"

Then, he rubbed his hands, looked at the four silent members of the "Red God Team", and threw something on the ground...

It was a beer can that was pressed flat and as thin as a piece of paper.

"Minister, rest assured. We swear to Lord Chishen that we will personally deal with Xia Fan!"

The four men looked at the "hand-rubbed can" with grim faces and answered in unison.

……

District 11 Campus Singer Competition, Tokyo University of the Arts Division, three days before the start of the competition.

Inside the school gymnasium, workers are busy building the competition stage.

A temporary photo studio has been set up in a corner of the gymnasium.

"Come on, boys, look at the camera, your eyes are good, smile, we won't take pictures if you fake smile!"

"The girl puts the microphone to her lips, puts her hands on the boy's shoulders, and raises her heels a little..."

"Very good expression, another one!"

"Okay, the boys will go off first and wait, and the girls will come in a separate group later!"

In the center of the curtain illuminated by spotlights and reflectors, Xia Fan and Horie Tsubasa, wearing Tokyo University of the Arts uniforms, were "surrounded" by three SLR cameras, posing in various slightly stiff poses.

"Huh, it's just a promotional poster for a competition, isn't that too many sets of looks?"

During the half-time break, Xia Fan stood on the sidelines and drank some mineral water, then looked back at Horie Tsubasa who was still being "tortured" by the lights and cameras.

"The girl is pretty good-looking, can you take off your glasses and take a few photos?..."

"Yes, that's right... Once I take off my glasses, my eyes and aura are completely different!"

"Yes, it is this kind of contrast that can better reflect the changes in the students' mental outlook after participating in the singing competition."

At the photographer's strong request, Horie Tsubasa took off her glasses, changed her previous timidity, and boldly displayed her charming charm like a queen, causing the shutter sounds to ring out like machine guns.

"Huh, the monitor's 'second personality' seems to be more suitable for this kind of occasion."

Avoiding the burning gaze that "Kurokawa Tsubasa" directed at him across the camera, Xia Fan sighed.

"What a joke! Didn't we already decide on the candidates for the promotional posters for the competition? Why did we change them at the last minute?!"

The sudden noise at the gymnasium entrance attracted Xia Fan's attention.

Makoto Shibata, a thin middle-aged man with dazzling blond hair, a "sunny and cheerful big boy", was protesting loudly there.

"I'm sorry, I've never heard of such a thing as 'it was agreed long ago'. It is the right of the competition organizing committee to decide who will take the poster photo."

"What? Where is Mr. Kurosaki who is in charge of the competition preparations? I will contact him immediately..."

"Kurosaki-sensei had to temporarily arrange other work and was transferred. Now, I am the general manager of the competition organizing committee. You can call me 'Higurashi-sensei'."

Standing opposite them, "Teacher Higurashi" in a suit adjusted his plain glasses and looked calm.

"Teacher Higurashi, I'm Matsumoto, the entertainment agent of J-company. This Shibata-san is our signed trainee who is about to debut. He has good looks and is very popular in school. Originally, Mr. Kurosaki had recommended him for the previous promotional poster shoot, but I don't know why he was replaced at the last minute. There may be some misunderstanding here. What do you think..."

"The poster candidate has already been chosen, so you don't need to waste any more words."

"Higurashi-sensei, huh? He's just an event organizer. I'll file a complaint with the Tokyo University of the Arts board of directors right away..."

"Please help yourself."

Seeing the unyielding expression of "Teacher Higurashi", Matsumoto's agent stood aside angrily and made a phone call.

"What on earth is going on..."

Shibata Makoto, who was following behind, looked confused.

As early as a month ago, the agency had decided to use this "Campus Singer Contest" as an opportunity, with the help of online publicity, to plan a "sunny college student accidentally becoming popular on the Internet" incident, so as to achieve Shibata Makoto's real purpose of "official debut".

Originally, the agent had already secured connections with the competition organizing committee and asked Shibata Makoto to serve as the model for the competition's promotional posters as the first step in this "debut plan."

Although the distribution channels and target audience of the campus singing competition's promotional posters are limited, they will cover the entire student circle of Tokyo University of the Arts and surrounding universities, laying a long-term and solid popularity foundation for him within the "student user group."

But just the night before yesterday, he suddenly received a notice that his poster shooting was cancelled.

Hence the current situation where his agent brought him to the organizing committee to communicate.

"Damn it, who on earth squeezed out my spot and took pictures inside..."

Shibata Makoto stretched his neck and looked into the gymnasium.

"The person being filmed seems to be Horie. Was she recommended by the student association?"

The first thing that caught his eye was Horie Tsubasa, who was posing in a moving manner in front of the curtain.

"Wait, there's another man... Is it Xia Fan?!"

Then, his eyes met with someone who was also looking at the sidelines.

But Xia Fan did not say hello to Shibata. Instead, he was called over by the staff and started filming again.

"Teacher Higurashi, as far as I know, Xia Fan, who is shooting the poster, has never shown any music-related talents such as singing or playing musical instruments in school. At most, he has worked part-time as an advertising model. How can he be qualified to serve as the image ambassador of this competition?"

Without caring about maintaining his composure, Shibata Makoto angrily questioned "Teacher Higurashi".

Ever since Horie Tsubasa and Xia Fan’s “confession call forwarding” that day, and knowing that the duo had signed up for the competition, he had used his connections at school to carefully inquire about Xia Fan…

He was an excellent student and handsome. Not only did he receive scholarships and apartment subsidies, but I heard he also had part-time jobs as a convenience store clerk and advertising model.

However, this person is not an arts and sports student, but a normal college entrance examination student. He has never shown any "professional level" in music, singing and performance...

In Shibata Makoto's opinion, in the field of "talent", Xia Fan is not his opponent at all. On the contrary, Horie Tsubasa, who has demonstrated solid singing skills and good looks in school activities, is still worthy of attention.

"As for the qualifications, Horie and Xia Fangu...are the first and second in grade credits among the contestants who registered for this competition."

Higurashi-sensei narrowed his eyes, adjusted his earphones, and answered calmly.

"Ah? Credits?"

"Aren't we having a singing competition?"

This answer left Makoto Shibata unable to react for a moment.

"We are the 'Campus Singer Contest' and we are selecting 'campus singers'. The word 'campus' comes before 'singer'."

"That is to say, if you want to represent the school to sing, you must first set an example in academic performance to avoid misleading students into 'not doing their job properly'."

Higurashi-sensei corrected her as a matter of course.

"By the way, your credits are at the bottom of the list among all the applicants this time."

After slightly tilting his ear, he added another sentence.

"Ah? Teacher, you misunderstood. My credits are low because I participated in many extracurricular activities and trainee courses..."

For a moment, Shibata Makoto felt that what the other party said made sense, and he began to explain somewhat embarrassedly.

Because he was studying and working as a trainee at the same time, he missed many elective courses and failed many required courses. Not to mention the credit ranking, it was already very difficult for him to pass the make-up exam and not fail the grade.

"Shibata, let's go."

"But I haven't..."

"Go when I tell you to."

At this moment, the agent, who had just finished the call, took away Shibata, who was still explaining the credit situation, with a grim face.

"Matsumoto-senpai, we haven't even finished talking about taking the promotional posters, why are you..."

Leaving the gym and coming to a deserted place, Shibata asked curiously.

"Forget about the promotional poster. We can't shoot it."

Matsumoto shook his head.

"The organizing committee of this 'campus singing competition', from the person in charge to the staff, was suddenly replaced by a 'professional team' temporarily sent by the Ministry of Education. It is said that they want to build Tokyo University of the Arts' competition as a national demonstration project."

“Not only has the original familiar person in charge been replaced, but even the previous sponsors have been cancelled, and the school board has no right to intervene in this competition.”

Just now on the phone, an acquaintance from the board of directors informed him of the latest situation of the singing competition.

"Can't shoot? Then, what about my debut plan?"

Shibata became a little anxious when he thought that his peerless beauty could not be admired by thousands of female students.

"Tsk, it's just a poster for a small competition. It doesn't matter if you can't take the photo. Just participate normally and give your best. It won't affect your future plans."

Matsumoto gathered his thoughts and soothed him.

"But……"

"Ahem, Shibata, since the summer after you graduated from high school, when I signed you on behalf of the company, you have been a trainee for almost two and a half years, right?"

Shibata wanted to say something, but Matsumoto was already looking at the clouds in the sky with emotion and asked softly.

"Yes, thanks to Senior Matsumoto's insight, I originally wanted to develop in the action film industry, but you encouraged and recommended me to become an idol who brings strength to others..."

Recalling "the day when destiny changed", Shibata sighed when this wretched-looking man handed him a crumpled business card on the street.

"For this kind of campus competition, the final result is not determined by a small poster, but by the actual performance on the stage."

"Think about it, among the trainees who entered the company with you, only you and a small number of others have persisted until now."

"So, tell me, and tell yourself, the sweat and tears you have shed in the practice room over the past two and a half years, as well as the expectations you have shouldered, will never be inferior to those of the young students in this ivory tower!"

Matsumoto put his hands on Shibata's shoulders and spoke word by word.

"That's right. A small promotional poster can't be a hindrance to my debut."

"I will use my strength to defeat everyone on the stage and let them know what 'professional' means."

The light of self-confidence gathered in Shibata Makoto's eyes and turned into a flame of victory.

"Well, that's the situation. Go and rehearse well. The video promotion, online hype, and guest singing after the competition will all be carried out as planned to ensure that you can become famous as the 'strongest trainee of Tokyo University of the Arts' and then announce your debut..."

"Okay, Matsumoto-senpai."

After watching Shibata Makoto leave, Matsumoto sat down on a bench next to the green belt and lit a cigarette.

"It's great to be young... If you could get rewards for your hard work and efforts, the entertainment industry wouldn't be what it is now."

He raised his head and exhaled a puff of white smoke, then said quietly.

Matsumoto, who has rich work experience, naturally understands that it would be difficult for J Company to influence the organizing committee directly sent by the Ministry of Education and the "Teacher Higurashi" who is a national civil servant, but it is not impossible.

However, since the company decided to let Shibata debut by "accidentally becoming an internet celebrity after participating in a campus competition," they naturally did not plan to invest too many publicity and public relations resources.

For now, we can only implement it according to the original plan.

……

"Report, the target's identity has been confirmed. He is Matsumoto Taro, a manager of J-company's management company. He is the direct manager of Shibata Makoto, a sophomore student in the acting department."

"The two separated after talking in the green belt in front of the education building. Shibata Makoto went to the practical education building, while Matsumoto Taro stayed there and smoked."

“The threat can basically be eliminated.”

Just as Matsumoto was lighting a cigarette, the agent's report was heard in the headphones of "Teacher Higurashi" in the gymnasium.

That’s right, the ones who replaced the original “Campus Singer Contest” organizing committee members were not some “Ministry of Education direct team”, but an “anti-terrorist team” composed of the Metropolitan Police Department’s 9th Section, SP, SAT, and the Imperial Police Special Guard.

In addition to Detective Higurashi who was on-site dispatching and agents disguised as staff members, a hidden command center was set up in the teaching building, responsible for monitoring and personnel mobilization of the entire school and its surrounding areas.

"Understood. Tonight, promotional posters will be released in large quantities through regular channels. Suspects are likely to notice that Xia Fan will participate in this event. All units must step up their vigilance."

"receive."

"Teacher Higurashi" said softly into the headset, then turned around and looked in the direction of the photography screen.

There, Xia Fan and Horie Tsubasa had already finished shooting the promotional posters.