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

Hoshina Hanami stood there blankly, staring at the flow of trains that "swallowed" Xia Fan, and a strange emotion began to spread in her chest.

After ten minutes, there were finally no more trains passing on the track.

But on the other side of the gate, Xia Fan was no longer visible, only a few cherry blossoms were still falling.

"So, is this what it feels like?"

Xing Minghua smiled wistfully, crossed her slender fingers behind her, and turned away.

……

That night, in the recording studio.

"I'm so sorry to have you all come here so late to work overtime with me. I'm very confident about this recording..."

Hoshina Hanami bowed deeply to Tachibana Ryoko and the sound engineer through the soundproof glass.

The accompaniment sounded in the headphones, she walked to the microphone, opened her red lips, and began to sing softly.

"This... Xiaohuajian... has made such great progress..."

Outside the recording room, Ryoko Tachibana, who was monitoring the singing through her headphones, raised her index finger in surprise to cover her thick, fiery red lips.

……

The president’s office is on the top floor of Company B’s building.

"Mr. Zhou, this time, the twelve newcomers from our 'Burning Series' who signed up for the Tokyo Newcomer Music Awards have all submitted their official recorded songs on time. They have been sent to your email."

"The song's paid online download will be available after tomorrow's live performance. Our promotional plan this time is to focus all traffic on Sakamoto Shu, firmly lock in the top spot on the first day, and maximize the 'head effect'."

A man with glasses, wearing a wrinkle-free black suit and a tightly combed back hair, stood respectfully in front of the desk and handed over a plan.

In the boss chair opposite the desk, Zhou Fang sat facing the bustling night view of Tokyo outside the floor-to-ceiling window, leaving only an unfathomable back to him.

"We have already investigated. In this grand prize, J-company, H-company, and S-company have introduced many new talents with great potential, but none of them has the talent and popularity like Sakamoto Shu."

"Brother Zhou, this time, we will definitely be able to wipe out the shame of not being able to enter the top five in the past two years!"

Seeing that Zhou Fang didn't say anything, the man gently adjusted his glasses with a serious expression.

His name is Kawanishi Shigeo, he is one of the directors of Be Company, responsible for external publicity and promotion.

Historical data shows that newcomers who win the top five places in the "Tokyo Newcomer Music Awards" can receive continuous attention within five years. As long as they don't perform poorly, they can quickly grow into mature artists with a stable popularity base and profitability.

In the past two years of the "Tokyo Newcomer Music Awards", the newcomers sent by Bethesda have not made it into the top five.

Although this is related to the fact that Bethesda has many subsidiaries, an inconsistent training system, and the varying quality of new recruits over the years.

But in He Xichengfu's opinion, in today's networked entertainment industry, if an artist wants to stand out, he or she can rely on hard work and traffic to get the upper hand.

Internet traffic and media exposure are promotional resources that can be directly linked to money.

As the man who controls the entire Bethesda promotional resources, Kawanishi Shigeo cannot escape blame for the failures of the past two years.

"Squeak..."

After a few seconds, the huge boss chair slowly turned around.

"Mr. Zhou, you...what's wrong with you?"

Seeing Zhou Fang sitting in the chair, Kawanishi Chengfu subconsciously took a step back.

Because, this president who appears gentle and polite but is actually ruthless has two lines of tears on his cheeks.

"It's okay, I just remembered some past events when I was young."

Zhou Fang wiped his cheek, took off his hidden headphones, and looked at Kawanishi Chengfu seriously: "What did you say just now?"

"Um, the publicity plan..."

Kawanishi Chengfu obviously had not yet recovered from the shock of "the tiger crying", and he pushed the publicity and promotion plan on the table woodenly.

"As for Sakamoto Shu, we will release the promotion according to the amount agreed in the contract with him. Oh, and keep a small part of the promotion for another song..."

Zhou Fang tapped his fingers quickly on the table, which was his habit when he was thinking.

"Among the songs participating in this competition, there doesn't seem to be any other works worthy of attention. Which song are you referring to?"

Kawanishi Chengfu's expression did not change at all. He suppressed his inner surprise and quickly recalled the other songs he had participated in the competition.

"This song is called Sakura."

Suho looked down at his phone and confirmed the song title.

……

A few days later, at the New National Theatre in Shibuya.

“…Thanks to the above brands for being the title sponsors of this event!”

“As we all know, although the finished product in the recording studio is perfect, the atmosphere of live singing is irreplaceable, and it tests the artistry of the song and the professional level of the singer even more.”

"Dear audience, next, I have the honor to announce that the live performance session of the Tokyo Newcomer Music Awards has officially begun!"

The theater, which can accommodate thousands of people, was packed.

Under the focus of multiple cameras, dozens of TV stations and online media simultaneously began to broadcast the annual "Tokyo Newcomer Music Awards" live.

Chapter 10 Super Fan

2024-07-13

"The first player to come on stage is..."

After the host gave the opening remarks, contestants took to the stage to sing one after another.

"How is it? It feels good to listen to the concert in the backstage."

"Well, this is the first time in my life that I've watched a performance so close to the stage."

In the VIP area marked "Insiders", Higashino Yoshihide and Xia Fan sat at the back.

"You kid, you are now considered an industry professional after all, don't say such shameful amateurish words. The stage is the front line of the battlefield in the entertainment industry!"

Rubbing Xia Fan's head, Dongye pointed at the stage with an enthusiastic expression: "In the future, you will also stand on that place and shine to your heart's content!"

"I just write some songs. I am tone-deaf, my limbs are not coordinated, and my body is not healthy, so I won't go to the front line..."

Xia Fan rejected Dong Ye's inspirational words with a wry smile.

"I have been on the edge of a knife for many years, and I don't know how many sunrises I can see. But as long as I am alive, I must enjoy the present moment and be free!"

"Even if he dies one day...it would be nice to have more fans come to visit his grave every year!"

Perhaps thinking of Xia Fan's illness, Dong Ye's face darkened, but then he cheered up again.

"Thank you for the wonderful performance of the last contestant. Now, it's time for the professional judges to give their scores..."

"Wow, the judges gave an average high score of 44!"

While the two were whispering to each other, several contestants had already finished singing, collected their scores and left.

"The professional judges are really merciless. The first few newcomers performed quite well, but none of them have scored above 45 so far."

Dongye shook his head regretfully.

There are 5 on-site judges, each with a weight of 10 points, for a total of 50 points.

As strict music experts in the industry, these newcomers' performances on stage for the first time naturally cannot withstand their scrutiny and it is difficult for them to get high scores.

"The next person to come on stage is a newcomer who looks familiar..."

"Let us welcome the former popular actor and now new singer-songwriter, Sakamoto Shu, to bring us "I Don't Want to Leave the Bed" which he wrote and composed himself!"

After being introduced by the host, the handsome Hide Sakamoto stood under the spotlight.

From the direction of the outer audience seats, several women's screams were heard immediately.

"Tsk, here comes the cheater."

Dongye looked back and smacked his lips in annoyance.

Sakamoto Hide, who was participating in the competition as a "newcomer", had a female fan group of over a hundred people gathered outside the venue, holding banners, waving glow sticks, and screaming in support.

"In a way, I am also a cheater, right?"

Xia Fan touched his nose and listened carefully to Sakamoto Hide's singing.

After returning from studying at a top music school abroad and determined to debut as a singer, Hideo Sakamoto is naturally quite talented.

The song "Don't Want to Leave Bed", which he wrote and composed himself, is highly accomplished and perfectly matches his vocal range, singing style and temperament. Coupled with his steady performance on stage, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "impeccable".

"48 points! The first score over 45 has appeared, but I didn't expect it to be so much higher!"

By the end of the song, the audience was filled with thunderous applause and the judges gave very high scores.

"This guy is both good-looking and useful. I think he will definitely take first place."

Even the disdainful Dongye had to admit the opponent's strength.

"Mr. Hoshina is so unlucky that he has to appear after Sakamoto Shu..."

"God bless her, if she can make it into the top ten, she will be half of our company's artists!"

Dongye flipped through the sequence list, clasped his hands together in front of his chest and recited silently.

"Uncle Dongye, I'll go to the back for a while."

Xia Fan glanced at the stage, stood up and walked to the back row.

In a corner of the stage where the spotlight could not reach, a petite figure was quietly waiting there.

……

On the stage, Hideo Sakamoto bowed out gracefully amid thunderous applause.

"Finally, it's my turn. I've been training for two and a half years just for this official debut..."

Hoshina Hanami took advantage of the time when the lights dimmed and, according to the procedure, stood in the center of the dark stage.

She wore light makeup today and a pink idol stage costume. Compared to usual, she looked even sweeter and more charming, and her youthfulness was so overwhelming.

"Why, I'm not looking forward to it as much as I thought."

Hoshina Hanami took a deep breath and quietly glanced below the stage, but she looked a little disappointed because she couldn't find anyone.

"…Please welcome the next contestant, the new idol singer from aksb48, Hoshina Hanami, to perform the song "Sakura" for us."

Following the host's announcement, several spotlights suddenly fell on her.

“Is this the real big stage?”

"What a terrible feeling of pressure. It's completely different from the theater I usually practice..."

The small theater where we usually practice has a fixed audience group of less than a hundred people. Even if there are occasional mistakes in the performance, we can get away with it without any pressure.

But now, the scorching heat of the spotlight, the pressure of several cameras focusing simultaneously, and the convergence of thousands of eyes inside and outside the court made Hoshina Hanami's mind go blank.

"If I mess up my debut performance on a stage like this, wouldn't that be..."

A terrible thought rose up from the bottom of her heart uncontrollably and gradually turned into fear that dominated her body.

"Hsing Ming looks very stiff, is he stage fright? Please, my entire fortune rests on you."

Dongye in the audience noticed something was wrong and his face turned pale.

At the same time, the prelude began to sound.

“What should I do? I can barely move my body, let alone get into a rhythm. Cheer up, Hanami…”

But at this moment, Hoshina Hanami was not in the performance state at all. Not to mention singing, she even forgot her usual habit of counting the beats with her feet.

The familiar prelude of "Sakura" now seemed so terrifying that it seemed to be urging one's life to end.

"It's over... it's over..."

She tried her best to lift the microphone to her mouth, but she couldn't even remember the first line of the lyrics...

"Ok?"

Suddenly, a tall, handsome and familiar figure appeared in the center of Hoshina Hanami's blurred vision.

It’s Xia Fan.

He was seen standing expressionlessly in the last row of the inner field, in the central aisle facing the stage.