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

"Demo: "I once thought about ending it all", lyrics/composition/arrangement: Xia Fan"

A notification of new email flashed above the phone.

"This song title... Xia Fan... It's only been a few days, and he actually wrote a song for me. Is he trying to fool me?"

Yayoi Tsuki had a cold face and stared silently at the name of the songwriter.

After a while, she put on her custom hearing aid, connected it to her phone, and pressed play.

This expensive custom-made hearing aid essentially only amplifies the sounds heard by her "human ears" to counteract the excessive "volume" of her "fox ears", but it cannot eliminate interference at all. Using it is like listening to music in a howling wind.

But at least, you can get a general idea.

"Don't worry, the most urgent thing is to find out the cause and treat it with peace of mind..."

"This kind of unexplained hearing loss is very common. The doctors in District 11 are not able to help. We can go to our suzerain country, Dragon Country, across the sea. There will always be a way."

Xiaoxi's agent chopped and weighed the vegetables, added vinaigrette, and served it with a cup of low-fat yogurt. Then, he brought this "standard breakfast for female stars" to the coffee table.

"Come on, eat first. You can't cure the disease on an empty stomach...Yayoi?!"

Only then did Xiaoxi notice that Yayoi Tsuki had sat up from the sofa at some point.

She looked dazed, staring blankly at the empty wall, tears streaming down her cheeks...

She didn't even notice the shoulder strap slipping off, the jade rabbit escaping from the cage, and the beautiful scenery leaking out.

"Yayoi...what's wrong with you?"

Seeing her like this, Xiaoxi's agent looked a little timid and asked in a low voice.

Ever since the last time Yayoi Tsuki attempted suicide while she was away, she came to check on her condition almost every day, fearing that she would become depressed again.

"I...it's okay..."

"I didn't expect this person to be able to write such a song..."

After a while, Yayoi Tsuki took off her headphones and wiped the tears from her face.

"Sister Xiaoxi, I want to try this song."

She said this seriously to Xiaoxi's agent.

"This song doesn't seem to have as strong a rhythm as the previous masters' DEMOs. Are you sure you can master it?"

Seeing that her composure had returned, Xiaoxi's agent breathed a sigh of relief.

If it is just recording songs in the recording studio, Yayoi Tsuki can record ordinary songs word by word in the form of "blind singing".

But what he wanted was a song that he could completely master and sing live perfectly even though he was deaf.

"I can't really hear the melody of this song, but the emotions in the lyrics alone are enough to move me. The rhythm of the song is indeed not the strongest, but it is still within the range that I can perceive now."

"This 'Psychic Slug' was able to customize such a song in such a short time. He is worthy of being the creator of 'Sakura' and 'Gurenge'."

Yayoi Tsuki hesitated for a moment, and her eyes became firm.

Although what Xia Fan sent was just a DEMO of an electronic singer singing for a trial, the rhythm was strong enough for her to master it amid the "interference", and the quality of the song was well above her standards.

What's more, the lyrics and emotions of this song seem to be tailor-made for her current state of mind. She doesn't need to spend time to understand them, and they fully interpret the core emotions.

"Even if I can't sing every note correctly, I should be able to slowly master it by following the score and reach the level of live singing. Sister Xiaoxi, please help me arrange a trial recording as soon as possible."

Although Yayoi Tsuki is not sure whether she can perform this song on stage live to her fans who support her before completely losing her hearing.

But at least this song gave her the desire to try.

"Okay. You can't go out these two days, I'll have someone send the recording equipment over, let's give it a try..."

Agent Xiaoxi nodded, took out his phone and started making arrangements.

……

The month of May is approaching, and the tall cherry trees lining the trails of Tokyo University of the Arts are already full of pink blossoms.

The cherry blossoms, with petals as thin as cicada wings and like works of art, dye the ground pink with the wind and rain.

The second round of the Tokyo University of the Arts Campus Singer Competition arrived amidst the cherry blossom rain.

The contestants and spectators had already been waiting outside the stadium, ready to enter.

Shibata Makoto, dressed like a trendy rock singer and carrying a guitar, was also waiting outside with his friends from the "Makoto Band".

With the belief that "idols must maintain 24-hour image management", he pretended to be unrestrained and sat sideways on a roadside bench, staring at his phone with a smile in the cherry blossom rain.

"Hey, this post 'Tokyo Arts University rock boy, handsomely strumming and sliding on his knees' has exceeded 100,000 views and likes!"

On the mobile phone screen, the TIKTOK video software was playing the performance of him leading the "Cheng Band" in the last audition.

"Tsk tsk, this 'Tokyo University of the Arts Campus Prince Rock' has 50,000 views!"

He slid his finger, and several more audition performance videos of "Cheng Band" were refreshed one after another.

Of course, in these videos, the other members of "Makoto Band" can only be seen in the long shot, and the close-up shots are basically focused on Shibata Makoto, even deliberately aiming at his most photogenic 45-degree side profile.

"Hey, did you see the video of the campus singing competition a few days ago?"

"Are you talking about 'that one'? I saw it, it's really wonderful..."

"I missed the audition because of that video, so I came here today to watch the second round."

Several girls who were waiting in line to enter walked along the carpet covered with pink petals, laughing and talking about something.

Because of the publicity from the organizing committee, J-company and other forces, as well as the spontaneous recommendations from students, the number of viewers for the elimination rounds was much higher than that for the auditions.

"Hey, what they are discussing must be about my video..."

Shibata Makoto maintained his expression and pricked up his ears silently.

"J-company is indeed a big company. With just some 'online operations', the response is quite enthusiastic. It would be better if the comments from the water army accounts were a little more realistic..."

"Come on, come on, don't other passers-by take videos?"

After two and a half years of practice, he felt the thrill of being exposed to the public for the first time. He felt like he was poisoned, and his fingers slid across the screen at a high speed, as if friction was making fire.

After a few days of "high-intensity self-searching", he was labeled as a user by AI big data, and the system automatically refreshed the videos for him, which were naturally all related to keywords such as "Tokyo University of the Arts Campus Singer Competition" and "Cheng Band".

"Tokyo University of the Arts Campus Singer Contest ~ Sweet Male and Female Chorus ~ No Diabetes Allowed"

Suddenly, a video like this appeared on Shibata Makoto's mobile phone.

Chapter 115: Active Idols' Dimensionality Attack

2024-07-13

"Ok?"

Finding that it seemed to be another contestant's video, Shibata Makoto habitually raised his thumb and wanted to scroll to the next one...

"Wait, the data in this video...why is it so much higher than mine?!"

Then, he discovered that the number of views of this video had reached 500,000...

It is five times more than the video with the highest number of views by "Cheng Le Tuan".

"I gently touch your left hand that seems to be waiting for something."

"I want to hold you, I want to hold your hand and take you away without saying a word."

"In fact, I have already noticed this distance that is within reach."

"I want to hold your hand, I want to hold your hand, and shake it back in one go."

The video played automatically, and the scene of Horie Tsubasa and Xia Fan raising their hands and singing affectionately appeared in front of Shibata Makoto.

"Are you fencing today? The man is handsome and the woman is pretty. The sugar intake has exceeded the limit today."

"Mamacha: It was a pity that we couldn't kiss indirectly, but it was great that we got to watch the fireworks together in the end!"

"Kyoto Matcha-kun: I doubt that so many musical instrument parts can really be played by one person with an electronic keyboard."

"Curly Nose Hair: DAME, I was there at the time! As a certified professional keyboard player, the electronic keyboard skills of the blue yukata guy's 'one-man band' are definitely at the MASTER level."

"Umekawa Kuroko: The male's rap is quite suitable for the song scene, but the solo is just mediocre. However, the female lead singer's voice pressure and pitch are both professional level, and the kind of hesitant style does not seem to be acting. I suggest a thorough investigation of the relationship between these two."

"Part-time CV Fujii: We've already done a thorough investigation. These two are top students in the Department of Music at Tokyo University of the Arts! I heard that they were in a relationship where they passed each other love letters in the classroom..."

The chorus stage in the video is eye-catching in its appearance, not to mention Xia Fan's crazy keyboard playing and Horie Tsubasa's powerful singing skills, plus the hesitant and sweet emotions of the chorus, which sparked heated discussions among users, mainly students.

Moreover, compared with the endless "copy and paste" comments under the "Cheng Band" video, the comment section of this video is obviously full of the "true feelings" of active users.

"Xia Fan... and Horie Tsubasa..."

"Could it be that they also hired some trolls to build momentum for the second round? That would be a huge expense, it's impossible..."

Looking at the two people wearing "couple yukatas" in the video and the enviable number of views, Shibata Makoto's smile froze, his eyes became bloodshot, and the veins in his arm holding the phone bulged.

"Shibata, how are you preparing for the competition song?"

At the same time, agent Matsumoto, with a wrinkled suit, walked up to him.

"Matsumoto-senpai, I've already practiced the song, don't worry."

"By the way, have you seen this video by the group 'Broken Wings Descending to Earth'?"

Unable to hold back any longer, Makoto Shibata quickly handed the phone to his agent.

"'Broken Wings and Descending to Earth'? Is this the chorus of male and female students..."

"I've seen this video before. The singing is indeed good, and the song selection is also very careful. It is qualified as a performance in the elimination round. It is normal for the audition to get a few more points than you."

Agent Matsumoto spoke slowly and reeked of alcohol, as if he was still drunk from the night before.

"I don't want to hear you praise your opponent."

"As for my video traffic, let the company increase its promotion efforts. The number of views has exceeded the video 'Broken Wings and Descending to Earth' by five times..."

Shibata Makoto couldn't help but interrupt his agent.

"Increase promotion... Ahem, Shibata, you haven't debuted yet, so you may not understand..."

"The company's publicity and promotion are all carried out step by step and according to plan. It's impossible to use all the energy in the audition, right?"

Matsumoto covered his mouth and coughed lightly, his tone still unhurried.

"That's true...but..."

"In this case, wouldn't they have taken away all the popularity I had for the tag 'Tokyo University of the Arts Campus Singer Contest'?"

What the other party said made sense, and Shibata's tone was a little hesitant.

"It's just an audition, just an 'appetizer'. Your attention should be focused on the second round that is about to begin."

"Guest singer, I arranged this for you because I owed a favor to another manager..."

Matsumoto gently brushed off the petals on his shoulders and clapped his hands to signal several members of the "Seiko Band" to come forward.

"Let me introduce to you today's guest singer. She is Ms. Risa Terada, a member of Kaedozaka48 and Tetsudo AK."

As Matsumoto raised his hand to his side, a petite woman wearing a mask, sunglasses and a black dress walked over.

"Everyone from Cheng Band, it's an honor to be your guest singer. Please give us your guidance on today's performance."

She took off her sunglasses and mask, revealing her delicately made-up face, and bowed to everyone with a smile and full of energy.

"It is an honor to have the opportunity to meet Ms. Terada!"

"No, we are the ones who need your guidance!"

The members of the "Makoto Band" bowed in fear and then looked at Shibata Makoto with shocked eyes.

"Hey, hey, Cheng really didn't lie, it's really Risa Terada from Kaede 48..."

"Although Terada Risa is only the 'sub-vocalist' in Kaede 48, she is also an 'active idol' who emerged from the 'Idol Warring States Era'!"

Keyboardist Bi Maofeng and drummer Niu Chang Tie Nan had their nostrils dilated like Pig Brother and their breathing became heavy.

Idol girl groups like "Kaedezak48" have an organizational structure that is more complex than the military. Including its related sister groups and subordinate teams, it has more than 500 official members to date.

All of the official members of the group started out as trainees, were divided into teams and rotated to various small theaters and stages, and then went on to the final election. They were voted for by fans through the purchase of CDs, handshake tickets, and real money spending, and only then could they become the "face" of the team and participate in the recording of the latest "team single."

Many members at the bottom of the rankings will face the tragic fate of having their contracts resold by the company and having to go into the live-action film industry.

From this "cruel but fair" selection mechanism, the members who stand out have above-average basic skills, body shape and appearance.

This Risa Terada has been in the industry for several years. She is the lead singer, center, dancer, and rapper, and all other positions are considered as sub-vocals. Her popularity, singing and dancing, and appearance rank at the bottom among the official members of Kaede 48...