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

The host read out the high scores in an excited tone that matched the stage performance.

"As expected of an 'active idol' who fought his way through the 'Idol Wars', he can perform consistently in small theaters, bars, Yokohama Arena, and the Red and White Song Festival."

"This result should be the best among all the teams today."

Such a result made Matsumoto in the audience feel relieved, and he grinned at Tachibana Ryoko beside him.

In principle, the judges will exclude the guest singers when scoring. However, the stage is a whole, and factors such as the state of the members driven by the excellent guest singers, the emotions of the audience, and the overall impression of the performance will always be a huge plus.

Shibata Makoto invites Terada Risa to help sing. If he advances to the finals as the first place, it will form a good "continuation theme" with the previous video promotion and help further increase the accumulated popularity.

According to the plan, when the third round comes and Makoto Shibata wins the final, he will embark on a college tour with the "Makoto Band", and will completely feed back the "online video traffic" to the "offline activities", from which he will solidify his first batch of loyal fans, completing a key step in his debut as an artist.

"I am a genius in the management industry for being able to come up with this low-cost, high-efficiency debut plan!"

As Matsumoto imagined Shibata Makoto's successful debut and the huge commission he would earn from it, his smile gradually became distorted.

"After Cheng Band, the next to perform is the group No. 28, 'Broken Wings' who also performed well in the audition!"

On the stage, the host announced the next contestant to come on stage.

"In the last performance, both the male 'one-man band' playing the electronic keyboard and the female singer's powerful singing voice were impressive."

"What kind of songs will they bring today, and what kind of guest singers will they invite..."

The host took a look at the name of the guest singer of "Broken Wings Descending to Earth" on the card in his hand, and his expression became a little excited, and the ending of his voice trembled.

"Tachibana, please take your time, I'll leave first..."

Daiju was already exhausted, Matsumoto patted Tachibana Ryoko on the shoulder, took out his phone, and contacted a nanny car for Terada Risa.

"Oh, are you leaving now? My child is about to appear on stage. Why don't you stay and take a look?"

Tachibana Ryoko waved her hand, signaling the three cameras to start recording synchronously.

"Dear audience, the group "Broken Wings" is here again, I am the lead singer Horie Tsubasa..."

"Keyboardist and backing vocalist, Xia Fan."

The stage lights turned to an ambiguous pink, and Xia Fan, in white shirt and white pants, and Horie Tsubasa, in a pink sailor suit, came to the center of the stage.

"Xia Fan, you look so handsome today!"

"Captain Horie's sailor uniform is so cool, please wear it during class!"

"Hey, hey, another couple outfit. I already smell the dog food..."

As soon as the two of them appeared on stage in their youthful and energetic attire, the students who had watched the audition in the audience cheered enthusiastically.

"Yes, I've been waiting for this group. The sweet song they sang last time really touched my heart!"

"Come on, don't let us skip class and come here for nothing!"

"Hey, keep your voice down. The dean is sitting in the first row of the judges' seats."

There were also some students who were obviously attracted by watching the video of "Tokyo Summer Meeting" during the audition and were also discussing noisily.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the audience seemed to be even more enthusiastic than when "Cheng Band" first appeared on stage.

"Is your trainee that girl? Her singing skills and looks are both top-notch. No wonder her audition score is higher than that of the Chengle Band..."

After hearing what Tachibana Ryo said, Matsumoto seemed to understand something, stopped, and looked at the "Broken Wings" group on the stage with caution...

"Speaking of which, your company must have bought a lot of traffic for that short video, right?"

He tried casually.

Could it be that the other party, like himself, was planning to use this competition to make his company's newcomer famous on the Internet and take the opportunity to make his debut?

Even if their debut plans clash, with Shibata Makoto, who is making up an all-trainee team, and Terada Sarada's popularity, there is absolutely no chance of them losing.

"Ah? I don't know which video you are talking about... We are a small company, how can we afford to buy traffic..."

"Besides, these two people are not from my company. My child is here to help them as a guest singer."

Tachibana Ryo shook his head and looked at the stage expectantly.

Chapter 120 Sakura Guard

2024-07-13

"Next, let's hand the microphone over to today's guest singer..."

On the stage, Horie Tsubasa made an inviting gesture towards the curtain on the side.

"Perhaps, it sensed my longing... The cherry blossoms in Tokyo are in full bloom earlier than ever before..."

The girl's voice, as clear as water, came from the speakers.

"Because, there is someone I must meet... Because, we agreed to meet again when the cherry blossoms bloom..."

Her words, like a haiku containing longing, expectation and love, fell gently on the hearts of the audience.

“So, I appeared here…”

"Hello everyone at Tokyo University of the Arts, I'm Hoshina Hanami."

Then, Hoshina Hanami, wearing a pink sailor suit and a round hat, gracefully walked out from the side of the stage...

Before the students in the audience could react, the "suspicious" young men in the audience suddenly pulled out their glow sticks, unrolled the banner, and held up a lighted sign that read "Hoshina Hanami"...

"Hanami! Hanami! So cute!"

"Hana-mi! Hanami! The cherry blossoms are gorgeous!"

"Hanami! Hanami! She's beautiful and has a sweet voice!"

"The Sakura Guards will always be loyal to Miss Hanami!"

Their eyes were excited, their faces were flushed, and they shouted slogans in unison with great momentum.

"What the hell is the Sakura Guard..."

"Could it be..."

"The legendary..."

"Fanatical fan organization?!"

There were hundreds of these men, and their actions, like a terrorist plot, of gathering together, smashing cups as a signal, and suddenly committing crimes, instantly shocked the entire audience in the stadium.

Hoshina Hanami's singing project started from the southernmost part of District 11 and went all the way north. With her excellent singing skills, sweet and lovely appearance, and a temperament as pure as first love, she gradually gained a group of fanatical diehard fans on the Internet...

These fanatical fans who are connected through the Internet, calling themselves the "Sakura Guards", will predict the "walking and singing trajectory" of Hoshina Hanami and take turns waiting at cherry blossom viewing spots. If they successfully encounter Hoshina Hanami for video shooting, the "Sakura Guards" members will enthusiastically cheer for her on the spot.

However, because they are usually scattered all over the place, the time and place of the Hoshina Hanami singing tour are also random, so there are only three or five members of the "Sakura Guard" who have the opportunity to appear in the video.

But this time, it's different...

Because, Hoshina Hanami's video account rarely mentioned three days and released a preview of the "Tokyo University of the Arts Early Sakura Special Project."

Many members of the "Sakura Guard" also planned this "first large-scale offline support event."

They spontaneously gathered towards Tokyo via the Shinkansen, entered the venue on their own, and cheered collectively with the agreed slogan when Hoshina Hanami appeared, resulting in this exaggerated scene.

"Hoshina Hanami... Is she the Hoshina Hanami who sang 'Sakura'?!"

"I've been listening to Sakura a lot recently. Her singing video 'Sakura Frontline' is also very artistic!"

"She's even cuter in person than in the video, and this sailor suit is amazing!"

Then, other audience members at the scene also recognized Hoshina Hanami, who has recently been gaining attention with the popularity of "Sakura", and began to cheer for her.

"'Makoto Band' invited Risa Terada, and 'Broken Wings' immediately invited Hanami Hoshina. Is this really still a campus singing competition, rather than a music carnival?"

The entire stadium, after Hoshina Hanami showed up, was like a frying pan into which cold water had been dropped, and it was boiling completely.

"Hoshina Hanami, the strongest newcomer of the spring, you actually brought her up?"

"Isn't she filming a singing project with 'Sakura Frontline'? Why would she come to this kind of small competition to be a guest singer?!"

Below the stage, Matsumoto's face turned pale, his pupils trembled, and he asked Tachibana Ryoko in an almost breaking voice.

Speaking of the most popular songs in the first quarter, we have to mention "Sakura" which topped the new song chart...

So, the hottest new singer in the first quarter is naturally Hoshina Hanami.

Hoshina Hanami won first place in the "Tokyo Newcomer Music Award" with her debut song "Sakura" with a record-breaking full score.

Initially, the song "Sakura" was much more famous than the original singer.

But as she persevered in singing at the "Sakura Front" in various cherry blossom viewing spots in District 11, people gradually came to have a clear understanding of this beautiful, sincere and energetic idol singer...

Compared with the first-line girl group member Terada Risa, Hoshina Hanami's "status" may not be enough...

However, the ever-changing entertainment industry pays more attention to "current" popularity. In this regard, Hoshina Hanami, who is currently a popular singer and a popular person, can be said to have "beaten" Terada Risa in terms of popularity.

As a rule of thumb, these "popular newcomers" are desperately trying to get on big shows to consolidate their popularity. How could they "condescend" to be a backing singer for this unknown "broken-winged descendant"?

"Xiaohua, you're here today to shoot the 'walking concert' project. Pay attention, the concert is about to start..."

Unconcerned about Matsumoto's surprise, Tachibana Ryoko stared intently at the camera viewfinder, raised her index finger and made a "hush" gesture.

"..."

It seemed that they did not expect the audience’s reaction to be so enthusiastic, and the three people standing side by side on the stage were also somewhat “stunned”.

"Hanami's current popularity is really incredible."

Xia Fan came back to his senses and smiled with emotion.

"Even though I'm a big star, I won't give up easily..."

"Today's performance, your partner is me, Kurokawa Tsubasa. Please give me your guidance."

Horie Tsubasa, who was standing on his left, quietly took off his glasses and gave Xia Fan an ambiguous smile.

"Natsu-kun, Horie..."

Hoshina Hanami, who was standing on Xia Fan's right, nodded to the two of them.

She straightened her back, held the microphone in one hand, pointed to the audience with the other, and asked energetically: "Are you ready to listen to us sing "Sakura" in the cherry blossom rain?!"

Thanks to her recent frequent street performances and "wild interactions" with passers-by, she is more confident and calm on stage than when we first met...

The recognition from numerous audiences along the way accumulated little by little and gathered into the dazzling light called "idol" in her.

“Ready!!!!”

Below the stage, there was an overwhelming response from the audience.

"Hey, it seems a bit weird for a keyboard player like me to be in the center position."

Xia Fan, standing in the center of the stage, glanced at Hoshina Hanami on the left, then glanced at Kurokawa Tsubasa on the right, and pressed the black and white keys with both hands...

The melodious piano music flows like a mountain spring, gently seeping into the heart.

Although they were in a gymnasium, the audience felt as if they were outdoors with cherry blossoms flying in the sky.

At this moment, the "song mastery" bestowed by "Amagami" and the "spiritual performance" of the "Tsukumogami electronic keyboard" produced some kind of wonderful "supernatural chemical reaction".

The melody of "Sakura" is mainly based on piano sound effects. Xia Fan's current playing has precise rhythm and stable speed, and every scale and rhythm is controlled in seconds...

But more importantly, through his five fingers, this not-so-complicated melody was infused with strong emotions such as longing, reluctance and expectation.

As we all know, in piano performance, "smoothness and accuracy" can be achieved through a lot of practice, but "rich in emotion" depends entirely on the performer's understanding of the melody, which is also the watershed between "performers" and "masters"...

And Xia Fan's current performance of "Sakura" has undoubtedly reached the "master level".

Chapter 121 Thousands of People Chorus

2024-07-13

"Xia Jun's playing is amazing, the emotions he conveys are even more abundant than singing. Could it be that he and I have the same thoughts?"

She had heard the prelude countless times, but when Xia Fan played it, Xing Ming Hanami felt an unprecedented sense of emotion and it touched her heart...

The longing that had accumulated in her heart, like the increasingly full buds of cherry blossoms, bloomed irresistibly!

Taking a deep breath, Xing Ming Hana turned to look at Xia Fan, her eyes sparkling, and she sang softly: "I have been waiting for the day when I can meet you again..."

"On the road where the cherry blossoms are dancing, I wave to you and call out your name."

Just this first line has surpassed the countless times she has sung it before, and the emotions in the song have once again been sublimated to a whole new level.