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

Then, Xia Fan pulled open his black sports jacket and threw it back, revealing the white short-sleeved T-shirt underneath.

On the front of the white T-shirt, the characters "Hanami Honmei" were written in a flamboyant calligraphy style.

Then, he pulled out two rather thick and long pink fluorescent sticks, which were "foldable and hidden, extra-large, can't be brought into bags, refunded" from both sides of his trouser legs, held them in both hands, and slowly raised them up.

"Wow! Are you the super fanatic fan who followed me from the Aksb48 mini-theater?"

Such an action does not seem too abrupt.

Although it is rare for fans to be qualified to enter the inner field, compared with the huge group of fans in the outer field of Sakamoto Hide, Xia Fan's "lone battle" is insignificant.

"Xia... Xia Jun... is really here..."

However, the moment Xia Fan appeared, Hoshina Hanami's face on the stage turned completely red.

Chapter 11: Cherry Blossoms

2024-07-13

"I see. It's not that I don't understand parting, but I've become numb to it."

Looking at Xia Fan holding up the glow stick, Hoshina Hanami felt like he was given a shot of adrenaline.

She only felt that all the blood in her body was flowing into her heart and then rushing violently to her brain, and her thinking became extremely clear.

"But that day, the 'farewell' at the railway crossing made me regain this feeling."

"Not only that, my desire to see you becomes stronger and stronger as time goes by."

With a sweet smile on her lips, Hoshina Hanami approached the microphone and sang softly along with the prelude: "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."

"Because, no matter how painful it was, you always smiled like that, which made me feel that no matter what setbacks I encountered, I could continue to work hard."

The girl's pure singing voice is full of anticipation, reluctance and sadness. Through the melodious melody and touching lyrics, she tells the sad story of love.

After just the first two sentences, the audience felt like electricity was flowing through their bodies and goose bumps appeared all over the floor.

At the same time that Hoshina Hanami was singing, Xia Fan, holding a glow stick, bent his body slightly and stretched his arms...

He waved the two huge glow sticks to the rhythm of the song.

The pink light was like a sword, cutting through the darkness below the stage, leaving behind a series of brilliant pink trails, just like cherry blossoms blooming for the first time.

"Wow, it's actually WOTA Art Support, the size of the light sticks is too exaggerated!"

"So good, so strong, so fast, just like the Polar Knight playing with the beat saber!"

"What are you standing there for? Take a picture now!"

Xia Fan's movements were extremely conspicuous in the darkness and attracted the attention of most of the spectators outside.

Otaku art, light stick art, and glow stick dance, commonly known as WOTA art, originated from a striking way of cheering in concerts in the 1980s. It has now developed into a dance art that can be performed by one or more people.

Above the stage, in Hoshina Hanami's tearful eyes, there was only Xia Fan, with an expressionless face, waving a glow stick.

"Xia Jun...just keep looking at me..."

In her opinion, Xia Fan's dazzling eyes were as fascinating as the stars in the night sky, making the spotlights on the stage and the glow sticks in the audience pale in comparison.

"I will stand on this stage and become someone worthy of your lifelong support."

A certain fanatical idea rose up uncontrollably from the bottom of her heart, making her whole body glow with all the youthful vitality she had never had before.

"It's different now...Hanajian's presence on stage has never been so strong!"

Below the stage, Tachibana Ryoko, who was most familiar with her, noticed the difference at the first moment and stood up excitedly!

"In the scenery illuminated by the sunset, I can almost hear the song from that day."

"Sakura, cherry blossoms, blooming now. I understand my fleeting fate."

"Goodbye, my friend. At the moment of separation, I will leave you my unchanging feelings. Now..."

"I don't know if I can say those unadorned words to you right now, the real words that pray for your bright future."

Hoshina Hanami's singing becomes more and more mellow, and her voice is so affectionate that it sounds like a girl's true feelings that she is only telling to one person.

“The voice and technique, although not top-notch, are just right.”

"I can give full marks to this sincerity and the emotional appeal of the scene."

"In my opinion, the best part is the song itself! The arrangement and lyrics are very simple and straightforward, just like a girl's first love, full of emotion and sincerity, without any intention of showing off. This song will definitely be very popular and well-known in the country in the future!"

“Could this simple and natural music style be the work of some music master?”

In the first row of judges' seats, several senior musicians looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

"Writing lyrics, descending to the mortal world, composing music, descending to the mortal world... a name I've never heard of..."

"Wait, is the creator of this song also a newcomer like the singer?"

"Contestant Hoshina Hanami, it's a great opportunity to come across this song."

At the same time, the songwriter and composer of this song also attracted the attention of people in the industry.

Some singers have average singing skills, but can earn enough to retire with just one song.

Some singers have superb skills, but because they lack a representative work, they end up becoming vocal teachers.

Therefore, in this industry, a good song is something that you can only come across by chance, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as “the opportunity of a lifetime”.

"The ever-changing streets seem to be urging us on."

"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, just falling quietly. Believe that one day, the moment of reincarnation will come."

"Don't cry, my friend, at this time of parting. Come with our unconcealed smiles."

Unaware of the audience and judges' reactions, Hoshina Hanami was completely immersed in the song.

In District 11, if chrysanthemum is the "flower of royalty", then cherry blossom is the "flower of the common people".

The season of falling cherry blossoms often carries the sweet and sour memories of youth for the people of District 11, so things with "cherry blossoms" as the theme are most likely to touch people's hearts.

"Damn it, tears, why can't I stop..."

"If I had stayed the year I graduated, would things be different now?"

"I really miss you. Where are you? Are you happy or aggrieved?"

Listening to Hoshina Hanami's singing, the audience, whether they were at the scene or watching the live broadcast, could not help but imagine the scene of young boys and girls who were powerless to fight against the world and could only bid farewell to each other under the cherry trees.

"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, dance brilliantly. Bathed in the dazzling light, forever."

"Goodbye, my friend. Let's meet again there, on the path where the cherry blossoms fall."

When the song reached its climax, Xia Fan on the opposite side of the stage also entered a state of "harmony between man and nature".

He just felt his brain was blank, no movements, techniques or key points existed at all, and his body performed difficult moves entirely by instinct.

In the subconscious, the glow stick in the hand has already turned into a sharp sword, killing the "enemy" that only exists in muscle memory.

Yes, what he is showing now is not WOTA art at all...

But, it is [Kagura Izumo Sword Dance].

This set of Kagura is more like sword skills that have been honed over and over again and can be adapted to the situation rather than being a dance.

At this moment, Xia Fan showed quite terrifying flexibility and strength. The glow stick in his hand not only echoed the rhythm of the song, but also outlined a large area of ​​pink light at a speed that ordinary people could hardly achieve.

The audience inside and outside the venue seemed to see the scene of the young man dancing with a sword, the young girl singing a sad song, and the eighteen people seeing each other off in the falling cherry blossom rain, and they marveled at the scene again and again.

When it comes to live performances watched by thousands of people, what better place to go than the Tokyo Newcomer Music Awards?

Therefore, in order to fulfill the oracle, Xia Fan had already made up his mind to use cheering as a "cover" and take the opportunity to "naturally" perform the "Kagura Izumo Sword Dance".

The entertainment industry is still quite tolerant of "fanatic fans", and the worst that can happen is that they will be scolded by Uncle Higashino afterwards.

Chapter 12 Full Score

2024-07-13

"What? This song, sung live, is so infectious..."

In the waiting corridor of the stage, Sakamoto Hide stood there blankly, listening to the last words of the girl outside the venue, which sounded like crying.

"Xiu, do you really have to go abroad to study music? Isn't it better to continue being an actor like you are now?"

"Sorry, I don't want to be a popular actor who wins with his appearance. Music is my lifelong pursuit."

"Then, will we meet again?"

"Of course, the next time we meet, I should already be a singer."

Before going abroad, the conversation he had with a woman under the cherry tree quietly came to his mind.

"Humph, I was inferior in this live performance. However, I didn't lose to Hoshina Hanami, but to that brat..."

"Go down to earth, right? I'll remember this name."

Hide Sakamoto looked unwillingly across the aisle at a "fanatical fan" who was waving a giant glow stick with an expressionless face.

"Hello, it's me... Yes, I'm back home. I've been in seclusion preparing for the competition for a while, so I didn't contact you."

"Now, let's meet."

Shaking his head, he dialed a number and walked into the exit passage.

On the stage, Hoshina Hanami finished singing, bowed deeply, and stood to the side of the stage.

Xia Fan, who was in the audience, also silently turned off his glow stick, put his coat back on, and slipped away.

It took several seconds for the audience to react and gave thunderous applause.

"Thank you, Hoshina Hanami, for your heartfelt and touching performance! Now, it's time for the judges to give their scores..."

"What, so fast, it's already been prepared? Wait, am I seeing right?"

"All five judges gave 10 points, so doesn't that mean... the total score is 50 points?!"

"Dear audience, just now, we witnessed history with our own eyes!"

Amid the host's surprised exclamation, the live singing session of the "Tokyo Newcomer Music Awards", which is known for its strictness, produced a record-breaking perfect score in history.

……

At ten o'clock in the evening, Shinjuku's izakaya street is crowded with people and the atmosphere is bustling.

“Good luck with the show!”

"cheers!"

In the tatami box of the izakaya, Yoshihide Higashino and Ryoko Tachibana raised their hero glasses filled with beer and clinked them together.

"Huh...ha..."

"Hey, Brother Xia Fan, you are the hero behind this time. Don't just drink watermelon juice, wheat juice is also juice!"

After drinking a whole glass of cold beer heroically, Tachibana Ryoko "shyly" bumped the young man next to her with her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm not in good health and I'm still one year away from the legal drinking age, so I can't touch alcohol."

Xia Fan took a sip of the watermelon juice with a straw, picked up the beef from the grill without hesitation, stuffed it into his mouth, and squinted his eyes.

[Faith value +1...Faith value +1...Current accumulated faith value 352]

Since the end of the live performance, his stagnant faith value has begun to rise slowly again.

"If there is still one year left, then Xia Jun is the same age as me, right?"

Across the table, Xing Ming Hanami secretly glanced at Xia Fan across the huge juice cup in her hand.

"By the way, Xia Fan, you actually did some WOTA support in the backstage without telling me in advance, and scared me, the president!"

"Look, people are posting your WOTA on Tiktok, and there are a lot of likes!"

Dongye looked slightly tipsy and showed his phone to everyone with a smile.

In the video titled "Sakura Samurai? Crazy fan cheering for WOTA", it was Xia Fan who was dancing with pink glow sticks in the dark.

"It's me. I asked Xia Jun to cheer me up..."

Across the table, Hoshina Hanami, with a glass of juice in front of her, tried to explain for Xia Fan in a weak voice.