Girls' Wishing Tree

In order to raise funds, Sakura Takagi cooperated with a major record company and sold the distribution and cover rights of several songs she had already released. In the process, she also established an agency to facilitate contract signing.

With funds raised from the Harvest Festival and the sale of some of the copyrights to her music, Takagi Sakura undertook a thorough renovation of the grocery store downstairs and also did some cleanup work on the shrine's surrounding woods. The shrine's woods were cleared of weeds, the area intended for the grandstand was cleared, and the remaining area was cleared to create a shaded path. The next step in the renovations would require a larger budget, so the next step will be postponed until next year.

The grocery store at the foot of the shrine steps now has two signs, one that says "Sakura Shrine Souvenir Shop" and the other that says "Sakura Shrine Music Agency."

The second floor of the grocery store has basically not been changed. Half of it is a warehouse and the other half is a small bedroom with tatami mats. However, the entire first floor has been renovated by the construction team. The old shelves were moved out, cherry blossom theme elements were added, and the store now sells girl band-related items and shrine souvenirs.

Sakura was authorized to sell some PasPale peripherals, and also customized some Popipa peripherals. In addition, it was authorized to sell LiveHouseSpace nostalgic items.

The single collection released in collaboration with the record company can also be purchased here. Every day, Sakura Takagi opens the store for two hours when the JKs get out of school, and then returns to the shrine to do her own things.

Today, after closing the shop, she did not return to the shrine as quickly as possible, but instead received two girls.

"We saw your recruitment notice." The taller girl spoke to Takagi Sakura.

She had an impression of these two girls.

When she was first able to move freely around Tokyo, she went to a ramen shop and met the waiters there. Because it was her first time outside the shrine, and the taller of the two girls was of Southeast Asian descent, Sakura could still recall it.

"Excuse me, who are you..."

"You told us that you were looking for two shop assistants, right? Yesterday, we saw you posted a recruitment message on your account, looking for shop assistants who can also work in the office. Hi, my name is Rupa, and this is Zhi. We two should be suitable for the job."

Takagi Sakura was stunned for a moment, then she started laughing.

She posted a job posting online, but she wasn't expecting anyone to actually meet the requirements—her hiring criteria were a bit too niche. She was looking for someone who could use sheet music input software, had basic composing skills, and understood the culture surrounding girl bands.

The job content is to connect with record companies, undertake tasks such as organizing music scores, registering song copyrights, selling peripheral products and records, and keeping the peripheral stores open every day.

"You can try it for a month first. The probationary salary is 20 yen. If you are suitable, you can be converted to a regular employee with a salary of 30 yen each. If you are willing, you can start working here tomorrow." Takagi Sakura looked at the two girls with dialog boxes above their heads and did not feel wary of them.

Zhi, who was shorter, squeezed in front of Rupa and asked, "Also, is the band recruitment we sent out last time still valid?"

When Sakura was at the ramen restaurant, she asked the two of them what musical instruments they were good at. They didn't answer at the time, but she could guess roughly.

Rupa has calluses on her hands, suggesting she plays a plucked string instrument. Guitar and bass are common plucked string instruments, and considering electric guitars are more likely played with a pick, Rupa is likely a bassist. As for Zhi, she's short but has long fingers, suggesting she plays the keyboard.

"You are... the bassist and keyboardist?"

Rupa and Zhi exchanged a glance and nodded in sync. Rupa turned to Ying and said, "We're Red Ginger, an online songwriter. The last time you released 'Precious Heart,' you pushed our music off the trending charts."

"I can help you arrange an appointment with Momoka and Renai. If they're suitable, you can form a band. I've already talked to someone who's a beauty influencer and has some initial interest in playing drums."

"Huh? Beauty anchor?" Zhi couldn't help but ask.

After all, the gap from a beauty anchor to a drummer is a bit too big.

"I listened to her demo and it's pretty good, but she requires that after the band is formed, we must continue to hype it up online to increase its popularity. We are now preparing to talk to her. If it's possible, the five of you can form a band."

"Okay, we'll start working here tomorrow. If you want to form a band, we can talk about it." Rupa looked towards the small shop that had been transformed into a souvenir store. "What time should we come tomorrow?"

"Your working hours are from noon to dusk. Come here after lunch and open the shop. You can close it and leave when it gets dark. I'll slowly teach you about connecting with the record company."

Zhi suddenly spoke up: "Momoka is definitely a good guitarist, but I'm not sure about the lead singer. I've never heard of the name Jingqin Renna before."

"She's a newcomer." Ying winked at Zhi, "But as to what she's like, I suggest you listen to her before making any final judgment."

After seeing the two off, Takagi Sakura returned to the shrine and found that Kaname Rakuna was already playing in the training room.

Among her friends, Lenai is the one who comes the most. Others come to the shrine occasionally, but Lenai comes to play guitar two or three times a week.

Every time she took out a new guitar piece for Lenai to try, Lenai would praise her for being "interesting". If the piece was difficult, he would play it until very late before leaving.

"Lenai, I've invited a luthier to the fourth episode of our talk show. How about you be the guest musician?"

"Matcha candy." Lenai put down the pick and stretched out her hand towards Takagi Sakura.

Chapter 68 Shrines, Festivals, and Monsters: 27, Baldness Crisis

Takagi Sakura invited three groups of people to the shrine at the same time - Nina and Momoka who asked her to find their teammates, the music group Rupa and Zhi who worked at the shrine part-time, and the drummer "(Nyan Dream Kiss)" who came here after smelling the scent online.

"I brought everyone here today because Momoka wanted to form a band, so I posted a recruitment notice for her online." Takagi Sakura pointed at Momoka and Nina. "Kawahara Momoka, the former lead guitarist of DiamondDust, and this is the lead singer she found, Icera Nina."

Takagi Sakura paused for a moment before continuing, "They're the keyboardist Satoshi Ebitsuka and the bassist Rupa, who are active online as an arrangement duo called Red Ginger. They have tens of thousands of followers on POSTube."

Before Gao Muying could introduce herself, Miao Meng introduced herself: "I am Miao Meng, the anchor of the beauty section. I hope to become the drummer of this band and gain more popularity together with everyone."

"Hey, Sakura, can you take a video with me? Sakura is very popular now, and there will definitely be a lot of people who like to watch the video." After saying that, Miao Meng leaned next to Takagi Sakura and pulled out the selfie stick.

Three black lines appeared on Ying's head: "Well... let's try to see if we can form a band first."

"Is there anything left for the band? As long as five people get together and create enough buzz, it's already a huge success! PasPale lip-synced in front of tens of thousands of people at the opening, but because of the buzz brought by Bailu Qiansheng, wasn't that saved the day?"

"Um... I'm quite familiar with PasPale. Their ability to regain some popularity is really not just due to Bailu Qiansheng, but is inseparable from their entire team's careful polish of the music quality." Gao Muying knocked on the cymbals twice. "I will help everyone promote their popularity, but no matter what, we should first see if we can sync up in terms of musical concepts, right?"

"I agree." Zhi stood in front of the keyboard and looked at Miao Meng who was still standing. "The drummer is the only musician who can't fake his performance. If he doesn't have solid skills, the live performance will definitely be exposed."

Miao Meng's face looked a little unhappy, but he still sat in front of the drum set.

Gao Muying sensed the solemnity in the air, so she took the initiative to help turn on the speakers and other equipment: "Would you guys like to try out the song you collaborated on first?"

Taoxiang thought for a while - she really didn't have any new songs to show at the moment. Since the band members were not complete, she didn't have a strong desire to create.

But if we talk about the old songs created during the DiamondDust period, it seems a bit inappropriate to bring them out now.

"Can we sing 'One Flower in the World'?" Momoka asked Takagi Sakura.

"Sure, I told you I'd give you permission to perform this song. You can sing it in any commercial performance." Takagi Sakura glanced at Zhi. "It's just that the original arrangement doesn't have a keyboard. It's for two guitars, so I'm afraid it needs some minor modifications."

Zhi raised his hand. "Let me do it. It shouldn't take long to split the two guitar tracks into guitar and keyboard."

Momoka distributed the music score to the people present. Just as Takagi Sakura was about to go out for some fresh air and leave the training room to Momoka and the others, she saw a task box pop up in front of her.

She closed her eyes to calm herself down before beginning to carefully read the contents of the task box.

[Help Kawahara Momoka, Isen Jinna, Ebizuka Satoshi, Rupa, and Meowme form a band. Please guide the band by promoting, regulating the team atmosphere, coaching the lead singer, and writing songs for the band. Help them hold their first live performance. After the band's first live performance, settlement will be made based on the effectiveness of the host's assistance. If the band disbands before the first live performance, the host will become bald when the cherry blossoms fall, and hair will grow back the following spring.]

I've become a girl, am I still in danger of going bald?

Takagi Sakura couldn't help but cover her thick hair with her hands. Looking at the fallen leaves outside the window, she couldn't help but shudder. A scene appeared in her mind where she was walking in the snow wearing a shrine maiden costume, but a gust of wind suddenly blew away her wig, and her shiny scalp instantly attracted the attention of all passers-by on the street.

This band must not be broken up!

Takagi Sakura suddenly lost the desire to come out for some fresh air, and turned around and went back to the training room.

Chi modified the music very quickly. She connected the keyboard to the laptop, looked at a few bars and recorded a melody with the synthesizer. Rupa stood behind her and watched her modify the music, while Momoka sat on the side and explained to Renai the things she should pay attention to when singing the song. As for Meow Meng, she had already started playing the drums according to the music, but she turned on a metronome on her mobile phone and the sound of the drumming was very quiet, trying not to disturb other people in the training room.

Takagi Sakura took a deep breath and walked over to Nina and Momoka: "Is it okay if Nina sings?"

"No problem, I've been practicing singing after school since I was 32 years old. There will definitely be no problem." Rencai answered confidently.

Taoxiang knew that for people who had not received enough music education, singing directly from the music score would be a weakness. Without special training, it would be difficult to take care of both rhythm and pitch at the same time.

In this case, she can sing a familiar song that is well-known and memorized, but she may have problems singing a song that she does not remember well from the score.

"Do you want to listen to it twice first?" Taoxiang pointed to her phone.

"Why should I listen? This is totally unnecessary, right?" Rencai sang a few simple lines to the music on her phone.

"BPM." Momoka interrupted Nina's singing and pointed to the number on the music score.

"I didn't turn on the metronome. I'll be able to play it right when I hear the drums."

"If you wait until you hear the drums before singing, you'll be half a beat late." Taoxiang pinched Rencai's waist and said, "Clap your own beat."

Takagi Sakura frowned and pulled Nina out of the training room.

At the moment, the most likely to explode in this five-member band is Rencai.

Taoxiang used to be the mainstay of DiamondDust, needless to say. She had listened to the songs composed by Rupa and Zhi, and they were quite tasteful. Her instrumental playing should be good too. Miaomeng had played the demo for her, and her basic skills were up to standard.

Momoka firmly stands on Nina's side, believing that Nina's voice is the voice of the lead singer of the band in her dreams. The other three may not be willing to accept Nina because her singing skills are not up to standard.

Rupa and Zhi have very high requirements for music quality. They dream of traffic and will not look down on Rencai, who is a complete newcomer in band affairs.

So for the sake of her hair, Sakura Takagi has to find a way to make Nina sing this song well today.

"Warm up your voice first. If you start singing right away, you might not be in the best condition." Takagi Sakura raised a hand: "I'll help you keep the beat. It's not easy to get the band members together, so you have to perform at your best."

Nina was about to say something, but when she saw Sakura's eyes, she swallowed the words back.

Chapter 69 Shrines, Festivals and Monsters: 28. Requirements for the Lead Singer

Sakura Takagi had to admit that I Serina's voice was very distinctive.

Although having a distinctive voice doesn't guarantee that you'll become famous, a voice without a distinctive voice will definitely make you lost in the crowd in Tokyo, where girl bands are all over the place.

Singers in East Asia are already very popular. China, Japan and South Korea each have their own way of being popular. In Tokyo, which ushered in the era of girl bands, the lead singers of girl bands are even more popular than ever.

Tokyo has a large underground idol scene, with many young girls with dreams of becoming singers. With the advent of the "big girl band era," even JKs have formed bands. Singers whose voices fail to leave a lasting impression quickly fall into the vortex of mediocrity and fade from public memory.

But Rencai's current situation is more like a rough diamond.

The material is good, but it needs proper polishing to stand out from the crowd.

Now, they needed the approval of Red Ginger and Meow Dream before the band could continue. Gao Muying touched her head again, mentally protesting the system's unethical punishment.

As for Miao Meng, as long as there is a way to continuously hype her popularity, she will not easily quit the team. However, Rupa and Zhi may not give her this face.

So, for the sake of her own hair, Takagi Sakura had to patiently help Renai sort out the basics: "Singing by yourself is different from being in a band. Momoka told you this because she was worried that you wouldn't sing the same as you did by yourself."

Nina wasn't someone who wouldn't listen to anyone else, so she took the initiative to ask Sakura for advice: "Sakura, what you mean is..."

"Everything in a band is for the audience. To provide a good experience for the audience, you can't rely solely on your teammates' prompts. Instead, you have to work with your teammates to provide the best experience for the audience. Let me give you the simplest example. If a bassist hears the drummer's drums and then plays the bass, the bass will come out later than the drums. If a guitarist listens to the bassist's root note, it will also come out later than the bassist. If the vocals listen to the guitar, the rhythm of the entire band will be lost. This is why orchestras need conductors."

Renai nodded. "I see. When coordinating with them, just speed up the pace a bit, okay?"

Looking at Nina's clear eyes, Takagi Sakura slapped her forehead helplessly. "If you speed up the tempo, it's likely to make things worse. For large-scale performances, you either need to be very familiar with the coordination on stage or check the rhythm with your in-ear monitors. For a small band, a certain level of tacit understanding with the rhythm section will be enough. I'm telling you this now so that you can pay a little attention to this aspect."

For a moment, Nina found it difficult to accept what Sakura Takagi said - she really didn't understand what the lead singer on stage needed to pay attention to, and what Momoka told her was mainly encouragement.

"If I hold you back, we won't form a band." After a while, Rencai blurted out these words.

"Momoka stayed in Tokyo for you." Takagi Sakura patted Nina's shoulder: "Don't let her down."

At this time, Taoxiang came out and said, "They have already revised the score. Rencai, can you come in and help with it?"

Renai turned around, her eyes darting from Momoka's bangs to her waist, and she said in a somewhat annoyed tone, "It's okay."

Ying dragged Renai along and whispered, "Watch my hands later. I'll give you a simple beat."

The five of them were in the training room, forming their stance for the band to take the stage.

Miao Meng and Zhi were sitting slightly at the back, almost side by side with the speakers for the electric guitar and bass. The guitarist, bassist and lead singer were standing in the front row, with Rencai, the lead singer, standing in the center.

Nina is much shorter than Momoka and Rupa, so when she stands in front of the microphone, she attracts even more attention.

Takagi Sakura raised her cell phone, ready to record the joint practice so that everyone could see if there were any problems from the audience's perspective.

"Then shall I start?" Miao Meng asked in a low voice.

"OK." Zhi's voice sounded a little impatient.

"Let's start." Taoxiang nodded.

As the drumsticks tapped, Zhihe and Rupa began to play, and Nina's vocals soon joined in: "NO.1, special On scar three five neighbor study / O gas long five pull 麇jlyone."

Thanks to Sakura's reminder, there was no problem with the rhythm of this sentence.

In the following interlude, Taoxiang's guitar comes in at the right time, and Miaomeng's drum beats are also very steady.

Just when Takagi Sakura thought that the performance should be stable this time, problems occurred with two people in front and behind.

First, Meow Meng hit the cymbals a little too slowly, causing the drum beat to fluctuate over the next few beats. This minor flaw dragged down Nina. Nina, who had little stage experience, noticed that Sakura's beat was different from Meow Meng's, and her rhythm also became unstable. The song was not difficult, but the two of them were out of rhythm, and Nina even went off-key in the next two phrases.

Zhi suddenly stopped playing: "Individual parts should be handled individually, and joint practice is for the purpose of improving rapport. If you don't have this concept..."

Sakura's gaze shifted to the short girl behind the keyboard. Noticing she seemed to be choosing her words, she quickly spoke before her, "Today isn't really a joint practice. It's just for everyone to get to know each other a little. If we were to form a band, we'd definitely have to practice our individual parts first before joining together."

Zhi looked at Ying and swallowed the rest of his words, but still questioned Jinna: "Ying, you were helping the lead singer keep the beat just now, right? Why is it that when someone else is clapping, the drums mess up two bars, and the lead singer also messes up? A band is different from a recording studio. In the studio, if you can get the recording right one out of ten times, it's fine. If that doesn't work, you can record a section at a time and then combine it through sound processing software. But when a band goes on stage, they have to guarantee a minimum level for the audience, otherwise it's a performance accident."

Nina held the microphone in her hand, lowered her head and said nothing. Momoka's eyes jumped between Nina and Chi.

At this time, Miao Meng stood up and set his sights on Ying: "Why not invite Ying to be the lead singer? Ying is very popular online. Not only can she sing, she can also play several instruments. If that doesn't work out, we can even have a double lead vocal!"

"No, my voice isn't suitable for this band. I can fill in for Maruyama Aya and sing a few PasPale songs, but Nina's voice is the most suitable for Momoka's band." Sakura flatly refused, then said something to comfort Meow Dream: "If the band can be formed, I will find ways to help Dadou increase its exposure online. I am confident that within three months, I can drive the band's official account to 100,000 followers."

Ying was cautious - she didn't say where the 100,000 followers came from. It's really not easy to get 100,000 followers on a Japanese website. If it really doesn't work, just open an account in China, ask a few band members to greet each other in broken Chinese, and do a couple of live broadcasts to learn Chinese using Duolingo or something like that. If the number of fans is not enough, then do another "Don't laugh" challenge. I should be able to get enough.

"The music isn't good enough. The more fans we have, the more embarrassing it will be." Zhi suddenly pressed all ten fingers on the keyboard and turned his "gun" towards Miao Meng. "We haven't even discussed forming a band yet. Isn't it a bit of a pipe dream to talk about fans first?"

Chapter 70 Shrines, Festivals and Monsters: 29. Declare war on the girl band!

This band trial ended in a bad mood.

Takagi Sakura tried her best, but it only prevented them from breaking up on the spot, and instead they agreed to try again in ten days.

Momoka and Nina said goodbye and left, Meow Meng put away her drumsticks and went home, and only the two people from Red Ginger remained in the shrine - they were currently employees of the shrine and would watch the store for a while before leaving.