Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

"Oh, it would be great if Taoxiang came back. Diamond Stardust has a new lead singer now, and it feels like the flavor has changed."

"Speaking of the lead singer, I really hate that new girl named Hina. I always feel like she's just trying to be cute."

Initially, the topic revolved around Momoka's return, but before long, the discussion in the group gradually went off track and turned into a condemnation of the current lead singer.

"That's right! Every time I see her smile, I feel disgusted. She's just taking advantage of Taoxiang's blood! How can a girl with no fame, no strength, and only a face take Taoxiang's place?"

On the group chat screen, these sarcastic words were displayed at the speed of a barrage of comments.

All of this was seen by "Kondo Hina", the subject of discussion.

She stared at the messages that kept refreshing on the screen. The corners of her lips, which were originally slightly pursed, drooped slightly, and her eyes became a little cold.

She was not angry, nor even surprised. She just curled her lips helplessly and then closed the chat window without hesitation.

——Out of sight, out of mind.

This fan group was created when Diamond Stardust was first established, and all of its members are die-hard fans who have followed the band since its infancy.

However, these people probably never dreamed that the person they were condemning was actually lurking in this group.

Of course, she didn't deliberately lurk into this group, but she joined it from the very beginning.

At that time, she was just like these people, appreciating Diamond Stardust's music with full passion and looking forward to every performance.

But now, she has become the new lead singer of the band.

She knew that old fans always missed the past, and even if she, the new lead singer, performed well, they seemed to turn a blind eye.

She was already accustomed to this kind of prejudice.

So, she wasn't going to argue.

She simply raised her hand, casually tossed her phone aside, stretched, and shifted her gaze to the tablet beside her.

The light from the flat-screen reflected in her eyes, and the screen was showing a live broadcast of the music festival.

Although there was no official live broadcast of this music festival, many of the audience members turned on the live broadcast software and shared the live footage on social platforms, so that the "poor brothers" who could not attend could also get a glimpse of the grand occasion.

The lights on the stage are bright and the band's music has begun.

——It’s a familiar melody.

Kondo Hina's fingers paused slightly and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Empty Box".

This song is also often sung by their current band Diamond Stardust.

As the lead singer, she has sung it thousands of times and is so familiar with it that she can hum it automatically whenever the melody sounds.

Her gaze did not linger on Kawahara Ki Momoka, but was fixed on the petite figure standing in the center of the stage - Ii Serina.

The girl on the stage leaned back slightly, staring at the audience below with sharp eyes, holding the microphone tightly with both hands, singing as loudly as she could, making her own cry.

Hearing her cry that seemed to be fighting against fate, more and more shocked eyes were seen in the audience.

Kondo Hina opened her eyes slightly, and a ripple of emotion rose in her heart.

It is hard to imagine that Jing Qinrencai, who looks so petite, can burst out with such great power and play the song "Sora no Kan" which originally has a lyrical style with such powerful explosiveness.

“It’s definitely different from the feeling of my current singing…”

Kondo Hina sighed, "I didn't expect that Nina would sing this song in this style."

Diamond Stardust is now an idol band, so the songs they sing naturally tend to be more idol-style, with a cheerful and positive feel.

When she sang "Empty Box", she sounded lively and upbeat like a young girl.

And now, "Empty Box" sung by Jing Serina is more like a cry in the storm.

If her style is that of a rich young lady who grew up in gentleness and has expectations for everything around her, then Renai's style is that of a stubborn country girl who has been self-reliant since childhood, dropped out of high school to work outside, but never admits defeat.

It’s hard to say which style is better, but if we compare the appeal, there is no doubt that the style of the country girl is better.

This kind of emotion with sweat, tears, struggle and unwillingness makes people unconsciously empathize with her, and be moved by her voice and their hearts surge.

Kondo Hina's eyes were fixed on Ii Serina through the screen.

With a slight movement of her fingertips, her fingers touched the screen and stopped at the figure of Renai who was singing and shouting.

Her smile deepened, and a hint of fighting spirit flickered in her eyes.

"Is this your declaration of war against me?"

She murmured softly, the corners of her lips slowly rising, revealing a confident arc.

“…I accept.”

……

Ps: The full names of the Diamond Dust quartet are not in the anime, so I used their voice actors' last names to complete them.

The names of the four-member group are lead singer Kondo Hina, guitarist Urushiyama Rin, bassist Matsuoka Nana, and drummer Miyashiro Ai.

Chapter 160: Drunkards with bad drinking habits.

The performance of the band [New Kawasaki] ended successfully, and it can even be said that it far exceeded everyone's expectations.

In this performance, the most surprising person was undoubtedly the lead singer Jing Qinrenna.

Her voice cut through the air like a sharp blade, with sharp explosive power, she performed the song "Empty Box" to perfection.

She sang out the girl's cry to the world, her catharsis against reality, and her desire and struggle for her dreams.

Many audience members under the stage were deeply moved by her singing.

This performance was undoubtedly a success.

In the following period, the rest of the festival also went smoothly and finally came to a successful conclusion.

Taku Hoshikawa moved his hand away from the lighting console, moved his fingers slightly, and let out a long breath. His nerves, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed a little.

His work was also finished.

The director strode towards him with unconcealable excitement on his face and patted his shoulder heavily.

"Brother Xingchuan, it turned out to be the right choice to choose you! Even the extremely picky band at the finale praised your lighting design highly and couldn't find any faults!"

The director grinned smugly and said, "They even came to ask me about your identity because they want to work with you!"

Hoshikawa Taku chuckled and declined.

"Let's talk about this later. I don't make money from this. If my band hadn't played at this show, I probably wouldn't have taken it."

The director nodded in understanding. "Okay, I get it. You're the manager of an agency, so your main job is running the company. If I ever have a similar job in the future, I'll definitely ask the organizer if there are any remaining spots for your band!"

"Thank you very much."

As long as there is an opportunity, Taku Hoshikawa doesn't mind being a lighting technician and continuing to work with the director.

"Speaking of which, Brother Hoshikawa, you have a really good eye. You're right, the band [Shinkawasaki] does have potential."

The director patted Hoshikawa Taku's shoulder and said with emotion, "I didn't expect that little girl to have such strong explosive power. I was wrong..."

"I'm right, right? My trust in them is not unfounded."

Hoshikawa Taku smiled and shrugged.

The director laughed a few times, then gave a meaningful smile and winked at Hoshikawa Taku.

"Alright, we won't invite you to today's celebration party. You must have a more important appointment, right? You're really the envy of others..."

Hoshikawa Taku rolled his eyes helplessly and looked behind him.

Ijichi Hoshika, Kawahara Momoka, Yasuwa Subaru, and Isen Jinna were standing not far backstage waiting for him.

As for Hachiman Kairei, she left early shortly after the performance ended.

Seeing this, the director smiled and waved his hand, as if to drive him away.

"Alright, don't keep the little girl waiting! Remember to come over tomorrow, I'm looking forward to Guitar Hero's performance!"

Taku Hoshikawa smiled helplessly, said goodbye to the director, and then walked towards the four people who were waiting for him.

They didn't stay until now just to wait for Hoshikawa Kantaku.

During the prime time of this music festival, many well-known bands took turns to perform on stage. After the performance, they stayed in the audience to watch other bands' performances, analyze their opponents' performances, and study the "strong team demos."

At this moment, Momoka Kawahara was crossing her arms across her chest, analyzing the performance to her teammates with a serious look on her face.

“Although our performance was pretty good, it also had a lot of shortcomings.”

As she pondered, she slowly said, "Compared to the following finale bands, we still have a big gap."

"Firstly, our rehearsal time was too short, which led to a lot of small mistakes in coordination. The audience might not have noticed because of the atmosphere, but in reality, our overall connection was still a bit awkward..."

Her voice was serious and calm, as if she were conducting a review meeting, but An and Subaru waved their hands and interrupted her with a smile.

"Okay, reviewing it now would be too much of a letdown. We can talk about this later when we practice!"

She turned around and waved at Hoshikawa Taku, shouting excitedly, "Mr. Hoshikawa, we've been waiting for you for a long time, let's go eat barbecue together!"

They were able to have this opportunity to perform on stage and get the help of bassist Hai Ling, all thanks to Taku Hoshikawa. It would be unreasonable not to treat him to a meal.

Of course, as Hoshikawa Taku's female companion, Ijichi Hoshika was naturally invited as well.

At the girl's invitation, Taku Hoshikawa followed a few people to a barbecue restaurant.

Jing Qinrencai and An Hesui are not yet adults and can only drink fruit juice.

The three adults, Hoshikawa Taku, Kawahara Momoka and Ijichi Seika, drank without any restraint.

The wine glasses clinked together, making crisp sounds, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Momoka is an alcoholic, and her drinking behavior is even worse than Hiroi Kikuri.

Normally she could only drink alone, but now that she finally had a drinking buddy, she naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity. She raised her glass and toasted one glass after another enthusiastically.

After three rounds of drinks, Taoxiang narrowed her eyes slightly and finally couldn't suppress what was in her heart.

"You know... after I left Diamond Stardust, I read the comments online and found that those fans who once supported me were actually scolding me, saying that I betrayed Diamond Stardust."

"Heh...what kind of nonsense is this?"

She supported her forehead with one hand and tapped the wine glass lightly with the fingertips of the other hand, her tone revealing a hint of sarcasm.

"Is the Diamond Stardust we have now what they want? An idol-themed band, singing those lighthearted songs that cater to the market every day... Is that still the Diamond Stardust we were back then?"

"I don't need that fake stuff. That's not why I started a band!"

Tao Xiang put the wine glass down on the table, her voice a little excited, "I'd rather be a street singer than lose my own style!"

"Yes, that's it!"

Jing Qin Rencai nodded vigorously in agreement, clenched her fists, and looked at Taoxiang with bright eyes, obviously resonating deeply with her.

"I've heard their current version of 'Empty Box' and it doesn't have any unique style at all. If I'd heard this style before, this song wouldn't have resonated with me at all!"

She said angrily, "The current Diamond Stardust has no soul at all, especially that new lead singer, 'Hina.' I'm completely fed up with her voice. She's just trying to be cute, but that's clearly not her true nature!"

"That fake smile she gives is so annoying!"

Jing Qinrencai didn't drink any alcohol, but when she was in the mood, she acted like she was drinking. She completely ignored the looks from other customers around her and expressed her thoughts passionately.

An Hesuba, who was sitting next to her, looked around helplessly and found that the diners around her had begun to look at her in surprise. She could only laugh dryly, clasp her hands together, and keep apologizing in a low voice.

Fortunately, this was in a barbecue restaurant, and most people around were drinking and chatting, so no one cared about the commotion.

On the other side, Ijichi Xingge was still maintaining her reserve and trying to control the speed of her drinking, but under Momoka's continuous toasts, she gradually became dizzy and her cheeks were flushed.

She was deeply touched when she heard Taoxiang's complaints.

She supported her forehead, her voice a little drunken, and began to complain.

"You're still complaining? At least you're free now and can sing the songs you like. I have to manage the Livehouse business every day. I'm exhausted and don't have much time for myself."

"Many customers like to pick fights for no reason. When I deal with them every day, the guys in the bands also have very strong personalities and always create all kinds of surprises for me."

"Especially a guy who likes to act crazy when he's drunk. He couldn't stop performing on stage and almost destroyed my stage!"

The two of them chatted back and forth, complaining about themselves, then the band, then the industry, and finally even about social injustice. They became more and more like two uncles drowning their sorrows in alcohol in a bar late at night.

The two people, one with silver hair and the other with blonde hair, seemed to have met their bosom friends. They felt that they had met too late and got along better and better as they talked. They wished they could become sisters here.