Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

But she didn't care. She came from a wealthy family and had never thought about making money by playing in a band.

"Don't listen to her nonsense."

Hoshikawa Taku laughed and shook his head.

"Well-known bands certainly have appearance fees, but I got your opportunity to appear on the stage this time through resource exchange. Forget about the appearance fee, I'd be lucky if I didn't pay them."

In such large-scale music festivals, in addition to the well-known bands specially invited by the organizers, there will also be some emerging bands to make up the numbers.

These emerging bands are basically "paying to perform" for the exposure.

This is also why playing in a band before becoming famous involves huge expenses, because the performances don’t make any money and you even have to lose money.

Xiaozhi, Lupa and the others had known this would happen a long time ago. Although they were mentally prepared, they still couldn't help showing a little sense of loss.

After all, they are different from the rich girl Aine, and they are still short of money.

However, they then heard Hoshikawa Takumi say, "Of course, that's because the organizers won't pay. Since you're my band, I won't let you work for nothing. The appearance fee will be determined based on your performance. Believe me, you won't be disappointed."

Money is the easiest thing to motivate people. Hoshikawa Taku doesn't want Satoshi and the others to lose their fighting spirit just because they don't have these little things. That would be a waste of time.

He also deliberately painted a big rosy picture, saying that money would be paid based on "performance".

One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand or one million?

That's up to your imagination.

Even if at the end, Hoshikawa Taku gave less, he could still confidently say: "Who told you to have unauthorized expectations and break your defense? I didn't say how much I would give."

Xiaozhi and Lupako were unaware of the evil intentions of capitalists like Taku Hoshikawa. They looked at each other and saw the desire for money in each other's eyes.

Since Mr. Xingchuan said that he "won't let you down", it must be a sum of money beyond my imagination!

Be sure to rehearse well and strive to perform perfectly at the music festival!

Hoshikawa Taku looked at Miao Meng with a playful expression: "Miao Meng, do you really want to use your appearance fee to bet with me? By the way, I am still very confident that I can win."

Miao Meng was actually quite short of money, and she was also tempted by the big promises made by Taku Hoshikawa.

She hesitated for a long time, but out of confidence in herself, she agreed.

"I don't believe that my makeup skills can be inferior to a boy like you!"

Hoshikawa Taku suggested, "Then let's imitate the makeup from your latest video on Aine and Pochi. They both have pink hair, so it'll be easier to compare them."

Satoshi is too young, and there is no comparison for Lupa's brown skin, so only Pochi and Aine are suitable as the control group.

Meow Meng had the same idea, so she chose to put makeup on Aine who volunteered, while Hoshikawa Taku was in charge of Pochi.

As an idol agency, there are certainly enough cosmetics here.

Many cosmetics companies will send their own products to agencies, hoping that the other party’s artists can use them and thus establish a cooperative relationship.

Led by Taku Hoshikawa, everyone came to the dressing room, where there were plenty of new, unopened, big-name cosmetics.

Miao Meng felt jealous when she saw it.

What a waste... Every time I want to buy a piece of cosmetics, I have to think twice, filter through different shopping apps, and choose the cheapest one.

But Taku Hoshikawa has so many unopened products that no one is using!

Miao Meng’s hatred of the rich did not last long, because the competition soon began.

"The competition begins with the selection of cosmetics. Both parties can choose any product. 3, 2, 1, the competition begins!"

Following Lupa's order, Miao Meng quickly searched for the cosmetics she usually used from the pile of cosmetics.

Although what she uses are only affordable cosmetics, which are not as effective as those of famous brands to some extent, they are also cost-effective products carefully selected by Miao Meng, and she will definitely not go wrong.

If she chooses a famous brand, she might not be able to use it because she is not familiar with it.

When Miao Meng had already chosen the cosmetics, Xingchuan Taku slowly began to choose.

Miao Meng couldn't help but feel a little proud.

It seems that he doesn't know which cosmetics are best for imitating this makeup, so he wants to choose one himself before imitating it?

Not to mention that Hoshikawa Taku relies on what he calls "little tricks". He wants to copy others and paint according to his own method, and then rely on "little tricks" to win in the end.

He was totally wrong. It was impossible for him to keep up with the makeup speed of this beauty blogger!

Miao Meng looked at Hoshikawa Taku choosing cosmetics with a funny look on her face, and was thinking that if he couldn't find her, she would kindly remind him.

However, what she saw was something she had never expected.

I saw Taku Hoshikawa skillfully selecting from a large number of cosmetics. Every time he turned to one, he would casually mention the brand, color number and even the suitable skin type.

When he selected the cosmetics he needed and placed them on the table, Miao Meng felt a surge of regret in his heart.

Because... the cosmetics that Taku Hoshikawa took out, such as foundation, concealer and lipstick, are all the colors needed for this imitation makeup.

Calm down, calm down… Maybe he just knows a lot about these cosmetics but has never painted them for others?

However, Miao Meng's luck was soon broken by Xingchuan Taku.

During the makeup process, Taku Hoshikawa is like a professional makeup artist. Every step is well-organized and his techniques are simple yet skillful.

Whether he's washing Pochi's face with isolation, applying foundation evenly with a brush, or smudged concealer with his fingers, all of Hoshikawa Taku's movements are smooth and natural, without wasting any time.

Soon, Pochi's skin became flawless and smooth, making people want to pinch it.

This is just the beginning. After applying the base makeup, Taku Hoshikawa continued to create imitation makeup for Pochi. The details at the corners of the eyes and the natural gradient of the lip color, every stroke looked particularly well-placed.

Miao Meng saw his skillful hands moving across Pochi's face, carefully outlining the contours and adjusting the light and shadow. The skill and concentration made her feel despair in an instant.

what!

Why is Hoshikawa Taku so much more skilled than her? It’s obvious that this is the imitation makeup she developed!

Miao Meng realized at this time that he had lost.

Finally, when the two stood together in front of the crowd to be judged, Miao Meng plucked up the courage to gently touch Pochi's face, feeling the delicate and flawless makeup, and suddenly realized clearly in her heart that she was far inferior to Hoshikawa Taku in terms of skills.

This has nothing to do with the cosmetics used, it's simply a difference in ability.

"I lost..."

Miao Meng had a sad face and had to admit the fact that Hoshikawa Taku was a better makeup artist than her.

She originally wanted to take advantage of the situation, but she ended up being outsmarted by her own cleverness.

Lupa, who watched the entire process and took notes, put down her phone and exclaimed, "Manager, I didn't expect you to even know how to put on makeup. Where did you learn that?"

“My dad took me to Hawaii when I was a kid, and that’s where I learned the technique.”

Chapter 144: How to turn Miao Meng into a peerless cat?

"Mr. Xingchuan, you are so amazing. You can actually turn me into this..."

Boqi almost never wears makeup, but because she doesn't go out for a long time, her skin is naturally fair and looks more delicate than many girls who wear makeup.

At this moment, her already delicate and translucent face, coupled with the same imitation makeup as the stars, suddenly shines like a star on the stage.

Pochi looked at himself in the mirror, his face full of surprise at his new makeup, and he couldn't get enough of it.

She couldn't believe that her face could be made into such a perfect look.

Although she doesn't like taking photos, she couldn't help but take a lot of photos of herself for collection.

"That's great if you like it. If you want to put on makeup again later, you can always come to me."

Xingchuan Taku smiled, then turned his gaze to Miao Meng, sighed softly, and said with a look of pity:

"Miao Meng, look, I warned you before you made the bet, never underestimate me, but you completely ignored my advice..."

"Now that the game is over and the winner is clear, I have no choice but to fulfill my bet."

Hoshikawa Taku showed a painful expression, as if he was very reluctant to do this.

But in fact, everything is under his control. When he proposed the competition, he had already anticipated the current result.

"...Well, I understand."

Miao Meng nodded dejectedly.

Miao Meng was short of money, and losing the bet this time was indeed a big blow to her, but losing was losing, not to mention that she was the one who proposed it.

She was willing to accept defeat and had no choice but to accept the result.

However, Miao Meng did not dwell on the loss for too long.

In an instant she cheered up and was already thinking about how to shoot the next video to make back the "compensation" she lost this time.

Seeing that Miao Meng's spirits were gradually recovering, Xingchuan Taku looked at her approvingly.

Hoshikawa Taku admires Meow Meng's resilience. People who keep dwelling on past failures will never be able to move towards the future.

Miao Meng’s ability to become a well-known beauty blogger was not purely due to luck, otherwise she would have become discouraged and chosen to quit the circle when the traffic of her videos declined.

Xingchuan Taku suddenly said: "Meow Meng, I really appreciate your willingness to accept defeat."

"I'm not some devil. Although I won't pay you an appearance fee, as a reward, I'll cover the content of your video copy for the next week, as well as the subsequent video production. The appearance fee will be considered the cost of hiring me."

Miao Meng didn't expect that after all the difficulties, there was a ray of hope and that Taku Hoshikawa actually compensated her.

She raised her head in surprise, with an unbelievable light in her eyes: "Mr. Xingchuan, are you telling the truth!?"

Hoshikawa Taku smiled and shrugged.

"Why would I lie to you about this? I took care of the writing for you because I wanted you to devote more time and energy to the performance. You have to be worthy of my investment."

A warm feeling suddenly surged in Miao Meng's heart, and the loss and frustration were swept away, replaced by a feeling of being moved.

Boss Taku Hoshikawa is so nice. He was willing to help her make the video even though she lost!

"By the way, if you perform well this time, maybe I can teach you some of my unique makeup techniques."

Hoshikawa Taku added another sentence.

After hearing this, Miao Meng's fighting spirit was instantly ignited. Her eyes lit up and she immediately turned to her teammates and urged:

"Alright, why are we still standing there? Let's not waste this precious time, let's go rehearse!"

"Wait a moment, let's take a few more pictures. Now Pochi and I look like sisters."

Aine also liked the makeup on her face very much. She took many selfies but was not satisfied. She also put her face close to Pochi and took a photo together.

The two pink-haired girls were now wearing almost identical makeup, and anyone who saw them would think they were a pair of sisters.

It’s just that one of the girls’ “nutrition” was really insufficient.

"Stop taking pictures! If you want to take pictures, I'll put makeup on each of you after our performance so you can take as many pictures as you want!"

Seeing that Miao Meng had become the most active person in rehearsals in the group, Xingchuan Taku couldn't help laughing out loud.

Very good, this is the picture he wants to see.

Although Miao Meng works very hard during rehearsals, she is more concerned about her identity as a beauty blogger when she is not practicing, and she spends the whole day thinking about how to shoot new videos.

Taku Hoshikawa deliberately proposed the competition because he wanted to take over Miao Meng's video production work and let her focus more on the band.

At the same time, let her "needs" for herself gradually increase.

Emotions are useless when dealing with someone like Miao Meng. Only when she sees the "benefits" will she be driven to act.

Perhaps in Shoko Toyokawa's [AveMujica] band, Miaomeng is a bad cat who is always thinking about getting traffic.

But with Taku Hoshikawa, he will turn Miao Meng into a peerless cat that will actively come to kiss, rub against, and ask for hugs when it sees its owner.

……

Time flies and a week goes by in a flash.

After the cultural festival performance, Ijichi Hoshika saw Pochi and Guitar Hero appear at the same time, and no longer doubted Pochi, giving her more freedom.

Without performance tasks, Pochi had more time to participate in rehearsals, and the members of the "Extension Line" band also became more familiar with each other during practice.

After they mastered the first song, Hoshikawa Taku saw that there was still time, so he gave them the lyrics and music for the second song.

It is still the classic song in Persona 5 - "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There".

This song is the theme song of P5, and it also contains a rebellious spirit. You can hear this melody with a strong sense of rhythm as soon as you open the game.

Aine and the other team members were completely attracted by the song after just trying it out. They all said that they must put this song on the schedule even if time was tight.

Although rehearsals are hard, they are also experiencing both pain and happiness. Thinking of the audience boiling with excitement because of the song after the performance, their bodies and minds are injected with new energy.