After being elected as the governor of Tokyo, he will debut as a band!

"Ah, me? How could I possibly be fooled?!" Eliza Shimizu jolted awake as if suddenly awakened from a dream, lifting her head with a start. "Thanks to this week's experiences, I've realized how strong my will is! I didn't dare to easily accept the invitations from Disney and Wife's Workshop..."

“Eliza, you’re talking about the name of the animation studio, right? Isn’t receiving an invitation from a place like this your dream? Why are you refusing?” Hiroi Kikuri’s forehead was filled with question marks. “Did they make some unreasonable demands?”

“…Actually, it’s not that unreasonable, is it?” Eliza lowered her voice slightly, but Aoyama could still hear the expectation in her voice. “It’s just that their parent company’s artist division wants to sign all four of us to their company, and they hope I can persuade you…I don’t think I can make the decision for everyone, so I can only refuse them for now.”

“Oh right, speaking of which,” Hiroi Kikuri also looked enlightened, “those older guys who paid for my drinks seemed to have said something similar to me, but I was so busy eating and drinking that I didn’t pay any attention to what they were saying. Now that I think about it, they must have been talking about how shameless I was behind my back…”

"Miss Shima, have you also been bothered by these people?"

Aoyama turned to look at Iwashita Shima, who simply nodded nonchalantly and replied, "I politely declined them all... Although the conditions they offered were very generous, I still feel that given Sickhack's current state, it's not suitable for them to sign a stable contract with a large company."

“Hiroi always goes on a rampage when he’s drunk. The damage he causes is limited when he’s at a friend’s showroom or a small concert stage, but it becomes a real problem if he’s signed with a company and is doing commercial performances.”

"Mr. Hack's other job is too busy, and he can't even guarantee to participate in two live performances a month. If he signs with a company, his performance opportunities will definitely increase, and with various commercial activities, it will definitely have a negative impact on Mr. Hack's other work and life, right?"

"And Eliza... Eliza still has to go to comic conventions and sell her own manga volumes, right? If she becomes a signed artist, even if she has the opportunity to participate in animation production, she won't be able to manage her time like she does now, will she?"

Shima Iwashita truly deserves to be called the backbone of Sick Hack. In addition to being the resident drummer, she also acts as a caretaker and manager, clearly understanding the characteristics and needs of all members of Sick Hack.

She rejected the offers from those entertainment companies based on rational considerations.

"But this can't go on forever. Given the current situation, I'm afraid these people won't give up trying to win us over until we become signed artists."

After rejecting the first attempt to win her over, Iwashita Shima started paying attention to the news about Sickhack circulating online, and learned that Sickhack was a rare commodity for many entertainment companies and talent agencies.

“In that case, let me offer a suggestion,” Aoyama Xiangye felt that things couldn’t continue like this. Whether it was talent scouts from entertainment agencies or professional headhunters, they were all extremely skilled at gathering information and digging into people’s privacy. If these people kept bothering them for too long, Hiroi Kikuri would inevitably leak some of her information. It was better to control the situation as soon as possible. “The three of you should set up your own studio and then register it under the name of an entertainment company… This way, we can ensure the freedom of each member and also shut down those guys who come knocking on our door.”

"The three of us are starting a studio? And what about you, Mr. Hack?"

Iwashita Shima asked.

"I'll just become your studio's first signed artist... As for which entertainment company to be affiliated with... Domestically, DYCHAIR Entertainment, Ms. Sawamura and Mr. Mashima are acquaintances; for international business, I'll ask my acquaintances at Columbia Records. Columbia Records and Sony Music are under the same company, so cooperating with them will prevent the studio from being tripped up by Sony Music in China. Besides, having such a powerful backer will reduce the pressure from other companies."

Isogachi Music Awards: 122 Need English translation? Aine: Of course!

Setting up the studio would require going through a lot of legal procedures, which Aoyama Mukai or Iwashita Shima would not need to handle. Hiroi Kikuri could ask Dai Chizuru, the intern lawyer under Komekado, to do it.

Since there's no need to appear in court to debate or search for evidence, anyone with a university degree in law can handle everything.

As for the payment, since Sickhack records have sold very well these past few months, apart from Hiroi, who is always broke, Iwashita Shima and Shimizu Eliza are now considered quite wealthy. They have no problem paying this amount, so Aoyama Muto doesn't need to worry about it anymore.

He also has an important matter to resolve: the overseas release of the song "Love and Hate Intertwined" and the development of copyrights for overseas versions.

Coben Coolidge spoke highly of the piece, so when he was leaving the stage after the performance, he asked Aoyama for a demo of the song, hoping that Columbia Records would distribute it and handle the copyright.

One of the heads of Columbia Records' copyright management and licensing department also gave the piece a high rating.

But evaluation is evaluation, and business is business. Even though he thought the song was of good quality, he did not give it an ideal price due to the limited commercial value of Japanese songs worldwide, only around $25.

Even so, the price was raised only because of Coben Coolidge's influence; otherwise, the other party probably wouldn't have been willing to pay even $10.

The name "Hack" is somewhat well-known in Tokyo's music scene, but in the eyes of an American company that has a history of looking down on foreign cultures, he's not even as good as an American.

For a third-tier singer with such lowbrow taste, this price is entirely justified.

Somewhat embarrassed, Coburn informed Aoyama of the news. Since Coburn had already traveled to Manipur, which borders India and Myanmar, he could only send his assistant to express his apologies to Aoyama.

Aoyama didn't care about this and told the other party directly that he had also written an English version of the song "Love and Hate Intertwined". If the person in charge lacked confidence in the Japanese version, then this English version would definitely make up for the "defects" she thought it was.

After listening to the finished English version sent by Aoyama, Coburn was overjoyed. Unfortunately, he still had work to do in Manipur and couldn't rush back to talk to Aoyama about how moved he was by the song. Instead, he gave Aoyama the contact information of his manager and the department head so that he could talk to them directly.

The Columbia Records executive is named Nastasia Carlton, a Russian-American woman in her forties. Because she immigrated to the United States from her grandfather's generation, she has no trace of Russian culture anymore.

She inherited her grandfather's artistic talent as a famous singer. Although she did not work in the music industry, she has an extremely keen ability to appreciate music. So even though she does not understand Japanese, let alone the "Noh-style vocal transitions" and Japanese rhymes in Japanese songs, she can still feel the potential of the song "Love and Hate Intertwined" in terms of rhythm and emotion.

Her dissatisfaction with the song stemmed solely from her concerns about the commercial value of Japanese songs.

She was genuinely surprised when she heard from Coben Coolidge's agent that there was an original English version of the song.

But just to be on the safe side, she held a remote meeting with Coburn's agent.

"Miss Lopez, are you sure that the English version of 'Love and Hate Intertwined' was created at the same time as the Japanese version, and not translated from the Japanese version?"

She still received a demo of the song. From the demo, it was clear that the English version had a stronger emotional expression than the Japanese version and was more in line with the tastes of English-speaking audiences. However, the demo and the finished song are two different things.

If the English version is simply a translation from the Japanese version, then the carefully selected demo might be perfect enough, but the complete product will definitely have a lot of inconsistencies. After all, Japanese and English are two completely different languages, and it is difficult to express the same meaning while also ensuring the rhythm of the lyrics.

Although Cobain's manager hadn't heard the complete English version of "Love and Hate" herself, Cobain's high praise for the song gave her confidence in its quality... Although she hadn't worked with Cobain for very long, she had always unconditionally trusted his musical taste.

"Please rest assured, Mrs. Carlton. Although Mr. Hack is Japanese, his English is excellent. His ability to compose in English is in no way inferior to any lyricist I know in the country."

"...In that case, I trust your judgment. Tomorrow I will send Ms. Nok to Japan to discuss the specifics of the collaboration with Mr. Hack. I hope the finished English version of 'Love and Hate' will not disappoint me."

……

Since Aoyama was too busy to meet the "special envoy" sent by Nastassia, he entrusted Ijichi Seika and Iwashita Shima to represent him, and also had Komikado Kensuke accompany him to handle some legal issues.

After making the arrangements, he went to attend an administrative meeting regarding the reduction of logistics and administrative staff in the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Health Department, while Ijichi Hoshika and Iwashita Shima were facing a dilemma.

The difficulty lies in the fact that although both of them are college graduates and have outstanding academic advantages in the independent music scene, they mostly focused on playing in bands during their university years, and their academic level was not very high... not to mention their English level, they might be able to sing those famous English songs, but it would be impossible for them to have a conversation with others in English.

Originally, when Columbia Records sent someone to discuss the details, they would definitely send someone fluent in Japanese, or at the very least, a translator. They didn't need to worry about that.

But this was the first time they had encountered something like this, and they couldn't think straight for a moment. They thought that since their English was so poor, it would be best to bring someone with good English skills with them when they went to meet foreign friends.

But they didn't know anyone with a high level of English. Just as the two of them were sitting in the Starry Night Auditorium worrying, their Japanese friend, Ijichi Nigatsu, came over to check on them.

"Sister, and Shima-nee, you've both looked worried ever since Ryo and I arrived here. Now that we've finished practicing and are about to disband, you're still looking worried... Have you run into some trouble?"

Ichika glanced at her younger sister and, thinking of her excellent English grades, immediately had an idea.

These days, there are so many talented people among high school students. Among Hongxia's classmates, there might be a few language geniuses hidden away.

"Hey Hongxia, do you have any classmates who are very good at spoken English?"

"English speaking skills? Sister, is there something you need?"

"I might be meeting a guest from America tomorrow... As you know, Sister Hongxia... Ms. Shima isn't very good at English either, so I'd like to bring someone with good spoken English along, just in case we have communication problems that could affect our business."

Ijichi Seika laid out her thoughts, and then she and Iwashita Shima looked expectantly at Nijika.

Hongxia pinched her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face. After a few seconds, she shook her head regretfully. "Sorry, it seems like none of my classmates or friends are particularly good at English..."

"I see... I guess I was overthinking it..."

Ijichi Hoshika patted her forehead, preparing to continue slumping over the bar in a daze.

At this moment, Yamada Ryo, who had appeared behind Nijika at some point, suddenly spoke up, "Nijika, we actually have someone with pretty good English skills by our side, and you, me, and the store manager all know this person."

"Who?" Hongxia looked surprised.

“Aiyin…do you remember she told us that she studied in London before? Although we don’t know exactly how long she studied there, since she was an international student, her English level must be pretty good.”

"Hmm...it seems like that's true."

Hongxia nodded hesitantly.

In Ijichi Hoshika's opinion, Yamada Ryo was unreliable, but her younger sister was an honest person known as the "Archangel of Shimokitazawa." With Nijika's confirmation, the matter was pretty much confirmed.

"Oh? Chihaya Aine? I never expected that child to have such skills... Well, Nijika, could you please tell her that she'd like to come with us somewhere tomorrow afternoon?"

"You should ask Xiao Xiang about this. Ai Yin is from their band... They've been busy preparing for the '50machi Cup' competition lately, and they're quite busy every day."

"Okay, I'll call Toyokawa in a bit."

With the translation issue resolved, Ijichi Hoshika breathed a sigh of relief. Her attention was then drawn to Nijika's mention of the "Gigocho Cup." "By the way, Nijika, Yamada, and that guy Hiroi, didn't you also give the Bond Band a spot in the preliminary round? Why don't you guys seem nervous at all?"

"We don't have such lofty goals for now..." Hongxia said with a smile. "We'll be satisfied as long as we can complete a full performance on the Grand Prix stage. Since we're not pursuing a ranking, there's no need to make ourselves too nervous."

……

Toyokawa Shoko wasn't keen on having Chihaya Aine do chores for Iji Tomoka on this crucial occasion, but when she heard that Aoyama had asked Iji Tomoka to meet a client, she changed her mind.

Aoyama's reputation has soared these days, and Toyokawa Shoko has seen all the news.

On the one hand, Aoyama's image in her mind was further elevated. Before this, her respect for Aoyama stemmed more from his position and status. Although she admired his musical talent, she didn't have that real sense of "this person is truly amazing." But now, with Coben Coolidge as a point of reference, she felt a sense of awe at Aoyama's musical talent—the talent of Takamatsu Akari and Kurata Mashiro seemed less dazzling in the light of Aoyama.

On the other hand, she also worried that as Aoyama's pseudonym "Hak" became more and more famous, it would be increasingly difficult for him to hide his identity. If his identity were ever exposed, Aoyama would immediately have to do what those mythical immortals in legends did—use their divine power to "return to heaven" after their identities were revealed. At that point, if Aoyama wanted to retain his position as Governor of Tokyo, he would definitely have to keep his distance from these high school girls. The days when they could easily see him at the Starry Night, RinG, and Folt performance halls and confide their troubles to him would probably be gone forever.

Whether out of respect for Aoyama Mukai or to increase her presence in his mind as much as possible before his identity is exposed, Toyokawa Shoko could not possibly refuse Iji Tomoka's request on this matter.

She not only asked Chihaya Aine to help Iji Tomoka, but also joined in herself—after all, she was just the band manager of the Misty Band and didn't need to participate in band practice, so she had her own free time.

"Xiao Xiang, do you know why the shop manager wanted to see me?"

Chihaya Aine was somewhat confused after hearing Toyokawa Shoko's account.

She didn't know how she could help Ichiji Hoshika.

Could it be that I'm supposed to help her get along with some beautiful female musician...? It seems like this is one of my strengths.

"The store manager and Ms. Iwashita are going to meet some clients from the United States tomorrow. They hope you can go with them and act as a translator to help with communication..." Toyokawa Shoko stared at Chihaya Aine with her slightly surprised cat-like eyes, looking her up and down. "I didn't expect that Chihaya-san's English is so good that she can have a fluent conversation with Americans."

"Eh????"

Chihaya Aine broke out in a cold sweat immediately.

Which bastard spread these lies to the shop manager?! (Yamada Ryo, who was composing music for the dark lyrics he was writing for Pochi, sneezed.)

If I could actually have a fluent English conversation, would I still be here? I'd be in London flirting with blonde, blue-eyed English girls by now!

However, although she thought this way, she wouldn't say it out loud.

After all, Toyokawa Shoko didn't lower her voice when she said that, and Takamatsu Akari, Nagasaki Motoyo, and Shiina Tatsuki, who were standing not far behind them, clearly heard it. Rakuna probably heard it too, but she probably just ignored it.

Takamatsu Akari was confused and didn't understand the meaning of the sentence, but Nagasaki Motoyo and Shiina Tatsuki's eyes when they looked at Chihaya Aine revealed a complex emotion that included surprise and doubt.

As the saying goes, "A person lives for their reputation, just as a tree lives for its bark," under these circumstances, Chihaya Aine could never say something like, "My English is terrible, and that's why I was ridiculed by my classmates in England and had to slink back home in shame."

She could only grit her teeth and pretend to be completely at ease.

"Honestly, I didn't intend for anyone to know I have this talent... I don't know where the shop manager found out, but it's okay! It's just talking to customers from America! Leave it to me!"

Isogachi Music Awards: 123 Mistaking anon for Hiroi

The next day, the four of them first met at the Starlight Hall, and then took the Hibiya Line subway to Toranomon, which is Columbia Records' subsidiary in Tokyo.

Attorney Komekado was already waiting there. He absolutely loved this kind of job—easy, lucrative, and a chance to network with celebrities and executives! If Columbia Records' contract contained any unfair terms or hidden traps, that would be even better! With his litigious skills, he might be able to squeeze out tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars!

That's enough for him to live a life of luxury for several years.

After exchanging greetings, the group entered the lobby of Tokyo Columbia Company. Ijichi Hoshika explained the situation to the receptionist, who immediately arranged for someone to take the five of them to the meeting room.

Five minutes later, a petite blonde woman entered. She glanced around the room at everyone, then walked straight to Chihaya Aine, grabbed her hand, and launched into a string of English:

“You must be Mr. Harker’s agent, Ms. Hiroi Kikuri, right? You look much younger than in the photos and videos, almost like a high school student… I am Bernie Dett Knok, you can call me Bernie.”

At this point, a hint of doubt flashed in the blonde woman's eyes, but when her gaze lingered briefly on Chihaya Aine's chest, her expression hardened instantly. "Then let's get down to business. Ms. Hiroi Kikuri, did you bring the finished disc of 'Rolling In The Deep'?"

But Ms. Nock received no response. She looked up, puzzled, and saw Chihaya Aine's enigmatic smile.

(A smiley face with an ambiguous meaning.jpg)

Chihaya Aine stood there awkwardly, completely frozen, but her facial muscles still unconsciously revealed a smile to cover up her inner panic.

In fact, Chihaya Aine's English grades at school weren't bad, but unfortunately, she lacked an environment for speaking English. When she suddenly heard someone spout a long string of English, she couldn't process it at all. If Ms. Nok had subtitles, she certainly wouldn't be speechless like this.

Iwashita Shima and Iji Tomoka whispered to each other:

"What did that person mean by what they just said? I think I heard the name Hiroi?"

"Could it be that this foreign woman mistook Chihaya for Hiroi? I've heard that Americans aren't very good at distinguishing East Asians' appearances and ages, but I never imagined they could confuse them to this extent..."

"But among us, Chihaya and Hiroi are the most similar... They have similar hair color, similar height and build, and they both love to laugh. As for hairstyles, although Hiroi usually wears braids, she often lets her hair down when she gets into the groove on stage."

After discussing it for a while, the two felt that this was the most likely possibility.

Hiroi Kikuri's burgundy hair and Chihaya Aine's pink hair are in the same color family, which can easily confuse people who are not familiar with the two... In terms of figure, the two are also equally flat-chested.

"Hey, Hiroi... no, Chihaya, what are you going to say? She mistook you for Hiroi, didn't she? Tell her she's mistaken you for someone else."

Seeing that Chihaya Aine remained silent, Ichiji Hoshika quickly whispered to her.

Chihaya Aine only realized what was happening after hearing this.

So it turns out the other party thought of me as Hiroi-nee, the one in charge of this negotiation. No wonder they shook my hand right away.

Based on what I learned in school about English, I should politely joke with her and tell her that I am just the translator this time, and that Ms. Ijichi Hoshika is the one who makes the decisions.

That's right! That's exactly what I'll say.

However, when it came time to actually open her mouth, she only stammered out this sentence: