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

Isogachi Music Awards: 130 The identity of Hack can no longer be used casually.

Before the ripples caused by the Kakimoto Takatsuka case in the music industry had subsided, another whirlwind swept in from the other side of the ocean.

The English version of "Love and Hate" quickly swept the North American music scene after its release, breaking into the top ten of the US music charts in its first week, and even reaching number four on Sunday's daily sales chart.

When the news reached Japan, it immediately attracted the attention of the entire music industry.

If, before the Kakimoto Takatsukasa case, Sick Hack and Aoyama Muto were regarded as "traitors" by music industry capital, their reputation has now completely reversed, and they have become the "only hope" of the Japanese music industry, especially the Tokyo music industry.

Due to the chain reaction triggered by the Takatsukasa Kakimoto case, public trust in the music industry has greatly declined, and some people have even secretly boycotted new works released in the past two years by certain established composers/lyricists. This has caused the once robust Japanese record sales market to suffer a cold winter, and the commercial value of famous composers, famous lyricists, and singers who rely on the above-mentioned creators has begun to shrink.

In short, the trial of Takatsukasa Kakimoto revealed to the public the "bubbles" within Japanese music.

Those albums they bought at great expense might not contain the painstakingly crafted works of renowned, brilliant composers, but rather songs "squeezed out" by their unknown students sitting in cramped workstations.

Do these songs, written by a few young people who have only graduated from music school a few years ago, or even those who have not received proper music education and have only attended a "composition training class" for a year or two, really deserve such an expensive price?

The market is like this: it's easy for prices to shrink, but it's incredibly difficult to recover what's lost.

In an attempt to reverse this trend, music industry capital has been trying various methods, including inviting experts and scholars to appear on television programs to defend Japan and spending large sums of money to bribe media outlets to boast about the outstanding achievements of Japanese music in domestic and international markets, but all to little avail.

The heads of the relevant companies are watching this situation closely and are very anxious about it.

They knew that the poor publicity wasn't because they hadn't spent enough money, nor because the experts and scholars they hired weren't eloquent enough, but because the current Japanese music scene lacked a sensational element that could attract a large audience.

Only when such a sensational event occurs can the whitewashing articles and programs they create around that event be seen by more people, thereby effectively changing their thinking.

The news that music written and composed by Aoyama (Hack) and performed by his band swept the North American music scene is clearly the kind of sensation they need right now.

So, over the next two weeks, the names “mysterious man Hack,” “sick hack,” “Kikuri Hiroi,” “Shima Iwashita,” and “Eliza Shimizu” kept appearing in newspapers, national television stations, and local television variety shows. Among them, Hack and Kikuri Hiroi, who were the lead singers and songwriters of Sick Hack, were even dubbed the “Twin Jewels of the Empire” or “Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix Chick” of the music scene in this generation.

Even the showroom managers, Ginjiro Yoshida and Seika Ijichi, who have a good relationship with Sick Hack, have been praised with the superlative phrase "keen eye," and are almost becoming the talent scouts or "Mr. Water Mirror" of the contemporary music scene.

With this immense fame came countless invitations to television programs and commercial events.

Fortunately, Aoyama had the foresight to establish a studio centered around Hiroi Kikuri, Iwashita Shima, and Shimizu Eliza before this wave of popularity arrived. This gave them maximum autonomy, so even if they received many program invitations and commercial activity invitations, they could handle them calmly and only select those invitations that they liked. They didn't end up like Coben Coolidge back then, who was overwhelmed by a large number of commercial activities after suddenly becoming famous.

Of course, whether it's the planners of a TV program or the organizers of a commercial event, the person they most want to invite is Aoyama Kakeru (Hak).

这当

That's impossible.

Aoyama clearly stated on Sickhack's official Instagram account that he would not accept any form of public activity other than band performances.

He also expressed his gratitude to fans and colleagues in the music industry for their attention to Sick Hack, and stated that he would not participate in Sick Hack's performances until this wave of excessive attention had passed.

It can be said that he is both willful and lacks professional ethics.

But this only enhanced his mystique, and the topic of speculating about his identity on online forums and variety shows became extremely popular.

Some netizens speculated that he was a current high school student preparing for the University of Tokyo entrance exam, and therefore did not want to reveal his identity, attract excessive attention, or have his studies disturbed... (This is based on reading too many online novels about rebirth in the entertainment industry).

Some people say that "Mr. Hack's English version of 'Love and Hate' demonstrates a native-level level of English proficiency. He must be an American, perhaps a U.S. military officer stationed in Japan, who could not reveal his identity because he was on a classified mission."

This conjecture was quickly refuted by others: "Although Mr. Hack's appearance is a mystery, judging from the mouth and chin he shows when he sings, as well as his hair color and head shape, he is a pure East Asian. Moreover, the Japanese version of the song 'Love and Hate' is equally excellent. It would be too presumptuous to assume that he might be American based solely on Mr. Hack's English proficiency."

Of course, some netizens from other countries made canine noises: "Mr. Hack looks like a Korean oppa. I bet he's an executive at Samsung's branch in Japan."

Besides netizens, the guesses made by celebrities on variety shows were also quite interesting. Singers were guessing whether Hack was a pseudonym of that music industry bigwig. Although Aoyama Kaname, at 1.88 meters tall, is practically unknown among the many people in the Japanese music scene who can barely be called "bigwigs," the singers were still guessing enthusiastically, since he is currently very popular and they might as well take advantage of it.

The most outrageous comment came from top comedian Takafumi Wakaba:

"I bet Mr. Hack is a rakugo performer... As everyone knows, rakugo kyogen (Japanese stand-up comedy) performers are not well-regarded in the entertainment industry, while composers/lyricists are considered the poets of the entertainment world. He must be dissatisfied with this hierarchy of discrimination, which is why he put on a mask and became a singer-songwriter! So, you singers and actors, show some respect to us comedians! Otherwise, once we become famous for writing songs, we'll deliberately refuse your collaboration invitations!"

"What's with that look? You don't believe me? Hmph, just wait until Mr. Hack goes on stage one day and doesn't sing or play guitar, but just does a skit for everyone, then you'll see how amazing he is. Don't you know that there's a very famous singer-songwriter in the neighboring country whose main job is also a skit actor?! His wig serves the same purpose as Mr. Hack's mask."

Among all these people making wild guesses, did anyone correctly guess that Mr. Hack is the current Governor of Tokyo?

It really does.

After all, some people have already speculated that Mr. Harker is the Prime Minister of Japan, so what's so surprising about speculating that he is the Governor of Tokyo? But when it comes to speculations involving politicians, most of them are just jokes. People think such speculations are too outrageous, and after laughing at the person who made the suggestion, they stop talking about it and are quickly overwhelmed by other interesting speculations.

……

This wave of popularity made Iji Chisei a celebrity. Whenever she stayed in the store, musicians would come to her from time to time to recommend themselves. They would come in, pick up their guitars without saying a word, and start singing their own quirky songs, and then ask Iji Chisei for feedback.

If Ijichi Seika kindly says "It's okay" or "It's alright," the other person will immediately post the secretly recorded clip on Instagram and then frantically tag various talent agencies and entertainment companies, as if Ijichi Seika's evaluation has become an important achievement in their life's resume.

And if Ichiyoshi Hoshika says their performance was "not very good" and "they need to practice more," then these people also have something to say. "Today I met the owner of the legendary 'Starry Night' performance hall, and all I can say is 'the reputation doesn't live up to its name.' Thinking about it, it makes sense. These money-grubbing businessmen, even if they run a business like a performance hall, have long lost their ability to appreciate true art." — Such words often appear in the comments section below the Starry Night Performance Hall's Instagram account.

With the combined efforts of these two groups, Ijichi Hoshika was finally provoked.

They put up a sign not far from the door and entrance that read, "No performances allowed for musicians not employed by this store," then left Ms. PA there to watch the store while they went home to find some peace and quiet.

Because of this incident, Aoyama could only come to Ichiji Hoshika's house these past two days if he wanted to see her again.

"Oh! Professor Huck! You're here! Come in quickly, come in quickly, don't let the paparazzi or private investigators see you!"

Of course, it was Hongxia who opened the door.

She saw Aoyama Xiang wearing a large scarf covering half his face and sunglasses, and immediately pulled him into the house. Then she looked outside warily to make sure there were no followers before closing the door with peace of mind.

If you ask him why he doesn't wear his usual face mask... well, it's because he's afraid of being recognized as Hack. By now, many people know that the face mask is Hack's symbol, and if he wears it on the streets of Shimokitazawa or Kamurocho, he'll be easily recognized.

He used to wear a mask to prevent people from recognizing him as Aoyama Xiang, but now he's afraid that even his new identity behind the mask will be recognized... His rock and roll journey is becoming increasingly difficult.

Aoyama sighed inwardly and took off his scarf—for safety's sake, he also wore a mask inside the scarf, not afraid of being seen by Ichiji Nijika.

"Teacher Huck, give me the scarf,"

Ichiki Nijika took the scarf that Aoyama had taken off, straightened and folded it, and put it into a basket that was just the right size. She then got him a pair of indoor shoes, only to find that the size of the indoor shoes seemed a bit too small.

After all, his height is a factor; at 1.88 meters, his shoe size would be at least 45. This size of indoor shoe is quite rare in Japan, and for a girl like Hongxia who has never dated a boy, she has no idea what shoe size this is...

She simply bought the shoes based on her father's size, which was obviously not big enough for Aoyama.

"Huh? Teacher Hack's feet are so big?" Hongxia looked down for a moment, then couldn't help but smile shyly. "I'm so sorry, please wait a moment, I'll go to the nearby supermarket and buy some suitable indoor shoes."

There are quite a few medium-sized supermarkets in Shimokitazawa Town. It only takes about ten minutes to buy a pair of slippers.

Just then, Ijichi Hoshika's lazy voice came from the direction of the sofa behind her, "Don't bother with all that, Nijika, just let him come in wearing his socks. I just mopped the floor an hour ago, his socks won't get dirty."

"Um, is that alright, Mr. Hack?"

Hongxia looked up and asked.

How could Aoyama Xiang say no?

Although the socks he was wearing were quite expensive, and because of their luxury nature they were not very durable and prone to getting dirty... no matter how expensive the socks were, they couldn't compare to the good mood of the Ijichi sisters.

"completely fine."

Aoyama answered.

“Teacher Hack is so easy to talk to!” Ichiji Nijika looked at him with a beaming smile. She quite liked this kind of unpretentious person. “Then please sit on the sofa first, I’ll go make some tea.”

"Remember to use the one I brought back the day before yesterday."

"The tea jar, that guy put it in the Starry Sky shop before."

"Ichi Hoshika reminded me."

Despite her somewhat impolite attitude towards Aoyama earlier, she was quite meticulous when it came to tea. On one hand, she knew Aoyama's status and couldn't just drink anything of questionable quality (though he drank quite a bit at Sick Hack and MYGO gatherings). On the other hand, she was also willing to cater to Aoyama's preferences.

After all, they've been friends for a long time! Mutual understanding and care are indispensable qualities for a long-lasting relationship.

"understood."

Hongxia agreed and ran off to the kitchen to get busy.

Ijichi Hoshika was originally lying on the sofa, holding a remote control in one hand and snacks in the other, looking like a dried-up woman. When she saw Aoyama walking over, she moved her position and leaned her upper body against the sofa armrest.

Aoyama sat down in the seat she had given up, his thigh occasionally brushing against her toes.

After a moment of silence, Ichika Hoshika sighed softly and said with some emotion, "Aoyama, you're really something... A song sold for such a high price in the US. But I'm not really surprised. You do have that kind of talent. I thought so ten years ago."

"You picked me up from the street and brought me to the band room because you saw my talent?"

"No, that's not it. I just felt sorry for you back then, you were always so listless, so I thought rock music could help you... I was planning to kick you out once you recovered, but I didn't expect you to play better than me in less than two months..."

After reminiscing about the past, Ijichi Seika blinked and her gaze fell on Aoyama Mukai's mask. "Aren't you going to take off your mask? Are you going to drink tea through the cloth later?"

"Hmm, that's true... but if I don't wear a mask, won't Hongxia recognize me?"

Aoyama touched his mask and said worriedly.

Igomachi Music Awards: 131 Just tell Nijika your true identity.

"Should we just tell Hongxia your true identity?"

Looking at Aoyama, whose face was completely covered, Ichiji Hoshika made a suggestion.

In fact, Aoyama also had this idea.

Since he became a celebrity as a musician named Hack, he has inevitably been under the scrutiny of paparazzi and enthusiastic fans. Under such circumstances, it would be almost impossible to continue hiding his identity in public without being honest with those close to him and gaining their cooperation.

In fact, it's not just Nijika; Kita Ikuyo, Yamada Ryo, Goto Doku, and Chihaya Aine, who often deal with him in private, should also cooperate with him to deceive the paparazzi and fanatical fans after they know his true identity.

However, not all of these people are so tight-lipped or can keep their mouths shut... Take Kita Ikuyo and Chihaya Aine, for example. They're both nice people, but they're easily startled and can't keep secrets. Yamada Ryo, on the other hand, can keep secrets, but she has no integrity! If she ever takes a fancy to an expensive bass guitar and doesn't have enough money, she might actually use the "Mr. Hack's true identity" bombshell to sell for cash... Okay, Ryo isn't actually that bad, but using that gimmick to scam money from tabloid reporters is a no-brainer, and the risk is considerable!

Therefore, Aoyama's idea is that revealing one's identity is necessary, but it shouldn't be done too hastily. It should start with the most reliable people and gradually reveal the identity.

Nijika Ijichi is a lively yet composed girl. She is also the younger sister of Ijichi Seika, and can also be considered as a younger sister of Aoyama Kaname. Since she started to let the people around her gradually know her identity, she is relatively less likely to cause trouble.

"so be it."

Aoyama didn't think for long, about five seconds, before giving an affirmative answer.

“I knew it, how could you possibly agree so easily, after all, you are…” At first, Ijichi Hoshika didn’t realize what he said, but after she realized it, she suddenly sat up straight, staring at him in shock. At the same time, because her legs straightened unconsciously, her slender little feet, which were originally pressed against Aoyama’s thighs, kicked him.

"Wait? You agreed?"

"...It was clearly your suggestion, why are you so shocked?" Aoyama looked at her speechlessly, while his other hand moved restlessly from his chin to his leg and flicked Ijichi Hoshika's little toe. "You even kicked me."

"Sorry sorry."

Ijichi Hoshika blushed and quickly straightened her posture, crossing her legs back over her shoulders.

“I’m just a little surprised. Although Hongxia is a steady person and loyal to her friends, she is still a child after all. If your true identity is exposed, the impact will be huge. If she accidentally lets it slip, she can’t bear the responsibility.”

"There's no need to worry so much. As long as Hongxia realizes that the benefits she gets from helping me hide my identity outweigh the benefits of my identity being exposed, she will consciously keep this secret. Even if she accidentally lets it slip, she will try her best to make amends."

Aoyama was not worried.

His years in politics taught him one lesson: trust the initiative of those who benefit from the situation to protect their own interests.

Unless someone is mentally deficient and lacks common sense, once they are drawn onto a treacherous path, they will spontaneously do their utmost for their own benefit and the benefit of the group they belong to.

Is it really that hard to keep this a secret? There are far bigger, more serious, and more complicated secrets that are kept by a group of people who are neither smart nor resilient.

If someone can't keep a secret, it only means that the secret didn't bring them enough benefit.

“Oh, I see…” Ijichi Hoshika blinked, then realized what was going on, and looked at Aoyama with a hint of disdain. “You want Nijika to be in the same boat as you (うんめいきょうどうたい, which means a community of shared destiny in Japanese, but we’re using a different way to avoid mentioning Professor Daisho’s name), right? Politicians’ thinking is really disgusting.”

"What do you mean by 'I want to'?" Qingshan raised his sunglasses, looking at her thoughtfully. "Hongxia and you are sisters, so you're in the same boat, right? And aren't you and I in the same boat too? If that's the case, then what's so strange about Hongxia and me being in the same boat?"

"Hmph... When have I ever been on the same page as you? That kind of thing can only be discussed after we become husband and wife... family, right?"

Ijichi Hoshika blushed again, but she refused to back down.

Aoyama raised an eyebrow. Well, when a 29-year-old woman gets arrogant, it's a completely different story from a 17-year-old girl. When a 17-year-old girl is arrogant, she's mainly sensitive to the words "love" and "like," while a 29-year-old woman's mouth is full of things like "becoming husband and wife" and "becoming a family."

However, as long as she doesn't say things like "wait until you hand over your salary to me," she still retains the shyness of a woman in love, which is quite endearing.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. What I mean is,” Aoyama shook his head, looking at her with amusement, “that Mr. Hack’s situation has come to this point because you and Hiroi insisted on dragging me into it. Although I was the one who ultimately made the decision to start playing in the band again, you two should each take 20% of the responsibility, right? So what’s wrong with saying that you and I are in the same boat?”

"Hmm...so you were referring to that one."

"That's all," Ijichi Hoshika, who had straightened up due to tension, relaxed again, "It's just one rope, I didn't say I didn't want to be tied to you."

"Then it's settled. I'm going to take off my mask and sunglasses." Aoyama made a gesture as if to reach behind his ear to hook the mask strap.

"Wait, wait, at least wait until Hongxia comes over before we talk about it." Ijichi Hoshika panicked a little. She was worried that her younger sister would be unable to bear such a shocking scene when she brought over the hot tea and spill it. She quickly jumped up and pounced on him to cover his mask and sunglasses.

It's not a big deal if her older sister, who owns a small exhibition hall, gets burned, but if Aoyama Xiang gets burned, it could cause a serious incident.

He might be on the news tomorrow, sporting a face with burn marks, and will definitely get close-up shots from unscrupulous media outlets like NHK... Then some unethical experts will interpret it as "the current Tokyo governor has performed poorly since taking office, and was splashed with tea by the prime minister during a cabinet meeting," which would be quite a spectacle.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, the tea is ready... Hey? Sister?"

As Ichi Nijika walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray, she saw Hoshika throwing herself on Aoyama Mukai and instinctively used a tea set to shield her face.

The 50-town Music Grand Prix: 132. Thirty years old, the greatest steward in the land.