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

"If you keep trying to pin these accusations on us, I don't think we'll even need to open the door now."

"If you won't open it, then don't open it. I'd rather not associate with you insects!"

The two groups started arguing again, with one group even making a move to leave.

The two leaders, with their bad tempers, got carried away by their momentary anger and headed towards the door. But as soon as they reached the door, they looked outside and...

Good heavens, there were two long rows of policemen standing in the hallway outside. As soon as someone came out, they all looked in the direction of the person.

She didn't say anything, she just stared at him.

Seeing this, the two, who were usually short-tempered, immediately lost most of their anger.

"Um? Officers, what are you doing here?"

One of the passersby tentatively asked a question.

"It's nothing, it's just that the secretary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government sent a message saying that the colleague who was chairing the meeting had to leave early and asked us to come and help maintain order at the scene," the first officer on the left, whose rank was superintendent, replied. "But we are laymen after all, and even if we went into the meeting room, we would only disturb the exchange between the experts, so we stayed outside to protect everyone's safety."

"Um, can we leave now?"

“Of course,” the officer nodded, but then glanced at his watch. “However, there is only about half an hour left before the meeting ends. If possible, please try to stay until the meeting is over before we talk.”

"Eh?"

Several music industry figures who wanted to leave early looked at each other in bewilderment.

They are all people of status and position, and they would never be so polite to ordinary police officers. If the other party makes a harsh statement, they would dare to reply with a lawyer's letter warning.

But this group of police officers was unusual. The rank of police inspector was already considered a senior officer, but among the two rows of police officers standing guard, they were not the highest-ranking officers—there was also a police inspector standing on the outermost side.

Sharp-eyed people immediately recognized that the police superintendent speaking to them was the captain of the Metropolitan Police Department's Mobile Investigation Unit, and the police superintendent standing on the outermost side was the chief of the Nerima Ward Police Station.

If we substitute the equivalent amounts, then the FBI special operations team leader and the Queens Police Chief would be on guard duty.

Anyone would have some doubts in that situation.

"May I ask where you officers received your orders from?"

A bold rock singer asked a question.

"As I just said, the message came from the secretary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office..."

"Is this the idea from the capital's headquarters? But the officials who chaired the meeting have already left."

"It is indeed a dereliction of duty on the part of the officials who chaired the meeting to leave without permission. If you wish to leave, please do so as not to disrupt the meeting, but please leave in batches and individually."

The officer's meaning was quite clear.

This meeting is very important, and its outcome will affect the relevant policies of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. If you do not wish to continue, you may leave directly, and the police will not stop you.

But if you really leave, then whatever charter is ultimately reached at this meeting will be irrelevant to you.

Once the Tokyo Metropolitan Government or the Bureau of Life and Culture approves the meeting results and makes them a consensus within the industry, you people will have no choice but to follow the rules.

The reason these people dared to leave was simply because they believed that if they left, the seminar would have to be rescheduled, and they could then be fully prepared and continue to fight for industry influence at the second meeting.

Moreover, the second meeting certainly can't invite as many big names as today, making it easier for our side to fight for the right to speak.

But now it seems that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government wants to finalize the whole matter through this meeting. If we leave, we will be handing over our say in the industry to others.

Having figured this out, the group lost their desire to leave. However, out of pride, the leaders remained standing there, too embarrassed to turn around, until Tsuzuki...

The man raised his voice and questioned them in the conference room before finally giving them a way out, and they slunk back to their seats.

……

The updates these past few days have been a bit slow. The next chapter will conclude this part of the story and return to the world of Mygo and Lonely Rock.

Make way for me: 096 The "Proposal" is out.

Having clarified the serious nature of this meeting, the experts, scholars, musicians, and business representatives immediately abandoned their previous empty talk and began to sit down and seriously discuss support plans for street performances and small performance halls, as well as the definition of various private performance activities.

Unlike the arguments, which were filled with personal attacks and vague platitudes, the discussion during the cake-sharing phase was incredibly honest.

The meeting room was broadly divided into two factions: one supporting increased support for street performances and small showrooms, and the other only advocating for symbolic support.

The main point of contention is the method of obtaining subsidy eligibility: whether it should be based on an application system or a membership system.

The application system, as the name suggests, allows eligible bands to apply to relevant organizations for street performance subsidies, including the right to use specific performance venues, discounted rental of stage equipment, and most importantly, the receipt of funds. The review criteria include the identity of band members, the band's establishment date, tax payment status, the number of band performances, performance venues, and so on.

The membership system involves establishing a street performers' association. Only association members can receive street performance subsidies. Members must also pay a certain amount of membership fees each year and perform a certain amount of free street performances at locations designated by the association each year. The proceeds from these performances belong to the association.

At first glance, a membership system seems more appropriate than an application system. It generates both income and expenditure, and the association's management methods can rationally allocate street performer resources, preventing the problem of all street performers crowding into popular areas while neglecting less popular areas.

The problem is that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's annual funding for supporting the music industry is fixed. It won't decrease just because your street performers association spends less this year. The rigid Japanese civil service system will do its best to keep the annual budget within a stable and fluctuating range in order to avoid a reduction in funding the following year.

This means that the money saved from street performances will be spent on large-scale commercial performances and theater shows... This is the real purpose of the "membership group".

There were also some sensible people on the "application faction" side, and of course they wouldn't so easily grant the wishes of the "membership faction." So after a tug-of-war word by word, the two sides finally decided, with the help of several authoritative figures, to adopt a hybrid system of "performance hall membership" and "street performer application" as the final decision for all members of the seminar.

Next is the characterization of various private performance activities.

Simply put, what kind of performance qualifies as a "street performance" that is eligible for subsidies? You can't just have anyone go out on the street, strum a couple of notes, and yell a couple of times, and call that a street performance, right?

This involves evaluating the performances of Kikuri Hiroi, Goro Majima, and Rakuna Kaname ("Kaname" is Rakuna's surname).

Those who support street performances argue that the three performers' performances fall into the category of "excellent street performances" in every aspect. Therefore, the evaluation criteria should be significantly relaxed based on their performance level, so that the performances of amateur bands can also be recognized as qualified street performances.

The opposing side argued that the performance of three people should be used as the standard for qualified street performances, and if subsidies are to be given, they should be given to the elite among street performers.

The result of the debate was the creation of a detailed set of criteria for evaluating performance quality. The criteria included scoring more than ten indicators such as audience size, audience retention rate, musicians' past performance data, and musicians' playing skills. Performances that met the criteria were considered "qualified" street performances.

During the debate, Kikuri Hiroi also suggested giving extra points to the performance of the "temporary band" based on her experience of forming a temporary band at the Starry Night Performance Hall today and a few days ago.

Her reasoning was that a performance by a temporary band of musicians would be more effective than a solo performance by individual musicians. The unexpectedness, surprise, and improvisation of the temporary band are the essence of street performance, which can make up for the shortcomings of the temporary band due to the lack of coordination among its members.

Those who oppose lowering the review standards (referred to as the "anti-standard faction") naturally disagree with her statement, believing that this is just an excuse she made to lower the qualification threshold, and whether the temporary band really possesses the three characteristics she mentioned remains to be studied.

As a result, Hiroi immediately pulled Rakuna and Goro Majima over, saying that he had never met the two of them before and that the band they had just met was a typical "temporary band." Ms. Tsuzuki and Haruka Sawamura both came forward to confirm that Rakuna and Goro Majima had only met Hiroi Kikuri for the first time today.

Since the "anti-standard" faction has just admitted that Hiroi's performance has reached a qualified level, they can only reluctantly accept Hiroi Kikuri's point of view. Otherwise, they can't possibly think that the chemistry between these three who are forming a band for the first time can be compared with that of a band that has been working together for several years, right?

Is it that the three of them are telepathically connected? Or were they in a band together in a past life? Such reasons are simply unconvincing.

Therefore, Kikuri Hiroi's suggestion was also included in the expert recommendation.

At the same time, she suggested to the representatives of the "50machi Cup" organizers that a cross-teaming segment be added to the competition, and the representatives were very interested in her idea and said they would consider it carefully after returning.

In conclusion, after more than an hour of debate, the final version of the "Proposal" was successfully produced. After being signed by several expert representatives and special guests, it was handed over to the only representative of the Bureau of Life and Culture who remained at the scene, a clerk who, although a professional, had very little experience.

……

Then, less than two hours after the expert seminar ended, before Aoyama had even had dinner, the Bureau of Culture and Life handed him the latest draft of the "Arts and Culture Revitalization Plan".

The director of the Bureau of Life and Culture, a deputy director, and the chief secretary also came to him immediately after being summoned.

Then, they all bowed to him at a 90-degree angle in unison.

"Governor, I have already made the three people who abandoned their posts during the afternoon seminar submit written apologies and have ordered them to be transferred to another post. I will also take corresponding responsibility and apply for a transfer. I recommend Deputy Director-General Tomotaka Okada for the position of Director of the Bureau of Life and Culture."

"Governor, I also bear undeniable responsibility in this matter, so the important task of acting director will still be entrusted to Ms. Ishida..."

"Governor, it's me too..."

"Alright, stop playing the victim here. Do you think I'm Cao Cao?"

Aoyama threw the draft document he was holding onto the table, interrupting the three of them's dramatic performance.

"At least, your Bureau of Life and Culture left someone at the meeting, which prevented the seminar from completely getting out of control. This also shows that you, Takeuchi, have a good eye for people."

……

This part of the story is finally finished; it gave me a headache.

Gogomachi Music Awards: 001 I Want to Be Rakuna's Grandma

A subordinate who has made mistakes is more useful than a subordinate who is flawless.

After watching the three heads of the Bureau of Life and Culture leave, Aoyama decided to go straight home.

At that moment, Takuya Utsunomiya opened the door and came in, carrying a...

Pad, the computer screen shows the website of "Burning News".

"Governor, the events that occurred this afternoon at the Ochanomizu Hotel seminar have already been reported by the media, including the pictures of those three...surprising performers playing instruments while standing on the broken stage they knocked down, which have also appeared on the front pages of major newspapers and portal websites."

"What about the evaluation?"

Qingshan asked casually.

"The homepage article of the 'Bumi Shimbun' states that this is a protest launched by independent musicians and artist agencies in Tokyo against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's interference in the development of the pop music industry."

"Tsk, this is truly authentic, no wonder it's the Yomiuri Shimbun... As long as our actions make the slightest noise, these sensitive right-wingers will make a big fuss about it. Don't worry about it, the Yomiuri Shimbun has never gotten along with us anyway, they're just a bunch of mouthpieces for the Yukikaze Party."

Aoyama glanced at the bold, large-font article title on the Pad, frowned slightly, and then looked away.

"What did the Asazuki Shimbun say?"

"The Asazuki Shimbun's article on this matter seems to suggest that the inclusion of such a rock-style musical performance on the seminar's stage demonstrates the conference's inclusivity. Therefore, they are confident that the conference will produce a solution that satisfies the public..."

"Yes, this is what a socially responsible and excellent media should be like."

"Regardless of the circumstances, Governor, we need to make a public response regarding what happened at the Ochanomizu Hotel."

"Let the people from the Bureau of Life and Culture talk to them... Didn't Takeuchi's side receive several reports shirking responsibility? Have their writing secretaries revise and polish them as a response to the media, that should be fine. Remember to arrange front-row seats for the Asagetsu Shimbun reporter, and let the Bumiputera Shimbun reporter sit in the corner, and put a display board in front of him."

……

After get off work, Aoyama planned to change into Hack's vest and go directly to the Starry Night Auditorium, but as soon as he got into Suzumiya Takumi's car, he received a call from Hiroi Kikuri.

After the call connected, I found that the voice on the other end was that of an elderly but capable woman.

"Mr. Aoyama, now that you've started playing in a band again, why don't you come to my live house and hold a concert? Have you forgotten about your old acquaintance?"

Upon hearing this, Aoyama knew that the person on the other end of the phone had guessed his identity. Moreover, the other party claimed to be an "old acquaintance," meaning that they had known each other for ten years when Aoyama was still a high school musician.

"May I ask who you are?" he asked.

“I want Lena’s grandma.”

"...? You want Rakuna? I don't know Rakuna."

"Just kidding. Mr. Aoyama, you must have heard of the 'SPACE' performance hall, right?"

"Oh……"

Aoyama's thoughts immediately drifted back to ten years ago, when he led Hiroi Kikuri (in her socially awkward form) and Iji Tomoka (in her delinquent form) to hold their first live performance in a medium-sized exhibition hall called "SPACE".

Then he was verbally abused by the female owner of the performance hall... She even slammed the "fixed fee" in front of him and said something quite "insulting" to Aoyama, who was devastated by the audience leaving midway through the show.

“Young man, you’re much weaker than you look. I misjudged you this time! Take this 20,000 yuan and go back to train for a few more years. I’ll consider it a lesson learned.”

The voice in his memory overlapped with the voice on the phone, and the face of an elderly woman with a strand of red hair dyed on her forehead appeared in Aoyama's mind.

The help she gave to Aoyama was certainly not just 20,000 yuan. Afterwards, Aoyama and his "Izumi" band's performances were organized and integrated with the help of this experienced female boss on several occasions. In particular, the concert that played "Girl on the Sand" was able to achieve unprecedented success, which was also inseparable from the help of this female boss.

Looking back now, the female boss of SPACE really had high hopes for Aoyama and believed that he could make a name for himself in the rock music scene. Unfortunately, not long after the "Girls on the Sand" concert, Aoyama was involved in a violent incident that resulted in death, and from then on, he severed ties with "Aoyama Yoshima" who used to play in a band.

"Oh, it's you, Ms. Tsuzuki. Yes, I saw your name on the list of invited guests for the seminar."

"It's good that you can remember. So when are you planning to bring your band to my place and help me earn back the 20,000 yen I spent back then?"

"Hmm, I can schedule a time to go there within a month... still at SPACE?"

"Hehe, SPACE has been closed for a long time. I'm also getting old, and it's time for me to retire and enjoy life."

"What do you mean?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. When Tsuzuki spoke again, his voice carried a slight hesitation.

“My granddaughter, Lena, has been trying to find her place in the world for the past year, but without success.”

Wait... your granddaughter can't find a home?

This does sound quite serious... but why are you telling me? Do you think I could be your granddaughter's future spouse?

Aoyama was startled, but he remained outwardly calm and continued listening to Granny Tsuzuki's next words.

"But today, when I saw her performing on stage with Ms. Hiroi, I had a feeling that Ms. Hiroi was her destiny."

?

Grandma Tsuzuki, are you trying to push your granddaughter into a fire pit?