My daily life is getting weird because I am caught between being in a band and being an idol.

In fact, all the income added up is less than 200 million a month.

The main contributors to the profits are Xiangzi, who has high charm, and Qinyin, who has high favorability.

This is one of the reasons why Chaoyang frequently brought them gifts in person – he wanted to improve their favorability as quickly as possible.

To be honest, even he himself felt that he was being a bit too opportunistic.

Even so, he didn't intend to really exploit them or have them work for his shop.

At this point, Qian Sheng began to fully explain his thoughts.

"Producer, actually, this is my idea: in the future, when we promote the izakaya, we will also give fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with us. It's similar to opening blind boxes. Every day, five of us will draw lots or use other methods to randomly decide who will help out."

I've heard about the firm's financial difficulties; after all, we've even moved our office here and mortgaged the izakaya (Japanese pub). If the firm were to go bankrupt, we'd be in serious trouble.”

"Working in the store is very hard."

"No, it's okay!"

Maruyama Aya started to get nervous as she spoke.

Japanese cuisine added with a smile.

"I think being a waiter would be more interesting than selling tickets, right?"

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Chaoyang felt a mix of emotions. He hadn't forced them to participate in these unrelated matters; on the contrary, they had offered to help voluntarily. He nodded and sighed softly.

"Okay, then two people can help at most, but Aine, you should focus on practicing. You're a beginner, don't forget there's still a lot to learn."

"Huh? Why? I can help too!"

Ai Yin muttered to herself, a hint of disappointment on her face, but she quickly regained her energy.

"I can almost play the guitar now, really!"

"almost?"

Chaoyang raised an eyebrow and teased her with a smile, "Good enough isn't enough, you still need to work harder."

Qian Sheng saw that Chao Yang had agreed, and then spoke up.

"Then we'll use a random method next time. Today it'll be... me. After that, everyone, come here to practice for an hour every day. Then we'll decide who goes, and everyone else can go about their own business. After all, we don't have much work at the moment. Those who want to practice can practice at home on their own."

Because they are an idol band, apart from the lead vocalist Aya Maruyama, the other members all carry instruments and cannot dance like other idols. So there's really no need for them to come to the practice room specifically.

Although Chaoyang was actually a little uneasy, she wondered if it was a good idea for them to pull this stunt before the performance.

"Qiansheng, are you really alright?"

"Sigh... After all, thanks to what happened before, everyone has nothing to do except practice every day, and Hina has been saying she's bored, so I came up with this idea. If everyone has various radio shows, magazines, interviews, and other work that take up their schedules, they naturally won't do this kind of thing."

"But are you alright? After all, you're somewhat well-known... serving tea and water to people..."

"Producer, are you overestimating my worth...? In this day and age, there are many idols who can't support themselves, and many struggling idols have to work part-time to make ends meet."

"Okay... just say so if you get tired..."

Chaoyang's repeated concern and care finally made Qiansheng a little shy.

Reminded.

“…Producer, you don’t have to be so obsequious to me.”

As she finished speaking, Qian Sheng turned her head slightly to the other side so that Chao Yang couldn't see her, in order to hide her slightly flushed face.

"I wasn't trying to please anyone; I was just doing what I should do as an idol producer."

. .

"Hello everyone~ I'm Shirahiro Chisato, here to help out today. Nice to meet you~~"

When Nina saw Sensato, she squinted, stroked her chin, and whispered to Momoka.

"Hmm... This looks familiar..."

"Nina, she's from Pastel*, an artist under the shop manager, have you forgotten?"

"Ah, I see... Um, hello, my name is Jing Qinrencai..."

"Please take good care of Kawahara Momoka."

"I won't go into the specifics. In short, there will be similar situations after Chisato comes to help out at the store, and of course, it's not just Chisato who comes. Chisato, if you want to talk to them, go ahead, it's not a secret."

After saying this, Asahi, who was standing next to Chisato, went into the kitchen and started looking for a suitable uniform and apron for Chisato.

"Is it okay? I heard you were a child star before, and now you're suddenly working in a shop like this."

"Ah~ I'm not here to work, I'm just here to help out."

"Experiencing life? If so, wouldn't it be more appropriate to go to a cute and trendy restaurant? Most of the people who come here are middle-aged men."

Tao Xiang kindly reminded him, but Chao Yang had already said those things.

Qian Sheng will naturally not change his attitude.

"No."

Qian Sheng didn't elaborate on the reason. She didn't want to emphasize that it was to give back to Chaoyang. Talking too much about such things would seem pretentious.

"Nina, then you should teach Miss Egret."

"Ah? Yes!"

Qian Sheng bowed slightly, revealing her usual elegant smile, and said politely.

Please take good care of me.

Rencai felt a little awkward and could only manage a forced smile.

Chaoyang then came out and handed the clothes and apron to Qiansheng.

"Put your luggage in the lockers over there. There's no place to change clothes here, so go to the restroom to change. Just try it out for today."

Qian Sheng nodded obediently, said "Excuse me," and went into the restroom. Chao Yang returned to the kitchen to begin preparations for business.

. .

Chisato quickly adapted to working at the izakaya, as if she were born for this kind of atmosphere. Her gentle voice, light steps, and smooth, natural movements when serving drinks and dishes were all captivating.

Before long, customers in the store began to be attracted by her friendliness, especially those office workers who were tired from work. Seeing her, it was as if all their troubles disappeared instantly.

"Huh? Aren't you that child star who played the elementary school detective Mako?!"

Several guests recognized Qian Sheng and excitedly began chatting with her. Qian Sheng maintained a smile throughout, responding to each question in a gentle tone, constantly serving drinks and dishes, her busy figure never stopping. But she never complained, instead appearing completely at ease.

"Will Miss Egret come again in the future?"

"...Hehe...I'll come help out when I have time. Please come again."

She served drinks while politely responding to the guests' remarks.

Gradually, more and more guests surrounded Chisato, wanting to continue chatting with her—about work, TV dramas they'd watched, and even her future plans. Although Chisato maintained a smile and answered fluently, the atmosphere gradually became a little too enthusiastic.

When Chaoyang saw this scene while he was grilling skewers in the kitchen, he frowned, took the skewers off the charcoal fire, wiped his hands, and walked out of the kitchen with a smile but a warning in his tone.

"Gentlemen, this isn't a place for serving drinks. A few words are fine, but please don't disturb her work."

The guests then became slightly embarrassed and restrained themselves. The guests behind them all started ordering drinks, and they only managed to chat a few words while Qian Sheng was serving the drinks.

Today, Rencai's main job has been reduced to making wine and washing dishes and cups.

. .

"Wow... Today's turnover is 300,000! The table turnover rate is only slightly higher than usual, but the average order value is almost two to three times higher than before."

Before they knew it, it was closing time. The store had finished cleaning and tidying up before closing. While a few people were changing clothes, Chaoyang began to tally up the accounts.

After emerging from the restroom, Qian Sheng opened the cabinet, took out her handbag, slung it over her shoulder, and walked over to Chao Yang, who was doing the accounting.

"Thank you for your hard work, producer. I'll take my leave now."

"Wait a moment."

Chaoyang took out an envelope, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Qiansheng.

"This is?"

The envelope even had a greeting card with the words "Thank you for your hard work" written on it.

"Here's your wages for today."

"Ah, this..."

Chisato glanced at Momoka and Renna, who hadn't come out yet, and quickly pushed them back.

"We're just here to help."

"Heh, I have no intention of making you work for free. Qian Sheng, you may not be short of money, but Pastel* is full of students. If you don't take any, the others will feel embarrassed to take any as a precedent. Everyone works hard for half a day but doesn't get any reward. Even if they do take some occasionally, they will definitely become resentful in the long run. And if this gets out, my reputation will be ruined. Then I'll be seen as an unscrupulous boss who exploits his idols. Are you trying to ruin me?"

Hearing Chaoyang say this, Qiansheng could only smile wryly and accept the envelope with both hands.

"Since the producer has said so... then producer... the performance the day after tomorrow..."

"I will bring gifts to see you as always. I wish you a successful performance."

"...Thank you~"

Sensato bowed again, then turned and left the izakaya.

Momoka and Renna, who had been hiding in the bathroom, also came out.

Why are you two deliberately avoiding me?

"Hehe, I want to see if there are any celebrity scandals."

Momoka smirked.

"Momoka-san! Don't joke like that... Speaking of which, we have a performance tomorrow! Is it okay for us to still be working here today?"

Nina even emphasized her words when she mentioned tomorrow's performance.

Chaoyang also understood the implied meaning.

"Hehe, Nina, of course I'll come see you guys too~ I'm already planning to close tomorrow. But you'd better make a scene, show the same spirit you had when you threw that peach-scented wine~~"

Rencai immediately blushed.

It turns out that Nina and Momoka had just argued over the new Diamond Dust, and naturally, it turned into a bitter feud. The two even splashed each other's drinks to show their sisterly bond, and in the end, An and Subaru were also caught in the crossfire.

That night, An and Subaru complained to Asahi about the incident, asking Asahi to discipline Nina more.

The two of them blushed slightly when Chaoyang suddenly brought it up.

Rencai took the initiative and said through gritted teeth.

"Subaru, that guy!... It was Momoka-san who threw it!!!"

"I told you to shut up, but you kept talking."

As they talked, the two of them began to wrestle with their hands, their fingers interlaced.

Chaoyang opened a can of beer next to him, took a sip, and sighed.

"Haa... If you have that kind of energy, I wish you could use it when you're working..."

. .

the other side.

Chisato was on her way home, still looking at the envelope.

To be honest, idols don't actually earn much money until they reach the top.

Because the artists and idols in the agency, including voice actors, are paid according to a fully contractual system (employee compensation is based entirely on their performance or results, and there is no fixed salary).

Even if I acted in a TV series before, after deducting the agency's share, I would only receive less than 200 million a year. Although it was a lot for me when I was still a child, it was not enough for those artists who were already adults. That's why the lower-level artists I mentioned before had to work part-time at convenience stores in addition to their main jobs.

Qian Sheng smiled wryly and said sarcastically.

"...Seriously, isn't this more money than my regular job...?"

Chapter 93 Everything is afraid of comparison.

"Good morning."

Unlike regular companies, entertainment agencies don't have weekends off. Many events and performances are held on holidays, so staff usually take turns resting on weekdays. Today is Saturday, and Xiangzi, unusually, arrived at the agency very early, greeting the staff he met as soon as he entered.

Meanwhile, Chaoyang was already seated in his seat.