Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

The comments section began to show differing opinions.

Some questioned it, some defended it, but most remained silent.

As if touched by the music, many people listened quietly.

At the front of the stage, the four judges each had a different expression.

The middle-aged male judge on the far left, who was holding a pen ready to score, now had the pen hovering in mid-air, hesitant to put it down.

His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were listening intently.

The female judge next to him put down her pen and looked at the stage with a surprised expression.

In the very center of the judging panel, a highly respected veteran musician took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with a cloth, seemingly deep in thought.

Beside him, the meticulously made-up woman's mocking smile froze on her face.

The corners of her mouth were still curved, but the smile had completely disappeared.

At that moment, the melody of the song on stage reached its first climax:

"Holding the initial dream firmly in my hands"

The place I most want to go

How could we turn back halfway?

"Tenkai Chizuru" leaned forward slightly, her fingers tightening around the microphone.

Her eyes slowly opened, staring straight ahead at a certain point.

It felt like being in the stands, yet also like looking into the distance.

Her red lips parted slightly, and her clear voice carried an unprecedented confidence and composure.

The sound it emitted wasn't heart-wrenching, but rather an uncontainable burning passion.

—【I got goosebumps!】

—【This really resonated with me.】

—[Is this the attitude Chizuru-chan wanted to express?]

—So that's what I meant when I said that to the judges.

—【You want to hold onto your dreams, but Tianhe-chan's dream has clearly already been achieved, right?】

—【“Holding my initial dream tightly in my hands…” Was she saying this to herself?】

……

Music knows no borders; this is not just a broad concept.

Rather, it is a real phenomenon.

Even if the language and country are different, listeners can always understand the emotions contained in good music.

This song, adapted from the famous singer Miyuki Nakajima's song "Riding on the Back of a Silver Dragon," is called "The First Dream."

Just like the song title suggests, it allowed countless viewers to experience the singer's persistence in pursuing their dreams and their love for what they aspire to.

The persistence it embodies, and the many regrets it contains...

The audience couldn't help but wonder, why would Chizuru Amami, who had already achieved her idol dream, sing such a song about pursuing her dream?

……

Sho Shimada wouldn't tell them the answer.

He only sang the second verse quietly after the interrupted climax:

"If pride hadn't been coldly slapped down by the sea of ​​reality..."

This song was released in 2004, back when there weren't such fancy lyrics and arrangements as there are now.

Many of them are in the format of singing one part and then repeating it in two parts.

But it doesn't matter, because that's enough. He believes that Tenkai Chizuru can understand.

"It's like having a good night's sleep until dawn."

You can walk and hum a song at the same time.

With light steps…

Her clear voice, devoid of her usual forced smile, flowed throughout the venue with genuine composure.

Unnoticed by anyone, Chizuru Amami stared blankly at the screen in mid-air on the stage.

The unfamiliar language, the unfamiliar melody, the translated lyrics—every word seemed to grow from her heart.

"If pride hadn't been coldly slapped down by the sea of ​​reality..."

"pride……"

Have you ever been proud?

When I first stood on the stage as a child, the moment the lights shone down, it felt like the whole world was mine.

Back then, I didn't understand what market positioning was, nor did I think about creating any persona; I simply wanted to sing.

She secretly practiced in front of the mirror and begged her mother to buy her the singer's CD.

Even when classmates mocked him for "wanting to be an idol, how disgusting," he never gave up.

later……

Those lingering voices echoed in her mind again: "If you want to be an idol, you have to be obedient." "If you want to be famous, you have to cater to the market." "You don't need to think, you just need to obey."...

Like a nightmare, it forced her to abandon all thoughts.

Every day, all that remained were the arrangements made by her mother and Ms. Maki.

What songs to sing, what clothes to wear, what to say in front of the camera, what angle of smile to give to fans...

Everything was arranged.

She was being guided by an invisible thread, making the expression everyone was waiting for.

"How could they possibly understand how much effort it takes to reach the distance..."

The singing on stage continued.

There were no high notes, no fancy techniques; he simply sang each word clearly and sincerely in an almost whispering manner.

It felt like someone was whispering in my ear.

Tenkai Chizuru suddenly felt her eyes sting.

She recalled the songs she had secretly written in those years; the melodies were childish, and the lyrics were straightforward.

But she wrote them all herself.

What happened to those notebooks? It seems that one day my mother found them and threw them in the trash.

“There’s no use keeping those things,” my mother said at the time. “You need to sing songs that will become hits, not this kind of childish play.”

That night she hid in her room and cried for a long time.

"If dreams hadn't tumbled off a cliff, hanging by a thread..."

At this moment, Tenkai Chizuru's vision also blurred.

She felt something burning in her chest.

In a daze, I heard the familiar climax again:

"The place I most want to go—how can I turn back halfway..."

Her breath trembled slightly as she sang.

It's inconspicuous, but anyone who's an expert in music can usually tell the difference.

Tenkai Chizuru's body, which was floating in the air, suddenly trembled.

She could tell.

That wasn't a trick, but a flaw that the system deliberately left behind, almost imperceptible.

It just so happens to fall on the phrase "the place I most want to go".

The place I most want to go...

Where is the place I most want to go?

Chapter 71 Singers and Idols, Children and Adults

As Chizuru Amami closed her eyes, images appeared in her mind.

It wasn't the Tokyo Dome, nor the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle); it was actually a very small and ordinary stage.

There weren't many spectators, and the stage wasn't fancy.

But she can stand on the stage and sing the songs she wants to sing.

Some people in the audience were listening attentively.

This is enough.

That's it.

but……

When Chizuru Amami saw her manager still standing in the passageway with a livid face, tears welled up in her eyes without warning.

Even though she was in the form of a spirit behind her, she could still sense it.

Something warm was sliding down my cheek.

Chizuru Amami lowered her head again, looking at "herself" on the stage.

She's still singing.

Immersed in the music, my head nods occasionally, keeping up with the melody.

There was no fear on her face; her serene appearance seemed no different from her usual self.

But if you look closely, you'll see a beam of light.

She once had that light too, called self-confidence.

"Only when your true desires are fulfilled can you be said to have reached heaven..."

On the stage, the last note faded away.

The melody still lingered in the air, and the audience was immersed in the song.

The entire room fell silent for about three seconds.

Then--

"Clap clap clap!"

Applause erupted like a tidal wave.

People in the audience stood up; at first only one, then a second, a third…

Finally, most of the audience stood up.

The screen exploded with comments.

——【It sounds great! I like it~】

—【I admit I misjudged them before.】

— [What's the name of this song? Please tell me the song title!]

—【"The First Dream," a Chinese song, the original singer is... it doesn't matter anymore, this is absolutely the best version I've ever heard!】

—Who chose all those songs for her before? What a waste of such a beautiful voice.

—【Tenkawa-chan, you're the best!】

—【So compared to Chizuru, Sami is completely outmatched…】

—【I'm totally a fan now!】

— [If she had said she was this good earlier, who would have criticized her?]