Chapter 46: Effort and Sweat
Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, November had already arrived.
It was late autumn in Tokyo, a season defined by the fragrant scent of golden osmanthus and ginkgo leaves steadily turning yellow. While the daytime sun remained warm, a distinct chill had settled into the mornings and evenings. People were starting to break out light jackets, and the entire city was filled with that crisp, refreshing autumn air.
Inside the Strawberry Productions office, the winter sun filtered through the blinds, casting warm streaks across the conference table. A small group sat huddled around Ichigo Saitou's desk, which was cluttered with steaming mugs of coffee and scattered proposal sheets.
While Hikaru Hoshino's career was skyrocketing, Ai's trajectory had hit a bit of a standstill. In order to ensure a smooth transition for Ai when she eventually graduated from being an idol, Ichigo had called Hikaru over to discuss her future development strategy.
"Gotanda's movie is hitting theaters soon. If it blows up at the box office, Ai's market value will jump quite a bit." Ichigo picked up his coffee, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. "Ai has already hit the absolute ceiling as an idol. But as an actress... to be completely honest, she's still nowhere near the A-list. Most directors don't even consider her during casting calls."
"I think it's just because Ai lacks a massive box-office hit to serve as her definitive breakthrough piece." He found an excuse and quickly convinced himself. "Once Gotanda's film drops, that should change, right?"
"Probably," Hikaru said, his face completely blank.
Ichigo began daydreaming out loud. "Do you think directors will start actively reaching out to collaborate with her?"
"Unlikely," Hikaru offered, being brutally honest.
Miyako also shook her head gently. "It might happen, but the Japanese entertainment industry runs heavily on networking and mutual favors. That's exactly why talent agencies exist–to handle those corporate trade-offs on behalf of their artists. Personally, I think it's better if we actively seek out opportunities ourselves."
Hikaru leaned back in the white plastic lawn chair he had bought for himself, crossing his arms. "I don't know much about the acting world, and I definitely lack the networking and resources in that sector. So if you ask me, our best bet is still focusing on her music career first. The era name is about to change soon, right? Do you think Ai has a shot at competing for the title of 'Heisei Diva'?"
Ichigo nearly choked on his coffee. He hurriedly set his mug down, looking at Hikaru with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "Sometimes I seriously can't tell if you're joking. You always say these completely surreal things with a straight face, like you're totally missing a sense of reality. Your goals and ambitions are so massive it makes you sound like a total fraud."
"It's only bragging if you don't have the talent to back it up," Miyako countered, holding a different perspective. "Coming from Hikaru, this is what you call a dream."
"I believe in Hikaru too!" Ai chimed in, her eyes lighting up with stars as she looked incredibly thrilled.
Ichigo let out a heavy sigh. "The term 'Heisei Diva' can technically apply to any female singer of this era. But to get the general public to actually acknowledge that title, you have to stand out completely from the rest of the pack. Even if your popularity isn't ranked number one for your generation, you at least need to be in the top ten."
"Then we just need to keep pumping out songs," Hikaru offered, presenting a remarkably simple solution. "We drop album after album, keeping her right at the top of the sales charts. The music fans will gradually multiply, and consequently, the ratio of hardcore idol fans will shrink. That way, when she eventually announces her graduation as an idol, the pure music fans can drown out the obsessive boyfriend-fans, keeping the backlash to a minimum."
Ai sharply picked up on the word "album." Her eyes flashed with excitement as she leaned forward slightly. "Does that mean Hikaru is writing new songs for me again?"
"Yay! I can't wait!" She began swaying happily from side to side.
Ichigo massaged his temples, a complicated expression taking over his face. "You are an absolute freak of nature. No artist drops music the way you do. Your own album just came out, your recent track Lemon is currently a massive hit everywhere, and now you're already jumping straight into producing a brand new album for Ai." He paused, looking completely baffled. "I seriously don't understand how you keep creating like this."
*How do I keep creating...*
Hikaru flicked his bangs to the side, flashing a smug, confident grin. "It's all thanks to my hard work and sweat."
*Hard work plagiarizing, while the sweat belongs to my competitors.*
"By the way, Hikaru, your new song Lemon is literally everywhere lately. Sometimes when I'm walking down the street, your voice will suddenly blast out from a nearby shop," Ai said, resting her chin in her hands. "The teenagers passing by are always talking about it too."
Miyako nodded in agreement. "The streaming numbers are climbing at a ridiculous rate. I'm afraid that by the end of–"
"The momentum is absolutely terrifying," Ichigo cut in, his tiny eyes flashing sharply behind his sunglasses as he rested his chin on his hands. "Even though it hasn't been out for very long, I'd say nearly eighty percent of the youth have heard it by now. It's practically glued to the top of the trending charts."
He locked his gaze onto Hikaru. "I honestly think this song has a genuine shot at crashing the top ten of the year-end charts, despite being released so late in the year."
"Trust me, I'm well aware of the hype," Hikaru said helplessly. "My manager has been drilling it into my ears nonstop. He's already hounding me to perform this exact song at Kohaku this year."
"Kohaku? You?"
Ichigo stared at him with wide eyes, as if he had just heard a hilarious joke.
"They haven't even sent out official invitations yet, have they?"
"They have," Hikaru shrugged. "The NHK selection committee issued a formal invitation to me through Xinj Entertainment, and I've already accepted."
"Oh my god!" Ichigo practically jumped out of his chair. "You've only been debuted as a singer for six months!"
Miyako's eyes went wide as well. "That really is..."
A sudden thought struck Ichigo, and he whirled around to face Ai. "Did Ai not get one?"
Hikaru found the reaction somewhat amusing. "The NHK usually contacts the agency or talent firm the singer belongs to directly. They don't reach out to the artist themselves."
"Then it looks like Ai won't have a shot this year," Ichigo muttered, feeling a sting of disappointment.
Ai immediately bowed deeply toward the president, tears already welling up in her eyes when she stood back up.
"It's because my own skills aren't up to par. I'm so sorry."
"No, no, no, this is clearly an issue with the old man Ichigo here," Hikaru quickly clarified. "I'm using an internal slot provided by Xinj Entertainment. A massive corporate giant like that always has a guaranteed number of Kohaku slots reserved every year, even if they don't say it out loud."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a bit cynical. "In other words, even when it comes to the absolute pinnacle of Japanese music festivals like the Kohaku Uta Gassen, as long as your connections are strong enough, shortcuts definitely exist."
"Ai's talent is already more than enough, and her name recognition is massive. The only reason she hasn't received an invitation yet is because she doesn't have a massive corporate powerhouse backing her up."
Ichigo's expression darkened slightly. "So... Strawberry Productions really is the one holding Ai back?"
Hikaru shrugged. "If you want to look at it objectively, yes," he said casually.
Ichigo's face instantly went entirely blank and gray, looking like an uncolored sketch left sitting at the desk.
"But you've protected her exceptionally well," Hikaru added, offering a bit of comfort. "If Ai had joined a different idol agency, her career might have taken off much faster, but the process definitely wouldn't have been this clean."
Hearing that, Ichigo instantly snapped back to life, his colors returning.
"However, Strawberry Productions is definitely hitting its limit when it comes to keeping up with her current career path," Hikaru added, immediately killing the mood again just as Ichigo was cheering up.
The atmosphere in the office instantly turned heavy. Ai looked at the Saitou couple with a trace of anxiety.
"So..." Hikaru took a deep breath, slowly sitting up straight. "I'm planning to establish my own independent studio. I'm currently scouting for talent."
He looked Ichigo straight in the eye. "Are you going to bring Strawberry Productions along and join me, President Ichigo?"
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