Chapter 70: A Hot Commodity
"Even the sadness of that day,"
"Even the pain of that day,"
"I loved every single bit of it..."
Hikaru stood dead center on the stage, holding the microphone as he sang softly. He was completely alone on the massive stage; there was no clamor from an audience below, only the director, showrunners, and camera crew quietly watching his every move.
The interior of the New National Theatre was grand and solemn. Its high vaulted ceiling cast deep shadows under the glare of the spotlights, and the surrounding seats were entirely vacant at the moment, adding to the immense silence.
The stage's wooden floorboards reflected a warm, gentle glow under the lights. Hikaru, dressed in a black wool sweater and simple black trousers, looked understated and low-profile—almost like a gray silhouette melting seamlessly into the stately theater space.
It was currently the afternoon of December 30, and rehearsals for the Japan Record Awards were well underway at the New National Theatre. Once rehearsals wrapped up and night fell, the highly anticipated official awards ceremony would begin.
Since its inception, the Japan Record Awards had been regarded as a vital benchmark of a singer's musical achievements, standing alongside the Kohaku Uta Gassen as one of the most representative music events of the year-end.
It used to be considered the "highest honor" in the Japanese music industry. Winners would typically secure an appearance on Kohaku at the end of the year, creating a win-win dynamic. However, with the rapid rise of digital media in recent years, its prestige had slightly declined.
The structure of the awards was exceptionally strict: the Newcomer Award was handed out to multiple rising artists each year, and from that pool, only one outstanding artist would be selected for the Best Newcomer Award.
Meanwhile, the Gold Award (Excellent Work Award) was granted to about ten works annually. Out of those ten tracks, only a single song could claim the ultimate crown of the evening—the Japan Record Award.
Hikaru had been nominated for two categories today: *Dried Flower* was nominated for the Newcomer Award, putting him in the running for the Best Newcomer Award, while *Lemon* had secured a Gold Award, giving him a shot at taking home the grand prize itself.
His vocals echoed through the theater as the final note gently faded away. Hikaru lowered his microphone and looked down toward the crew off-stage.
"Perfect. Just perform exactly like that tonight and you'll be golden," the director nodded with satisfaction.
Hikaru let out a silent breath of relief, walking off the stage with his usual poker face.
"Next singer! Let me check the schedule... Mirei, please take the stage."
Even though his rehearsal was over, Hikaru didn't leave right away. Instead, he lingered by the backstage entrance near the wing, lazily leaning his back against the wall.
He intended to stay and watch the other artists perform.
A tall female singer walked onto the stage. She possessed long, straight black hair and sharp, elegant features, radiating immense confidence with every step. The moment she opened her mouth to sing, her distinct vocals instantly caught Hikaru's attention—her vocal production was incredibly unique; even though she was singing in Japanese, it sounded stylistic, almost like English.
*As expected of a long-standing prestige award, the competition is fierce,* Hikaru thought.
His growth period in this world had still been a bit too short, after all. He wasn't entirely confident about walking away with the grand prize tonight.
Once Mirei's performance concluded, the director clapped his hands again. "Uh... next up is... let's see. Miss Megumi Fujishima, please take the stage."
Just as Hikaru was about to tune back in, he noticed Mirei walking off the stage and heading straight toward him.
"It's pretty rare for a singer to stick around and watch others after finishing their own rehearsal," Mirei said, leaning against the wall right beside Hikaru. Her long, straight black hair draped over her shoulders. "You're quite unique, Mr. Hikari."
She was surprisingly familiar for a first meeting, but Hikaru just wanted to listen to the music in peace and wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mirei," he responded politely anyway.
Mirei crossed her arms. "No need to be so formal. My real name is Mirei, just call me Mirei." She proactively kept the conversation going.
"Then you can just call me Hoshino."
The tall girl arched an eyebrow, asking straight to the point, "How did I sound?"
"Flawless," Hikaru replied instantly, offering a polite, rhythmic round of applause. *Clap, clap, clap.* The crisp sound echoed softly in the wing. "The grand prize tonight is practically yours."
"Honestly, I think you're the one who deserves it more," Mirei said honestly, truly believing it. "You're incredibly talented. Did you graduate from the music department of a famous university?"
"I wish," Hikaru shrugged. "But unfortunately, I'm only twenty, and my education stops at around a high school level?" He used a questioning tone because he wasn't entirely sure of the exact details himself.
Perhaps Kamiki Hikaru had once planned on attending university, but after Hikaru transmigrated into this body, that plan had obviously gone out the window.
"So young!" Mirei flashed a bright, sunny smile. Hikaru found her energy quite infectious. "I'm already twenty-three. I just graduated from Waseda University—though not from the music department, but the literature department."
"It's all the same," Hikaru said. "Though I actually assumed you went to university abroad."
He voiced his honest thoughts. "Your songs... have a very heavy Western flair to them, and your English pronunciation is incredibly native." Native to the point that it didn't sound like a typical Japanese speaker at all.
"Oh, that's because I actually went to high school in Canada," Mirei touched her hair, laughing. "Do you know Canada? It's just north of the US."
*Who doesn't know Canada?* Hikaru thought dryly to himself, though he wasn't about to say it out loud. "Of course I do," he nodded.
While the two were talking, Megumi Fujishima finished her song on stage, and the director's booming voice rang out once more.
"Alright... next! Hoshino Ai, please get ready for rehearsal!"
Hikaru's gaze snapped instantly toward the stage. This was the real reason he had stayed behind to watch. To be completely honest, he didn't care all that much about anyone else.
Ai walked out wearing a white wool jacket, a light layer of sweat glistening on her neck. She reached out and firmly gripped the microphone.
The melody of *Uchiage Hanabi* began to play, and a second later, her ethereal vocals reverberated through the entire hall.
"Wow," Mirei let out an exaggerated gasp of admiration. "What a breathtaking voice."
"Thank you," Hikaru nodded.
"?"
"I still remember the beach we looked at that day..."
Just like Hikaru, Ai had also secured a Gold Award nomination this year, making her eligible to contend for the grand prize.
"The idol Hoshino Ai... she's beautiful, and she's got serious skill," Mirei nodded, turning her eyes back to Hikaru. "But you wrote this song, didn't you?"
Hikaru didn't really want to keep chatting with her, so he gave a dismissive answer, "She's an incredible collaborator."
Mirei seemed to catch onto Hikaru's subtle impatience. She blinked, finally laying out her actual reason for approaching him: "In that case, do you think there's any chance I could collaborate with you too?"
"Your vocal style is highly specific," Hikaru said, choosing his words carefully. "I'm afraid it might be difficult for me to write something that fits your exact vibe."
"Well, we won't know until we try, right?"
"How about we stay in touch after today?" Hikaru handed her his business card, and the tall, elegant woman finally walked away completely satisfied.
Right around then, Ai finished her stage and walked down the steps, while the director was already shouting "Next!" at the top of his lungs.
Seeing Ai heading straight toward him, Hikaru stood up straight and proactively greeted her. The two then walked into the backstage area together.
Since they had appeared on a dating show together, their public relationship status in the eyes of the media was currently set to "ordinary friends."
And so, this "ordinary friend" followed Ai straight into her private dressing room.
Inside, Miyako was carefully organizing the gown Ai would be wearing for the evening event. It was a light purple silk dress that cast a pearl-like shimmer under the lights. An exquisite open-back design started right from the shoulder blades and elegantly dipped down to her waist, showing off just the right amount of sophistication. The skirt featured a gradient effect that transitioned from a pale lavender to a deep violet, resembling a thin mist settling over the night sky.
Word was that this was a limited-edition piece from a top-tier luxury fashion house worth millions of yen. After Ai secured her Gold Award nomination with *Uchiage Hanabi*, the fashion house had proactively reached out to Strawberry Productions, practically begging for a partnership and providing the gown entirely free of charge.
Miyako carefully smoothed out a tiny crease, speaking to Ichigo without looking up: "Compared to a high-end gown like this, the idol costumes Ai wore during her Tokyo Dome performance look like total garbage."
"The performance costumes back then were all handled by the agency. Plus, we were pretty broke back then, and we had to prepare outfits for every single member of B-Komachi..." Ichigo explained. "We didn't really have a choice."
He then boasted proudly, "But doesn't this just prove that Ai's status has completely skyrocketed? If she manages to take home the grand prize tonight, who would dare look down on her as just a regular idol? She'll be a full-fledged, top-tier vocal powerhouse!"
Since Strawberry Productions was a relatively small agency, Ichigo usually filled in as Ai's main manager, while Miyako assisted as a makeup artist. As members of Ai's core team, both of them had tagged along for the event.
Miyako sighed helplessly. "This is all thanks to Hikaru, isn't it? You only have experience managing idols."
"He's Ai's boyfriend now, what's wrong with him putting in some work for his own girl?" Ichigo countered. "Right, I need to post a status update. Let me think of what to write."
He pulled out his phone, preparing to draft a bubbly, youthful teaser post using Ai's official account. Just then, Ai pushed the door open and walked in. Ichigo looked up and smiled the moment he saw her.
But the exact second he saw Hikaru following right behind her, his smile vanished into thin air.
"Why did you come in here? Get out, quickly," Ichigo frowned. "It's going to look terrible if anyone sees you."
"I checked before coming in, there's no one around," Hikaru explained patiently.
"Still, no. Out you go. Head back to your own dressing room."
"Oh." And just like that, Hikaru was kicked out the moment he stepped through the door.
Ai's attention, however, was immediately captured by the gorgeous gown hanging in the room. She instantly began picturing herself wearing it, spinning around right in front of Hikaru.
*Will Hikaru think I look pretty?* she asked herself in her head, eagerly anticipating his reaction.
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