Chapter 71: Newbies Nowadays...
When Hikaru pushed open the dressing room door, he found the space already packed to the brim. Aside from the familiar faces of Takashi Kadamori and Rin Futatori, there were two entirely unfamiliar faces waiting inside.
His brow furrowed slightly; just as he was about to speak up, Kadamori proactively offered an explanation: "You're a big-time star now, and things are getting busier on my end too. You aren't the only artist under my wing I need to look after. Your career is officially on track, and from here on out, I have to focus on grooming new talent. That's why I've put together a dedicated team just for you. Moving forward, I won't be micromanaging minor details like variety show appearances or commercial deals anymore."
Kadamori gestured toward the woman standing nearby. "Miss Rin Futatori here will be serving as your exclusive bodyguard from now on. Her job is simple: protect you and you alone. You're completely free to schedule her itinerary however you see fit."
"The agency will handle her salary," he added seamlessly. "Though it'll be deducted directly from your profit split."
Rin Futatori nodded expressionlessly, her tone cool and detached. "Please look after me."
*An exclusive bodyguard?* Hikaru felt like having just one person was a bit sparse, but it didn't seem to be common practice in Japan to pack celebrities with massive security details. Besides... the one who clearly needed protection far more was Ai.
"And this is Akane Yamaguchi, your exclusive assistant starting today," Kadamori continued his introductions. "An assistant's duties can get pretty chaotic and varied, but Akane here just transitioned from an internship to a full-time position, so she's bursting with drive. Don't go bullying her now."
"Listen to yourself," Hikaru twitched his lips. "Am I really that kind of person?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "To be completely honest, I'm used to flying solo. I don't think I really have much of a need for an assistant."
Akane Yamaguchi hurriedly took a step forward, her voice tight with nerves. "I'm incredibly capable, I promise! Please don't send me away, I'll do absolutely anything!"
Kadamori chimed in to persuade him as well, "Trying to handle every little thing by yourself is just going to run you into the ground. Offload the trivial tasks to professionals so you can free up more time to focus on your creative work."
Hikaru pondered it for a brief moment before offering a slow nod.
Certain tedious tasks, like social media management and scheduling, really didn't require his personal attention. On top of that, he constantly received all kinds of invitations from various collaborators; out of sheer courtesy, every single one required a response, and writing them out line by line yourself was indeed a massive waste of time.
He still needed to go on dates with Ai, after all. He couldn't let himself get suffocated by grunt work.
"And this is your makeup artist, Sakurako Hyugaji," Kadamori introduced the last person.
Hikaru waved his hand dismissively again. "I really don't think I need a dedicated makeup artist. I can handle basic styling myself, and if there's ever a major performance... we can just temporarily pull a specialist from the agency's pool."
"You and I think alike," Kadamori shrugged, arching an eyebrow. "Mostly because with a face like yours, you don't even need makeup unless it's a highly specific occasion."
*Is this what they call being naturally camera-ready?* Hikaru thought, raising an eyebrow.
"So Miss Sakurako here is just a long-term partner. Moving forward, she'll have right of first refusal for any of your styling needs."
The tall woman dressed in a sleek blazer gave a wave, flashing a practiced, professional smile. "Hello there~ First time meeting you, please look after me."
Akane Yamaguchi carefully checked her watch. "The clock is ticking. Shouldn't we start getting ready for tonight's look?"
With the assistance of his new stylist, Hikaru began preparing his look for the evening. The dressing room instantly hummed with activity as Akane organized various accessories and backup clothes to the side, while Rin Futatori stood silently by the door, remaining on high alert.
By 5:30 PM, the lights of Tokyo were flickering to life as night fell over the city. A massive crowd of media outlets and fans had gathered outside the New National Theatre. The Record Awards ceremony was officially underway, and singers were filtering out from the backstage VIP tunnels to circle around to the theater's main entrance, preparing to walk the red carpet one by one. Staff members busily directed the flow, ensuring every artist made their appearance at the perfect moment.
This red carpet was significantly longer than any movie premiere, and the flock of reporters gathered around was far denser. Media outlets holding broadcasting rights were running live telecasts on-site, and the camera flashes fell as relentlessly as a torrential downpour, never stopping for a single second.
Following closely behind the singer Megumi Fujishima, Hikaru stepped out wearing an ivory-beige broad-shouldered suit accented with fine windowpane checks, layered over a gray silk turtleneck. A decorative white-gold luxury watch gleamed on his wrist.
Even though the stylist had insisted he looked incredibly dashing, he couldn't help but feel a bit showy.
Since this wasn't his first time walking a red carpet, Hikaru had already grown accustomed to the blinding glare of the flashlights. Shortly after he finished his walk, Ai stepped onto the carpet, instantly encircled by a barrage of flashing lights.
The pale purple silk gown swayed elegantly with her every step, casting a pearl-like shimmer under the spotlights. The open-back design allowed her pale fair skin to peek out beneath the lights, looking exceptionally striking.
She looked breathtakingly beautiful, but in reality, Ai was just freezing.
*It's literally December!* Ai thought to herself in pure frustration. *Why didn't I consider the weather when I was in the dressing room this morning?* Back then, her mind had been entirely occupied by the singular thought of wearing this exact dress for Hikaru to see.
She hadn't even worn this little clothing on the night of her confession!
The rhythmic, heavy clicking of camera shutters filled the air like falling rain as dozens of photojournalists scrambled to capture Ai from every conceivable angle. From her elegant smile facing forward to her turning sideways to showcase the gown's clean lines, down to a single captivating glance back over her shoulder—within a matter of minutes, her entire look was thoroughly documented by major media outlets. As one of the most eye-catching visual powerhouses on the Record Awards red carpet in recent years, these photos were destined to dominate the front pages of tomorrow's newspapers and entertainment websites.
The smile on Ai's face was starting to grow stiff. Picking up her pace slightly, she swiftly glided off the red carpet to escape.
The artists filed back into the main hall where rehearsals had taken place earlier. The venue was no longer empty; it was packed to maximum capacity. The rear sections of the auditorium were filled with general audience members, with Aqua and Ruby sitting among the crowd.
Hikaru and Ai took their seats in the front row reserved for performers, doing their absolute best to maintain pleasant smiles.
They would be completely exposed to the cameras for the entirety of the night. Plenty of reporters were specifically hunting for candid slips, and if they messed up here, their embarrassing photos would be plastered all over the gossip tabloids by tomorrow morning.
The moment Hikaru sat down, he silently cursed the staff member responsible for the seating chart in his head. Generally speaking, singers were seated alongside labelmates—hence why Megumi Fujishima from Xini Music sat to his left. However, the organizers also took personal relationships into account, prioritizing seating artists who got along well close to each other. As a result, Ai had been placed directly to Hikaru's right.
*This isn't good,* he thought. If he accidentally made an overly intimate gesture toward Ai out of pure habit, wouldn't they be instantly finished?
Hikaru carefully used his peripheral vision to glance at Ai, but his gaze kept instinctively moving onto the elegant, fair curve of her exposed back.
*Stunning.* He suddenly decided that whoever arranged these seats wasn't so bad after all.
The house lights gradually dimmed as the spotlights on the stage flared to life. The master of ceremonies, dressed in a sharp tuxedo, stepped to the front of the stage. Holding a golden microphone, he announced in a booming voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, the 60th Japan Record Awards ceremony has officially begun! First, let us take a look at the exceptional artists nominated for this year's Newcomer Award—"
The massive LED screen slowly displayed the headshots of five singers, with Hikaru's subtly melancholic face prominently featured among them. Enthusiastic applause rippled through the hall, and Ruby clapped along eagerly.
"Why aren't you clapping?" Ruby asked, glancing at Aqua with curiosity.
*Clap, clap, clap.* Aqua offered a few symbolic pats of his hands.
"Next, we move to the performance segment," the host's voice rang out again. "Our five Newcomer Award nominees will deliver spectacular live performances, after which we will reveal the winner of this year's Best Newcomer Award!"
When it was Hikaru's turn, he calmly took the stage and flawlessly delivered *Dried Flower*—the track he was most practiced at singing, given it was his official debut song.
Once all the nominated artists had concluded their stages, the host prepared to announce the winner of the Best Newcomer Award.
He broke open the envelope. "And now... the winner of this year's Best Newcomer Award is..."
The atmosphere locked up for a solid few seconds.
"Hikari!"
"Ohhh!" Ruby cheered happily.
"Are you turning into that guy's fan or something?" Aqua asked, eyeing her from the side.
"His music is amazing, you know," Ruby blinked. "But more importantly, he's already Mom's boyfriend, and it's highly unlikely they'll ever break up."
"I'm just supporting her choices!" she argued righteously.
"Sure, sure," Aqua sighed helplessly. "But if that's the case, you shouldn't be celebrating. Winning the Best Newcomer Award basically guarantees that it'll be incredibly difficult for Hikaru to take home the grand prize tonight."
"Do you take me for an idiot?" Ruby shot back.
Leaning in close to Aqua's ear, she whispered sneakily, "The grand prize belongs to Mom, obviously!"
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