"So what?" Ichigo looked at the passenger seat in confusion.
"Drive properly!" Hiko was startled to see Ichigo distracted on the busy road and quickly told him to focus.
"I know this road well, don't worry." Ichigo patted his chest to assure him.
"Am I afraid you don't know the way?! I'm afraid of a car accident!"
Hiko didn't want both precious peace talismans to be used up today.
"I've been driving for so many years, and I've never been in a major car accident," Ichigo said proudly.
"What's there to be proud of?" Hiko said with disdain. "Aside from extremely unlucky freak accidents, most car accidents can be avoided by not fighting or scrambling."
"To continue our previous topic, the reason an Idol's salary is so low is because it also includes costume fees, and the production crew shares in the performance fees. Therefore, if Idol merchandise doesn't sell, it can even lead to debt, forcing them to end their performing career."
Ai was shocked to hear that Idol activities could lead to debt, so she asked curiously, "What about those celebrities on screen?"
"First, while 'celebrity' and 'Idol' sound like the same profession, the actual situations are different."
Hiko paused to gather his thoughts. "Idols mostly debut in groups of several people, usually without much fame, and they need to find suitable venues for performances to build up their reputation."
"Attracting passersby and audiences to buy tickets for a multi-person group, that's probably how an Idol operates."
"Therefore, performance income needs to be distributed among the backstage staff who set up the stage, as well as photographers and others. This also includes expenses for props, costumes, venues, etc. So, while the total income seems like a lot, after being distributed among dozens of staff members, it becomes pitifully small."
"But celebrities are different from Idols."
"Only those who have accumulated a certain level of fame are called celebrities, so their starting point is different. Plus, a celebrity's performance is usually solo; just saving on the cost of costumes and props can earn them a lot. Moreover, sometimes the venue itself hosts special invitations, which means they purely earn appearance fees—like fees for movies, TV dramas, variety shows…"
Hiko sighed. "In short, being an Idol is not easy."
"What you're saying has nothing to do with Idols, does it?" Ichigo retorted. "Don't celebrities also start from scratch? Who is born with popularity? And top Idols are completely on par with celebrities."
"Indeed, no one starts with built-in popularity. But if funds are ample, there's no need to worry about choosing performance venues, and tickets can be cheap, allowing popularity to quickly accumulate, thereby achieving rapid fame." Hiko saw Ichigo still trying to argue and continued to press his point.
"And Ichigo-Pro[1] is just a small company with limited resources. So even if you, Ai, are a genius Idol who doesn't need much training, and every performance is a stroke of luck, selling out quickly and building popularity, because the company's resources are limited, a large portion of the profits would still be taken by CD distributors, merchandise manufacturers, and so on. With such weak resources, the money allocated is small, making it impossible for you to perform on a larger stage."
"Without the ability to perform on a larger stage, it's naturally difficult to achieve your dream."
Hiko said these dream-crushing words helplessly.
"We're here." Ichigo slowly parked the car. "But this topic is completely unrelated to you managing Ai, isn't it?"
"No, it's one and the same, which is why I couldn't bear to see this uncut gem ruined by you." Hiko shrugged.
Ichigo looked at the young man in confusion.
All three got out of the car, with Ai leading the way.
Hiko spread his hands and said, "That's why I said I'm not pretending anymore. I casually invested and earned ten million yen in the past two years, so do you understand what I mean?"
"Only ten million yen, that's not much." Ichigo was unimpressed. He knew that while his company was small in Tokyo, it handled over a hundred million yen annually.
"Yes, ten million yen isn't a lot for you, but think about how much an Idol performance earns. Is ten million yen enough for her to agree to let me manage her for half a year?"
Hiko sighed, then quickly added, "So I also hate how things have turned out this way."
Ai turned to look at the two discussing behind her, just as she was about to speak.
"Ai, don't rush to refuse yet."
Hiko, having anticipated her, spoke first. "During this period, I won't interfere with your life. I'll only use after-school hours to teach you the skills and knowledge an Idol needs. If I don't provide proper guidance, you can end the lessons anytime. This ten million yen—once you agree, I'll transfer it to you immediately."
"You brat…" Ichigo, hearing this, didn't interfere, but merely gestured with his eyes for him to quickly retract his promise and not waste money. If he had just communicated with him beforehand, things wouldn't have come to this.
"I didn't decide to be an Idol for money. Since you're so confident, I can first accept Ichigo's training for one month, and then your training for one month to compare." Ai shook her head, reiterating her point and offering a compromise.
Hiko didn't insist, nodding in agreement. "After you complete your training, I'll help you organize a performance, and then I'll trouble you to appear."
"No problem~" Ai accepted the invitation.
"Ai, what do you think of this orphanage?" Hiko suddenly asked.
Ai deliberated for a moment before saying, "It's not bad, I guess. Why do you suddenly ask?"
"Nothing, just wanted to know your thoughts."
Hiko thought again of her lost expression during her self-introduction, and her "not bad, I guess" evaluation.
He felt that Ai didn't have much affection for the orphanage.
Because that evaluation didn't sound like satisfaction.
"Speaking of which, you'll ensure she can attend school normally, right?" Hiko thought of this question and turned to ask Ichigo.
"What kind of person do you take me for! I never intended for her to drop out. Now I'm just starting to train her, and not letting her go to school is illegal!"
Ichigo said with a serious face, "Don't think that just because you've earned a little money, you can skip school! Absolutely not!"
"Right, right, right." Hiko perfunctorily looked around.
There weren't many children in the orphanage, and the decorative sign was faded and had lost its original color, as if it had been neglected for years with no one to care for it.
It looked like it was struggling to stay open.
Soon after entering the orphanage, they saw an old woman with white hair.
She saw Ai bringing people back and greeted, "Ai, you're back. And who is this?"
"Director, this is the President of Strawberry Production. And President, this is the director of the orphanage." Ai smiled as she introduced the two parties.
The two adults exchanged a few pleasantries, then went into the office to discuss business. The director asked Ai to show Hiko, as a guest, around.
"Ai, you don't actually like it here, do you?"
[1] Strawberry Production and Ichigo Production or Ichigo-Pro is interchangeable. Ichigo-Pro is just a non-formal way of addressing the company.