The man with blonde hair and a rough beard silently stared at the three muscular men sitting before him. He looked at these men, the current blue chips of the Japanese entertainment industry who were stirring up a literal storm.
'Damned idols... I should have realized something was up the moment they started talking about being Enfants Terribles stans or whatever...'
From his perspective, it was utterly incomprehensible. He had only just launched [B-Komachi], and [Ichigo Production] didn't even have a single group in the mainstream yet—and yet, here they were. However, he had no intention of accepting them.
"Hey, Mr. Blonde Beard. How about a 9:1 revenue split?"
"It's not Mr. Blonde Beard, it's Saito. And I'm not signing a contract with you guys."
If any other major agency heard this, they would have been gasping in shock, but the man known as Saito Ichigo was simply that kind of person. Even in this rotten entertainment world, he believed that one had to maintain certain lines as a human being, and above all, one had to uphold loyalty (Uiri) toward their agency's idols more than anyone else.
"Sunglasses guy, what's the reason? Honestly, isn't this a massive opportunity from your perspective?"
"It's because your scale is too large compared to ours."
They were currently the most popular, peak-level superstars in Japan. Stars with the creative power to pump out nine hit songs in a short period—a feat most struggle to achieve even once. [Ichigo Production] lacked the capacity to manage them, and it was certain that all their agency's resources would be sucked into Enfants Terribles, effectively resulting in B-Komachi being discarded once their usefulness was over.
No matter how much affection he had for B-Komachi and Ai, a corporation is fundamentally an organization that follows money, not sentiment. If a group like Enfants Terribles joined, [Ichigo Production] could never remain the same as it was now.
"It seems like you guys care about Ai too, but you joining us would actually hinder that girl. I'm a small-minded man; I don't have the confidence to manage B-Komachi with the same passion I have now once you guys are in the picture."
Upon hearing those words, the handsome young man named Hide widened his eyes as if he had been struck in the head with a hammer. After pondering for a long while, he finally spoke.
"First off, there isn't much a label needs to manage for a band. Just give us the budget, and hire people to move our equipment. What we need is a person we can trust and a corporate name that can move systematically if legal issues arise."
The man with blonde hair and a rough beard was a rare breed in this industry—a man who lived by a code of honor. What they needed wasn't a company to micromanage them, but a reliable person to handle the legalities. They had come here with a somewhat lighthearted mindset, but this seemed like a remarkably decent agency.
"What do you mean by that...?"
"A band is different from idols. We do the lyrics, composition, distribution, and even the concert designs ourselves. That means [Ichigo Production]'s management capacity won't be drained by us."
"He's right, pops. We don't exactly work by leaning on anyone else's help."
"If anyone tries to interfere with our work? I'll punch them straight in the jaw, so don't you worry about that!!"
Hide found himself liking this man, Saito Ichigo. Where else in this industry could you find a president who treats his idols not as parts or consumables, but like his own children? One could confidently say they almost didn't exist.
There surely wouldn't be another industry professional anywhere else in the world who would act to protect his idols even if it meant kicking away his own path to success.
"So, all you need to do is connect us with a reliable accountant and lawyer. As for moving equipment, we can just hire people anyway."
"Then, if we aren't doing anything for you, isn't the 1 you're giving us way too high?"
Even in my own opinion, giving away 10% was a very generous contract. However, the president of this agency was a man worth that level of investment.
Yes, this was an investment—an investment in a person one could trust with work in this industry. After all, the hardest thing to find in professional life is someone truly reliable.
"Just think of it as an investment. Though we'll have to iron out the specific settlement ratios for each sector."
Of course, you might know a person's heart, but you never know how they'll handle money. He might be a man of honor now, but there's no telling if he'll stay that way after the money starts rolling in.
I slid my bankbook forward as I spoke. I might not know about money, but the story changes if I become a major shareholder.
"This is investment capital. In exchange, hand over some shares of [Ichigo Production]."
"Oh... in that case, I'll chip in some too."
"Muscle-mon... that's dirty... if you're doing it, I have no choice but to do it too."
This way, even after we join [Ichigo Production], we can prevent B-Komachi from being discarded. It might be overprotective, but if [Ichigo Production] shows signs of abandoning B-Komachi, I will intervene. As a major shareholder.
Originally, idols are built with money and launched with money. The 'Stars' of an idol group are, by nature, manufactured through capital.
If Ai's coworkers felt jealous of her talent, then I would just pour enough money into their training that they wouldn't have time to feel jealous. If they all struggle through the grind together, their relationship was bound to improve anyway.
.
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"I'll be in your care then, President Sato."
"Damned star... It's not Sato, it's Saito..."
The president of [Ichigo Production] and Hide, the leader of Enfants Terribles, shook hands while looking into each other's eyes.
"Uh-oh, is that how you talk to a major shareholder?"