Chapter 25: Following in Father's Footsteps is an Old Tradition
Time always flies when one is truly focused on a task. Before he knew it, Hikaru Hoshino had spent an entire week studying vocal music at Strawberry Productions. Under his rigorous practice, the texture of his voice had improved significantly, though he was still quite a distance away from a vocal coach's graduation standards.
At one point, Hikaru had asked his coach, "Isn't this level good enough? Can't the minor flaws be fixed with post-production tuning?"
The vocal coach was a portly, middle-aged man who was said to have once been the lead singer of a prestigious choir. He shot Hikaru a look of pure astonishment before erupting in a fit of rage:
"Baka! If voices were meant to rely on post-production, why would we need singers at all? Those auto-tuned vocals sound like leaky balloons full of holes! How can you expect to move an audience with a voice like that?!"
Hikaru humbly accepted the criticism, lamenting internally that the industry standards were truly strict.
He hadn't just been studying this week, either. He had received a reply from Anime Kobo and had met with the person in charge at an izakaya yesterday. Hikaru had managed to coax the representative into drinking dozens of beers while he, citing age reasons (and personal preference), stuck to fruit juice. By the time both their stomachs were aching, a draft contract had finally been drawn up.
Both sides felt it was a bargain.
Hikaru had offered a staggering 30 million yen. Typically, the production cost for a single anime episode is around 11 million yen, while theatrical movies average about 3 million yen per minute—five to six times higher than television animation.
At this rate, the funding Hikaru provided was enough for Anime Kobo to produce ten minutes of film-quality animation. For a request involving only a four-minute music video, the company representative felt they were making a killing.
Hikaru didn't feel he was losing out, either. The draft contract explicitly required Anime Kobo to treat the MV with the same dedication as a theatrical feature; if the quality wasn't up to par, he had the right to demand a remake. In his past life, the MV for *Idol* surpassed 100 million views on YouTube in just five weeks. If 30 million yen could achieve similar results here, it would be an incredible investment.
However, when *Idol* was released in his previous life, YOASOBI was already famous and had a massive fanbase, and the accompanying anime was a seasonal hit. Success was inevitable then. Hikaru didn't expect to replicate those exact numbers; if he could reach a third—no, even a fifth—of that success, he would be satisfied.
Thanks to "riding the hype" of the Tokyo Dome performance, the name of the composer "Hikari" had begun to spread. Hikaru heard from the President that a variety show on TV Tokyo was even interested in inviting him, though he wasn't sure if that was true yet.
Because of a slight delay in the morning, by the time Ai arrived at the company, Hikaru and the President had been waiting for quite a while. She brought Ruby upstairs and pushed open the office door.
She was met with the sight of Hikaru drinking tea while reading a book, while the President sat in his office chair with a steaming cup of coffee.
Hikaru's visits had become so frequent that he practically treated the President's office like his own home. A few days ago, he had even brought some West Lake Longjing tea he'd bought online, intending to share it. Unfortunately, Ichigo Saitou was a man of coarse tastes and lacked such refinement.
Ichigo seemed to stubbornly believe that drinking tea required a proper tea room, incense, a ritual bath, and a change of clothes, followed by meticulous brewing over eighty-one steps using high-end ceramic ware.
To this, Hikaru simply remarked: "What a massive waste of time."
"You drink tea because good tea tastes nice and keeps you alert. That's it."
Ichigo's eyes widened: "You have no respect for Japanese tea ceremony etiquette!"
"I call it returning to one's roots," Hikaru said, draining his glass in one gulp. "People in China drink it just like this."
"Did you spend those missing four years in China?" Ichigo pondered, lowering his head. "Not only do you cook Chinese food, but you've picked up these inexplicable habits."
"Mhm." Hikaru lied without a hint of hesitation. "To ensure Ai's better international development in the future, I went there specifically to research the idol market."
"Wait..." Ichigo suddenly snapped to. "You brat, didn't you have amnesia? How can you remember the last few years?" Hikaru laughed it off, and the conflict eventually fizzled out.
Unlike the stubborn President, Ai was very open to new things.
"Good morning!" Ai greeted them with a burst of energy. She naturally walked over and sat beside Hikaru, picking up another teacup from the coffee table and sipping from it.
"Good morning, Ai," Hikaru greeted her with a smile. "Good morning to you too, Ruby."
"So, why did you bring Ruby today, Ai?" The President asked without looking up, his fingers clicking away at his keyboard.
"Aqua suddenly said he wanted to study under Director Gotanda. He was worried Ruby would be lonely at home by herself, so he asked me to bring her along."
Ai sighed.
"It's great that Aqua is already starting his apprenticeship, but I feel like he doesn't need me as a mother anymore."
"That's not true!" Ruby grabbed the hem of Ai's dress and shouted, "Mama can teach me to dance! Aqua is an ungrateful wolf—just ignore him!"
*What a "loving" younger sister.*
Hikaru's lip twitched as he listened. When he had watched the original series, he hadn't realized Ruby was such a little comedian. *No, maybe she's just young. She'll probably grow out of it when she's older.*
Ruby continued to act spoiled until Ai gave in and looked toward the President. After receiving a nod of approval, Ai led Ruby toward the dance studio.
Even though Ruby was a bit clumsy and fell often, Ai still felt she had talent. Her body was very flexible, and she could pull off many movements. To speed up the teaching, Ai taught her hand-in-hand, their bodies close together, making Ruby feel like she was in heaven.
*With Ai's careful guidance from such a young age, Ruby will surely become an even more brilliant idol this time,* Hikaru thought. He took a sip from his empty cup, realized it was dry, and let his gaze linger on the cup Ai hadn't finished. In the patterned glass, the pale green tea swirled gently over the dark brown leaves at the bottom; it looked very inviting.
Knowing Ai had just used it made it seem even more appealing.
However, Hikaru suppressed the urge, not wanting to look like a total creep.
*Ruby will most likely become an idol again, but what about Aqua? What is he trying to do?*
*Director Gotanda can only teach him behind-the-scenes knowledge, right? Why go through all the trouble of learning post-production when he could just be an actor?*
Hikaru felt Aqua was neglecting his "proper" duties. *If he wants to learn acting, shouldn't he come to me?*
Although Hikaru had arguably lost his acting prowess after the "Black Stars" were taken away, Kamiki's connections were still there. He could easily ask Mr. Kindaichi from the Lalalai Theatrical Company to personally tutor Aqua. If that happened, Aqua's progress would surely be astronomical. Becoming a true "acting powerhouse" like Kana Arima would be no problem at all.
The more Hikaru thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He suddenly slammed his teacup onto the table with a loud *thud*.
Ichigo Saitou looked at him with annoyance: "Kid, that's my cup!"
"I'm taking a leave of absence from vocal class today."
Hikaru hurriedly packed his things and rushed out of Strawberry Productions. Director Gotanda was known for mentoring newcomers and had a good reputation in the industry, so Hikaru naturally had his contact info.
After two rings, the phone was picked up.
"Moshi moshi, this is Gotanda. Who is calling?"
"This is the officer in charge from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police," Hikaru said, his voice flat and expressionless.
"Huh?!" Taishi Gotanda fell right out of his chair, his backside hitting the floor with a painful thud.
"You are suspected of abducting a four-year-old child. Please come with us."