Chapter 34: Kirakira
Inside Strawberry Productions' training room, soft lighting washed over the wooden floorboards, and various pieces of recording equipment were stationed along the walls. The air carried a faint scent of disinfectant–a lingering aroma unique to professional practice spaces.
Ruby stood at the center of the room, clutching a sheet of lyrics, and nervously cleared her throat. Aqua leaned against the wall, observing his younger sister with a flat, passive expression.
Kana Arima sat on a nearby bench, propping up her chin as she watched Ruby's performance.
*Honestly, why am I even here?*
Kana felt thoroughly bewildered. She had suddenly been dragged here by Aqua to serve as a professional consultant for children's folk songs. Where exactly was her expertise supposed to lie?
She had simply sung *The Green Pepper Calisthenics* once as a kid and somehow managed to snag the number one spot on the Oricon charts.
Nevertheless, Kana quietly observed Ruby, preparing to offer whatever pointers she could.
Hikaru Hoshino calibrated the recording equipment, intending to log Ruby's practice session. If the practice went smoothly, they could potentially record the final, finished track right then and there.
"Alright, Ruby, try singing it through once. You've practiced this plenty of times by now, right?" Hikaru looked up toward the little girl at the center of the room.
"Got it!" Ruby took a deep breath, her tiny hands trembling slightly as she held the lyrics sheet.
Clearing her throat, she commenced her rendition.
"Kirakira hikaru osora no hoshi yo～ (Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are~)"
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star was originally a piano variation composed by the 18th-century French composer Mozart. It was later adapted into children's lullabies and folk songs across the globe, possessing such universal reach that it could safely be said half the world knew how to sing it.
Hikaru had mapped out the complete arrangement using scoring software. Lately, he had been figuring out how to utilize software simulation to produce an accompaniment that closely mirrored a real piano, planning to upload a pure piano version whenever the opportunity arose.
Ruby's voice was crisp and adorable, the inherent innocence of a child's voice bringing a natural warmth to anyone listening. However, by the third line, she drifted glaringly out of tune. Hikaru knitted his brows and halted the recording.
Aqua: "Out of tune."
Kana Arima: "Mhm, completely out of tune."
Aqua pondered for a brief moment before adding, "I believe Ruby's vocal performance possesses ample room for improvement."
Ruby's face instantly fell. Her originally bright eyes dimmed, and her tiny pout grew prominent enough to hang a coat on.
"I know I'm not great at singing!" Ruby grumbled in protest, puffing out her cheeks. "If this were a dance routine, I'd pass with flying colors!"
Hikaru walked over to her, offering a half-joking remark. "So what, are you going to make your debut by entering a children's dance competition instead? I suppose that isn't entirely impossible, but if you go down that route, it'll be pretty difficult for me to be of any help. After all, I'm just a run-of-the-mill musician."
Kana instantly cried out, "Where exactly do you get off calling yourself run-of-the-mill?! This rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is glaringly superior to my Green Pepper Calisthenics!"
Hikaru waved his hand dismissively. "The underlying concept is simply a lot better. For a children's song, the most vital traits are simplicity and memorability. Achieving absolute simplicity while maintaining a beautiful melody is no easy feat. At the very least, your Green Pepper Calisthenics possessed educational value. And if I recall correctly, its commercial performance was stellar–didn't it secure the number one spot on the Oricon charts?"
Kana let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "The educational value was a bit too powerful. I was so thoroughly educated into eating massive amounts of green peppers that nowadays, just looking at a green pepper makes me gag."
She mimed a dry heave, prompting everyone to break into laughter, which successfully eased the tension within the training room.
Hikaru stepped up to Ruby's side, crossing his arms. "Drifting out of tune can be corrected. The melody of a children's song is relatively straightforward. As long as you practice diligently and master the pacing, you can absolutely deliver a solid performance of a simple track."
"Really? Then I'll give it another shot!" Ruby's fighting spirit was instantly rekindled.
Steeling her courage, she commenced her rendition once more. This attempt was noticeably better than the last, with her pitch only starting to slip by the fourth line.
Aqua turned his gaze toward Kana Arima. "How did you go about releasing your children's track back then, Arima? Did you publish it directly onto an online account?"
Kana thought it over. "I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but it definitely wasn't a direct online release."
"If I remember correctly, a television station invited me for a collaboration to record a public service educational promotional MV. I simply showed up to the set after accepting the gig, and they had me sing the track on location."
"I see," Hikaru nodded.
In that case, his chosen approach was correct; a direct public upload was clearly not the optimal route. For a four-year-old child, a more appropriate platform was required.
"I've selected a competition. Let's just sign up and enter directly. It's called the Japan Youth Folk Song Grand Prix. Conveniently, the online preliminary selections are running this month, with the regional tournaments and national finals scheduled for the end of the year."
Hikaru pulled out his phone, navigating to the competition's official website.
Ruby's eyes sparkled. "A competition? That sounds incredibly grand!"
Hikaru passed his phone over for Aqua and Kana to look through.
The screen displayed the comprehensive details of the Japan Youth Folk Song Grand Prix. This was a massive children's vocal competition jointly hosted by the Japan Music Education Association, NHK Educational TV, and the Asahi Shimbun. The tournament was split into four age brackets: the Toddler Division (ages 3–6), the Lower Elementary Division, the Upper Elementary Division, and the Junior High Division.
The deadline for the online preliminary selections was November 5th. Participants were required to submit a vocal video clip lasting under two minutes and thirty seconds. The judging criteria comprised five core metrics: pitch and tempo, expressiveness, clarity of diction, suitability of song selection, and overall impression. The performance of original children's songs was highly encouraged.
"As long as Ruby records a basic demo, she can enter the preliminary round."
An expression of surprise manifested on Kana Arima's face.
"I've heard of this competition before; it's easily the largest tournament of its kind for children's songs. The grand finals are broadcast live nationwide, and the judging panel features prominent musicians, university professors, and NHK program producers." Kana was clearly well-versed regarding the event.
A trace of envy slipped into her tone. "Must be nice. Ruby gets to participate in a massive tournament of this scale, while I was stuck filming ridiculous comedy MVs."
"Everyone has their own unique path in life; there's no need to constantly measure yourself against others." Hikaru ruffled Kana's crimson hair, finding the texture exceptionally pleasant.
He had been wanting to do that for a while now.
"If you genuinely want to participate in something similar... well, it's not like I can't pen a track for you too."
"Are you serious?" Kana gasped in shock.
"I've been considering establishing my own independent studio lately. If you were to join..." Hikaru offered a seductive whisper. "You'd be completely swamped with endless industry offers, backed by an elite library of original songs to pick from at your leisure. Everyone gets countless opportunities, and everyone possesses infinite possibilities..."
Kana was visibly swayed by the pitch. "I... I need to think about it a bit more."
Following repeated rounds of practice, Ruby's performance steadily improved. Through sheer, continuous repetition, she finally locked the melody into her memory, rarely committing any more errors. Since the progression was highly straightforward, mastering it wasn't overly difficult for a reasonably bright girl like Ruby.
"Alright, that sequence was solid." Hikaru pressed the record button, and Ruby dove into the song once more. This take was starkly superior to her previous attempts; her pitch was fundamentally accurate, and her tempo remained stable.
"Mhm, not bad. It passes muster for now," Hikaru nodded, halting the recording.
Ruby let out a long breath of relief, sinking onto the bench in exhaustion. Aqua silently walked over, handing her a bottle of water.
"Thanks, big bro!" Ruby accepted the bottle, gulping down several mouthfuls.
The recording structure of the track was exceedingly basic, consisting solely of a minimalist accompaniment paired with Ruby's vocals. However, for a preliminary online selection, this caliber of quality was more than sufficient. Furthermore, because it was a children's competition, the vast majority of participants only prepared a single song throughout the entire run. If she smoothly cleared the preliminaries, Ruby would simply perform this exact same track two more times at the regional and national stages.
Sitting before the professional workstation computer equipped in the training room, Hikaru helped Ruby register an account on the official competition website, filling out her personal details and uploading the audio file to conclude the entry process. The entire sequence proceeded without a hitch, and the webpage flashed a notification confirming a successful submission.
Just as he was about to close the browser, his phone suddenly chimed, signaling an incoming email notification. He picked up his device to check, discovering a response from a contact he had flagged in bright red.
It was from the chief music coordinator for the television drama Unnatural.
Hikaru clicked open the email, and the contents caused his eyes to instantly light up.
"Dear Mr. Hikaru,
Greetings. Following a comprehensive discussion within our production team, the musical demo you submitted aligns flawlessly with the stylistic direction and narrative requirements of our series. We are deeply impressed by your work and wish to pursue a deeper collaboration. If your schedule permits, we would love to arrange a time for you to visit the set, allowing us to discuss the details of our partnership face-to-face. We look forward to your reply."
A few days prior, Hikaru had utilized his software to craft a demo for the track Lemon. After securing a digital timestamp for copyright protection, he had dispatched it directly to this coordinator via email.
Looking at the message, Hikaru couldn't resist breaking into a wide grin, subconsciously humming a soft tune under his breath. "On that fateful day..."
"What on earth are you smiling about?" Aqua asked, knitting his brows.
"Nothing," Hikaru replied smoothly. "I just thought of something highly splendid."
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