"Sorry, but I'm a student... I can't really afford to just jump into something like this... man."
The muscular man with dark skin shook his head.
To be honest, I wanted to tell him to drop out of school right now and join me, but unfortunately, I didn't have the money to back up such a demand.
The music industry isn't a place that treats you kindly enough to guarantee a future with zero capital.
"Ah... then please, at least take my number. You might change your mind later..."
"Oh, I can do that much."
I walked out of the campus feeling empty.
I had spotted a magnificent rough diamond, yet I couldn't recruit him.
As it stood, I was just a penniless band hopeful—no different from my previous life.
Since I had been transported across space and time to a place where I had no connections, it wasn't as if I could easily gather like-minded people through my old networks.
I stepped onto the dark street alone.
It was only eight o'clock, the sun had just barely finished setting, but the sky was as dark as my current mood.
'I need to recruit band members...'
But how?
●ほしの アイ(Ai Hoshino)●
- Got rejected again today? (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ
How did she know I failed again today? Just as that question crossed my mind, a girl with flowing purple hair gently tapped my shoulder from behind.
"Look who's here!"
"Ah... it's you..."
"Ehh—Ai is here, so why the dull reaction?! ✩◝(◍⌣̎◍)◜✩"
"I failed again today."
The brat then gave me a look of pity, her eyes softening with sympathy. Hey, did you even know how to make an expression like that?
"Ai thinks... maybe your method is wrong?"
"Method...?"
For a split second, a flash of 'senior' pride crossed Ai's face before she began to speak.
"Even if I look like this, Ai is quite the popular [Star] in [B-Komachi], you know?"
"In the entertainment industry, recognition is everything. You seem to treat them as two separate things, Hide, but the way I see it, there's no difference between the music world and showbiz."
Hearing those words felt like being struck with a hammer.
She was right. This was a world where band music was nonexistent, and in such a world, pure musicality might not be the most important factor.
In a world where the music industry and the entertainment industry were synonymous, fame and public awareness would naturally be the highest values.
'First, I need to raise my profile. I need more recognition.'
But didn't the stars of the 2020s increase their recognition through internet broadcasting?
If I recall correctly, internet broadcasting existed in the 2000s as well.
'It would be incredible if there was something like a street karaoke stage or something similar...'
.
.
.
.
.
"Oh... this actually exists? And it's quite popular too...?"
Get ready. Showbiz is about to be turned upside down.