Chapter 7: The Start of a Legend
"Are you saying you wrote a song yourself?"
The President stood stunned for a long while. Then, he lapsed into a state of fury, his yellow hair practically fluttering as if he were about to transform into a Super Saiyan.
"I'm talking to you! Do you even understand the concept of a Dome performance? That is a dream I've been chasing since I was young; it's the ultimate goal for all musicians. A sacred venue like that isn't some playground for a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you to play house!"
Hikaru Hoshino, of course, knew exactly what the name Tokyo Dome represented.
As one of the few event venues in central Tokyo capable of holding over 50,000 people, the Tokyo Dome has hosted numerous legendary concerts.
Compared to the Nippon Budokan, which is also seen as a benchmark venue in the Japanese music industry, the Dome's capacity is far greater. Singers performing there must possess a certain level of fame to fill the seats; an unpopular artist performing in such a venue would be nothing short of self-humiliation.
In fact, looking at the stars who have performed at the Tokyo Dome, a glaring fact emerges—most of the performers are foreign acts. While various factors contribute to this, in Hikaru Hoshino's view, there is only one primary reason.
Japanese stars and entertainment agencies simply aren't rich enough.
A large-scale stadium performance can easily cost hundreds of millions of yen. A top-tier star's annual income is roughly that amount; if they can't recoup the costs, it's better not to hold the concert at all. Furthermore, beyond the massive financial pressure, renting the Dome requires immense networking and connections. These are hurdles difficult for Japanese stars to clear. In contrast, Korean entertainment companies can easily produce that kind of capital, and their deep-seated influence makes obtaining rental permits much easier.
The Dome is everyone's aspiration because the conditions to achieve a performance there are too difficult. For a group like "Idols," performing at the Dome is an even steeper mountain to climb.
He cleared his throat and continued:
"I understand the significance of the Dome, of course. But I don't believe for a second that the song I've brought would be unworthy of its stage."
Ultimately, the key to the Dome lies in economic power and networking. The talent of the performing group? In terms of importance, that ranks further down the list. YOASOBI hasn't performed at the Dome yet—does that mean their talent isn't worthy of it? Haha, hardly. Though they haven't been debuted long, they've already graced the stage of the *Kohaku Uta Gassen* twice. Hikaru Hoshino didn't believe for a second that the prestige of *Kohaku* was any less than that of the Dome.
"Into the Night" and "Ultramarine" were perennial fixtures in the top five of Japan's streaming charts, and "Monster" could easily crack the top ten. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call YOASOBI the kings of the streaming era. Just before Hikaru transmigrated, the song "Idol" reached 100 million streams in just five weeks, becoming the fastest Japanese song in history to hit that milestone. While that was partly due to YOASOBI's own popularity and the marketing of the concurrent anime, the quality of the song itself was undeniably powerful.
Hikaru Hoshino even felt that using this song for a Dome performance was a bit of a waste.
He and Ai should be taking flight together on the *Kohaku* stage.
"Kid, those words... they're a bit arrogant, aren't they?"
"The songs to be performed today are all the meticulous works of Mr. Himura. Surely you know of Mr. Himura? He is a top-tier musician; he's not someone any random nobody can just come and challenge!"
"Even Mr. Himura probably couldn't produce a track like mine."
Hikaru Hoshino went straight for the provocation, and the effect was immediate.
"What?!" Ichigo Saitou was exasperated, snapping up from the sofa. "How dare you disparage Mr. Himura?"
"Don't be so aggressive, young man!"
Hikaru Hoshino met him eye-to-eye, refusing to back down an inch.
"If I'm not aggressive, am I still a young man?"
"Humph! I'll see just what kind of track you can produce. Come on, we're going to the company to record right now."
Ichigo Saitou grabbed his coat and stormed out, with Miyako quickly following behind. Seeing this, Ai took the twins' hands and followed.
"I feel like the President is going to have a heart attack because of you. He was drinking this morning; don't go making him faint from anger," Ai muttered softly as she walked beside Hikaru Hoshino.
"It's his own fault for drinking so early. If he actually faints, don't blame me; he deserves it."
Hikaru Hoshino gave a "hmpf," looking quite relaxed.
Ai pouted, observing Hikaru's every move, and noticed he was actually humming a tune.
"You really have changed a lot. I'm starting to believe a little of what you said this morning."
"I'd be even happier if you could see me and Hikaru Kamiki as two different people."
"Hmph, we'll see. I'm going to observe you for a while longer. You are an actor, after all; acting out an effect like this shouldn't be hard for you."
"No one can act all the time in real life. Living like that would be too exhausting."
Hikaru Hoshino shook his head, dismissing Ai's suggestion.
In her heart, Ai silently added:
*Actually, there are people like that. I am one of them.*
*A person who... is always telling lies.*
Aqua held Ai's hand, pretending to be a well-behaved child, but he was actually eavesdropping. He hadn't heard the first half of the conversation between Hikaru Hoshino and Ai earlier that morning, which left him feeling a bit lost.
*Changed a lot? Two different people? What exactly do they mean? They speak in riddles.*
However, Aqua could tell at a glance that there was a lot of history between them, which made him secretly resolve to dig up the story.
Ruby had similar thoughts, though her thought process was much simpler—she just wanted to gossip about her mother's romantic history.
As a die-hard fan of Ai in her past life, she had only one thought regarding this man who had snatched away her idol.
—*Kill him.*
A matching pair of dark stars appeared in the siblings' eyes. Then, they both looked away, wearing identical, sinister smiles.
Hikaru Hoshino, walking ahead, shivered involuntarily. He rubbed his nose and continued forward.
The six of them piled into the car the President's group had brought. Fortunately, since the two children took up very little space, it wasn't overly crowded. Miyako was driving, with the President in the passenger seat. In the back sat the Hoshino family; Ai held Ruby in her lap, and Hikaru Hoshino followed suit, picking up Aqua. Since the twins were still in preschool, they were quite small. Lifting Aqua above his head didn't require much effort for Hikaru Hoshino.
Aqua, held aloft, stared at Hikaru Hoshino with a dark face.
"Put me down."
"Hmm? What was that, Aqua? I didn't hear you."
Hikaru Hoshino spoke with a smile.
*Malicious tax evader.* Looking at Hikaru Hoshino's face, Aqua got angrier the more he thought about it. Finally unable to take it, he kicked Hikaru right in the face and performed a backflip to land on the floor.
Aqua squeezed himself between Ai and Hikaru Hoshino, turning his face away and refusing to look at him again. Hikaru Hoshino, meanwhile, looked at Aqua in utter disbelief.
Seeing the tiny footprint on Hikaru's face, Ai covered her mouth, trying hard to stifle a laugh. "Hikaru, your face..."
Ruby waved a tiny fist. "Aqua, nice shot!"
The two in the front seat also turned around in astonishment. Seeing the clear footprint on Hikaru Hoshino's face, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
For a moment, the car was filled with a joyful atmosphere.