Chapter 166: Choice (Part 2)
As soon as Kessoku Band's performance ended and the curtain fell, Satou Aiko walked backstage without hesitation.
Compared to the more famous SIDEROS performing later, she saw greater potential in Kessoku Band.
After confirming her identity as a writer with the backstage staff, she quickly headed towards the waiting room.
At the same time, she also noticed that several record company representatives had followed her.
She wasn't surprised at all.
In this music festival, Kessoku Band's current demonstrated strength was definitely among the top three, and as a young Band, they also had very high growth potential.
It was perfectly normal to attract record companies that were already scouting for bands.
However, she was also very concerned.
High growth potential meant they weren't mature enough.
Would they be manipulated by record companies, their ideas ignored or even twisted by contracts?
And could the young members withstand the allure of money?
She was very uneasy.
Satou Aiko quickened her pace, rushing towards the waiting room.
The record company people behind her, knowing she was a writer, didn't speed up with her but subtly jostled for position behind her.
When she reached a spot where she could see the waiting room door, she just saw Ishikawa Hayato coming out of the waiting room, about to close the door.
She quickly called out,
"Please wait!"
Ishikawa Hayato, who had settled the instruments and the other girls of the band in the waiting room and was about to close the door, heard the voice and looked sideways in confusion.
When he saw a running girl who seemed somewhat childish, his first reaction was to look inside the room.
However, he thought about it and knew that the other party wasn't looking for him, so he stood indifferently at the doorway.
It wasn't until Satou Aiko ran up to him, panting, that he spoke.
"Is there something? We're all very tired after our performance."
Although he wasn't that tired, he still wanted to stay with his own girls rather than outsiders.
Satou Aiko exhaled, then urgently and loudly exclaimed,
"Please escape from here immediately!"
The four people, already sprawled on the sofa and wondering what Ishikawa Hayato was doing at the door, heard this and all showed blank expressions.
They were in a livehouse, weren't they?
What on earth was happening?
Satou Aiko didn't act like a riddle-solver trying to drive people away.
Instead, she quickly and concisely answered Ishikawa Hayato.
"Behind you, behind you are record companies looking for you! Please leave immediately!"
But her answer filled the tired members with boundless surprise.
Nijika, who had been sitting loosely, suddenly jumped up as if injected with a stimulant.
"Record... record companies!"
"Is it true?" Kita also perked up, stood up, and walked towards Ishikawa Hayato.
Ryo slowly blinked. Her previous Bands had never been invited by a record company.
But in just a few seconds, her golden eyes had turned into the shape of money.
She also stood up.
She no longer felt tired.
She walked towards the door, asking as she went, and peered outside.
"Where?"
Hitori followed behind Ryo, with a look of disbelief, as if asking, 'Did I hear that right?' She also rushed over in a hurry.
None of them had expected that a small Band like theirs, which still had to pay for performance opportunities, would be noticed by a record company.
Although they weren't sure what signing a contract entailed, one thing was certain.
After signing, they would make a lot of money!
Seeing the four girls eagerly crowding at the door, Satou Aiko knew it was impossible to prevent them from contacting the record companies...
Inside the waiting room.
Although the members had been very eager before the record company representatives arrived.
After they arrived and met representatives from five different record companies, they were at a loss.
"I remember your company has already signed two or three Bands this year, do you still have resources to support Band development?"
“You don’t need to worry about that. Compared to your company in Nagasaki, ours has far more experience and connections—and as far as I recall, you don’t currently have a fully established band under your management, do you?”
“Speaking of connections and resources, my company has just as many as your two veteran firms, if not more. Besides, your companies are still stuck in the old ways, whereas mine prioritizes the members’ interests, allowing them to focus more fully on composing.”
If it were just an ordinary band, it wouldn't cause any conflict among the company managers.
They might even collude to suppress each other.
But if it was a young band that had already shown its potential and promising signs, it was a different story.
Feeling the probing tone of the company managers' conversations, the already quite tired members couldn't help but show conflicted expressions.
Kita and Hitori both looked at Nijika with expressions of "What should we do?" And Nijika, facing several adults, was also a bit hesitant to speak freely.
In no time, Ishikawa Hayato saw Nijika slowly turn her head and tentatively look at him.
Ishikawa Hayato smiled, a 'leave it to me' expression on his face. He scooted forward, positioning himself at the very front.
He wasn't deliberately waiting for Nijika to ask for his help.
He simply thought it would be best if they could handle it themselves.
But if they couldn't, he could help.
Ishikawa Hayato reined in his smile and looked at the opposite side.
He exhaled slightly to get their attention before he began to speak.
"First, thank you all very much for your recognition of our Kessoku Band. However, we haven't considered signing with a record company."
"Eh?"
The girls looked at Ishikawa Hayato in surprise, but they didn't interrupt him.
And the company managers immediately realized who was the spokesperson for this band and stopped their probing.
"Do you mean you intend to be an independent band?"
One manager leaned forward and asked him.
Ishikawa Hayato smiled and said, neither humble nor arrogant,
Hayato Ishikawa smiled slightly and replied with a face full of confidence and composure.
"No, what I mean is that internally, we haven't made a plan for signing with a company. We haven't discussed it with each other and need to communicate privately first."
As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he confirmed with Nijika next to him, and Nijika also nodded, indicating affirmation.
After confirming, he turned back to the opposite side.
"Besides, we're a bit tired after today's performance. You wouldn't want us to make a hasty decision, would you?"
As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, a he stood up while rummaging through his bag, taking out his business card.
"This is my business card. If possible, let's communicate via email afterwards."
If you asked the managers what their first impression of Ishikawa Hayato was, they would say, handsome and shrewd.
His tone was extremely assertive yet not lacking in gentleness.
While his words seemed to concede, he still controlled the entire situation, seemingly giving them room to maneuver but decisively clearing the field.
And he took the initiative into his own hands.
He was a young man who seemed difficult to easily deceive.
Although they indeed had the idea of getting an advantage by being close, being told this by him, the managers had no choice but to reluctantly give up the idea of getting a head start in securing a contract and stood up to exchange business cards with him.
Ishikawa Hayato successfully exchanged business cards one by one.
Finally, Hayato Ishikawa watched as a middle-aged man—one whom the managers ahead of him had been keeping an eye on—walked over with steady, decisive steps and handed him a business card with both hands.
Hayato Ishikawa looked at the bearded, middle-aged man standing before him, who exuded a somewhat commanding presence, and noticed the most prominent company name on his business card: J-Sketch.
Although he said they hadn't considered signing with a record company, he himself had researched many record companies online.
Compared to the other record labels that had merely left an impression on him, this one was in a league of its own.
It was the kind of company you’d spot immediately when looking at a ranking of record labels.
It was a subsidiary of a large, long-established agency.
The big shot, as expected, made his entrance last.
He spoke with a smile that radiated a sense of calm.
“Ishikawa-san, hello, I didn’t introduce myself earlier—I’m Haruhito Enari, a manager at J-Sketch.”
After he introduced himself, the eyes of the three, except Kita, lit up.
Nijika even whispered, “J-Sketch?!”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Ishikawa Hayato showed no change in expression.
He smiled in response, took the business card, and politely offered his own, waiting for the other party to state his purpose.
Seeing Ishikawa Hayato’s “get to the point” attitude, Haruhito Enari didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“Then I’ll be direct. I’d like to invite you and Gotoh Hitori to form a duo and join our company.”
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