Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 9 Sleepy Self-Recommendation

"Yes, yes."

Reminded by Gao Shan, Pigeon composed herself, stood up, and went to the judges who were missing one person, and began her self-introduction.

"I'm Nanase Nishino from Osaka, and I'm seventeen years old..."

Pigeon gave a brief introduction of herself, and then it was time for the talent show. While she was preparing, Yoshio Konno secretly glanced at her. In fact, before the final selection officially began, Rito had given him a list of candidates he wanted to pay close attention to, and Nishino Nanase, who was standing on the stage now, was one of them.

She's not bad looking. Even with such unsuitable makeup, you can still tell she has a good foundation. As long as she has a little singing ability, let her pass.

Since he was the person his superior had designated, Yoshio Konno didn't intend to make things difficult for him. He crossed his arms and looked at the pigeon with a kind expression, already prepared to just go through the motions.

"I'm going to sing Mika Nakashima's 'Yuki no Hana'."

Clearing her throat, Pigeon confidently took the microphone from the shelf, announced the song title, and then, the judges, the contestants in the audience, the staff maintaining order, and the innocent bystanders passing by the audition site were all very fortunate to enjoy the singing of a newly minted death diva.

"No...you're not kidding, are you?"

"So there really are people who sing completely off-key?"

"Seriously, this girl sings terribly, fine, but why is she so confident?!"

"Could it be because he has absolutely no musical talent that he's lost even his judgment? How terrifying."

Because the requirements for this audition were extremely low, and there were plenty of people who sang poorly, Pigeon's strength lay in the fact that, due to her factory settings being reset to zero, she had even lost the most basic sensitivity to music. She thought the commotion below was because they were amazed by her singing, so she squinted her eyes, made a cute expression, and enjoyed herself even more, completely unaware of the horrified expression and the constant warning glances thrown at her by her new friend, Kazumi Takayama.

"This... Kubo-san, you've really given me a tough challenge."

Like everyone else, Konno was initially quite taken aback by Pigeon's "unparalleled singing voice" and didn't know how to comment. However, seeing her completely unconcerned about the outside world's reaction and continuing to immerse herself in her own magical state, the various "fallacies and heresies" that Rito had instilled in him over the past month suddenly flooded his mind:

"The charm of idols has always been more about their expressiveness than their actual abilities."

"What matters is not what you actually accomplished; the effort itself is enough to move people."

"We're not selling celebrities, we're selling stories."

"So, this is the story you told me, Kubo-san?" After pondering for a long time, Konno shook his head with a wry smile. As a veteran who had been immersed in the entertainment industry for decades, what Kubo Rihito said was far removed from his usual business philosophy of respecting strength and letting the work speak for itself. But upon closer reflection, it seemed to make some sense. He suppressed his discomfort and "appreciated" the pigeon's beautiful singing for a while, but in the end, he still couldn't get over his own conscience.

"Stop, Nishino-san, there's no need to sing anymore." Shaking his head, Konno finally made up his mind and stopped the pigeons' performance.

"Hi." The pigeon, which was in high spirits, nodded, stopped singing, and looked at him expectantly.

"Hey you, take her to see Mr. Kubo and tell him what's going on." Konno smiled calmly. He was a veteran manager who had launched several talented singers. No matter how low his standards were, he couldn't accept hiring a singer who was completely out of tune. Anyway, this was someone his boss had his eye on, so he could decide whether to hire her or not. He wouldn't overstep his bounds.

Completely unaware that his trusted subordinate was smoothly passing the buck, Rito was still trying to convince the first white moonlight he had drawn. Just like in his previous life, this time Shui Shui came to participate in the audition without her parents' permission. They just thought that their daughter would definitely not be selected anyway, so they treated it as a trip to Tokyo for her. Therefore, when Rito proposed to sign her immediately, Shui Shui just bit her lip and looked very embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I'll send someone to persuade your parents. Do you remember Konno-san who was sitting next to me just now? He's the most 'main' type."

As the main force he had already chosen for pioneering the land, Liren certainly wouldn't let Shuishui escape from his grasp so easily, and continued to persuade her earnestly.

"But... my parents have always hoped that I could get into a university."

"No problem, I'll hire the best tutor for you. I happen to have a friend who's also preparing for the exam, so maybe you can keep each other company."

"If we want to form a group, will we have to live in the dormitory? I'm not used to living with other people."

"Then you can stay away from there. You can choose from the employee apartments at Sony or Dentsu, or you can find a place to rent yourself. I'll reimburse you for the rent."

No matter what request Shui Shui made, Rito patted his chest and promised to grant it. This generous attitude piqued Shui Shui's curiosity. She pursed her lips, looked at Rito who was staring at her intently, and hesitantly asked, "Kubo-san, do you really think so highly of me? Can you tell me why?"

Why? Because you're the first S-rank card I ever drew.

Li Ren thought to himself, but obviously he couldn't say that aloud. He raised an eyebrow and replied without hesitation:

"There aren't that many whys. From the first moment I saw you, you've been a part of Nogizaka46's first generation. You're a genius idol. If I missed you, I might regret it for the rest of my life."

"Oh." Faced with Rito's slightly ambiguous reply, Shui Shui blushed and exclaimed. After all, she was only a 16-year-old girl. Although she was beautiful and self-aware, she did not expect to be praised like this. She was a little flustered. Fortunately, Rito was not the kind of person who liked to tease. He just smiled at her, without a trace of lust in his eyes, only the purest appreciation, which made her slowly calm down.

"I'm not as good as you say, Kubo-san. I really don't understand idols and all that."

Although she was already somewhat tempted, Shui Shui wasn't the type to act impulsively. After tilting her head and thinking for a while, she still bit her lip and refused to give in.

"I understand. Is there anything I can do for you?" Rito knew she was a smart person, and it would be difficult to persuade her with just a few words. Moreover, seeing her constantly rolling black eyes, he figured she had something to say, so he followed up on the conversation.

Seeing that the man was so understanding, Shui Shui smiled sweetly, her nose wrinkled slightly, and a delicate voice slowly flowed from her pink lips:

"Kubo-san, I'd like to stay by your side and observe you for a while, is that alright?"