Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Chapter 17 Falling apart
"How much budget do you have left? Now is not the time to hide it, use all of it to buy traffic and put it out!"

"Hello, it's me. Stop controlling the paid download data. Keep scrolling!"

"Create a few more trending searches and push them all up. No matter if it's "Don't Want to Leave the Bed" or "Sakura", Bethesda won't even think about getting into the top three, not even for a minute!"

As if a hornet's nest had been poked, the three publicity and promotion representatives gritted their teeth, took out their phones, and devoted themselves to the "traffic war".

"Oh no, the discussion of 'Sakura' on the music forum continues to increase. Although there are some Bethesda troll accounts mixed in, 80% of them are real and active user IDs..."

"Buy some more premium accounts to draw public attention back!"

"Oh no, on video websites, many people are submitting secondary creations of anime, movies, and TV series clips using "Sakura" as the BGM!"

"Complain against those secondary creators for copyright infringement and get them removed!"

"Damn it, several judges at the live performance gave very high praise to "Sakura", saying it was a 'historic moment of the return of the song's aesthetics'!"

"What? These yes-men who follow Keizo Horie's lead..."

As time passed, the ashtray on the conference table was gradually filled with cigarette butts, and the conference room shrouded in thick smoke seemed like a battlefield filled with gunpowder.

The luster in the eyes of the three representatives gradually faded.

Because no matter how they respond, the popularity of "Sakura" is still spreading at an exaggerated rate.

"Could it be that Sakamoto Shuu is just a smokescreen, and Bethesda's real hit this year is this song 'Sakura'?"

A terrible thought emerged in the minds of the three people at the same time.

"What's the magic of this song... The singer, Hoshina Hanami, is a vocalist who was born in a small idol theater. Whether it's his resume or previous singing videos, it seems that there is nothing worth mentioning."

"This extraordinary popularity is not caused by Bethesda's promotion or the popularity of the singer, but by the charm of the song "Sakura" itself!"

"The same person wrote the lyrics and composed the music... I've never heard of 'Xia Fan'. Where did this monster newcomer come from? Or did Bethesda hire some industry bigwig to write for him?"

It was not until this moment that they re-examined the song "Sakura" and the name of its creator "Xia Fan".

"Hey, Sakura has surpassed the fourth place, and the download volume of the third place is almost unsustainable..."

"What... My budget has run out, damn it... You guys, help me as agreed!"

The representative of Company S, who was about to be "overtaken", twitched his lips and looked towards his "allies" in the room for help.

"Sorry, I don't have much budget left. The request to increase the publicity budget is still under review by headquarters."

"Ahem, rather than helping your club's song overtake others, I think it's a more effective strategy to widen the gap between first and second place."

The representatives of J and A companies turned their heads away in a casual manner, not daring to look him in the eye.

"You treacherous bastard, where is the alliance you promised me? Where is your dream of cleansing up the entertainment industry?"

Sensing the strong implication of "backstab", the expression of the S company representative gradually became ferocious.

"If I were to fall when I met a monster like Sakura, neither of your two families would be able to escape!"

Just when "Sakura" quietly surpassed the third-ranked "The Thousand Layers of Routines for Flirting with Men", the "JAS Alliance" that vowed to take back the future of the entertainment industry collapsed.

……

Late at night, in the student dormitory of Tokyo University of the Arts.

[Faith value +1...Faith value +1...Faith value +1...Current accumulated faith value is 1001]

From afternoon to evening, Xia Fan's faith value continued to increase at a high frequency.

Fortunately, as long as he doesn't try to "sense" them, those growth reminders won't disturb him actively, otherwise he would have been driven schizophrenic by the "text message bombardment".

[The accumulated faith value exceeds 1000, the gods notice your actions and grant you a wish] [You have completed the oracle: let ten thousand people listen to the sacrificial song, and the gods grant you the blessing of 'psychic body']

[Psychic body: The innate spirit is in harmony with heaven and earth. It can guide oneself into a trance state and attract the spirits of gods, demons, and the dead to possess the body. ]

After taking a shower and walking out of the bathroom, before he had time to dry his hair, the information completed by the "Oracle" emerged one after another in Xia Fan's mind.

"It's been less than a day since the new song was released, and as a lyricist and composer, I've gained so much faith points. Can I say that I am worthy of being in the entertainment industry?"

This made him extremely grateful for the booming entertainment industry empowered by the Internet.

"I can understand the 'wish', but this 'psychic body' doesn't look good..."

Just as Xia Fan was about to carefully study the reward bestowed by the gods, his phone rang again.

"Hello, Miss Xingming."

"Xia Jun, Xia Jun, have you seen this? Sakura has ranked first in downloads across the entire Internet! It has risen from over 24 in less than 20 hours since its release. This is an unprecedented speed."

Hoshina Hanami's excited cheers were heard from the receiver.

"Oh?! Congratulations, Miss Hoshina."

Xia Fan had already anticipated the strength of the song "Sakura", so he was not as excited as the other party.

"I called to express my gratitude right away."

"I am aware of my singing ability. It was pure luck that I came across Xia Jun's song."

"Perhaps, if someone else comes, it will be better..."

Hoshina Hanami thanked her incoherently.

As long as "Sakura" stays in the top three, she will be able to win the first place in the "Tokyo Newcomer Music Award" and also have a popular online masterpiece. This can be called a "legendary" debut result.

All this is thanks to Xia Fan.

"No, 'Sakura' itself may be good, but the perfect score for the live performance is the result of Miss Hoshina's own efforts. You are now an officially debuted artist, you should have more confidence in your singing."

Seeing that the other party was starting to become "habitually depressed", Xia Fan comforted him repeatedly.

"Well, I will work harder. When I was on the stage, I had already made up my mind..."

I don’t know what she was thinking about, but Hoshina Hanami’s voice gradually became weaker.

"Um, Xia-kun... we are all friends now, and we are about the same age. It feels weird to keep using honorifics."

After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath, mustered up the courage to ask, "From now on, can you call me by my name?"

"You can just call me by my name, of course. There's no need to ask so formally..."

After Xia Fan was stunned for a moment, he nodded across the phone.

In District 11, it is normal for young people who know each other to call each other by their names or even nicknames.

"and many more……"

During the call, Xia Fan's eyes accidentally passed by the dressing mirror on the wall...

In the mirror, where he should have been, the reflection was of a little girl with black hair, black eyes, and a black kimono.

She was sitting in the same posture as Xia Fan, on a computer chair, holding the phone.

(End of this chapter)