Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

Fengchuan Qinggao also knew this, so he did not refuse and accepted the money.

He sighed and said, "Xingchuan, I will only help you this time. Don't look for me next time. I have been expelled from the Fengchuan family. I don't want to use this name for publicity anymore."

"Of course, of course..."

Although Taku Hoshikawa agreed verbally, he was actually thinking that if there was one, there would be another.

When he is useful in the future, I will definitely bring him back.

Why wouldn't people use such a useful tool?

Chapter 48 Second Interview with Xiaozhi and Rupa

At the same time, on the other side, Satoshi Ebizuka and Rupa left the Hoshikawa office and were walking lost in the bustling streets of Shibuya.

"Rupa, the two of us are indeed not capable enough. The gap between us and others is visible to the naked eye." Ebizuka Satoshi's voice was full of frustration.

Rupa was very calm. She reached out and patted Ebizuka Satoshi's shoulder, smiling and comforting her:

"It's okay. If we failed the interview, we failed. Just consider it as gaining experience. They are so much older than us. It's normal that we can't compete with them."

Rupa is several years older than Xiaozhi. She has been rejected in interviews many times and is used to it.

She ruffled Xiaozhi's hair and said with a smile, "Okay, don't think about those bad things. What do you want to eat for lunch today? It's my treat!"

"Then..." Just as Ebizuka Satoshi was about to speak, Rupa's cell phone rang.

Rupa glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was an unfamiliar number, so she picked up the call in confusion.

"Hello?"

A gentle voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Excuse me, is this Ms. Rupa? I'm a customer service representative from Hoshikawa Office. May I ask if you and Ms. Ebzuka Satoshi have left Shibuya?"

Rupa was stunned and subconsciously glanced at Ebizuka Satoshi.

"Um...we're not leaving yet. What can I do for you?"

"Great!" The other party's tone was a little excited. "Our manager would like to talk to you two again. Do you have time to come back?"

Hearing this, Rupa and Ebizuka Satoshi looked at each other. After a few seconds of silence, Rupa quickly replied, "We can go back now!"

After hanging up the phone, Satoshi Ebizuka was still a little bit unbelieving.

"Why did the firm suddenly ask us to go back? We were acting so normally..."

Rupa clenched the phone in her hand, and a gleam appeared in her eyes.

"No matter why, this might be an opportunity, we must seize it!"

The two looked at each other and ran towards the Xingchuan Office again.

When Rupa and Satoshi Ebizuka returned to the office breathlessly and pushed open the door of the familiar interview room, the interviewer named Kiyoshi Toyokawa was no longer there.

Only Taku Hoshikawa was left sitting at the table, flipping through the paper resume on the table with a relaxed expression.

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, Xingchuan Taku raised his head, a smile on his lips: "You are here, quite fast."

It seems... these two people are very serious about this job.

The two looked at each other and stood at the door with a little trepidation.

Finally, Rupa spoke first, cautiously asking, "Manager, why did you bring us back?"

Hoshikawa Taku put down his resume, stood up, and pointed to the electric piano against the wall: "Haven't you two formed a band before? A keyboard player and a bass player. Would it be convenient for you to perform a song live?"

"Now?"

Ebzuka Satoshi was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Rupa.

"If it's just a test, there's no problem." Rupa nodded slightly at Xiaozhi, then looked at Hoshikawa Taku, "Manager, what do you want to hear?"

"Let's listen to your original songs, just pick one." Hoshikawa Taku picked up a bass from the wall and handed it to Rupa.

Rupa took the bass and checked the pitch with practiced fluency. Then, she turned to Xiaozhi and whispered, "Let's play 'Fractals of the Mind'."

Ebizka Satoshi nodded, and although he was still a little nervous, he walked towards the electric piano and placed his fingers on the keys.

The familiar melody echoed in her mind. After taking a deep breath, Rupa took the lead in plucking the bass strings.

Accompanied by the low and rhythmic bass sound, Tomoya Ebizuka pressed the first set of chords on the electric piano.

After all, Taku Hoshikawa is the boss of an idol agency, so he still has some professionalism.

While they were playing, Taku Hoshikawa stood by without saying a word, his hands folded in front of his chest, watching their performance with a scrutinizing eye.

Rupa's bass plucking is steady and powerful, with a deep and penetrating bass, while Satoshi Ebizuka's keyboard accompaniment is as smooth and light as flowing water.

The bright notes and the bass of the bass overlap, creating a unique spark.

The two of them have a high degree of coordination and can keep up with each other's rhythm with just a glance. It is obvious that they have been working together for a long time.

Although young, both of them have great musical talent.

In Hoshikawa Taku's opinion, the two of them are born musicians.

When the song ended, Rupa and Ebizuka Satoshi looked up nervously, waiting for Hoshikawa Taku's comments.

Hoshikawa Taku clapped his hands gently. His tone was gentle, yet there was a hint of criticism. "Well, your performance was quite good, but... I think it was still lacking something."

Ebizka Satoshi and Rupa's hearts sank involuntarily. They looked at each other, and Rupa asked hesitantly, "Mr. Hoshikawa...what's the difference?"

Hoshikawa Taku paused for a moment, as if to give them some psychological preparation, and then slowly spoke:

"Technically, your coordination was quite smooth, but if you really put it on stage, this kind of performance would not be moving enough.

To be honest, your grasp of rhythm is okay, but your playing is too stiff, as if you are just reading from a script, without adding something of your own to the performance. "

There is no problem with the technique, but it lacks "emotion". This is a panacea when finding fault, but Taku Hoshikawa is not aimless. The person involved is most aware of the flaws in this performance.

His tone was neither light nor heavy, but it made Ebizuka Satoshi feel a little embarrassed and whispered, "That's because we used to be mainly Vocaloid creators, and most of the songs were sung by virtual singers. When arranging the music, we paid more attention to the accuracy of the performance, and unconsciously lacked the expression of emotions..."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Taku Hoshikawa nodded thoughtfully, a meaningful light flashing in his eyes.

He paused, then suddenly asked, "Do you know why I called you back?"

"Are they telling us the interview results?" Rupa tentatively answered, then smiled self-deprecatingly, "We were accepted? We performed so poorly..."

"Yes, it seems you also know that in the interview, you are the worst, far behind the other interviewees."

Hoshikawa Taku's ruthless words made Rupa and Ebizuka Satoshi feel a little ashamed, but Hoshikawa Taku suddenly changed the subject and said:

"In fact, when I looked at your resumes, I roughly knew the result. You two are just rookies in planning and operations. Logically, you would have been eliminated during the screening stage and would not have made it to the interview."

"But...I think you're suitable for other positions."

“…What position?” Rupa asked.

"You heard it during the interview just now, right? I'm planning to form a girl band. When I looked at your resumes, I thought you might not be suitable for planning positions, but as members of a professional band... you're worth training."

Chapter 49 The real purpose is to "lower the price"

"Professional band?"

Rupa and Ebizuka Satoshi were both stunned, with disbelief flashing in their eyes.

"Mr. Hoshikawa, do you mean to say that you are planning to sign us as a professional band?!" Ebizuka Satoshi couldn't help but ask, his voice full of excitement and anxiety.

This is like a new hope after a dark period.

The two originally thought that the interview was a complete failure and were ready to leave sadly, but they did not expect things to take a sudden turn for the better.

Signing a contract with a professional band has always been Ebizuka Satoshi's dream, but the dream was too far away, and she never dared to imagine that one day it would come true so dramatically.

However, before she could indulge in joy, she heard Taku Hoshikawa pour a basin of cold water on her.

"That's what I thought, but your skills are a little worse than I thought..."

Hoshikawa Taku deliberately prolonged his tone and sighed, "I originally thought that you two were the type who could perform directly on the stage, but it seems that I was overthinking..."

The two of them froze in expression, and the joy in their hearts instantly cooled down.

Rupa was hit hard and said with a wry smile: "This means that they still can't sign us..."

"No, that's not what I meant."

Hoshikawa Taku shook his head and said seriously, “I think you two are still worth signing after training. You two just lack systematic training.

However, training you requires a lot of resources, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to offer you very good conditions when signing the contract…”

After saying so much, Taku Hoshikawa finally revealed his true purpose, which was to "lower the price."

During the interview, they constantly undermine their self-confidence, letting them know that they are the worst among all the interviewees. When they think they are completely eliminated, they are thrown a "lifeline" at them.

At this point, even if it was a shady child labor contract, they would grab it with gratitude and climb up, falling into Hoshikawa Taku's "trap."

"Mr. Hoshikawa, are you sure you want us to become a professional band performing on stage?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Xingchuan, are you sure we will have the opportunity to release songs and hold concerts in the future?"

"Of course, once you have enough talent to perform on stage, I will provide you with enough resources to allow you to debut in the mainstream."

After Taku Hoshikawa answered several of Satoshi Ebizuka's questions, she was convinced that Taku Hoshikawa really liked them and wanted to sign them to form a professional band.

Due to the previous appearance of "Toyokawa Kiyoshi", Satoshi Ebizuka and Rupa have already believed in the "gold content" of Hoshikawa Agency in the industry. They also believe that the company's management, Taku Hoshikawa, will not lie to them about such things and really intends to sign an performing arts contract with them.

This is truly a godsend for them, there is no reason not to sign the contract.

In his excitement, Satoshi Ebizuka asked the question that concerned him most.

"Excuse me, Mr. Xingchuan, are the members of the band all here now?"

Hoshikawa Taku raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly unprepared for the question. He paused for a moment before answering truthfully, "Not yet. I'm still searching for the right person."

"They're not all here yet..." Ebizuka Satoshi's eyes, which were excited just now, suddenly dimmed.

After a long silence, she raised her head and said seriously, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xingchuan, I can't sign a contract without knowing my future teammates."

Rupa quickly explained for her: "The band that Xiaozhi and I formed before disbanded due to conflicts between teammates, so she attaches great importance to her future teammates."

"In fact, other bands have approached us over the past few years, but Xiaozhi always felt that we were not on the same wavelength as them, so he kept declining."

"So, you're going to refuse?"

Although he struggled, Satoshi Ebizuka nodded.

"...Well, I'm sorry, I can't sign a contract at the moment."

"I'm with Xiaozhi. If she doesn't sign, I can't agree to it alone." Rupa added, her eyes full of regret.

Hoshikawa Taku was silent for a moment, then revealed an understanding smile: "I respect your choice. In that case...would you like to do other work in the firm for the time being?"

"Other work?"

"Well, you can't always be waiters at Yoshinoya. It would be a waste of your talent. Why don't you find a music-related job in our agency? You can also compose your own songs in your spare time."

Ebzuka Satoshi was struck by something and asked, "What kind of job is this?"

"You can play the electronic keyboard and compose music. Would you mind being a studio supervisor temporarily? I have an artist who needs an assistant who can help her with real-time monitoring."

"Prison tent?" Ebizuka Satoshi was immediately excited.

The job of studio supervisor is to play music, just like her daily practice. This is absolutely the job she has always dreamed of!

Before I even asked how much the salary was, she nodded repeatedly: "I do!"

“What about me?” Rupa pointed at herself.

Hoshikawa Taku deliberately paused for a moment and said, "As for you, would you be willing to do planning and operations? Since you have no work experience, I can only offer you an intern's salary."

"That's no problem!" Rupa nodded decisively.

Even if you are an intern, you should be closer to your dream place than the waiter you were before.

Since Xiaozhi and I still work in the same firm, there is no reason for me to disagree.

"You two are just interns, so we won't offer you a very high salary. We'll only offer you 20 yen a month. Is that acceptable?"