Chapter 13

——————Weekend update, the first update of today——————

As soon as she spoke, she sensed something was amiss.

Ban Yomi, sitting behind her, gently blew into her ear.

"Hanako... Be careful, or I'll do you."

"Sorry, Yomi-chan."

Though she apologized, her expression showed no sign of remorse.

Ban Yomi ignored her and quietly answered the phone.

"Uncle, you're back in the country?"

The other girls looked at Ban Yomi curiously but remained silent. Oshima Mai gave a signal to Miyazaki Nan and Kojima Hanako, who nodded in understanding.

"Uncle?" The members looked at Ban Yomi with strange expressions.

Does this little girl have a problem with her taste? He's so young... and she calls him uncle...

"I think I understand why Mr. Kagawa made her his agent and the first thing he did was to package her... Her taste is really off." Miyazaki Nan whispered to Hiraizumi Natsuki, leaning on her shoulder.

"That makes sense." Hiraizumi Natsuki nodded repeatedly.

Ban Yomi and Kagawa Hane's conversation was simple, and the others, who had initially wanted to cause trouble, reluctantly sat back down.

"Mimi, Na, if you two keep talking nonsense... I'll spank you." Ban Yomi gave a small threat to her two friends.

"I'm so scared." Miyazaki Nan put on a scared face, which made the girls burst into laughter.

"See you all tomorrow... Bye-bye." Ban Yomi packed up her things, said goodbye to everyone, and hurriedly left.

..............................

AKB48 has a very strict confidentiality policy. Not only AKB48, but all female idols must follow the rule of not interacting with any other males except their agents, and even going to the bathroom must be accompanied by their agents to the door.

During the days when Kagawa Hane was away, Ban Yomi was very cautious. On one hand, she was afraid of Tomizawa Yo's revenge, and on the other hand, she was afraid of accidentally breaking this rule.

So, after Kagawa Hane returned, the little girl felt much more relaxed.

Kagawa Hane could see the excitement on Ban Yomi's face from a distance.

"Uncle, did you bring me any gifts?" The little girl saw that Kagawa Hane's hands were empty and felt a bit disappointed.

"Of course, but it's not the right time to give them to you..." Kagawa Hane understood Ban Yomi's thoughts.

"Thank you, Uncle." The little girl blinked her eyes, revealing her cute tiger teeth.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. We have a lot of important things to do."

"Got it, Uncle."

...........................

After returning to Akihabara, Kagawa Hane inquired about Ban Yomi's recent condition.

He was very satisfied with Ban Yomi's independence and self-discipline.

His next important task was to promote Facebook in a short period and find some external activities for Ban Yomi.

His plan for Ban Yomi at this stage was to make her a commercial star.

Before going to the United States, Kagawa Hane had already contacted a food company, and they would start shooting the commercial after he returned.

For promoting Facebook, he still had no clear plan.

In the United States, with O'Neal being the first to join, more and more celebrities began to register accounts.

Due to the celebrity effect, the popularity of Facebook in the United States began to grow rapidly.

In just five days, the number of registered users on Facebook had exceeded 3 million.

Although some internet users in Japan had started to use Facebook, they were still a minority.

Most people were still using blogs.

This task was extremely challenging...

Kagawa Hane's available resources were very limited, only AKS.

...........................

"Mr. Akimoto, I would like to ask the AKB48 members to shoot a commercial?"

Akimoto Yasushi looked at Kagawa Hane in surprise.

"Sure, as long as you pay... anything is possible."

"Of course, I'm not the type to make money off kids." Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Kagawa Hane made a small sarcastic remark about Akimoto Yasushi.

"When do you plan to shoot?" Akimoto Yasushi pretended not to hear.

"I heard AKB48 is recruiting second-generation members soon. Let's do it after the recruitment ends. I also want to see the recruitment process of AKB48. Do you have any objections?"

Akimoto Yasushi smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Akimoto."

...............................

The date was February 19th, at the training hall in Akihabara.

Fifty-three girls waited with anticipation for the arrival of the three main judges.

The only girl who was not present was Kashiwagi Yuki, one of the future "God 9" members of AKB48.

Today, some of these girls would become the second-generation members of AKB48, while others would have to leave quietly.

The parents of the girls comforted their daughters softly.

The three judges were Akimoto Yasushi, Togasaki Tomonobu, and dance instructor Natsu Maimi.

For the first-generation members of AKB48, Natsu Maimi was their nightmare.

For a while, she pushed them to the brink of collapse. This gender-neutral teacher was extremely strict; however, when the members successfully shone on stage, they realized how lucky they had been... It was because of such a strict teacher that they were able to master stage skills in a short time.

Now it was the turn of the 53 girls in front of them. Some of them would be selected by Akimoto Yasushi and the other two, and then they would undergo a month of intense training before officially stepping onto the stage.

The training hall was not only filled with the girls and their parents but also with staff members responsible for recording, sound, and photography.

Kagawa Hane, with a notebook, mixed in with the staff. Although he did not want to sign any more members at the moment, this did not stop him from observing these girls. What if there were some good prospects?