Chapter 40

May of Showa 56 arrived unnoticed.

The carp streamers on the streets had increased, and in five days it would be RB's traditional Boys' Day, also known as Children's Day, Duanwu Festival, and Carp Festival.

In any case, it was a comprehensive holiday with multiple meanings, and the festive atmosphere was very strong.

As for Naoki Nagayama, it probably meant eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

In his previous life in China, most of these traditional holidays had become quite diluted, except for the Spring Festival, which still retained some traditional customs.

On the contrary, foreign holidays were becoming increasingly popular. Tsk, tsk, tsk...

However, as an orphan and a single man, there weren't many holidays he could celebrate, so he didn't really care.

Just as Naoki Nagayama was hesitating about whether to buy some zongzi, a call came from home. It was his mother, Naoko.

"Naoki, are you coming back for Children's Day this year?"

"Huh? I'm not a kid anymore, why would I celebrate Children's Day?" Naoki Nagayama was surprised.

"Not really, I just asked casually." Naoko might still think of Naoki as a child. "We've made some zongzi for you and will send them over. Keep an eye out for the package."

"Hey! Thank you~" Naoki was relieved he didn't have to worry about it anymore. He then asked, "Is Tsuruko on holiday?"

"Of course, first the spring break, then the Golden Week. She's been so happy during this time..." Naoko chattered on and then talked about her father's izakaya, which had been busier during the holidays.

Naoki Nagayama was the only child in the family who was away, so his mother always thought of him during holidays. Her occasional chatter was filled with warmth.

The call lasted for half an hour, and just as he hung up, another call came in.

"Moshi moshi, Naoki-san, this is Yoshimura Daiki." A slightly tired voice came from the other end of the line.

Wasn't Yoshimura Daiki just promoted from the Planning Department head to the General Manager, and shouldn't he be feeling very pleased with himself?

Why does he sound so dejected?

"Hey, Daiki-san, I'm here." Naoki Nagayama responded.

"Naoki-san, do you have time to have a drink at noon?"

In RB society, it's quite normal to go drinking after work, but having a drink at noon is less common.

Although a bit puzzled, Naoki Nagayama still agreed readily.

...

At noon, in a home-style izakaya in Shinjuku.

When Naoki Nagayama arrived, Yoshimura Daiki was already drinking.

After some time, his bald spot seemed to have grown larger, and his face was full of fatigue and disappointment. He drank like a defeated dog.

"Daiki-san, what happened? You look so down. Weren't you just promoted to General Manager?" Naoki asked directly after sitting down.

"Ah, Naoki-san." Yoshimura Daiki didn't answer directly. "I'm sorry for inviting you out for a drink at noon."

"Actually, I've been encountering obstacles in the new business recently, and it's been bothering me, so I thought I'd have a drink with someone~"

In fact, the new business was far more complicated than just encountering obstacles.

Johnny's Entertainment had given up some resources, but those were given to the big names in the BURNING group. The truly profitable opportunities, such as the next record production contract and certain idol resources, had already been preemptively divided.

What was left for STARLIGHT Entertainment was only a few TV program resources and some idol appearance opportunities.

STARLIGHT Entertainment used to focus on photo magazines and GG, with almost no idol business. The exchanged channel resources were like a crack in the door.

But to truly enter the idol business, they still had to rely on themselves.

The president had promoted Yoshimura Daiki to General Manager to expand the new idol business.

Recently, Yoshimura Daiki had taken the few "artists" he had, who were mainly models, and tried to participate in TV programs, appearing on screen a few times, but nothing significant happened.

He wanted to discover new potential idols but found that the channels for auditions and backup groups were still tightly controlled by Johnny's, who showed no signs of letting go.

STARLIGHT's idol business seemed to be stuck in limbo, neither here nor there.

With business not going well, he couldn't talk to his artists, his former colleagues, or even his family. So, he could only chat with some friends.

At noon, only the temporarily unemployed Naoki Nagayama was free.

...

...

After listening to Yoshimura Daiki's complaints, Naoki Nagayama understood him a bit.

Indeed, life is tough at middle age.

With no one to rely on ahead and the need to support those behind, everything depends on oneself.

"Daiki-san, is the agency relying solely on you? As the president, isn't he helping with the new business?" They chatted while drinking sake.

"The president? He hasn't done idol business before."

After a few quick drinks, Yoshimura Daiki was a bit drunk.

"Other than having some connections with Dentsu, he can't help much."

"Huh? Can't you find any promising idol prospects among the agency's previous artists?"

"If they had potential, they would have debuted long ago. Why would they be doing photo shoots?"

"They can't sing, they can't dance, they have no talent at all."

"Except for their faces and figures, they have nothing else." Yoshimura Daiki was merciless in his criticism of his own artists.

Having a good face and figure, and still being called talentless?

Naoki Nagayama was taken aback by this statement. In the future, MCN agencies would hype up a "once-in-a-millennium" beauty with just these two advantages...

Are the requirements for idols in RB so high?

"Um, having a good face and figure isn't being talentless, right?"

"Ah? What can you do with just a face and figure? If I want to see a face and figure, why don't I just watch adult films?!" Yoshimura Daiki's face was red, and he seemed a bit confused.

Ah! Right, adult films are legal in RB!

It seemed like a switch had been flipped!

(Naoki Nagayama's moral habits from his previous life had always constrained his behavior, and he hadn't even bought an adult magazine in the nearly half a year he had been in RB!!)

Understanding the reason, Naoki Nagayama realized why RB had mostly young girl idols.

These idols usually retire and get married when they grow up;

Some with the means and ability try to transition to become professional singers and continue their careers in the music industry;

Some find opportunities to transition to the acting industry and shoot TV dramas;

And some become variety show hosts...

As for STARLIGHT Entertainment's artists, lacking the skills to be young girl idols, transitioning to other fields would have little to do with the agency's idol business, and the agency couldn't provide much support for the time being.

Naoki Nagayama silently commented: "Idols in this era are also very competitive!

Clearly, in the future, with groups like Rocket 101 and Idol Producer, you can debut just by being cute, crying, and appearing on reality shows~"

Huh?

Cute? Crying? Reality shows?

...

...

(https://./html/136/136885/)

Remember the official website: . Mobile reading URL: m.