In a simple restaurant, Toru sat opposite Misumi and Sakiko.
A sukiyaki pot was placed on the table in front of them, and platters of beef and vegetables filled the entire table.
The sukiyaki pot in the middle was boiling. Toru used serving chopsticks to pick up the beef and put it into the pot. Soon, the thin slices of beef were cooked through. He also used the serving chopsticks to take out the meat and placed it separately on his own plate and the plates of the two ladies opposite him.
"Thank you, Toru-kun."
Sakiko sat gracefully, her hands folded on her thighs under her long dress. She watched Toru busy himself, the corner of her mouth curving slightly, and thanked him softly.
For Toru, whenever he ate with friends, he was used to taking care of things at the table.
Only when eating with subordinates would he remain still and allow his subordinates to show him respect, but when facing friends, he did not need to care about his authority.
Toru chuckled and said, "Sakiko, sometimes you are too formal."
He picked up a piece of fatty beef and put it in his mouth to chew.
This restaurant was not a high-end one, and the beef used was just ordinary beef. However, for Toru, he could eat plain food or fine dining without issue.
Toru was not too used to sukiyaki, mainly because the taste was a little sweet. As someone from northern China, he preferred hot pot with sesame paste, and obviously, sukiyaki did not use sesame paste.
Although it was close to the original flavor, in terms of taste, it lacked a bit of boldness.
"There's a saying that you can never be too polite. Showing proper etiquette is never wrong."
Sakiko said this reservedly.
Even during her most destitute and poor times, her etiquette remained very elegant, making it clear at a glance that she came from a noble family.
It had to be said that Sakiko truly had the temperament of a noble young lady, yet she was approachable enough. No wonder she became the unforgettable ideal for so many girls, making it hard for people to forget her.
For example, Misumi, who was sitting beside Sakiko.
Sakiko had long given Toru the list of members for the band she was forming, and Toru had also investigated these girls.
Misumi was a country girl from a small island, whose family worked for the Togawa Group's resort hotel.
The two had known each other since they were very young. Toru did not know what happened between them. After all, it was a matter from their childhood.
From the known information, Toru learned that Misumi came to Tokyo alone to make her way after graduating from junior high school.
She managed by herself not only to find a high school in Tokyo to attend within a few months, but also joined an idol group and became hugely popular in a very short time.
Although with Misumi's beauty and photogenic appearance, she was very suitable for entering the entertainment industry.
But being able to achieve these things by herself with such a background was no longer something that could be explained by beauty alone. It showed that Misumi was a very capable and charismatic girl, no less than Sakiko.
Very outstanding. This was Toru's evaluation of her.
So outstanding that most men were already not worthy of her. Born poor but crossing class boundaries through hard work, beautiful in appearance but not relying on her looks, instead relying on talent to establish herself.
Birds of a feather flock together. This characteristic was once again reflected in Sakiko and Misumi.
One went from luxury to frugality, the other from frugality to luxury, yet both still maintained their original hearts and did not fall into degradation. It was truly not easy.
With the beauty of this pair of girls, they actually had many shortcuts they could take, but they indeed chose the most difficult path.
Although Toru had improper thoughts about them in his heart, he also sincerely admired them.
They were so outstanding and beautiful that one could not bear to destroy it, but on the other hand, if such excellent girls were given to someone else, he would definitely regret it for a lifetime.
Toru thought to himself.
"Sakiko, tell us about your plans. Your most important friend and your startup supporter are both here. Ms. Misumi and I both need you to explain it personally."
As soon as Toru finished speaking, Misumi said gently, "Fujiwara-san, you can just call me Misumi."
Misumi was no longer the ignorant country girl who had just arrived in Tokyo. The entertainment industry was a murky place, and it was very difficult to stay clean there.
Even Misumi, during her time as an idol, had encountered many people with malicious intentions toward her. The management company was very optimistic about her, believing she was a cash cow, and helped Misumi keep those ill-intentioned people away.
But this did not mean Misumi was oblivious just because of the management company's favoritism. She gradually learned the art of language and how to close the distance between people.
Moreover, she was inherently a gentle girl and did not have an arrogant attitude. She could become good friends with anyone.
"We are all Sakiko's friends. Being too formal with how we address each other isn't very good. Besides, we may see each other often in the future, so getting to know each other now is also good."
"Then shall I call you Fujiwara-kun?"
"You can."
Fujiwara-kun was a bit more intimate than Fujiwara-san, but not to the point of calling each other by first names. After all, Toru and Misumi were meeting for the first time, and they were not particularly familiar with each other yet.
After they introduced themselves to each other, Sakiko cleared her throat and said seriously, "Misumi, this time I'm serious. I'm no longer forming a band for fun, but with the goal of reaching the highest stage of music."
"We need to debut as quickly as possible and strive to gain enough popularity in a very short time. Hype, promotion, all these methods must be used. Only then can we quickly generate buzz."
"But the true foundation of a band lies in having excellent works. Both you and I have excellent abilities in songwriting."
"I will be the main creator, providing high-quality songs for the band. If I lack inspiration, I will need you, Misumi, to step up and ensure our songs keep flowing."
"My goal is to perform at the Budokan within half a year, the Tokyo Dome within a year, and within a year, we must become one of Japan's hottest bands!"
Sakiko's goal was quite bold. Even the most arrogant project initiator would be cautious when facing this goal.
But Sakiko had such confidence. She believed she could definitely achieve it, as long as she led the way!
Misumi listened carefully. She did not offer any opinions. In her heart, Sakiko was her most beautiful light.
Being able to work hard alongside Sakiko was already satisfying for Misumi.
As for the methods of hype and promotion, noble people might scoff at them, but such people would probably find it difficult to succeed.
Misumi, who had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, knew very well that these methods were very important. No matter how excellent your ability was or how beautiful your appearance was, if you did not promote yourself, no one would know.
"My plan for the band is for everyone to wear masks so we don't show our true faces. When the band's popularity becomes hard to increase, we will take off the masks directly to bring back the heat!"
It had to be said that Sakiko was a genius at planning and hype. From the very beginning, she was thinking about how to use various off-stage methods to increase her fame.
Furthermore, if that still was not enough, they could even create a romantic scandal between one of the band members, the young lady of the Togawa family, and the heir of the Fujiwara family, Japan's great hero and the Mayor of Koto Ward. This would definitely ignite all of Japan.
Sakiko thought to herself.
When this thought flashed through her mind, she was startled.
Because this idea was less about hype and more about her having selfish motives.
Sakiko, ah, Sakiko, you've also turned bad.
Sakiko gave a self-mocking smile.
(To be continued.)