On the third day after the official release of "Marigold," Haruka excitedly announced a major piece of good news to them:
"Single sales have far exceeded expectations!"
"As of last night, all 5,000 CDs from the initial printing have sold out! The factory is now rushing to produce more! And this time, they've added 50,000 copies in one go!"
"Eh? 50,000 copies?"
Hearing this, Rin's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked with some concern:
"Is it really okay to add so many all at once?"
"Please rest assured about that."
Haruka smiled and said:
"The 50,000 copies added this time account for a buffer; we don't plan to sell them all within a week like before."
"And considering the current situation of 'Marigold,' there's a high probability we won't have to worry about them not selling."
5,000 CDs, originally scheduled for a week's worth of sales, had sold out in just two days. This performance could be said to have greatly exceeded everyone's expectations!
Although this sales volume and speed might not seem particularly exaggerated at first glance,
if you consider that 'Tsukirin' officially debuted with this song and is a musical duo with no fan base, it's quite terrifying.
And the meaning behind it was unmistakable—
'Marigold' was a hit! A massive hit!
In this situation, rather than worrying about whether the 50,000 CDs would sell out, it was more practical to consider how many days it would take for them to sell out.
"50,000 copies, huh..."
Akira murmured thoughtfully.
Seeing this, Haruka thought he was dissatisfied with the number, so she continued to explain:
"50,000 copies is just the most conservative estimate. If we can maintain this momentum, I believe final sales could very likely reach 200,000 copies."
"For a newcomer, that's already an outstanding achievement."
"Not only that, considering the upcoming television promotion, if the promotion is effective, it's not impossible to break through 500,000 or even 1 million copies!"
After saying all this, regardless of how others felt, Haruka herself felt her heart racing with excitement.
If single sales could reach 500,000 copies, they would step over the threshold of being a quasi-second-tier artist.
And if sales could break 1 million copies, that would make them quasi-first-tier!
As for why there was a 'quasi' attached, it was because having such a result only once meant their status in the industry wasn't solid; at most, they would just receive some attention.
Only if they could continue to release a second and third single with similarly high sales would they truly establish a foothold in the industry and remove the 'quasi.'
Coincidentally, she had already heard the recording of 'snow flower' and believed its quality was equally excellent, at least not inferior to 'Marigold' at all.
In other words, the two people in front of her were very likely to establish a foothold in the second tier, or even the first tier!
And for her, an employee with not much seniority in the company, to have the honor of being the talent manager for the two of them—it was simply too lucky!
Meanwhile, Akira realized that she seemed to have misunderstood something, but after thinking about it, he decided not to explain.
When he heard the figure of 50,000 copies, he was actually thinking of a report he had recently seen on TV—
Just this month, sales of Utada Hikaru's 'First Love' were about to break 7 million, and sales were still slowly rising.
Previously, he might have just marveled slightly at such an amazing achievement, but now that he was in the industry himself, he had a deeper understanding of that result.
It truly was terrifying.
However, in the current atmosphere, bringing up that topic would be inappropriate, so he chose to keep his mouth shut.
"Anyway,"
Haruka said to Rin with high spirits and a smile:
"Once this week's sales figures are out, I'll be counting on you for the upcoming television promotions!"
"Let's work hard together! Let's aim for the goal of 500,000... no, 1 million sales!"
"1 million..."
Miss Tanigawa is so ambitious.
Hearing her say this, Rin felt a bit troubled and also felt a slight amount of pressure.
Because her personality wasn't the type to particularly crave achievements.
In fact, she was already quite surprised and satisfied with the results they had achieved so far.
"—I don't think we need to set such a large goal."
However, at that moment, Akira suddenly spoke up, drawing both of their gazes.
He smiled at Haruka and said:
"The bigger the goal, the greater the pressure. Being too eager for success often makes it easier to fail."
"So, I think it's best to focus on the present, maintain a calm mind, and just do our best within our capabilities."
"As for the rest, let's leave it to fate."
"I..."
"I understand."
Rin answered before Haruka could. Her eyes sparkled with light, a slight smile appeared on her face, and she nodded seriously:
"I will work hard for the upcoming activities."
Akira smiled upon hearing her words:
"Yeah, then I'll leave it to you."
Hearing their conversation and seeing their expressions, Haruka's face turned slightly pale.
She suddenly realized she had made a mistake just now; she hadn't considered Rin's wishes and had tried to force her own will onto her.
And the two people in front of her, especially Akira, clearly weren't going to have it.
No, if this continues...!
Thinking of this, she quickly bowed to the two of them and apologized:
"I am very sorry. It is exactly as Mochizuki-sensei said; I was too impatient!"
Akira didn't respond immediately but looked at Rin instead.
Seeing this, Rin quickly understood and said to Haruka:
"It's okay. I know Miss Tanigawa is just thinking of us, so don't worry about it too much."
"Indeed."
Only then did Akira smile and agree:
"I should also say sorry. I didn't mean to blame Miss Tanigawa; I just wanted to offer a reminder."
"Anyway, we'll continue to trouble Miss Tanigawa from here on. Please bear with us."
"...Yes, I understand."
Hearing this, Haruka finally breathed a sigh of relief, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the two of them.
Although they were very young, they weren't the kind of inexperienced newcomers who could be underestimated at all!
Anyway, she couldn't make a mistake like that again.
While reminding herself in her heart, she bowed again even more respectfully:
"It is I who should say that. Please bear with me as well."
...
...
The two left the Being Company building and walked side by side on the way home. Rin was a head shorter than him, but they looked very harmonious walking together.
"—Mochizuki-kun."
Suddenly, Rin called his name.
"Yeah, what is it?"
He looked over at her.
The first thing that caught his eye was the faint smile on her face.
And in those clear eyes of hers, besides the smile, there seemed to be another kind of emotion hidden within.
"About just now, thank you."
Akira was slightly dazed, then he also smiled:
"It's nothing."