The first ti she saw a dazzling idol on stage on TV as a child, Ririn Hoshizaki had her first dream of becoming an idol.
With this seemingly casual but long-held dream in her heart, Ririn Hoshizaki chose to join the Nichirushi Agency, aspiring to beco a singer loved by many. She had always been praised for her looks since she was young, but—
As a singer, looks aren't what's important. It's the voice that matters.
Just like being a chef—first and foremost, your cooking must taste good. If your singing isn't pleasant to listen to, then no matter how pretty you are, you can't be called a singer.
Fortunately, Ririn Hoshizaki had so talent in singing. Among the trainees from her cohort, she quickly stood out and caught the attention of rii Hizuki, becoming the rookie the Nichirushi Agency planned to heavily promote this year.
At first, Ririn felt it all happened too suddenly, as if she would beco a brilliant rising star singer the very next day. But once the excitent wore off and she cald down, she realized that receiving more company support and resources—
Was indeed a good thing. However, among her fellow trainees, those who had once trained with her and lived in the sa dormitory, most had been eliminated and left the Nichirushi Agency.
Even those who did move on to officially beco idols, singers, or entertainers didn't make much of a splash. Their social dia followings hovered around tens of thousands—maybe a hundred thousand—and when they had new activities, the comnt sections barely responded.
Compared to them, Ririn Hoshizaki seed like a heaven-blessed lucky girl. She didn't need to worry about popularity or resource scarcity. For a ti, she even got carried away, until one day in February, she accidentally overheard a conversation between her manager and rii Hizuki.
"rii-san, the higher-ups want us to quickly prepare for this year's rookie season. The newcor they're pushing has already been decided—it's Ririn Hoshizaki. Her looks and skills shouldn't make her an easy target for haters, but the company's expectations go beyond just a smooth debut..."
Ririn's manager sounded concerned.
"Yes, I attended the etings about Ririn Hoshizaki as well. Honestly, a lot of resources will be poured into her this year. After all, promoting one new face annually is tradition. But with our rivals Zao and Hela constantly challenging us, the higher-ups are already frustrated. When the boss is upset, employees suffer—so now they're pressuring us hard."
"This year, the company only wants one result: that Ririn Hoshizaki becos explosively popular during the rookie season, thoroughly outshining the rookies from Zao and Hela, becoming the most popular and influential newcor of the year, and winning everything in the rookie season."
"But Ririn was just a trainee not long ago... Don't the higher-ups realize that? Demanding total victory in the rookie season—even with over half a year to prepare—there's no guarantee of success. I've gathered intel on the rookies Zao and Hela are promoting this year.
They're all singer-type rookies ant to rival Ririn, with professional-level skills. They're formidable competitors. While I'm her manager and should stay confident in my own artist, the current situation isn't favorable for Ririn Hoshizaki."
"You think the higher-ups don't know that? Wrong—they know full well. That's precisely why they're pressuring us to kill the montum of the other two companies. If we fail, as the chief manager, I'll be the first to take the fall. So I'm under imnse pressure right now. This year, we have to give it everything to promote Ririn Hoshizaki."
"Understood!"
After overhearing that conversation, Ririn Hoshizaki finally ca to her senses. She realized that there's no such thing as free resources. Since she was chosen as the rookie to be promoted by Nichirushi this year, the company would also impose higher expectations on her.
Every resource invested was cold, hard cash. Even if it didn't need to show imdiate returns, it still had to yield a certain level of results.
And what if she failed to deliver results that satisfied the company?
Ririn Hoshizaki was an adult—of course she could guess what would happen if she failed during the rookie season.
The resources originally allocated to her would gradually be withdrawn. Nichirushi Agency's focus would shift from her to another more promising rookie.
If she managed to retain the fans she'd gained with the help of company resources, then maybe she'd be alright. But if the fans also drifted away, she'd essentially be considered washed up.
Her presence would gradually diminish. She might go years without any gigs or projects. At most, a few old fans—or people who had once liked her—might leave a nostalgic comnt or two on her page before quickly moving on, not even waiting to see if she replied.
Ririn Hoshizaki, who dread of shining on stage, couldn't accept such an ending. So, over the past year, she had trained relentlessly to improve her skills. But when rookie season arrived, she still didn't have a single song that could amaze the audience.
The bla didn't lie with her—it was on the composition team. But even if you held a knife to their necks, they couldn't instantly write a stunning hit. Just as Ririn was falling into despair, prepared to accept that she might fail in the rookie season and lose all company support the following year—
Kotomi Izumi appeared. The song she wrote, "Fly to the Star," completely turned the situation around.
It was a ga-changer. Even though the rookie season had just begun, the three major agencies—Nichirushi, Zao, and Hela—had already released debut songs for their respective rookies. And among the three, Ririn Hoshizaki's performance of "Fly to the Star" stood far ahead, leaving the other two in the dust.
It was a scene Ririn had never dared to imagine. No exaggeration—Kotomi Izumi was her savior.
As Ririn kept speaking, she didn't even know when she had started. All she knew was that by the ti she snapped out of it, her trembling voice sounded like she was about to cry from joy.
rii Hizuki watched the emotionally overwheld Ririn Hoshizaki. Although she feared that letting Ririn speak so long might make Kotomi Izumi feel her ti was being wasted, she had watched Ririn grow from the very beginning. She knew just how hard this past year had been for her—one mont a trainee, the next burdened with overwhelming expectations from the company.
Compared to other trainees, she had been lucky. But compared to the rookies promoted in past years, Ririn Hoshizaki was under the most pressure—without question. The fact that she had endured it all surprised even rii Hizuki.
It was understandable that her emotions would overflow now in front of Kotomi Izumi.
I'll apologize properly to Kotomi-sensei later, rii thought to herself. Regardless of Kotomi's attitude toward hearing such a long emotional outpouring, as the manager, she had to be the first to say sorry. Everything else could wait.
"Sorry, Kotomi-sensei, for making you listen to ramble for so long. I-I was just too emotional…" Ririn Hoshizaki sniffled, realizing she had gotten completely carried away. She nearly forgot rii's warning before handing her the phone.
Ririn glanced apologetically at rii Hizuki, only to find that rii wasn't angry—instead, she gave her a warm smile, gesturing for her to relax.
"It's okay."
Kotomi Izumi's voice ca again at that mont:
"Miss Hoshizaki, it must've been a tough year. You worked so hard preparing for the rookie season, constantly trying to improve yourself, but never had the right song. Then suddenly you found the perfect one and gained imnse popularity. Your emotions must have been all over the place these past few days, right? Now then—get your mood back on track. No need to practice singing today. Go to bed early tonight. You're a singer ant to shine on stage, so you must always stay full of confidence, okay?"
Tears welled in Ririn's eyes as she listened to Kotomi Izumi's voice on the other end of the line. She nodded vigorously and said, "Yes! I'll rember that! Kotomi-sensei, I'll never forget this kindness!"
"I'll be waiting for your repaynt~"
Kotomi replied half-jokingly, instantly making the previously tearful Ririn burst into laughter.
After Ririn Hoshizaki chatted a little longer with Kotomi Izumi, rii Hizuki gave Ririn a hand gesture. Ririn imdiately understood, quickly said her goodbyes, and returned the phone to rii.
"Sorry, Kotomi-sensei. Ririn is a child who tends to lose control of her emotions. The pressure during this rookie season has just been too much. She accidentally let it all out."
rii delivered the apology she had prepared in advance—sothing she usually thought through carefully beforehand to make sure her words were appropriate.
"It's alright." Kotomi Izumi maintained her earlier gentle tone. Listening to a pleasant-voiced girl pour out her feelings wasn't unpleasant at all.
"Kotomi-sensei, the reason I called you today is actually for sothing quite important—would you happen to be available to compose another piece soon?"
"Is it for Miss Aomori?"
"Thank you for rembering Miyuki. But no, not this ti. Although Miyuki really wants to release a new song, every ti she considers it, the company has to hold several etings first. At the earliest, a decision might co next year."
"I see."
Kotomi nodded, indicating her understanding. She wasn't familiar with the procedures a top-tier singer must go through to release a new song, but from what rii said, it sounded pretty complicated.
Especially with Miyuki Aomori's current level of popularity—her releasing a new album wouldn't just affect her and her fans anymore. It would impact the entire agency and even Japan's music industry.
Moreover, since it's already a given that Miyuki Aomori will appear on NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen, Nichirushi Agency needed to thoroughly discuss whether the new song should be released before or after the event.
The timing would have very different effects, so of course the agency would proceed with caution.
"Then who is the client this ti?"
"Haha, actually, it's not a Nichirushi singer. I'm just helping introduce soone—a longti friend of mine. He recently heard your 'Fly to the Star' and thought it was amazing. He'd love to collaborate. Naturally, the compensation will be very generous."
"Your old friend?"
"Yes. He's an ani director."
"Back when I had just graduated college, one of his ani works had just aired. Thinking about it now, it's hard to believe it's still considered a phenonon today."
"After all these years, he's finally working on the final chapter of that ani. But he hasn't found the right person for the music yet, so he asked to help him find a capable composer and singer."
"What's the na of this ani director?"
Kotomi could imdiately tell rii was being deliberately mysterious, but once she heard it was a director behind a phenonon-level ani, she couldn't help but grow curious.
rii Hizuki finally spoke, saying a na that even made Kotomi's eyes widen in surprise:
"Hideaki Anno. Kotomi-sensei, you've seen EVA, right?"
Kotomi snapped out of her brief shock: "Seen it? I've got Rei Ayanami and Asuka figurines right on my desk."
"Perfect. Since you've seen it, this'll be easier. Anno has finally recovered his condition and focus, and is officially starting production on the final chapter of EVA. The script's long been written, but as the production begins, he's realized he still needs the right composer and singer for Evangelion: Finale—and hasn't yet found the perfect fit."
"It wasn't until he saw retweet Ririn Hoshizaki's release of 'Fly to the Star' on Twitter that he gave it a listen. Although Ririn didn't match his ideal image for a vocalist, he felt that your composition, Kotomi-sensei, was very suitable. Despite being a different style, he still wants to invite you to participate in composing for Evangelion: Finale."
"Anno and I go way back. Since he reached out to personally, I couldn't refuse."
Kotomi Izumi was still in mild shock. That Hideaki Anno would face difficulty finding a suitable composer and singer for the finale of Evangelion didn't surprise her. What differed from her past life was that in this world, after Anno announced the final chapter of EVA and released a cryptic red Eiffel Tower teaser poster, the trailer still hadn't been released.
Naturally, songs like "One Last Kiss" and "Beautiful World," which once made people hit replay endlessly, were also absent.
Kotomi had thought they just hadn't been released yet—she didn't expect it was because Anno hadn't found the right composer or singer.
And now, with rii Hizuki calling to tell her this, and Anno considering working with her—it basically ant she might be the one to compose and sing this world's "One Last Kiss" and "Beautiful World."
After thinking it over for a few minutes, Kotomi spoke again: "If I really get the opportunity to work on the music for Evangelion's final chapter, it would be my honor. I practically grew up watching EVA."
Hearing that, rii Hizuki finally breathed a sigh of relief—Kotomi had agreed to the collaboration.
"That's wonderful. Should I arrange a ti for you to et in person?"
"Of course, though I'm currently in school. If we're going to et, it'll have to be during a break."
"Got it. Thank you so much, Kotomi-sensei, for agreeing. Personally, I really hope my old friend can successfully complete the final chapter of EVA. As for the vocalist—do you have anyone in mind?"
"I'll sing it myself." Kotomi replied without a hint of hesitation.
"Huh?"
rii Hizuki was stunned—did she hear that right? Kotomi Izumi said she would sing?!!
That said, to be fair, when Kotomi sang while walking the sea cucu—er, cats—her voice was indeed beautiful. If she debuted as a singer, there would be no problem at all.
Kotomi thought the signal might have been unclear and rii hadn't heard her properly, so she repeated:
"I'm actually pretty good at singing. If possible, I'd like to handle both the composition and vocals for Evangelion: Finale."
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