Chapter 117
Looking at Araki Junko's smiling face, and recalling the tone of her voice when she said that birthday...
Gojo Satoru exclaimed in realization, "Ah, you knew it was my birthday that day too!"
"Yes, you mentioned it in the magazine interview."
Araki Junko laughed, "I checked the concert schedule, and it's convenient to move it back by a day. December 7th would be nice too. Want to come?"
Kazuma Hatori: "...How many spectators will there be?"
Araki Junko touched her lips and thought, "Hmm...we'll hold it at the Super Arena in Saitama. I expect there will be 20,000 to 30,000 people, right? I'm not sure, but for now, we'll start pre-selling tickets based on that number."
Amidst Gojo Satoru's exclamation of "Wow!", Hato Kazuma took a deep breath, completely speechless.
Whether you're singing in a karaoke bar or a recording studio, there will be no more than ten people watching, so you won't be too nervous.
And 30,000 people watched? ...30,000 people watched him sing?
Just imagining that scene made Kazumi Hatori so nervous that his palms were sweating.
There's a feeling of helplessness, like not knowing which blood should flow into which vein in the body.
"Hahaha, don't be nervous. Actually, you'll see when you stand up there. The stage lighting will be so bright that you'll have a hard time seeing the people sitting below."
Arasena Junko noticed that Hatori Kazuma was stiff and smiled, shaking her index finger at him.
"And besides, you only need to go up and sing one song, it only takes a few minutes—"
"Just consider it an experience, being a superstar for a few minutes, the center of attention."
This arrangement is a small surprise for fans, but it is also a huge test for these two newcomers who have never performed in a concert before.
Typically, a new singer's concert starts with a few hundred audience members and gradually grows to tens of thousands.
As a result, these two had to sing in front of at least 20,000 people right from the start... The psychological requirements were really too high.
If either Kazuma Hato or Satoru Gojo refuses to appear, Junko Arase will not force them.
After all, while this method of gaining popularity through the help of seniors is effective, the actual situation must be considered.
Since the lyricist's name has already been filled in, no matter how well the album and singles sell, they will always get a portion of the profits.
Araki Junko waited patiently for their reply.
Gojo Satoru stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before turning to ask Yuuto Ichishin.
"Anything is fine with me. Do you want to go?"
He didn't care; this kind of scene was nothing to him.
He might be a little nervous because it's his first time performing, but as long as he thinks that he's just going to come out and sing a song to liven up the atmosphere, he won't feel any pressure.
However, Gojo Satoru, who has a general understanding of the concert situation, knows that singers who hold concerts rarely invite other bands or singers to perform unless it is for a special recording program.
They consider holding concerts as one of their essential tasks, and they always perform the entire show seriously and professionally—singing live is a basic requirement of their professionalism.
Araki Junko's intentions are quite clear.
Seeing the ordinary people he protected taking such good care of him in return warmed Gojo Satoru's heart, and his smile deepened.
Seriously, aren't they worried that their songs won't be popular?
Although he certainly wasn't worried—he really looked super nervous! Even during singing practice, he was initially too embarrassed to raise his voice.
Hmm... I think they'll most likely refuse.
Before Gojo Satoru could wait a moment, he heard Hatori Kazuma speak.
"go."
Meeting Gojo Satoru's slightly surprised gaze, Hato Kazuma nodded firmly.
He was initially a bit hesitant about this, but he couldn't resist... the reward for the commission.
[Currently triggered hidden commission:]
Junko Arashi's invitation: If you complete a concert performance with more than 20,000 people, you may become a semi-professional singer?
Reward: Obtain the spell item [Eight-Phase Wheel Card].
Judging from the name, it seems to be a type of card item.
But this was a hidden quest that he triggered by accident, so the items he got must be super powerful, right?
So what if I sing in front of tens of thousands of people? Players are fearless when it comes to orange weapons!
The thought of soon obtaining the hidden weapon filled Kazuma Hatori with excitement, and he repeated it to Satoru Gojo and Junko Arasena.
"I'll go."
His expression was incredibly resolute, leaving Gojo Satoru stunned for a moment.
He couldn't help but wonder if Kazuma Hatake had agreed so resolutely for his sake—even though he knew he wasn't good at singing.
For him... you actually have to overcome such a difficult challenge?
Those beautiful, pale eyes, at this moment, resembled the rippling surface of a lake, as if the sun were casting countless brilliant, shimmering fragments of light upon them.
"Ichima, you..."
—But then, Gojo Satoru raised his hand and placed it on Hato Kazuma's shoulder, turning his whole body to the side and whispering in his ear.
"Don't even think that you can escape our promise from that night by going to the concert to sing."
The extremely vigilant Xiao Wu will not give Hato Kazuma any chance to get away with anything!
Kazuma Hatori's expression froze instantly.
The experience of that night, that ambiguous, vague memory intertwined with burning passion, gradually became crystal clear.
"…………"
Seeing that Kazuma Hatake had hesitated for a long time and finally whispered a reply that he hadn't forgotten, Satoru Gojo was satisfied and let him go, then said goodbye to Junko Arase.
Junko Araki also reminded them to pay attention to the album release date next week.
"Mr. Tomoya will send you two sample photos then."
Learning from the experience of sending magazine samples last time, Tomoya Tsukichi specifically instructed Junko Arai to remember to send double the items.
"Okay—I'll have to trouble Junko-neechan with the concert!"
When Gojo Satoru acts cute, his voice is soft and gentle, sweeter than sunshine, honey, and cream combined, making people unable to help but smile.
"Don't worry, big stars."
She also waved to Gojo Satoru and Hatori Kazuma.
"You will become a miracle."
—Junko Arasena was not wrong in saying that.
On the day the album and single were released, Gojo Satoru saw that the forum he often secretly visited had exploded.
It's really crashed, the server crashed.
At first, I could still see posts like "[Runzi's album has Shingo]", "[Ahhhh, they even released a single]", "[What an amazing delicacy]", and "[Lyrics, look closely, they wrote the lyrics themselves!!!]", and the refresh rate was so fast it was blinding, like a waterfall suddenly bursting down.
Gojo Satoru chuckled to himself while looking at his phone, his eyes brimming with smugness—he knew everyone would love their songs!
Because the reaction of secretly using the phone was too obvious, Moth of the Night subtly warned someone not to make any small movements in class.
Gojo Satoru, who was lost in thought, didn't hear a thing.
But soon, Gojo Satoru could no longer continue his underhanded tactics.
He wanted to click in to see more compliments, but when he refreshed the page the next time, the forum interface completely crashed and displayed an error message, leaving only a crying face drawn with pixels.
Gojo Satoru: “…………”
Damn it!
Then, without turning on [no limits], he was accurately hit on the head with a piece of chalk, making a "ouch" sound.
Xia Youjie silently covered his face beside him.
Sigh, he's reminded him quietly several times, but this guy is looking at his phone and doesn't react at all.
As for Kazuma Hatori, who hadn't had a chance to remind him, he was also daydreaming. However, since he usually had a cold expression, few people could tell that he was spacing out.
"I'd like to see what you're grinning about..."
Masamichi Yagami came straight over and picked up Gojo Satoru's phone, whose screen was still lit up—then fell into a silent silence.
"...404 error? You can't believe you're laughing so hard at this webpage?"
Gojo Satoru: "..."
Gojo Satoru murmured, "This is proof that I and Kazuma were welcomed."
Upon hearing this, Kazuma Hatori, standing nearby, let out a soft, choked-up sound.
"...Even if you're very popular, you still have to listen to what I have to say."
I don't know if it's because of Gojo Satoru's tone, but Yagami Masamichi inexplicably feels that the meaning behind this adjective is subtly strange.
Shoko Ieiri, standing nearby, let out a soft "Wow."
Moth said: "..."
That strange feeling grew increasingly subtle, with an ominous premonition that all the students knew about it but were keeping it from him alone.
"...In short, there's no problem with going to sing."
Masamichi Yagami returned the phone to Satoru Gojo, unaware that they weren't just singing, but were about to perform at a concert for tens of thousands of people.
"But be extremely careful not to reveal the existence of the sorcery world to ordinary people who are not involved. The purpose is..."
"To avoid causing panic among ordinary people and making them fear unseen beings, it is easier to release negative emotions, which in turn makes the cursed spirits more active and troublesome."
After putting away his phone, Gojo Satoru finished reciting what Yagami Masamichi was about to say in one breath, dragging out the last syllable as he muttered.
"Okay, okay, I've been listening to it for a year now, I already know it by heart!"
Night Moth said: "..."
That brat!
After assigning tasks to the students as usual, Masamichi Nocturne left the classroom.
"Sold a lot?"
Ieiri Glasso curiously came closer.
She had already listened to the song "FIND" and frankly admitted that it was quite good—with Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma printed on the single cover, it was only natural that it would sell well.
"It's not clear yet. The estimated sales figures and rankings will be released on the ORICON charts next Wednesday."
Even though he received another assignment that required him to travel, Gojo Satoru was still in a good mood, with a smiling expression on his face.
The forum crashing didn't affect the purchase of offline albums. Gojo Satoru was still very happy that he and Kazuma hadn't held Junko back.
"Speaking of which, I have to rely on luck to get concert tickets."
Xia Youjie, who was checking the concert ticket purchase rules for the first time, discovered that it wasn't something that could be done simply by having money or being fast. Instead, all seats were priced the same, and audience members first applied for a lottery, then paid after being notified of their successful draw.
Even the subsequent seating arrangements are completely random; whether you get a seat in the front or back row still depends entirely on luck.
"Are you going to ask Ms. Araki for two front-row tickets? Shoko and I want to go too... Ah, we'll pay for them."
Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, his smile teasing.
"What's wrong? Do you want to celebrate my birthday too?"
Having her thoughts touched upon, Ieyasu Koko tilted her head indifferently.
"Didn't you guys celebrate my birthday a few days ago? Even the songstresses secretly came to surprise me."
As the only therapist in the college, Ieiri Shoko has met more people than Natsuyu Suguru, Gojo Satoru, and Hato Kazuma combined, and she is also very close with the upperclassmen.
When the seniors who had attended the exchange meeting in their second year saw Kazuma Hatori there, their steps involuntarily paused, as if they were frightened by the oppressive aura of this bone-setting demon king.
Overall, everyone had a great time.
Despite the persistent requests from the geisha to use honorifics and show respect to her as a senior, Gojo Satoru responded with a super cute, lazy, and even slightly lively tone.
"Hey—what does it have to do with anything—"
I heard that Angehime was so angry that she almost broke her chopsticks.
However, Kazuma Hatori felt that whether or not honorifics were used was completely irrelevant.
Wu didn't use any foul language, and his attitude towards others was normal. It doesn't matter whether he uses honorifics or not.
In a sense, Junko Arase, Tomoya Tsukichi, and Kana Yano were his and Satoru's seniors in the entertainment industry.
However, none of the above individuals expressed any dissatisfaction or doubt regarding Wu's refusal to use honorifics.
According to Tomoya Tsuji, many people do follow this customary rule, while others are unhappy that Satoru Gojo doesn't use honorifics with his seniors.
"Looking at it from another angle, this can be considered a reverse screening method for making friends," Tomoya Tsukichi laughed.
You can easily and quickly filter out people who are compatible with you by simply avoiding using honorifics.
Moreover, Arasei Junko quite liked it when Gojo Satoru sometimes called her "Junko-neechan" (Junko-neechan), and it felt like their relationship had become very close.
Seeing that Gojo Satoru didn't take the geisha's grievances to heart at all, Hatori Kazuma remained silent.
[Ye Shuang] remained obediently in his inventory.
—And this time, apart from Shoko Ieiri and Suguru Natsuyu, the upperclassmen who are not close to them probably won't come to celebrate Satoru Gojo's birthday.
Tatsuo Gojo did call to ask if Satoru Gojo wanted to come back.
As the next head of the Gojo family, his birthday celebrations every year are bound to be grand.
But those birthday parties were even more boring, filled with the hypocrisy and formality that Gojo Satoru found utterly repulsive.
Even though the Gojo family's attitude towards him had changed drastically, Gojo Satoru still refused outright.
"I'm going to a concert with Ichijin that day!"
Even though it's just as a special guest to sing a song, I'll deliberately make it sound like I'm holding a concert, just to annoy this old man who doesn't understand popular trends.
Sure enough, he choked Gojo Tatsumi with just one sentence, nearly causing him to faint.
It's not enough to just appear on TV shows and do magazine interviews; you also have to hold concerts?
When will this brat ever stop?!
"You are the heir of the Gojo family."
Once he recovered, Gojo Tatsuo, swallowing his anger, subtly and deliberately reminded the next head of one of the three great families of the sorcery world, word by word.
Why do you always show your face among ordinary people and do things that lower your status?
"What's wrong?" Gojo Satoru asked, feigning curiosity. "Does anyone else have any objections?"
Tatsuo Gojo, caught off guard by the question, was speechless.
Not only have they not said anything, but even his old friends who used to tease him about his behavior have now fallen silent one by one.
No one knew the reason, only vaguely hearing that it was that person who spoke behind the scenes.
That Kazuma Hatake... truly is a [sacred son] highly regarded by that lord.
Therefore, no matter how much Gojo Tatsuo disapproved of it, and no matter how much resentment he felt, he could only manage a barely amiable "Whatever you want," before hanging up the phone.
In this way, before December 7th, Gojo Satoru only needs to focus on practicing singing with Hato Kazuma in his spare time from schoolwork and tasks, and then look forward to his concert, Mont Blanc, and blessings from his friends.
And most importantly, the promise between Kazuma Hatake and him.
Hmph, now he won't have any other excuses.
Gojo Satoru rested his head on his hand, gazing at the row of adorable porcelain cat figures on the windowsill.
Every few days, he would carefully wipe each cat with a towel to make sure they were shiny and glistening in the sun—just like those dark eyes that were always staring intently at him, easily stirring his emotions.
Hmm... It's a bit difficult to grow up immediately, but we can start by getting to know each other.
Do something else too...
Recalling the posts on the forum, Gojo Satoru chuckled softly, and Sou Hitomi narrowed his eyes slightly.
It's as if they're purring contentedly in the sunlight, just like these tiny porcelain cats, no bigger than a thumb.
…………
On the other side, Kazuma Hatake finally remembered that his phone was still switched off.
Initially, it was to focus more on practicing singing, but later on, Gojo Satoru and he were rarely apart, which meant he didn't have much opportunity to use his phone to contact him.
Moreover, he uses a smartphone in the real world and is not used to using this old-fashioned flip phone, which is still in its early stages of development.
It's good that it remembers to charge every now and then; thankfully, the battery is durable enough.
In short, it was only after Kazuma Hatori plugged in his phone and turned it on that he discovered several missed calls from Ayako Sakami.
Considering that the other party would still send him living expenses, Kazuma Hatori called back.
Ayako answered the call immediately.
"You finally remembered to turn on the computer? Not bad, congratulations, your single sales are booming."
She let out a chuckle, sounding full of resentment.
How did you know?
Yuqu Yizhen asked.
"How would I know? How else could I possibly know?"
Sakami Ayako was so angry she almost rolled her eyes.
“You released an album so casually, but do you know how much effort I have to put into convincing believe that I’m carrying out a secret missionary mission when believers come to me with photos and ask me, ‘Why did you switch careers to singing, Your Majesty?’”
Only these successfully brainwashed believers would believe that she wouldn't be able to fool anyone else!
"Furthermore," Ayako Sakura continued curtly, "some people said they also wanted to buy records to support Seiko-sama and Satoru-sama, but all the physical stores are sold out, so they asked me to ask you if it's possible to sell them two copies through internal channels."
Listen to this "Master Wu"! If you didn't know better, you'd think he'd become a member of the Panxing Cult!
Upon hearing that they were after his records, Kazuma Hatori refused without batting an eye.
"No, I only have one sample image, I don't have any extras."
This is his family heirloom!
Ayako Sakami: "..."
Ayako Sakami asked incredulously, "You think that's the point?"
Kazuma Hatake replied calmly, "That's what you asked earlier."
Ayako Sakami took a deep breath and felt as if her lifespan had been reduced by two years on the spot.
"In short, I will pick you up next week and bring you back to the House of the Star Children. Go to this location alone and wait for me. Don't let the sorcery world find out."
She didn't intend to dwell on the topic any longer, and instead simply and decisively explained it to Kazuma Hatori.
"When I called you last time, I was supposed to pass on a task to you."
"But it seems the Patriarch has changed his mind and told me that the original mission has been canceled and a new mission has been created."
"And this task—the Pope himself will assign it to you."
Kazuma Hatori's black eyes flickered slightly.
Finally, we'll be able to see the true identity of this so-called "patriarch"?
"good."
Before Gojo Satoru finished washing up and tidying up, and before he bounced over to knock on the door and call him out to play, Hato Kazuma agreed.
…………
Ayako Sakemi scheduled her appearance for Friday, and on Wednesday, the Oricon charts updated their album and single sales rankings for the previous week.
As one of the most talented singer-songwriters of the new generation, it was expected that Junko Arashi's album would top the charts.
However, at the same time, the sales of the single "FIND" also took off unexpectedly, soaring to the top of the charts.
In short, it sold like hotcakes.
And it's not simply a case of sales going crazy, because the Oricon charts cut off the number of purchases when calculating sales.
In other words, if more than 3 albums or CDs of the same name and type are purchased in one order, only 3 copies will be counted as sales—regardless of whether the purchase is made online or offline.
Even if a buyer makes more than three purchases at the same store offline or using the same online account within a certain period of time, it will still only be counted as three purchases.
Therefore, some fans of artists or groups need to repeatedly buy three or more albums from different physical stores or keep changing accounts online in order to support their idols on the charts.
However, these often have dedicated fan clubs that internally teach and organize fans on how to buy albums in batches and in large quantities.
Kazuma Hato and Satoru Gojo were a "newcomer duo" with nothing to their name.
This not only means that many of their sales may not have been counted in the ORICON chart, but also that the sales that have been counted already prove the song's explosive popularity.
Not only did Tomoya Tsuji and Junko Arai call to congratulate them, but even Miwa Takashio, the magazine editor who had interviewed them last time, called.
So you're planning to pursue a singing career? Gao Ximei smiled and congratulated them, saying that she would welcome them anytime they were free for an interview.
Gojo Satoru laughed it off as well.
They really didn't intend to pursue a serious career in the entertainment industry; this was just a lucky accident.
Moreover, Gojo Satoru has recently returned to the troubles he had before.
He has to wear a hat when he goes out so that he won't be overwhelmed by fans who recognize him.
"So, where should we go this weekend?"
As his birthday drew closer, Gojo Satoru became increasingly excited, practically glued to Hatori Kazuma every day, eager to get an answer from him.
"It might not work this week,"
Kazuma Hatori shook his head, reluctantly refusing.
"My distant aunt wants to take me back home."
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