novellhall Chapter 7 Selection Preparation
Chapter 7 Selection Preparation
In the blink of an eye, it's been almost a month since Airi left. After resolving the family issues, Rito transferred her to her old alma mater. He figured the rest would be taken care of, so there was no need to worry. Airi performed quite well in the placement test. According to her own assessment and her tutor's, she was quite confident of getting into a decent university, and with some effort, she might even have a chance at the top-tier ones.
"Really? That's really good for your studies."
Although it wasn't the first time he'd heard his young boss mention the girl with the fangs, seasoned office worker Yoshio Konno still perfectly adopted a look of surprise and admiration, as if he hadn't been the one reporting the results to Rito back then.
Rito, quickly realizing what was happening, glanced at him, somewhat amused and exasperated, but knowing this was the workplace rule of this era, she didn't say anything more and changed the subject:
"By the way, Konno-san, how's the casting call going?"
"It's finished and currently in post-production editing. Should I follow up with them?"
Seeing that his boss wanted to talk about serious business, Konno quickly composed himself, immediately took out a notebook from his pocket, and replied to Rito after confirming that everything was correct.
"No need, just send it to me when the finished product is ready."
Li Ren waved his hand, not wanting to interfere in other people's professional fields. After frowning and thinking for a while, he casually asked:
"The auditions start next month, Konno-san, what are your thoughts on the prospects of this audition?"
Upon hearing this question, Yoshio Konno's expression became somewhat subtle. In fact, from the very beginning, he had harbored deep skepticism about Rihito Kubo's proposed project. His definition of an idol was still stuck in the last century, emphasizing all-around entertainers like Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda. In the 21st century, the idol craze had long since faded, and the few groups that occasionally emerged quickly died out due to a lack of core appeal. What remained were mostly three- to five-member singing and dancing groups imitating Korean pop, which were equally ineffective. A large idol group like Rihito's, recruiting twenty to thirty members at once with extremely low entry requirements, was unprecedented in Japanese entertainment history.
They're still young, and they act on a whim. But what can you do when you have a good father? Even if they lose money, someone will help them cover the losses.
Thinking this, Yoshio Konno's lips twitched. As a subordinate, he certainly couldn't dampen his boss's enthusiasm at this moment. After a moment of thought, he looked at Rito seriously and said to him, "With the cooperation of Dentsu and Sony, I don't think we'll disappoint Kubo-san."
"Tell the truth." Rito, with her eyes closed and without even looking at him, raised her hand to retort.
"Um." Konno Yoshio gave a wry smile, lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds before looking up again: "Kubo-san, may I offer a suggestion regarding the selection process?"
"Of course, you'll be in charge of most of the group's affairs from now on, so feel free to say anything." Seeing that he was finally able to say something meaningful, Rito smiled slightly, opened his eyes, and revealed a serious expression.
"Then I'll speak." After observing Rito's expression and confirming that his young boss wasn't playing some kind of game of luring him into a trap, Konno Yoshio loosened his tie and stopped pretending, revealing all the thoughts he had kept hidden in his heart.
"First, Mr. Kubo, you defined this group as a 'training system' in your proposal, which is a novel concept. However, I'm worried that the members you recruit are too amateurish, creating too much of a contrast with the brands of Dentsu and Sony. What if the audience doesn't accept it?"
"There's no way around it. We're here to explore the market, and we'll definitely face a lot of misunderstanding and skepticism in the early stages. I'm prepared for three to five years without making a profit. This is a long-term plan. Konno-san, you need to take a longer-term view."
Rito raised an eyebrow, spread his hands, and his roguish look almost made Yoshio Konno choke. He thought to himself, "Young master, you have money, so of course you don't care. But if this project fails, it will be on my resume for life. If such a huge investment goes wrong in my hands, will any company dare to hire me again? I'm only in my fifties, not old enough to retire yet."
Seemingly sensing his frustration, Rito chuckled softly, adjusted her posture, and asked with a smile, "Konno-san, there's no use looking at me like that. The die is cast, so just tell me what your suggestions are."
After calming himself down, Yoshio Konno stared at the ceiling for a moment, then tentatively asked, "How about adding two already-debuted artists to boost their popularity?"
"Of course not, would that still be called a nurturing system?" Rito shook his head, decisively rejecting his suggestion.
"Then we can only hope that everyone who comes is pretty." Yoshio Konno rolled his eyes, confirming that his new boss was determined to create an amateur girl group. After thinking for a moment, he added, "By the way, I also wanted to say something. If we meet a suitable candidate during this audition, I mean, let's discuss signing a contract with her on the spot. Let's not make her go back and wait for news. After all, we're going to select more than twenty. What if someone goes home and changes their mind? At times like this, let's not be picky. Let's grab whoever we can."
"Well, that's no problem. Do you have any other suggestions?" Although the system stated that the first choice of the selected members was to join his company, Rito did not reject Konno's suggestion just in case.
"Another point is about providing free orthodontic services to members. I've thought about it, is it really necessary? If they are truly committed to making a living in the industry and want to do it, I can understand the company supporting them. But providing it for free to everyone, isn't that being too preferential to them?"
After flipping through the notebook, Konno raised another objection. It wasn't that he was stingy with the money; Sony and Dentsu were large and powerful companies, so they didn't need it. He was just worried that it would give the recruited amateurs unrealistic fantasies about the entertainment industry, making them think that this was a place of luxury, which would make them difficult to manage later on.
"Hmm...that makes sense. Let's have the manager notify them individually after they come in. Don't tell them during the audition."
After thinking for a moment, Rito nodded in agreement. He had included this clause in the proposal mainly because he couldn't accept the strange aesthetic of teeth in Japan at that time. However, as Imano said, you can't be too nice to newcomers when they first join the group, so he immediately agreed.