Chapter 166

Inside the passage, Ishikawa Hayato walked ahead effortlessly, carrying a large stack of drums in his arms.

The others carried their own belongings, but still swayed like reeds in the wind.

Ishikawa Hayato really wanted to help them carry them, but the drum sets were scattered all over the place today, and he couldn't carry them all by hand.

However, a lazy voice soon rang out.

"I can't... I can't move anymore."

Liang had only taken two steps when she already looked like she didn't want to move anymore.

Nijika, who was carrying the snare drum and other parts, was even more tired, and she comforted her while panting.

"We're almost at the waiting room, almost there, just a little longer..."

Kita and Bocchi were both unable to make a sound.

But as soon as Nijika finished speaking, she heard hurried footsteps approaching.

She turned her head weakly and saw Liang Kuai walk ahead, take off his bass guitar, and neatly hang it on Ishikawa Hayato.

"Hey, hey."

Ishikawa Hayato glanced back, a helpless smile on his face. He turned around and adjusted the bass that was casually hanging on him.

Nijika paused for a moment, then shouted at Liang even louder than before.

"It's cold! Get it yourself."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't seem to mind much and readily agreed, then turned to the others and spoke.

"Never mind, it's nothing, it's happened all the time. How about we be fair and let everyone take it?"

Bocchi glanced at the large stack of drum kits in Ishikawa Hayato's hands and waved his hand in refusal.

"No... it's okay, I'm fine."

But when Ryo heard Ishikawa Hayato say that, it seemed he was certain that Ishikawa Jun still had a lot of energy left. He put his two tender, lotus-root-like arms over Ishikawa Jun's shoulders and let them hang down on his chest.

His head was pressed directly against Ishikawa Hayato's back, hanging there like a pendant.

He even said it with a satisfied air.

"Falcon, walk carefully, don't drop me."

"Alright..."

Ishikawa Hayato made a mental note of her behavior; he would make up for it sooner or later by using him so rudely.

Kita, who was also planning to refuse, saw this scene and screamed again after singing and talking for almost half an hour.

"Ryo-senpai?!"

This was the first time she had called Liang that, with a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice.

Ryo merely raised his eyes slightly, ignoring Kita, and closed them again, entering mount mode.

Nijika's cheeks puffed up in displeasure. If she hadn't been holding drum parts in her hands, she would have hit her with the drumsticks.

"Ha ha..."

Ishikawa Hayato sensed that a terrible accident was about to happen and gave an awkward laugh.

As soon as the Kessoku Band and the curtain fell, Sato Aiko walked backstage without hesitation.

Compared to the later, quite famous SIDEROS, she saw greater potential in the Kessoku Band.

After confirming her identity as a writer with the backstage staff, she quickly headed to the waiting room.

At the same time, she also noticed that people from several record companies had followed behind.

She wasn't surprised at all.

At this music festival, the Kessoku Band Light has shown a level of skill that is definitely among the top three, and as a young band, they also have a very high potential for growth.

It's perfectly normal for this to attract record companies that are already scouting bands.

However, she was also worried that high growth potential meant they weren't mature enough, and that the record company might take control, disregard their contracts, or even distort the band's ideas.

And can a group of young people withstand the allure of money?

She was very uneasy.

Sato Aiko quickened her pace and rushed towards the waiting room.

The record company people behind her, knowing she was a writer, didn't speed up with her, but instead subtly jostled and pushed their way through the crowd.

When she ran to a spot where she could see the door to the waiting room, she saw Ishikawa Hayato coming out of the waiting room and preparing to close the door.

She called out hurriedly.

"Please wait a moment!"

As Ishikawa Hayato settled the instruments and the other girls in the waiting room and was about to close the door, he heard a sound and looked to the side in confusion.

He saw a young girl running towards him, and his first instinct was to look inside the room.

However, after thinking about it, he realized that the other party wasn't looking for him, so he stood at the door indifferently.

He didn't ask until Sato Aiko ran up to him, panting.

"Is there anything I can help you with? We're all exhausted after the performance."

Although he wasn't that tired, he still preferred to spend time with his sister rather than with outsiders.

Sato Aiko sighed and shouted urgently.

"Get out of here immediately!"

The four people, who were already slumped on the sofa and wondering what Ishikawa Hayato was doing at the door, all stared blankly at these words.

Are they at a livehouse?

What exactly happened?

Instead of trying to shoo him away like a riddle teller, Sato Aiko answered Ishikawa Hayato very quickly and decisively.

"A record company is looking for you behind you! Please leave immediately!"

But her answer filled the weary group with boundless joy.

Nijika, who had been sitting loosely, suddenly jumped up as if she had been given a shot of adrenaline.

"Sing... record company!"

"Really?" Kita immediately perked up, stood up, and walked towards Ishikawa Hayato.

Liang blinked slowly; none of her previous bands had ever been invited by a record company.

But in just a few seconds, her golden pupils had transformed into the shape of money.

She stood up, no longer bothered by the effort, and walked towards the door while asking questions, peeking out.

Where?

Bocchi followed behind Liang, who also rushed over in a fluster, looking on with a look of disbelief as if to say, "Did I hear that right?"

They never imagined that their small band, which still needed to pay for performance opportunities, would be noticed by a record company.

Although they didn't know what the signing process would entail, one thing was certain.

Once you sign the contract, you'll make a fortune!

I saw four girls huddled together at the door, their faces full of anticipation.

Sato Aiko knew it was impossible to prevent them from contacting the record company.

Waiting room.

Although the group had high hopes before the record company representatives arrived.

However, after arriving and meeting people from five different record companies, he was still at a loss for what to do.

"I recall your company has already signed two or three bands this year, right? Do you also provide resources for the bands' development?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Compared to your company in Nagasaki, our company has more experience and connections. Besides, I remember you don't have a mature band under your management right now."

"Speaking of connections and resources, my company has just as many resources as the two senior band members. Moreover, the two senior band members' companies are still using the old methods, while my company prioritizes the interests of its members, which allows the band members to focus more on composing music."

If it were just an ordinary band, it wouldn't cause any infighting among the company managers; they might even coordinate to suppress them.

But it's different if it's a young band that's already showing promise and demonstrating their potential.

Sensing the probing tone in the company manager's voice, the already exhausted group couldn't help but show troubled expressions.

Kita and Bocchi both looked at Nijika with expressions of "what should we do?", while Nijika hesitated to speak in front of several adults.

Before long, Ishikawa Hayato saw Nijika slowly turn her head and tentatively look at him.

Ishikawa Hayato chuckled, giving me a look that said, "I've got your back." He shifted his position forward, settling into the very front seat.

He wasn't intentionally waiting for Nijika to ask him for help; he just thought it would be best if they could handle it themselves.

But even if he can't do it, he can still help.

Ishikawa Hayato's smile faded as he looked at the person opposite him. He exhaled slightly to attract their attention before beginning to speak.

"First of all, we are very grateful for everyone's recognition of our Kessoku Band, but we have never thought about signing with a record company."

"Huh?"

The girls looked at Ishikawa Hayato in surprise, but did not interrupt him.

The company managers immediately realized who was in charge of the band and stopped trying to find out.

"Do you mean you're planning to become an independent band?"

A manager leaned forward towards him and asked a question.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and said, neither humble nor arrogant.

"No, what I mean is that we haven't made any plans internally regarding signing with the company yet, we haven't discussed it with each other, and we need to talk about it privately first."

As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he looked at Nijika beside him to confirm, and Nijika nodded in affirmation.

After confirming, he turned to the other side.

"Besides, we're all a bit tired after today's performance, and you wouldn't want us to make a hasty decision, would you?"

As he spoke, he stood up while rummaging through his bag and took out a business card.

"This is my business card. If possible, let's communicate via email later."

If you ask several managers what their first impression of Ishikawa Hayato was, they would answer, "Handsome and shrewd."

His tone was extremely assertive, yet gentle. He maintained control of the situation despite his seemingly yielding words, giving them room to maneuver, but ultimately sweeping away the enemy's defenses decisively.

And they took the initiative back into their own hands.

He was a boy who seemed untrustworthy and was easily deceived.

Although they did have the idea of taking advantage of their proximity, after hearing his words, the managers had no choice but to give up their idea of being the first to sign a contract and instead stood up to exchange business cards with him.

Ishikawa Hayato smoothly exchanged business cards with each of them.

Finally, Ishikawa Hayato noticed a middle-aged man who had been under the watchful eyes of the previous managers. He walked over with steady, decisive movements and handed him his business card with both hands.

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at the bearded, slightly imposing middle-aged man in front of him and noticed the most prominent company name on his business card: J-Sketch.

Although he said they had never considered signing with a record company, he himself had researched quite a few record companies online.

Compared to the other record companies that he only vaguely remembered, this company was different.

This is the ranking of record companies that you can see at a glance after listing and ranking them.

It is a subsidiary of a large, long-established firm.

As expected, the eldest brother was the last to appear.