pertwk Chapter 49 The Unsheathed Sword
Chapter 49 The Unsheathed Sword
In mid-August 1987, the sound of cicadas gradually carried a hint of weariness at the end of summer.
On the edge of Shinjuku's Kabukicho district, that drab three-story building still looks unremarkable from the outside. The roller shutter door on the first floor is tightly closed, with a sign hanging above it that reads "Undergoing Interior Renovation."
But on the second floor, the scene was quite different.
Thick soundproofing material kept all the noise outside the walls. A professional mixing console flashed complex indicator lights, while huge monitor speakers lay quietly in the corner.
This is the newly completed recording studio No. 1 of "SA Entertainment".
Sachiko Kamachi stood in the recording studio behind the glass partition. She wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, no makeup, and her long hair was casually tied back. She wore a pair of large Sony monitoring headphones, her hands stiffly gripping the microphone stand, and her eyes revealed a hint of confusion and nervousness.
This is her first official participation in an artist activity since signing the contract.
She imagined today would be like in the movies, with a group of stylists surrounding her, helping her try on glamorous stage outfits, or a serious producer giving her a tailor-made debut single.
But the reality is...
"Clang!"
Itakura pushed open the recording studio door, holding a stack of sheet music so tall it almost blocked his view.
"Phew... Ms. Sachiko, these are today's tasks."
Itakura slammed the sheet music down on the music stand, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Sachiko took a closer look and was stunned.
The top image is Seiko Matsuda's "Red Pea Flower".
Below is Akina Nakamori's "DESIRE".
Below that are even Teresa Teng's "Seasonal Lover" and several enka songs by male singers.
"This is..." Sachiko looked up in confusion, peering through the glass at the control room. "President, should I cover these songs?"
In the control room, Satsuki sat in the large leather boss's chair, twirling a ballpoint pen in her hand. Shuichi sat on the sofa next to her, watching everything with great interest.
Satsuki pressed the call button.
"It's not a cover, it's a vocal performance."
Her voice came clearly into Sachiko's ears through the earphones.
"Director?"
"Yes. We need you to sing these songs again in the most standard, clearest, and most infectious way."
Satsuki explained.
"You don't need to imitate the original singer's techniques, nor do you need to showcase too much of your personal style at this stage. What you need to do is 'guide'. Help those who are tone-deaf to sing the song along with your voice."
Sachiko bit her lip, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
"So... I can't debut? I can't have my own songs?"
She originally thought that since she had signed the contract, she could stand on the stage and sing the lyrics she had written.
"cannot."
Satsuki answered decisively.
"At least not now."
She stood up, walked to the glass of the control panel, and looked at Sachiko inside.
"Miss Puchi, listen to what's happening outside the window right now."
Satsuki pointed in the direction of the soundproof wall.
"That was Tokyo in 1987. The streets were full of nouveau riche waving 10,000 yen bills, the disco was blasting deafening heavy metal, and the TV was full of women in padded-shoulder suits and heavy eyeshadow singing 'live for the moment.'"
"This era is too noisy."
"It's filled with the popping sounds of champagne being opened, and the screams of inflated desire. In such noise, your clear, spring-like voice will be instantly drowned out."
"If we push you out now, you'll just be packaged as another fleeting idol, forced to wear a swimsuit and smile like an idiot on variety shows, and then replaced by younger girls in a year or two."
Sachiko remained silent.
She thought back to her days as a race queen, and the greedy looks she had received. That was definitely not what she wanted.
"Then... when should I wait?" Sachiko asked.
"When the world quiets down."
"When the banquet ends, when the lights go out, when everyone feels tired, confused, and wants to cry but can't."
"At that time, they will need your voice."
"For the next three years, you'll stay hidden in this box. Sing all these thousands of popular songs. Hone your breath control, refine your vocal technique, and accumulate inspiration for writing lyrics."
"I've listened to your previous recordings. Your vocal range isn't wide enough yet, so I'll hire a professional vocal coach and music theory teacher to give you specialized training. Your habit of carrying a notebook with you to write lyrics is excellent; keep it up. From now on, your lyrics writing should lean towards creating new songs. Once you've built a solid foundation, I'll arrange for a professional band to work with you and help you gain stage performance experience in advance."
"You must be a sword hidden in its sheath."
"The day you draw your sword will be the day you conquer the era."
Hearing these words, Sachiko felt somewhat uncertain about the future, but the feeling of being "protected" and "expected" made her sense of loss dissipate a lot.
"I see."
She took a deep breath, put her headphones back on, and focused her gaze on the sheet music.
"I can sing."
……
Recording begins.
Although Sachiko's voice is still a bit immature, her innate sense of language and penetrating power give even the most mundane enka a refreshing quality.
Inside the control room.
Shuichi poured Satsuki a glass of water and asked in a low voice:
"Satsuki, is making her record so many pre-recorded tracks really just for training purposes?"
"Training troops is one aspect."
Satsuki looked at Sachiko, who was focused on singing, and a businessman's smile appeared on her lips.
"More importantly, it's about making money."
"Make money? By covering songs?" Shuichi asked, puzzled.
"I really went through a lot of trouble to sign her, so I definitely need to maximize my return on investment."
"Father, do you still remember those 'garbage plots' we bought in Meguro, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro?"
Satsuki took a drawing out of her bag and laid it on the mixing console.
That was a design drawing of a modified freight container.
The shipping container was cut open and fitted with soundproof glass doors. Inside, there were sofas, coffee tables, a TV, and karaoke equipment.
"Karaoke Box"
Satsuki pointed to the blueprints and said.
"Nowadays, if Japanese people want to sing, they can only go to a Snack Bar or a nightclub. Those are public places, and you have to endure the stares of strangers. Plus, it costs several hundred yen to sing a song, which is very expensive."
"Young people, especially shy introverts, students, and couples, have nowhere to go. This is a huge market, and nobody is developing it right now."
"And we want to place these containers on those marginalized plots of land where even houses can't be built."
"Each box is a private room. We charge by the hour, not per person. There are no strangers, so you can sing however you want."
Shuichi's eyes lit up.
"This...this is truly a brilliant idea!"
He immediately grasped the underlying business logic.
Those "garbage plots" are too small or irregularly shaped for commercial development and remain idle. But if you're storing shipping containers, even a mere ten square meters can fit one!
Moreover, containers are considered "temporary structures," with simple approval procedures and extremely low costs.
"But what does this have to do with Miss Sachiko?" Shuichi asked.
"Current karaoke equipment only provides accompaniment tracks, not the original vocals," Satsuki explained. "For many people who can't sing, not being able to find the right key is very painful."
"Therefore, we are launching the 'guided singing function'."
She pointed to Sachiko behind the glass.
"When guests press the 'guide song' button, Sachiko's voice will come out and lead them in singing."
"Imagine it, Father."
"For the next three years, young people all over Tokyo, and even all over Japan, will hear this sound when they sing in karaoke boxes."
"Although they didn't know who she was, and had never seen her face."
"But this voice will be etched into their subconscious and become a part of their youth."
"Three years later, when ZARD officially debuts, when Sachiko Kamachi stands in front of the television for the first time."
"Everyone will feel a sense of familiarity, like, 'Oh, it's her.'"
"This is called—auditory occupation."
Shuichi looked at his daughter and felt a chill run down his spine.
That's a very clever move.
Not only can garbage land be used for bank mortgage loans (land is extremely valuable in this era), but it can also be used as a cash cow (Karaoke Box). Karaoke Box can be used to support people (Sachiko), and Sachiko can be used to lay the groundwork for future popular culture discourse. If this business model succeeds, these boxes can be found all over Tokyo, which is also a very good publicity channel (GG can be forcibly inserted in the boxes).
Each move is interconnected, and not a single piece is wasted.
"SA Entertainment..." Shuichi muttered to himself, "Looks like President Itakura is going to be quite busy from now on."
He'll be very happy with his busy schedule.
Satsuki glanced at Itakura, who was staring at Sachiko like a fanboy.
"After all, he is now the man who holds the fate of the future national diva in his hands."
"That's not enough. We also need to start arranging a personal manager for the national diva. How can a fine piece of jade be left unpolished?"
……
at the same time.
Shibuya, Seibu Department Store, 1st floor.
This prime location, which originally belonged to an Italian luxury brand, is now completely covered by construction barriers.
The construction site fence was covered with a huge, gold-plated logo:
S-Collection
Coming Soon ...
Inside the construction site, workers are carefully installing a huge Swarovski crystal chandelier.
The floor was covered with a five-centimeter-thick pure wool carpet, and the walls were inlaid with walnut wood wainscoting imported from France. Even the display shelves were handcrafted from brass.
Every inch of this space reeks of money.
Architect Ando, wearing a hard hat and holding blueprints, is directing workers to adjust the angle of the lights.
"Make it warmer! Like the lobby of a luxury hotel!"
"That mirror over there needs to be brown! The bare minimum is that customers feel their skin looks great when they look in it!"
In the store's warehouse, hundreds of exquisite packaging boxes were neatly stacked.
Inside the box were actually inexpensive T-shirts, belts, and accessories. But with this expensive packaging and the added prestige of this prime location, their price tags were blatantly printed with "30,000 yen" and "50,000 yen".
This is another trap set by Satsuki.
A web that captures the vanity of the moment.
In an underground recording studio in Shinjuku, Sachiko is singing "Seasonal Lover" in her clear voice, preparing to soothe the wounds of the future.
In Shibuya's golden window display, S-Style is donning glamorous costumes, ready to reap the rewards of the moment's madness.
Two nets, one overt and one covert, one illusory and one real.
In the sweltering summer of 1987, the Saionji family's great ship was slowly sailing towards the deep sea filled with gold and foam.
"Okay, this one's approved."
Satsuki's voice came through the headphones.
Sachiko breathed a sigh of relief, took off her headphones, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Through the glass, she saw the little girl giving her a thumbs-up.
Although she didn't know what the future held, Sachiko felt that singing in this little box wasn't so bad.
At least, it's quiet here.
Only music, and the sound of dreams sprouting.