Chapter 179 – An Ordinary Day and the KL Corporation Collaboration

Mid-month, Monday, November 15th.

After yesterday’s celebration at Aoki Kei’s home, everyone’s daily life temporarily returned to normal—

Everyone except Aoki Kei himself.

He had an appointment with KL Corporation’s representatives to discuss a potential collaboration.

So, right after waking up early in the morning, he called Hiratsuka-sensei to let her know he’d be taking the day off from school.

Even without mentioning Kessoku Band, Aoki Kei’s own name had become so well-known lately that walking around without a mask was practically asking to be recognized by passersby.

The school was well aware that his fame brought them benefits, so naturally, they weren’t going to block a simple day off.

Still, out of genuine concern, Hiratsuka-sensei gave him a few parting words of advice—things like:

"Even if you’re focusing on your career, don’t neglect your studies."

"With your grades, you might even have a shot at Todai."

Kei agreed to everything, and eventually hung up amid her good-natured nagging.

Truth be told, being nagged at first thing in the morning could be a kind of happiness.

Kei didn’t dislike it—though part of that was because he had a good relationship with Hiratsuka-sensei.

If it had been anyone else… well, maybe not.

With the leave officially taken, he hung up and began washing up and fixing his hair.

He’d been meaning to cut it short for months but never got around to it.

The only reason it had been trimmed at all was because staff had forced him to during promotions for Fireworks.

Now, it was long enough to cover his eyes again.

His ever-growing hair annoyed him to no end.

He’d even considered just getting a buzz cut, but when the time came, staring at his thick black hair in the mirror always made him hesitate.

That indecisiveness wasn’t exactly a charming trait, but in certain moments of his life, Kei was like that—

Like when dealing with Kita. Or with Ryo.

…

The meeting was scheduled for around 10 a.m. KL’s headquarters were a fair distance from his apartment, so to be on time, Kei got ready quickly and headed out early.

November was biting cold, yet there were still girls at the station wearing short skirts as if they were immune to the chill.

Kei, meanwhile, was bundled up in a shirt, sweatshirt, and coat—three layers deep.

After two train stops, he transferred at Shimo-Igusa Station, picking up a red bean bun at a convenience store for breakfast.

It was sweet—far sweeter than his usual taste.

Speaking of sweet things—Ryo had recently started experimenting with them, almost as if she were trying to match Kei’s own preferences…

With nothing else to do, his mind drifted toward random thoughts about the band girls, as it often had lately.

Three more stations later, he stepped off the train, exited the ticket gates, walked a short distance, and finally arrived.

Chiyoda Ward—KL Corporation Headquarters.

He took the elevator up, checked in at the front desk, and was escorted to a meeting room.

The moment he opened the door, he spotted a familiar face—
Fujita-san, the same person Director Niijima had introduced last time.

When Fujita noticed Kei entering, he immediately stood from the sofa and approached.

“Aoki-san, thank you for taking the time to come all the way here again,” he said, bowing slightly, his tone unusually respectful.

He’d been polite before, but this time his attitude was downright deferential.

Kei quietly noted the difference but simply waved it off with a no problem.

After some light small talk, Fujita finally got to the point.

“About our collaboration… Aoki-san, that song you performed at the event—‘I Once Thought About Ending It All’—KL would like to acquire the rights to use it as the soundtrack for our new animated short.”

He pulled a document from his side.

“As I mentioned before, KL only needs the usage rights. As for revenue share and payment—”

Fujita stood, handing the contract over to Kei.

Taking it, Kei read it carefully.

Just as Fujita had said, KL only wanted the rights to use the song.

The payment terms were surprisingly generous—a guaranteed minimum profit-sharing arrangement.

In short:

• KL would pay Kessoku Band a base fee of 2 million yen.

• Then, after the animated short’s release, KL would sell a limited BD edition. Six percent of the BD sales revenue would go to Kessoku Band.

The terms caught Kei off guard.

He’d expected the collaboration to be lucrative, but not this lucrative.

After all, KL only released one animated short every four years, and their BD editions always sold out instantly. Six percent of that revenue… was no small sum.

He’d never planned to refuse in the first place.

With a deal this good, there was even less reason to hesitate.

After finishing the contract, he spoke without delay—

“Fujita-san, I have no issues with this. We already discussed everything beforehand, after all.”

“Ah! I’m glad to hear that!” Fujita nodded, picking up a pen he’d prepared earlier. “Then, all that’s left is for you to sign here. Sorry to trouble you, Aoki-san!”

Aoki Kei took the pen and signed his name.

As he was writing, Fujita’s voice briefly paused before continuing.

“And... Aoki-san, since we’ve just talked about your collaboration with KL, there’s actually one more thing.”

“Oh?” Kei glanced up.

“It’s like this, Aoki-san.” Fujita hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know if you’ve been following recent entertainment and media news... but over the past few days, both you and Kessoku Band have been caught up in negative stories from the press. Rumors, scandals... that sort of thing.”

“I’ve seen them.” Kei finished the last stroke of his signature, set the pen down, and looked up.

The contract was now signed, but he was puzzled as to why Fujita had suddenly brought this up.

Meeting Kei’s questioning gaze, Fujita nodded slightly and went on,

“We’ve investigated these negative reports. Every single one of them is baseless—pure slander and fabrication. From what we can tell, the source is likely a handful of capital-backed companies in the music industry.”

“We don’t know exactly which ones yet, but because it’s relevant to this short film project, KL has decided to address these rumors in our promotional campaigns.”

“So this particular wave shouldn’t hurt you or your band... but it’s clear that you’re being targeted now. Which means, if it happens again in the future...”

Fujita let the words hang, his eyes fixed on Kei.

As KL’s second-in-command, Fujita Masahito understood the currents in the music industry well.

But more importantly, he recognized the extraordinary potential of this high schooler named Aoki Kei.

On one side, a prodigy musician.

On the other, the crushing pressure of industry-backed capital.

KL had been watching the recent headlines closely—every rumor and smear aimed at Kessoku Band had been investigated thoroughly.

The higher-ups knew they had to choose a path forward.

Their conclusion? Rather than worrying about vague industry “trends” or rival interference, it was better to build a strong relationship with Kei and deepen their collaboration.

After all, this was the same band that had managed to rescue the disaster that was Fireworks.

And in this era where popularity ruled everything, the true power of star appeal went far beyond simply saving a bad movie.

“I understand. Thank you for the warning, Fujita-san,” Kei replied with a nod.

He’d always known how much influence the industry could exert through public opinion.

The reason he wasn’t bothered was simple—he had his priorities straight.

Quality music would speak for itself.

And right now, Kessoku Band’s voice still wasn’t loud enough to shake the entire Japanese music scene.

Rumors, targeted attacks, pressure—every top band had endured them.

Before they reached the Budokan, Kessoku Band would trample over all of that and climb to the top.

“So...”

“Ah, I’m glad you understand, Aoki-san,” Fujita said with a relieved nod before his tone lightened again.

“Now, about future radio appearances and live performances... would you be interested in those?”