Chapter 156: This Is On a Show, You Know!

The female rapper mentioned by Mai Hosho was named Yuri Ichii.

Originally, like Ryoko Shinohara, Yuri Ichii was a member of the dance group Tokyo Performance Doll. Last year, she teamed up with the hip-hop group East End to form a unit called East End x Yuri, releasing several singles and albums back-to-back.

In August of last year, their single "Da.Yo.Ne" was released. Propelled by powerful promotional campaigns, the single—which initially received lukewarm responses—quickly gained momentum through word-of-mouth and ultimately sold one million copies, becoming the first rap single in Japanese pop music history to surpass the million-sales mark.

Although the history of the rap genre in Japan could be traced back to the mid-to-late 1970s, it was this male-female rap group that truly achieved massive commercial success. Their success revealed lucrative business opportunities to record labels, prompting a surge of various male-female rap groups throughout the year.

Even Ayami Hamasaki seized the moment that year. Under the packaging of her record label, she formed a male-female rap group under the stage name Ayumi, released singles and mini-albums, and promoted herself with the tagline "Japan's Youngest Female Rap Artist in History"—though she was promptly shelved and packaged away by the record label due to abysmal sales.

Yet, precisely thanks to that setback, the later pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki came to be.

As a side note, East End x Yuri's record label was Epic Records under Sony Music, the very same label Akitaka was currently collaborating with. At the time, the artists and musical styles under this label could be described as quite trendy and full of personality.

"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea," Miho Kanno nodded solemnly, looking at Akitaka with an expectant expression. "How about you just write a rap song, Nii-san, and bring everyone along to release a single? Male-female rap groups are all the rage right now anyway, and since Nii-san is stepping in, it might just turn out to be another million-seller."

"Miho-chan, million-selling singles aren't as easy to come by as you make it sound," Yukie Nakama objected.

Mai Hosho chimed in with her trademark deadpan sarcasm, "Besides, who's to say that with our involvement, a single that could have sold a million copies might end up bombing miserably instead?"

"Speaking of which," Tsuyoshi Domoto managed to squeeze into the conversation, correcting the girls' flawed perception, "rapping well is extremely difficult. It demands a lot from one's speaking speed and sense of rhythm. It's no easier than regular singing—if anything, it's even harder."

Unfortunately, his remarks were almost immediately ignored by the girls. With their imaginations running wild as if the floodgates had been opened, the girls began to brainstorm around this completely nonexistent single. Their thoughts drifted from whether it could become a massive hit, to what style of lyrics to write, how the lyric distribution should be, what poses to strike for the album cover, what clothing styles to wear for live performances, and whether they would miss their cues and forget the lyrics...

They completely overlooked one detail: Akitaka had never intended to have them rap at all.

...

"Today's guest... it really has been a long time."

"Yes, it's been a while."

"It seems quite a few people have been saying that the two of us haven't seen each other at all since we collaborated on that single."

"Now that's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? We've run into each other three or five times."

"That's because you're a very busy person nowadays, shooting movies and doing radio dramas. Singing seems to have become more of a side gig for you."

"You could pretty much say the exact same thing about Fukuyama-san," Akitaka countered with a smile.

Of course, in his heart, he knew that unlike him—whose endeavors were viewed by the outside world as more of a casual hobby—Masaharu Fukuyama had now established acting, singing, and radio hosting all as proper, full-fledged "main careers."

Masaharu Fukuyama also smiled. "Speaking of which, everyone probably knows who today's guest is by now, right? That's right, it's Akitaka-kun."

As early as two weeks prior to the release of his single, Akitaka had booked a guest spot on Masaharu Fukuyama's radio show for Saturday, August 26th. Being a radio program much more relaxed than television broadcasts, coupled with the fact that they were good friends with a solid off-screen relationship, it was predictable that this episode would be quite casual and perhaps even a little lacking in decorum.

"Anyway, you're really late. I've been waiting for you to come hang out."

"I didn't have a new track out, so I didn't have a valid excuse to show up."

"Speaking of this new single... *The Singer's Love Song*," Masaharu Fukuyama flashed a mischievous smile, "the cover features a pretty girl once again."

"Pretty cute, right? Although it's a bit awkward to praise myself, I have a lot of confidence in my own taste."

"So, with such a cute girl around, did you happen to ask for her phone number after the shoot wrapped up?"

"Fukuyama-san," Akitaka reminded him, "we're on a broadcast right now."

"Daijoubu (It's fine), late-night radio shows are supposed to be about relaxing."

"Fukuyama-san might be relaxed, but the pressure on me as the one being questioned is going way up, up."

...

"Which track shall we play next?"

"...That's right, it's Southern All Stars' *Kamakura Monogatari*." Masaharu Fukuyama explained with his magnetic voice, "Speaking of *Kamakura Monogatari*, did you all know? This song has been designated as a permanent collection song for Kamakura's century-old Enoden tram. If you take a trip to Enoshima and board this tram, you can hear this song playing right inside the cabin."

"When summer comes to mind, it really has to be Southern All Stars," Akitaka reflected with emotion. "I've always wanted to meet Kuwata-san. If it weren't for Kuwata-san, I probably wouldn't even know what I'd be doing right now."

"Is that so? The day before yesterday, I went with Higa-san from BEGIN to attend a party at Kuwata-san's villa in Chigasaki. Original member Yuko-san even baked an apple pie herself to treat us."

"Really? You all share such a close relationship."

"Well, we are seniors and juniors from the same agency... That being said, a few years ago when Higa-san came to guest on my radio show, the two of us almost caused a broadcast accident."

"A broadcast accident?" Akitaka was slightly startled.

"Yes. During the live broadcast, while discussing a certain topic, Higa-san and I had a minor disagreement. Neither of us was willing to budge, and for about ten-odd seconds, neither of us said a single word to each other."

"On a live radio broadcast, staying silent for more than three seconds counts as a broadcast accident, right?"

"The expression on the director's face on the other side of the glass completely froze at that moment. By the time I realized we couldn't go on like that, the awkward silence had already exceeded ten seconds. So I quickly mouthed the words 'I'm sorry!' and in an instant, Higa-san burst out laughing, smoothly steering the situation back on track. As soon as the broadcast ended, the very first thing the two of us did was run over to the director and staff members, apologizing profusely while bowing deeply in repentance: 'We are truly sorry!'"