Chapter 160: A Purely Monetary Relationship
“Ding dong—”
The studio’s doorbell rang.
Sakamoto Ken came to the doorway, and a familiar figure appeared on the smart door lock’s screen.
It was Natsume Mio.
She had clearly dressed up carefully today.
She was wearing a pure white dress with scalloped edges at the collar, and below the hem, a pair of legs wrapped in white mid-calf stockings were slender and straight, paired with a pair of round-toe flats.
Makima red braids had grown a bit longer now, softly draping at the side of her chest. Probably because the new hair growing from the top of her head wasn’t dyed yet, she was wearing a small round hat.
Sakamoto Ken opened the room door.
“A Jian, good morning!”
Natsume Mio saw him and immediately showed a brilliantly bright smile, bowing slightly to him full of energy.
She poked her head inside and saw only Sakamoto Ken alone, so the smile on her face deepened a few more degrees.
Today was Sunday, and the assistant and editor weren’t there.
“Morning, come in.” Sakamoto Ken stepped back and said.
“Sorry to intrude~”
She lightly stepped into the entrance, took off her shoes, and a pair of feet wrapped in white stockings stepped onto the slightly cool wooden floor.
“Is A Jian the only one in the studio today?” She wanted to confirm once more.
“Yeah, the assistants rest on weekends.” Sakamoto Ken closed the door and walked inside.
“A Jian.” Natsume Mio said to Sakamoto Ken, “About the animation voice acting, I’ve been preparing for it lately, and I even asked Editor Kaji for some tips.”
Sakamoto Ken sat down in his chair and said, “I heard from Kaji. You’re working really hard, copying down every line and practicing them repeatedly.”
“Yeah!” Natsume Mio nodded vigorously and said, “I’ve pondered over every single line of Miss Makima so many times!”
“For voice acting, I think you’ll definitely have no problem.” Sakamoto Ken affirmed first, “Even those veteran voice actors wouldn’t understand the character Makima as deeply as you do.”
“Hehe~” Natsume Mio was a bit embarrassed by the praise, her cheeks flushing even more.
However, Sakamoto Ken’s next words poured cold water over her like a bucket.
“But just being able to voice act isn’t enough.”
“Huh?” The smile on Natsume Mio’s face stiffened.
Sakamoto Ken crossed his ten fingers on the desk and continued analyzing, “Mio, what you’re competing for is the lead role in an S-rank animation. For a role at this level, the agency and investor consider far more than just whether the voice fits. Even though I’m the original author, I can’t directly specify you as the voice actor.”
“Then… what else is needed?”
“Personal works, and fan base.” Sakamoto Ken pointed out the key, “Have you watched music videos on YouTube?”
“Of course, I watch them often.” Natsume Mio thought for a moment and immediately understood Sakamoto Ken’s meaning, “Huh? A Jian wants me to post singing works on YouTube?”
“That’s the fastest way.” Sakamoto Ken nodded and said, “Three months isn’t enough for the traditional music album release route, but if it’s on a video platform, you can record and release immediately.”
“But…” Natsume Mio furrowed her brows slightly and said, “I do have some cover song recordings; I’ve posted them before, but they got no response at all.”
What she said was true; there were countless people covering popular songs, and without top-tier singing skills or an extremely unique style, it was hard to stand out.
“This time it’s not a cover.” Sakamoto Ken shook his head and said, “If it’s just covers, you’ll always be comparing to someone else’s shadow.”
He picked up the printed lyrics paper from the workbench and handed it to Natsume Mio.
“I wrote a song, but right now I only have the lyrics. Take a look.”
“A song written by A Jian?!” Natsume Mio surprisedly took the paper.
Her gaze fell on the top of the paper.
“《Lemon》.”
She softly read out the title, then her eyes slowly moved down, reading the lyrics word by word.
“If only all this were a dream…”
“Even now, I can still meet you in dreams…”
When she read these two lines, Natsume Mio’s fingers trembled sharply, and her breathing paused for half a second.
Dream…
Her mind instantly flooded with those complex yet incredibly real “future” memories.
Those fragments experienced together with A Jian…
She continued reading further, softly reciting aloud:
“…Like retrieving a forgotten item, gently brushing away the dust covering the memories…”
“…The sadness of that day, the pain of that day, along with you who deeply loved all of it, turned into the bitter lemon aroma deeply etched in my heart…”
“…Even to this day, you are still my light…”
Natsume Mio’s eyes had unknowingly become wet.
She gripped the paper tightly, crumpling the edges.
This song…
It was clearly written for her!
No, it was written for the two of them!
“There are also irrecoverable happinesses in this world, those dark past events never mentioned to others…”
These two lines obviously referred to the matter where we last stabbed the knife at him together, right?
Natsume Mio felt like her heart was tightly gripped by a giant hand, a indescribable sourness and emotion surging to her heart.
She lifted her head, looking at Sakamoto Ken with teary eyes, her voice trembling slightly: “A Jian… this song… this song…”
Sakamoto Ken watched her deeply moved expression and nodded to himself inwardly.
Good, the effect was superb.
He just calmly said, “The lyrics are done, but the melody is the soul.”
He clicked open an audio file on the computer.
“I have some ideas for the rhythm and tune of this song, but I haven’t formally studied music, so I can only a cappella it by feel. Listen and see.”
Sakamoto Ken’s a cappella voice came from the speakers.
Natsume Mio immediately collected her thoughts, closed her eyes, and listened attentively.
Although Sakamoto Ken’s singing was only at a passing karaoke level, it was enough for Natsume Mio to understand the tune.
After one a cappella run-through, Natsume Mio slowly opened her eyes. She looked at the lyrics in her hand and tentatively sang softly.
“Yume naraba, dore hodo, yokatta deshou…”
Just the first line made Sakamoto Ken’s whole body break out in goosebumps.
This was the flavor!
The female version of 《Lemon》, that piercing power and infectivity was perfectly reproduced in Natsume Mio’s mouth.
Natsume Mio’s voice was very clear, and her emotions were extremely genuine. Even though it was just a cappella, she already expressed the complex, bittersweet yet hopeful feelings of the song to the fullest.
After finishing the song, she was immersed in it, with tear stains at the corners of her eyes.
“A Jian…” She looked at Sakamoto Ken and said softly, “This song… is really amazing.”
“You’ve studied music. Can you refine the melody for this song?” Sakamoto Ken asked.
“Yes!” Natsume Mio nodded heavily, “I know how to use arrangement software! I’m not very proficient yet, but I know all the functions… I can first write the main melody and chords in the software, then gradually enrich the arrangement.”
“Then this task is yours.” Sakamoto Ken said.
“Great!” Natsume Mio was now full of enthusiasm. She asked again, “A Jian, so how are we publishing this song in the end? Directly on a YouTube channel?”
“Create a new account, and use it specifically for posting works from now on.” Sakamoto Ken said.
“But…” Natsume Mio hesitated again, “This is a song you wrote, A Jian… I’m just singing it. You should create the account?”
Sakamoto Ken understood her concern. He smiled and said, “In that case… how about we collaborate?”
“Huh? How to collaborate?”
“I’ll handle writing the songs, you handle the arrangement and singing.” Sakamoto Ken said, “Then we’ll sign a formal contract, and any future revenue will be split according to the contract.”
“Sure!” Natsume Mio agreed without thinking, “I don’t care about the revenue; you can have it all, A Jian!”
Sakamoto Ken shook his head. He opened the browser and quickly searched for standard revenue sharing models in the industry between lyricists/composers, arrangers, and singers.
JASRAC’s regulations were very complex, involving copyright, neighboring rights, publication rights, recording rights, and more.
However, since they were independently producing and releasing, they didn’t need to go through record companies or JASRAC, so the process could be greatly simplified.
The copyright of a music work belongs to the creators, that is, the lyricist and composer.
The bulk of the revenue goes to the producer and lyricist/composer side; arrangement is usually paid as a one-time remuneration, and for the singer, unless the singer themselves is the lyricist/composer or producer, the royalty share is very low.
“For revenue…” Sakamoto Ken didn’t look much further and directly said, “Fifty-fifty.”
“Huh?” Natsume Mio was slightly stunned and said, “No no! A Jian, you wrote the song; I’m just singing. I heard from sensei about the ratios. I’ll take… um… 5% is fine!”
Sakamoto Ken shook his head and said, “Eighty-twenty, you take 20%, since I don’t have a complete composition.”
“Yes!” Natsume Mio nodded heavily and said, “Thanks, A Jian! This song might really go viral. I heard YouTube ad revenue is a lot; if we get 100,000 views…”
“Your goal is that low?” Sakamoto Ken chuckled and said.
“100,000 views would give a few hundred in revenue, and it’s in dollars.” Natsume Mio said.
Sakamoto Ken gently shook his head and said, “How about we set a lower target first: five million views.”
“Five… million?”
Sakamoto Ken ignored her surprise and searched online for related contract templates, made minor edits, and printed it out.
Since it was a serious collaboration, they should sign a formal contract.
Before, when Mio brought him bento, he had transferred her money; now it was taking their pure financial relationship further.
For a music video, the song is the most important part.
But since it’s on a video site, it still needs visuals.
Sakamoto Ken didn’t plan to shoot a live-action MV; if done poorly, it would feel awkward and give a bad viewing experience.
But to make a good MV, it would require no small investment.
So, Sakamoto Ken planned to use hand-drawn illustrations corresponding to each line of lyrics, highlighting the lyrics and sound.
Also, because the entire video was a simplified version, he only set the target at five million for now; you know, 《Lemon》’s view count in later years was heading toward a billion.
Natsume Mio put on headphones, played the audio, listening repeatedly to Sakamoto Ken’s a cappella while quickly scribbling and drawing on the lyrics paper with a pen.
Sakamoto Ken leaned over to look and found the paper covered in musical notation he couldn’t understand, like bean sprouts.
The girl was completely immersed in Sakamoto Ken’s voice; she listened with eyes closed, fingers lightly tapping the beat on the desk, humming softly along.
“Mm… mm… the melody line is very clear, and the chord progression too…”
She hummed the tune, her shoulders swaying unconsciously, and soon the lyrics were densely marked with various annotations.
“A Jian!” Natsume Mio took off her headphones, turned to him, and said, “The melody and lyrics of this song are amazing! If we don’t use real instruments for accompaniment, we can actually use arrangement software to make a simulated Demo audio first.”
“Arrangement software?” Sakamoto Ken asked, “I don’t have it on my computer.”
“No problem, download it now!” Natsume Mio was full of energy, “A Jian, lend me your computer. I remember a few DAW software have trial versions, like Cubase…”
Sakamoto Ken searched for the Cubase Natsume Mio mentioned and found the official website, checking the price.
The pro version cost several tens of thousands of yen, but the educational version was much cheaper.
“This one.” There was student verification; Sakamoto Ken directly selected the educational version and paid.
Since there would be more songs to produce later, he just bought it outright.
“Huh? A Jian, you bought it directly? It’s a bit expensive… I could borrow the department’s computers after school starts; they have it.” Natsume Mio said.
Sakamoto Ken said, “Install it on your own computer later; no need to always borrow the school’s.”
He stood up and gave the chair to Natsume Mio.
“Yeah, that’s good too. Thanks, A Jian~” Natsume Mio nodded obediently and sat in Sakamoto Ken’s spot.
While the software was downloading and installing, Natsume Mio took the opportunity to listen carefully to Sakamoto Ken’s a cappella melody again, conceptualizing the arrangement framework in her mind.
“A Jian, when you were a cappella, what instruments were you imagining for accompaniment?” She turned the chair and asked, looking up.
“Hmm…” Sakamoto Ken thought, “Probably… piano? And some strings? Feels lyrical.”
“Close to what I guessed!” Natsume Mio said, “Then I’ll start with piano for the main melody and chords, then add string sections and simple drum beats.”
Soon, the software installation finished.
Natsume Mio skillfully opened the software, created a new project, and imported Sakamoto Ken’s a cappella audio as a reference track.
Her expression immediately became focused, fingers dancing on the keyboard and mouse, inputting notes one by one into the tracks.
First the piano sound source; based on Sakamoto Ken’s melody, she quickly laid out the song’s main melody lines and added chord progressions.
Then she brought up the string section sound source, adding soaring strings in the chorus to build emotions layer by layer.
Finally, Natsume Mio added a simple drum track to enhance the rhythm.
Meanwhile, Sakamoto Ken sat at another drawing table and spread out manuscript paper.
What he was drawing were the hand-drawn illustrations needed for the 《Lemon》 MV.
The project was nearly done; Natsume Mio exhaled softly and listened repeatedly to her work.
Although wearing headphones and facing the screen, her peripheral vision kept drifting to the figure seriously drawing beside her.
A Jian drawing looks so good…
She thought silently in her heart.
A Jian handles drawing and songwriting, I handle arrangement and singing…
It’s simply a match made in heaven!
The girl’s mouth curved into a sweet smile.
She recalled Sakamoto Ken’s “five million views” goal.
It had seemed like a pipe dream earlier, but now…
Natsume Mio looked at the lyrics in her hand, listening to the melody in her headphones.
This song… is really different.
It has a power that strikes straight to the heart.
Maybe 100,000 views is really underestimating it… 500,000? A million?
If it really reaches a million views, wouldn’t that make me a bit famous?
Then, going to the 《Chainsaw Man》 voice actor interview, I’d have more confidence!
That’s probably what A Jian is thinking. A Jian is so great…
Natsume Mio finally put down the mouse and let out a long breath.
She took off her headphones and said to Sakamoto Ken, “A Jian! The Demo is done; come listen!”
Sakamoto Ken had just finished inking the last illustration; since they were all simple line drawings, it was quick.
He put down the pen and walked over.
Sakamoto Ken put on the headphones, and Natsume Mio hit play.
A lyrical yet slightly melancholic piano intro rang out.
Sakamoto Ken’s eyes widened slightly.
Though it was just basic piano, strings, and drums, the atmosphere of the whole song was already very close to the 《Lemon》 in his memory.
“How is it? How is it?” Natsume Mio looked at him expectantly.
“Excellent.” Sakamoto Ken said, “Mio, you really have talent.”
“Ehehe~” The girl smiled shyly.
At this moment, Natsume Mio’s gaze fell on the desk where Sakamoto Ken had been drawing.
“A Jian, what did you draw earlier?”
“Illustrations prepared for 《Lemon》.” Sakamoto Ken picked up the stack of drawings.
Natsume Mio took the drawings and flipped through them page by page.
Each illustration corresponded to the mood of a lyric line.
There were scenes of one person lighting a light in a dim room, two people huddling under an umbrella in the rain, and finally a figure turning back in the light.
Natsume Mio was a bit entranced watching.
She matched the drawings to the lyrics and replayed the melody in her mind.
“A Jian…” She looked up, her eyes sparkling, “With music paired with these images… I feel… I feel the song’s emotions are even stronger.”
“Yes.” Sakamoto Ken said, “That’s what I want: use the simplest visuals to convey the most sincere emotions.”
Sakamoto Ken was very satisfied with Natsume Mio’s work efficiency. He checked the time and said, “Since we have the Demo and illustrations, let’s record the first version now and see the effect.”
“A Jian, when do we record?” Natsume Mio said.
“You know places where we can book a recording room, right?” Sakamoto Ken asked.
“I do, I do!” Natsume Mio nodded repeatedly, “There are several music rehearsal rooms around Akihabara with recording equipment; we can book anytime.”
Sakamoto Ken considered the date. Today was Sunday, no one else in the studio—it was his day with the most time.
Tomorrow the assistants would come, Editor Kaji might drop by, and that Haruna might come freeload…
Sakamoto Ken said, “Since everything’s ready, let’s record the first Demo this afternoon.”
“Great!” Natsume Mio agreed immediately and pulled out her mobile phone.
She swiped the screen; without the experience of being a scumbag, she didn’t subconsciously avoid Sakamoto Ken’s gaze.
As soon as the phone unlocked, the first screen was LINE. Sakamoto Ken glanced casually and naturally saw at the top of the LINE message list a familiar avatar and note name.
「Mikazuki Haruna」.
And there was a “3” after it, meaning she had sent 3 new messages that Natsume Mio hadn’t read yet.
Sakamoto Ken calmly looked away, pretending he saw nothing.
The two of them do keep in touch privately, as expected.
He pondered inwardly: what do Mio and Haruna talk about?
What exactly is their relationship now…
“A Jian!” Natsume Mio’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “There’s a small rehearsal room available starting at 2 PM this afternoon. Should we book it right away?”
“Book it now; we’ll go this afternoon.” Sakamoto Ken nodded.
“Got it!” Natsume Mio’s fingers quickly tapped the confirm button.
“How much is the cost? I’ll pay.” Sakamoto Ken said.
Natsume Mio checked the booking details and said, “Um… this hourly room with pro recording equipment is 2000 yen per hour. Let’s book two hours, 4000 yen.”
She looked up and winked at Sakamoto Ken: “Of course A Jian pays; A Jian is the producer~”
Natsume Mio checked the time; it was almost noon.
“A Jian, it’s about lunchtime,” she touched her stomach, “I came very early today and didn’t make a bento.”
“Since we’re going to the rehearsal room this afternoon, let’s head out now.” Sakamoto Ken said, “Find a well-reviewed restaurant nearby; my treat.”
“Yay! Let’s go!” Natsume Mio smiled happily, “Since we’re singing this afternoon, let’s eat something light for lunch.”
She browsed a restaurant review app on her phone and quickly locked onto a highly rated sushi restaurant.
“This one! It’s not far; we can walk.”
Sakamoto Ken had nothing to prepare; he organized the drawn illustrations, scanned them into digital versions, and printed a copy.
He handed the printout to Natsume Mio: “Take this; you can look at the images during recording to get the feel.”
Natsume Mio took the drawings and carefully put them into her crossbody bag.
Sakamoto Ken just pocketed his mobile phone and wallet, and the two left the studio together.
Just as they stepped out of the entrance, Natsume Mio naturally reached out and hooked Sakamoto Ken’s arm, holding him tightly.
Sakamoto Ken felt his arm immediately sink into warm softness.
The girl’s body pressed closely against him; through the thin fabric, he could feel the heat from her body and her exaggerated curves, with a faint sweet aroma lingering in his nose.
Sakamoto Ken let her hold his arm the whole way.
His left hand was in his pocket, holding the phone, which had vibrated several times.
Sakamoto Ken didn’t need to look to know it was probably Hoshihara Ai.
After all, it was noon again; she must have gotten a taste for it and was itching to duo with him.
Sakamoto Ken glanced sideways at the excited girl holding his arm and sighed softly in his heart.
I really have it tough…
