Chapter 670

Today is the day Uesugi Muneyuki goes to the Uesugi Shinai in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, in the Tohoku region to make a wish.

Date Nagamune almost knelt down and kowtowed, begging Uesugi Muneyuki for a chance to go to Yonezawa together; as an idol otaku, I must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Going to the Uesugi Shinai is nothing for Date Nagamune; getting close to idols up close is also not difficult for him, but taking the opportunity to go to the Uesugi Shinai in Yonezawa together while filming a show with Uesugi Muneyuki to get close to a large number of idols is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance! After all, idols have a shelf life of only a few years; after their prime, they either graduate and marry or leave the industry; generally speaking, after graduation, idols often grow old and lose their looks, relying on the popularity accumulated during their idol days to scrape by in the entertainment industry for a few years, exploiting fans' enthusiasm, and then it's about time to marry or simply quit the industry.

After all, if someone were truly a peerless beauty or had a special skill, who would become an idol?

So Date Nagamune must come; if he misses it, the tender sprouts will become old side dishes...... then he would have no choice but...... to promote newcomers! Uesugi Muneyuki saw that Date had long been meritorious and had been working hard recently, thought it over, and still agreed.

As a result, this guy was so excited he didn't sleep all night, and when he finally arrived at the waiting room, this guy found a spot in the waiting room and fell asleep.

After Date slept for a full one hour and twenty-two minutes, he finally stretched, only to discover that Uesugi Muneyuki was beside him.

"What old Parisian sugar daddy? You're saying these things I don't understand." Date Nagamune completely didn't understand what Uesugi Muneyuki was saying, and couldn't help but complain: "Uesugi-san, I know you're erudite, but can't you stop dropping these references we don't get all day?"

"To know what you know and to know what you don't know, that is true knowledge~" Uesugi Muneyuki leaned back leisurely in the waiting room's chair, savoring a moment of ease. Mai Xuejie, Asuka, and Sakura will also go to the Uesugi Shinai to pray, but they won't be traveling with Uesugi Muneyuki; it's rare for Uesugi Muneyuki to come along and ride the shinkansen with the 48 and 46 groups, as Fuji TV and Yoshimoto Kogyo have bought out an entire shinkansen, and as a government official, Uesugi Muneyuki taking the shinkansen is quite reasonable and not wrong.

Uesugi Muneyuki now understands that the Japanese government's high echelons, academia, and medical circles regard "business trips" as a form of relaxation, because during such trips, especially the journey, one basically doesn't need to think and is in a state of forced "disconnection," which means they can have brief moments of relaxation, and especially during waiting for trains or planes, they can temporarily let go of everything and clear their minds.

The winter morning light streamed through the vast glass curtain wall, dividing the spacious waiting room into alternating light and dark geometric patterns.

The heating was on full blast, yet it couldn't dispel the invisible, clear-cut boundary in the air.

Today, all 4846 members are here; this group of female idol groups traveling together is a mighty and flourishing spectacle, with YKC48 numbering in the dozens and Akai Saka 46 also having over twenty members; they didn't just occupy an entire section of the waiting room, but...... frankly speaking, they're quite noisy, giving Uesugi Muneyuki a headache.

"Introduce me to 48, okay?" Uesugi Muneyuki recalled Mai Xuejie's advice and said softly: "I only know Sashihara Rino and Kawabe Mayu."

"Huh? Uesugi-san doesn't know Sakura...... oh, I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot!" Date Nagamune said this and slapped himself: "That one who looks average but has a great figure, with a completely middle-aged woman's face, not looking like an idol but like a nanny, is Sashihara Rino." "Hmm." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

Sashihara Rino is like an experienced tour manager, nimbly moving between her own members and several Fuji TV staff, confirming the details of the later shoot, her laughter clear and bright.

She wears a slightly open off-white cashmere coat, revealing a warm orange knitted sweater underneath, like a small moving, harmless sun; called Zaisha, although she looks ordinary, her figure is very good, but she has had various black marks since her debut; as a result, this "Zaisha" not only turns her own black marks into memes but also cleverly lets herself "hold the red flag against the red flag," instead winning unanimous acclaim and becoming a top-tier comedian.

Sashihara Rino has already achieved a three-peat in the 48 series general election, the undisputed number one in popularity; this year's annual earnings ranking, Sashihara Rino undoubtedly tops the list with 72 million yen in annual income.

"As for that one, it's the original next-generation ACE, Kawabe Mayu."

Kawabe Mayu, nicknamed "Mayuyu," sits alone on the window-side leather sofa, a paperback spread on her knees, her gaze fixed on the ordinary trains constantly passing outside.

She wears a well-tailored navy double-breasted coat, her scarf tied impeccably, her profile quiet as a classical painting, separated from the surrounding slight noise by a transparent wall, contrasting sharply with her lively demeanor on shows.

Kawabe Mayu was originally considered the next-generation ACE after Atsuko Maeda and Yuko Oshima, but in subsequent general elections she topped the poll only once; after that, whether releasing albums, acting in TV dramas, or other endeavors, everything flopped, and for her, now twenty-five, the idol path is nearing its end; her current situation is murky and unclear.

"That one is the next-next-generation ACE Jurina Matsui, also Tangqian Yang's former trusted aide; when Sarina Hirate appeared, she was the undisputed king of strong recommendations; Tangqian Yang previously painstakingly cultivated her, but she has yet to win her first career title to this day." Date Nagamune continued.

"This is what they call the Mukan CJB?" Uesugi Muneyuki chuckled.

Jurina Matsui then leaned against the beverage counter, sipping hot milk in small mouthfuls, her eyes sharp and occasionally scanning the other side of the room—that is Akai Saka 46's territory.

"That's Minami Takahashi's successor as chief director after graduation, Yui Yokoyama, that's Mio Mizutani, that's that's Yui Oguri......"

The atmosphere on the right side is completely different.

Compared to the 48 series' affability and lighthearted laughter, 46's style is much cooler.

The members of Akai Saka are almost all sitting quietly.

Unmovable C Sarina Hirate is sunk into a single-person sofa, her black high-neck sweater and long pants making her almost blend into the shadows.

She wears noise-canceling headphones, her eyelids drooping, as if everything around her has nothing to do with her, only occasionally furrowing her brows slightly due to strong light outside the window, revealing a trace of a 17-year-old girl's arrogance; she has almost no interest in interacting with anyone, beautiful in her solitude.

A tense, poised aura, centered on her, silently permeates.

Captain "Young Lady" Yuuka Sugai sits diagonally opposite her, spine straight as a pine, indeed possessing presence, fitting the image of an equestrian master; she is softly confirming the schedule with Deputy Akane Moriya, her fingertip tracing the paper, making a faint rustling sound.

She wears a light gray plaid coat, a silk scarf around her neck, her deportment perfect beyond reproach, the undisputed leader and protector of this group of silent black sheep; as for Akane Moriya, she is Date Nagamune's dream lover, forever strongly recommended as the "Second Young Lady."

Another popular member, Inori Nagahama, sits beside Akane Moriya, unconsciously squeezing a mineral water bottle in her hand, her gaze somewhat wandering, as if lost in thought, or perhaps slightly curious about the scattered laughter coming from YKC over there.

Uesugi Muneyuki's expression is somewhat strange.

Akai Saka 46's uniform...... reminded him of Nazi military uniforms.

It looks like it, very much like it!

"Hirate, Young Lady, Second Young Lady, and neruneru, oh, that one with the unusually large head but dimwitted is called Rika Watanabe, nicknamed Taitei." Date Nagamune said.

"Taitei? Joel Embiid? 9~L~N"B?" Uesugi Muneyuki raised his eyebrows.

"Not that Taitei from the NBA!" Date Nagamune retorted: "Although I get this meme, but......"

"Hey, Kawabe Mayu is probably getting close to the culling line." Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly smiled: "Sashihara Rino is too; they're likely not far from graduation, the 48 series is also beginning to fade with declining vitality, no wonder Tangqian Yang has focused his attention on 46."

"Everything can be culled, right?" Date Nagamune muttered.

"Akimoto Yasushi's design is indeed impressive; if what you say is true, then the general election actually works by, during the time when idols and fan circles still have vitality and life, draining fans' spending power and enthusiasm through an annual general election, and once an idol is completely drained, they've reached the culling line and can be arranged to graduate." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, speaking with deep meaning.

The 48 series general election works by placing a general election ticket in CDs, then each member of every official paid fan club also receives votes; fans who get tickets and votes can cast them for their favored idol, and based on the members' vote totals, the next selection list is determined: first place is ACE, second to seventh are TOP, eighth and below are Senbatsu, then Under, then down to the Wash-foot Maid nobody cares about...... and so on. This was originally a fan activity to support idols and test how many "active fans" each idol has, but it quickly turned into a game of who has more money, who can chart higher by selling tragic stories to win neutral votes, and after so many years, the general election has become a big comparison of fan circles' organization and financial capacity.

This is why Kawabe Mayu, despite being the next-generation ACE, could only "steal" one win, because her fans are teens and twenty-something idol otaku, while Sashihara Rino's main fan base, the three-peat winner, consists of 35-65-year-old old-timers, and she is essentially a top-tier comedian rather than an idol, and these middle-aged men's financial power cannot be matched by that group of idol otaku.

Looking at it this way, if Sashihara doesn't die, the 48 series will never have anyone surpass her; this combination, already over a decade old, is now fading with declining vitality, and moreover Sakura is not a strong push, no wonder she's under eighteen and already constantly looking for a way out.

"Speaking of the culling line...... Uesugi-san, have you recently watched that very hot video on niconico about the 'Snitch King' regarding the 'American culling line'? Turns out Americans live every day in dire straits." Date Nagamune tried to bring up the topic.

"Let's talk about this later........." Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly saw a familiar person in his line of sight.

Suo Masao's new son, Suo Hinata.

He really came!