"Huh? What?"
-----------------------------
What do you mean, bought the wrong ticket?
Everyone present looked confused.
"Could it be the same as Sister Acheron…?"
"A characteristic?" Tingyun said, her eyes flickering.
Acheron's terrible sense of direction was famous throughout the company. When she got lost, no one could stop her, and she could always make something big out of it.
"Mm…"
"Even more exaggerated than that." Xia Wen didn't even know how to respond.
At this moment, not far away from the company, Rappa, wearing a hat and holding her skateboard, was weaving through the streets.
Muttering strange lyrics under her breath,
"Yo, yo, beat drop"
"MiHoYo invitation makes me lose my head"
"My trembling hands bought the wrong ticket, my sin!"
"Such a crime cannot be forgiven!"
"Redeem myself at once, don't stop moving!"
The skateboard glided along the street.
Fortunately, because this area was near MiHoYo, people often appeared in eccentric outfits.
So this lively girl rapping on a skateboard actually looked quite normal among the crowd of oddballs.
Rappa was in a hurry.
After receiving MiHoYo's invitation, she, in her excitement, immediately bought a plane ticket here.
But in her frenzy, she hadn't noticed the city name, and accidentally bought the wrong ticket.
It wasn't until she boarded the plane that she realized the destination wasn't even here.
Otherwise, she would have arrived two days ago!
She just hoped she could still make it in time for her performance.
Especially since Xia Wen had promised she could perform her own rap in the play.
As a true underground rapper from Japan, that was an incredibly precious opportunity.
Not only that, as a world-class company, MiHoYo's pay was bound to be generous too.
While skating, Rappa couldn't help but think of her life from before.
Back in Japan, she had always been active as a solo underground rapper.
Writing songs, producing them, even holding small live shows, usually only able to rent the cheapest venues.
Many times she couldn't even afford them, but for her dream, Rappa kept her energy high, working part-time while making music.
And because the environment was so harsh, she often fainted from low blood sugar.
Calling herself an "underground rapper" was almost inaccurate now.
More precisely, she was nearly a "off-beat rapper."
Even so, Rappa truly loved rap. Through it, she could speak her truth, be herself, and strike back against society's evils.
That freedom, being true to herself, was more intoxicating than being full.
She thought things would always continue that way.
Until one day, an older man appeared before her, holding out a contract and a hefty signing bonus.
He said he admired her talent. And invited her to debut as the rap member of an idol group.
She was persuaded. Not because of the money, but because of the girls who came with him.
Those bright, dream-filled girls told her about their wish to become idols and to heal others through their songs.
That deeply moved Rappa. If her rapping could help everyone go further as a group, then she was all for it.
So, just like that, Rappa clumsily went from solo to group performer.
Finally, with financial support, she could rap her own songs and help her friends chase their dreams.
It was wonderful.
But… was it really? Once Rappa stepped into the underground idol scene, she discovered it was far darker and filthier than she'd imagined.
Those glamorous idols on stage, behind the scenes, they were disgusting.
Some would smoke constantly backstage, cigarette after cigarette, and curse their fans while doing so.
That completely shattered the impression Rappa had when she first met them.
But there were a few who were unhappy with the situation, their frustration clearly visible.
The agency was even worse. For every performance, they took nearly all the profits, leaving just enough for the members to scrape by.
Every day they worked themselves to exhaustion, training endlessly, chasing a dream that never came true: "You'll make it big someday."
Everyone had to follow the manager's orders completely. One misstep, and you'd lose your spot on stage. And there were even worse things…
Rappa finally couldn't take it anymore. Before one show, she secretly swapped the backing track for a modified version, changed the lyrics, and on stage, in front of everyone, she unleashed her rage.
Her true rapper spirit despised evil , she would show no mercy.
That day, both the audience and her groupmates were stunned as she poured out her fury on stage.
The manager was fuming.
"Yo, these stage lights are too bright, can't shine through backstage spite."
"Manager counting cash by hand, what's an idol's worth in yen?"
"Contracts hiding chains, surgery masks as training's gain."
"Dreams of friends drained dry, only cigarette butts and lies remain."
When the verse ended, Rappa still wasn't satisfied.
To the same beat, she performed her planned hook:
"Explode, illusions! (Hey!)"
"Tear off the sugar-coated wrapping! (Hear me rap!)"
"Load my rhymes like bullets, fire through this filthy stage!"
"Rappa's soul won't believe lies!"
And as the music stopped, Rappa ended with an a cappella verse.
"My name… is Rappa."
"'Ran' for breaking rules, 'Pa' for forging my path."
"Idols? Inferno? … Better to rule the true throne of rap!"
Very chuunibyou. Very fitting for Rappa's vibe.
After singing that, she thought she had doomed herself.
And indeed, she had.
But ironically, the audience went wild.
"Rappa!"
"Rappa!"
"Rappa!"
The shouts nearly tore the floor off the live venue.
The fans went insane. Someone had actually dared to openly attack the industry's corruption.
So bold! So full of personality! So different from any idol before!
And the final lyrics, absolutely explosive!
Rappa stood on stage staring blankly at the crowd below. This wasn't what she'd expected at all…
At the very least, after hearing her true words of endurance and realizing the filth of the industry, these audience members should have at least felt disappointed, right?
Why were they so excited? Amid her confusion, the performance ended.
She returned backstage. The punishment she had expected never came.
Her manager, whose face had been red and blue with anger, suddenly turned ecstatic when he saw how excited the fans were.
"Good job, Rappa! That was some amazing scolding!"
"When did you even write that kind of rap?"
"Well done!"
"From today on, you're the team's ace! I'll give you plenty of room to shine!"
The manager began to talk endlessly.
How to create a good public persona, just curse him, curse everyone.
That way, fans would find it fresh, they'd think Rappa was different from other idols.
Finally, the manager emphasized: "As long as it makes money and the fans love it, you can curse however you want, curse your teammates, curse me, curse the company, it doesn't matter."
Hearing those words, looking at her manager, chaos surged through Rappa's mind.
'Can a person really turn into something completely without dignity, just for money?'
She had clearly written lyrics of justice, meant to expose the darkness , yet here, her art had become a tool for capital to make money.
Even these things can be twisted by capital?!
At that moment, beyond her own grief, Rappa noticed countless gazes.
"So jealous of Rappa."
"Congratulations, Rappa."
"Rappa-sis is so cool."
"Wow, I always knew Rappa wasn't an ordinary person."
That's what they said. But their eyes told a different story.
Jealousy, resentment, anger, pressure.
All the emotions of failure were being projected onto her.
Why had it come to this? They could've used the funds to make better works.
They could've helped those girls achieve their dreams. That would've been double the happiness, why had it come to this?
"I refuse!" Rappa made her final stand.
She refused to perform again.
Amid the gloating stares of her teammates. The manager's smile vanished.
"You signed a contract. If you don't fulfill it, we have the right to demand breach-of-contract compensation…"
And so, the coercion began. The agency threatened her with penalties, while at the same time, frantically promoting her performance.
It caused a sensation in the underground idol scene.
Everyone wanted to see this idol with such a strong personality.
Tickets that used to never sell out suddenly sold instantly.
Even her teammates tried to persuade her.
"Rappa-sis, please, don't drag the group down."
"You really only ever think about yourself, huh."
There were pleas, there was ridicule. But ultimately, they all just wanted her back on stage.
Without Rappa, their idol group was finished.
But that went against Rappa's principles. She refused to do it.
As the next performance approached, the company officially filed a lawsuit.
They had plenty of ways to deal with her.
But Rappa wasn't afraid, she was prepared to fight the agency until the very end.
That was the path of her true endurance! Never bow to darkness!
And then.
A miracle happened.
That day.
The manager brought the other group members to persuade her one last time.
"That's such a huge penalty fee."
"If you take that burden, you'll be working like a slave for the company your whole life."
"If you make peace with the company now, you'll just have to work ten more years. After that, you'll be free , and they'll even give you a nice reward."
"Think it over carefully."
After the manager's words came those of her groupmates.
"Rappa-sis, just agree with the company."
"This offer is already very generous."
"Yeah, no need to go against money."
"Plus, you'll get famous!"
"Isn't that what being an idol is all about?"
They pleaded with her, their eyes glimmering, yet that glimmer betrayed something deeper, a desperate wish that she would just give in.
And having been together for so long, they knew Rappa's personality , they knew she would never compromise.
But just then, an uninvited guest arrived.
The company boss, who had once yelled at Rappa, now bent down obsequiously as he entered.
Even the manager looked shocked. Rappa raised her head blankly.
"Who would've thought our tiny industry would draw the attention of the Kamisato family?"
"What an honor, truly!"
"Hahaha!" The boss's fat face squeezed into a smile.
The manager also suddenly realized something.
He didn't understand why such people would care about a small idol, but this was the Kamisato family!
Not only immensely powerful, a giant, it was said that the Kamisato family's young lady held an important position in a global entertainment conglomerate that had conquered the world.
Their influence was unbelievably massive.
To be associated with such a force, even if they had come to pick someone out, even if they picked the manager himself, he'd gladly accept.
However. Things weren't as they imagined.
The two ladies from the Kamisato family simply smiled, walked up to Rappa, and respectfully handed her an invitation letter and two business cards.
"Miss Rappa. The Kamisato family formally extends an invitation to you."
"All related details are in this letter."
"These two cards belong to Lord Ayato and Miss Ayaka."
"If you need anything within Japan, you may contact this number anytime."
"If you need assistance with anything outside of Japan, please reach out to Miss Ayaka, that is the Kamisato family's will."
They were polite and respectful. Rappa couldn't immediately understand why the Kamisato family would seek her out.
But she wasn't one to hesitate, she opened the letter right away and began to read.
Meanwhile, everyone around her, the agency staff and her teammates, were frozen in shock.
Because on the letter Rappa had just opened and placed beside her, they saw a familiar logo.
[MiHoYo]
Connecting that with what the Kamisato representatives had said, that this was an invitation from a partner, and knowing of the close collaboration between MiHoYo and the Kamisato family.
Then seeing the MiHoYo logo now, a thunderous thought struck everyone's minds.
Rappa… She had received an invitation from MiHoYo?!
That was something even more unreal than their wildest midnight fantasies.
It meant not just fame, but transcendence itself.