to
prevent herself from crying.
“Mimi. Can we meet?”
“We don’t need to meet. You
don’t have to apologise. It’s better this way.”
“Don’t say that...”
“You’re very busy, aren’t you?
I think I am going to be busy from tomorrow onwards as well. Let’s just forget
we ever knew each other.” Mimi switched off her phone and crawled into bed,
crying.
The next day she was woken up
by Yamada. Mimi looked at her and wondered how she would feel if she knew that
Yuki had called her. “Mimi, good morning,” she said brightly.
“Good morning, thanks for
waking me up.”
“Hurry up!” barked Sato from
the living room.
Does that mean that he is my
boss now, thought Mimi grumbling a little. She quickly went to get ready.
“Are you bringing that with
you?” he asked, pointing to her laptop. Mimi nodded. He took it from her and
tucked it under his arm. “Let’s go,” he said, unlocking the front door.
They arrived at his office at
7.30 am. He sat by his desk and gestured to her to take a seat as well.
“Here’s the contract, look
through it. It’s valid for two years. Basically it says that you’ll be under
Niji Music. We are an independent record music label and we manage rock bands.
We will be responsible for the promotion of your music and we will help you
produce your first album. Any questions?”
Mimi looked at Sato and then
looked at the contract. It seemed like a blur of Japanese words. She didn’t think
her Japanese was that good. “Will being non-Japanese be a problem?” she asked.
“No, but I think it will be
advisable for you to attend some advanced Japanese studies. We’ll assign a
personal tutor for you. And remember... We lied about you being my sister, so
we may need to deal with that.”
“Oh yes, what should I say?”
“On second thought, just don’t
say anything. People would think we lied to keep your debut a secret, so it
should not be a problem. Do you have any video footage of your past performances
at the pub?”
“I believe my drummer’s sister
may have recorded some of our performances.”
“Good, ask her to send it to
you and then pass it over to us. We will do some viral marketing.”
Mimi scratched her head and
said, “But what exactly do you need me to do? I mean... Right now? I am feeling
kinda overwhelmed by this...”
Sato said, “Right now, since
your ankle is not well, we’ll focus on recording your demo single and album.
I’ll need you to write more also and go through your songs with me. Once your
leg is well enough, you can be the opening act for one of the
groups under Niji.”
“Sato... Thank you so much,
really...”
“No need to thank me. I would
never sign anyone if I didn’t think they had potential. Go through the contract
today, I’ll assign you a manager tomorrow.”
Mimi walked out of Niji
Building and looked up at the clear blue sky. Taking a deep breath of fresh air
she stretched out her hands and declared, “What a beautiful day! I should go
shopping!” Mimi couldn’t believe that she hasn’t even gone shopping once in
Tokyo. But since her leg is better, and she didn’t need those troublesome
crutches anymore, this was the best time to shop, Mimi thought as she hailed a
cab.
“Take me to Laforet, Harajuku,”
she told the taxi driver. The taxi driver headed towards the youth fashion
district, Harajuku, a place famous for cosplayers and lolitas. Mimi knew that
some of the quirkier mid-range brands were housed there too. From the taxi
window, she saw Takeshita Street, a place renowned for street fashion and
crepes. Mimi suddenly felt hungry.
“I’m sorry Sir, but can you
drop me off here?” she asked. Despite it being a Monday, the place was packed
with high schoolers and stray tourists. Mimi slowly walked along the street,
amazed at the colourful little shops that sold everything from
prevent herself from crying.
“Mimi. Can we meet?”
“We don’t need to meet. You
don’t have to apologise. It’s better this way.”
“Don’t say that...”
“You’re very busy, aren’t you?
I think I am going to be busy from tomorrow onwards as well. Let’s just forget
we ever knew each other.” Mimi switched off her phone and crawled into bed,
crying.
The next day she was woken up
by Yamada. Mimi looked at her and wondered how she would feel if she knew that
Yuki had called her. “Mimi, good morning,” she said brightly.
“Good morning, thanks for
waking me up.”
“Hurry up!” barked Sato from
the living room.
Does that mean that he is my
boss now, thought Mimi grumbling a little. She quickly went to get ready.
“Are you bringing that with
you?” he asked, pointing to her laptop. Mimi nodded. He took it from her and
tucked it under his arm. “Let’s go,” he said, unlocking the front door.
They arrived at his office at
7.30 am. He sat by his desk and gestured to her to take a seat as well.
“Here’s the contract, look
through it. It’s valid for two years. Basically it says that you’ll be under
Niji Music. We are an independent record music label and we manage rock bands.
We will be responsible for the promotion of your music and we will help you
produce your first album. Any questions?”
Mimi looked at Sato and then
looked at the contract. It seemed like a blur of Japanese words. She didn’t think
her Japanese was that good. “Will being non-Japanese be a problem?” she asked.
“No, but I think it will be
advisable for you to attend some advanced Japanese studies. We’ll assign a
personal tutor for you. And remember... We lied about you being my sister, so
we may need to deal with that.”
“Oh yes, what should I say?”
“On second thought, just don’t
say anything. People would think we lied to keep your debut a secret, so it
should not be a problem. Do you have any video footage of your past performances
at the pub?”
“I believe my drummer’s sister
may have recorded some of our performances.”
“Good, ask her to send it to
you and then pass it over to us. We will do some viral marketing.”
Mimi scratched her head and
said, “But what exactly do you need me to do? I mean... Right now? I am feeling
kinda overwhelmed by this...”
Sato said, “Right now, since
your ankle is not well, we’ll focus on recording your demo single and album.
I’ll need you to write more also and go through your songs with me. Once your
leg is well enough, you can be the opening act for one of the
groups under Niji.”
“Sato... Thank you so much,
really...”
“No need to thank me. I would
never sign anyone if I didn’t think they had potential. Go through the contract
today, I’ll assign you a manager tomorrow.”
Mimi walked out of Niji
Building and looked up at the clear blue sky. Taking a deep breath of fresh air
she stretched out her hands and declared, “What a beautiful day! I should go
shopping!” Mimi couldn’t believe that she hasn’t even gone shopping once in
Tokyo. But since her leg is better, and she didn’t need those troublesome
crutches anymore, this was the best time to shop, Mimi thought as she hailed a
cab.
“Take me to Laforet, Harajuku,”
she told the taxi driver. The taxi driver headed towards the youth fashion
district, Harajuku, a place famous for cosplayers and lolitas. Mimi knew that
some of the quirkier mid-range brands were housed there too. From the taxi
window, she saw Takeshita Street, a place renowned for street fashion and
crepes. Mimi suddenly felt hungry.
“I’m sorry Sir, but can you
drop me off here?” she asked. Despite it being a Monday, the place was packed
with high schoolers and stray tourists. Mimi slowly walked along the street,
amazed at the colourful little shops that sold everything from
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