Sing it for me?

Directly outside the entrance, signs indicated which agencies were holding interviews inside the building. As talent became increasingly difficult to find, companies naturally erected eye-catching welcome signs right at the ground floor entrance.

With May already here, the agencies still conducting interviews were mostly small and medium-sized enterprises.

Tō Zhiming found it a bit strange: with her looks, she shouldn't still be looking for a job at this point in the year, should she?

However, after spotting one of the three interview directional signs, Tō Zhiming understood instantly and headed straight to the floor where the music agency was located.

The building was actually rather old and worn, and the offices inside were not much different from ordinary residential apartments.

When Tō Zhiming arrived at the entrance of this music agency, he quietly waited there.

The door was closed, but he could faintly hear voices from within.

It was a very small music agency, and the so-called briefing session was not complicated at all; it shouldn't take long.

Tō Zhiming wasn't entirely sure what kind of mindset he had standing here at this moment, but among the idols of this generation in Japan, there were indeed only a few individuals who had left a deep impression on him.

One was Yoshiko Sakaguchi, whom even Yōsuke Ueno had been somewhat infatuated with on the night he had first transmigrated.

Another was Akina Nakamori, who had been ruined by a scumbag and broken the hearts of countless people.

The third was this talented yet ill-fated woman, Izumi Sakai.

At this moment, she was still going by her real name and was still in college.

Yet she was clearly already dreaming of pursuing her musical aspirations.

Tō Zhiming waited quietly outside the door, letting his mind drift.

Why overthink things? He had crossed paths with her, and since she had left such a deep impression on him, approaching her was only natural.

He held himself to no restraints.

It was just that making such a sudden, proactive acquaintance and chasing her all the way here made figuring out how to interact with her next a bit of a headache.

In this era where communication methods were still backward, he could only rely on his handsome face and his status as a University of Tokyo student to transform what might seem like a stalker's harassment into a marvelous encounter.

Sachiko蒲池's interview indeed did not last very long; perhaps she was the only person coming in for an interview today.

Since she had taken the initiative to come for an interview, it might have just been for some behind-the-scenes production work.

Hearing someone inside say, "Thank you for your hard work, goodbye," Tō Zhiming stopped leaning against the wall and stood up straight.

Sachiko蒲池 emerged from the door and first bowed inside again, saying, "Thank you! Sorry to have disturbed you!"

Hearing no follow-up conversation, could she have been explicitly rejected?

Sure enough, after the door closed behind her, Sachiko蒲池 puffed out her cheeks with a sigh before turning around with a slightly relieved expression.

Seeing Tō Zhiming, she let out a soft "Ah" of surprise and took two steps back.

"Is the interview over?" Tō Zhiming also took two deliberate steps back. "I really just wanted to get to know you."

As the two of them each took two steps back, the distance between them actually increased.

Tō Zhiming wore as kind a smile as he could manage: "Did it go well?"

Sachiko蒲池's eyes widened in slight fear.

Tō Zhiming rubbed his forehead in distress: "I've caused you trouble. How about this, I'll head downstairs first, alright?"

With that, he offered a polite nod and turned toward the stairs.

Sachiko蒲池 currently had ten thousand questions swirling in her mind, but she couldn't just stand there motionlessly.

Besides, Tō Zhiming's actions also conveyed that he harbored no malicious intent.

Walking quietly behind him and watching his back, Sachiko蒲池 began to feel a twinge of shyness.

A boy of about her own age had spotted her in a crowd, bravely walked up to say he wanted to get to know her, and then relentlessly tracked her down here...

She shook her head: she couldn't simply view a guy who stalked a girl this directly as some romantic encounter!

His schoolbag was bulging with something, and she had no idea what was stuffed inside!

The stairwell echoed with the sound of their footsteps. When they reached the ground floor entrance, Tō Zhiming waited there.

Sachiko蒲池 lingered at the foot of the stairs, looking somewhat timid and hesitant.

Tō Zhiming felt a helpless surge of exasperation.

This was an era when landlines were still the most convenient form of communication, and building a sense of trust was agonizingly difficult.

Especially when they had merely met on the street—the context was completely unfavorable.

Yet since they had run into each other, why wait for later?

He simply walked slowly toward her: "Being cautious around strangers is a very good habit. Would you like to inspect my identification, Officer Sachiko?"

Tō Zhiming reached out, rummaged through his schoolbag, and handed his student ID to her: "See, I wasn't lying."

Sachiko蒲池 felt somewhat awkward. She merely glanced at it and stepped back to bow: "Excuse me, I truly... have never had an experience like this."

"How could that be?" Tō Zhiming laughed. "I find that hard to believe."

Sachiko蒲池 grew even more flustered. After all, she was still a student, usually rather quiet and unaccustomed to handling such situations.

Was he complimenting her looks? How could he be so brazenly proactive?

Sachiko蒲池 averted her gaze: "It's true... You following me all the way here took me by surprise..."

"I saw you looking back over the pedestrian bridge," Tō Zhiming said with a smile, putting away his student ID. "Because I wanted to get to know you, I had no choice... Otherwise, it would have been very hard to find you again."

Seeing her looking so flustered, it was hard to imagine that she would later be scouted on the street. Was it because she gained some worldly experience after entering the workforce and shed this youthful bashfulness?

"If I just stand here like this, people are going to suspect me," Tō Zhiming joked, stepping back again. "Are you looking for a music-related job? Perhaps I can help you."

Sachiko蒲池 suddenly snapped her gaze back to him, her eyes brightening slightly: "Really?"

Tō Zhiming nodded with a smile: "Right nearby, let's find a coffee shop and sit down for a moment, shall we?"

Sachiko蒲池 took a breath, then gave a slight nod.

...

They found the very first coffee shop by the roadside, and Tō Zhiming walked in together with Sachiko蒲池.

Only then did Sachiko蒲池 relax enough to observe him, noticing that the clothes he wore didn't look cheap at all.

When he asked what she wanted to drink, Sachiko蒲池 simply ordered a relatively inexpensive juice.

Tō Zhiming went along with it, settling into his seat and continuing to look at her.

The face-to-face seating made Sachiko蒲池 somewhat self-conscious, prompting her to speak up: "About music..."

"Oh..." Tō Zhiming smiled, his gaze never leaving her. "I know a major president who has established an entertainment company and has plans to produce music as well. Sachiko-chan, are you still looking for a job even now?"

"...Actually, I already have an informal offer lined up, but I still want to give it a try on the path of music, so..."

"I knew it," Tō Zhiming maintained his cheerful demeanor. "Did it not go well today? The people at that agency didn't try to keep you."

Sachiko蒲池 nodded with a mixture of self-deprecation and awkwardness: "In terms of production, I only write lyrics, and they said they don't have dedicated positions for that."

"It's fine, I believe in you!"

Sachiko蒲池 looked at him in blank astonishment: Is he only saying that because he has a favorable impression of me? Is he really going to be this straightforward?

"...Thank you." Sachiko蒲池 felt rather deflated instead. After all, in the realm of music, she only liked to sing and write lyrics. Yet whenever she had to sing or perform in front of others, she always found it difficult to let go and lacked that certain musician aura.

Tō Zhiming decided to play the role of the enthusiastic fan, smiling as he asked, "Have you already graduated, or are you still studying somewhere?"

Even though Tō Zhiming already knew the answer, Sachiko蒲池 replied, "Shoin Women's Junior College. You've definitely never heard of it."

"I know it, it's in Kanagawa," Tō Zhiming nodded in response. You'll become outrageously famous in the future, and right now, big brother here has all the details clear.

Sure enough, Sachiko蒲池 looked at him with some surprise.

Do University of Tokyo students know about things like this?

Tō Zhiming smiled and said, "It seems we're graduating around the same time; you could even call us classmates. Did Sachiko-chan come all the way to Tokyo specifically for interviews today?"

Sachiko蒲池 nodded: "Yes, I'm heading back to Kanagawa shortly."

The waiter brought their drinks over, but Sachiko蒲池 felt there was nothing left to talk about.

Knowing how much she longed to embark on a musical career—so much so that she was still searching even after securing an informal offer—Tō Zhiming took a sip of his coffee and said, "Sachiko-chan, I know my approach today felt rather sudden. However, please don't view me as some weird guy. How about you just take my contact information for now, alright?"

"...Alright." Sachiko蒲池 felt she had no excuse to refuse this.

Tō Zhiming smiled as he took out a slip of paper he had written on in the car and handed it over: "This is my phone number; you can reach out whenever you want. If you don't have many friends in Tokyo yet, just think of me as another one."

Sachiko蒲池 took the slip of paper and nodded: "Nice to meet you."

Being glad was just polite talk, and Tō Zhiming knew it.

"In any case, what I said about being able to help you in your musical career is also genuine," Tō Zhiming said frankly. "Please don't be additionally guarded against me just because I took the initiative to get to know you. I suppose I'm not that obnoxious, right?"

Sachiko蒲池 couldn't help but smile.

Perhaps it was simply because it was all too sudden. Otherwise, given his looks and background, he ought to be quite popular with other girls his age.

Besides, asked in that manner, how could anyone say no to his face?

Seeing her smile, Tō Zhiming felt much more at ease: "Are you taking the train back to Kanagawa soon?"

Sachiko蒲池 pressed her lips together, nodded, and then sipped her juice. Her expression and mannerisms always retained that slight sense of being unable to let go around strangers.

"Then... would you mind if I saw you off?" Tō Zhiming probed cautiously.

"No, no, no..." Sachiko蒲池 was startled and hastily refused. Are you kidding me? This person was the complete opposite of her personality; could he be any more proactive?

She was truly a bit bewildered.

Although she wasn't blind to the fact that she had started attracting some attention as she grew up, even among all the people she had ever met, he was by far the most direct and proactive one.

Sachiko蒲池 even harbored a faint yearning for his bright optimism and formidable mental strength.

"...You won't throw my phone number into the trash the moment you get home, will you?" Tō Zhiming joked, his eyes fixed on her the entire time.

"How could I be so rude?" Sachiko蒲池 couldn't quite handle this.

"Then I'm relieved," Tō Zhiming pivoted the conversation. "What made you want to get into the music industry in the first place?"

Only then did Sachiko蒲池 breathe a sigh of relief and start talking about a topic she was familiar with: "Please don't laugh if I say this... It's because I feel singers can pour their inner thoughts out through song on stage, and I yearn for that dazzling state. Perhaps to Tao-kun, I seem far too guarded—please don't mind it. Honestly, I wish I could become as cheerful as Tao-kun, but it's a bit difficult for me to pull off."

"It's fine. Actually, the way you are right now has a charm of its own. Even among singers, everyone possesses their own unique aura. Sachiko-chan, I believe that as long as you're a singer, you'll succeed one day! I trust my own judgment!"

Looking at his earnest expression, Sachiko蒲池 asked cautiously, "Really? You haven't even heard me sing..."

"Then once you feel a bit less like a stranger to me, would you sing for me? I'd love to be your audience."

Just as Tō Zhiming finished saying this earnestly, the phone in his schoolbag rang.

Sachiko蒲池 was dumbfounded: why on earth was a telephone ringing from inside his schoolbag?

Watching him pull out a massive mobile phone, Sachiko蒲池 blinked repeatedly: so the bulging schoolbag was actually packed with *this*?

"...Excuse me." Tō Zhiming had no choice; it was likely Zhao Yuanxi.

Answering the call, it indeed turned out to be Zhao Yuanxi complaining: "Didn't you say you were coming to pick me up? I couldn't find you anywhere."

"...Take a taxi yourself."

"Fine... Where should I go then?" What other choice did Zhao Yuanxi have?

"Come to my place." Tō Zhiming smiled at Sachiko蒲池 and rattled off his home address.

Sachiko蒲池 lowered her head. He lived in Minato Ward?

Yet he didn't seem to be deliberately announcing where he lived just for her benefit, especially since he was on the phone with someone else...

After hanging up and putting the phone away, Tō Zhiming naturally garnered several odd looks from around the coffee shop.

Anyone walking around with a mobile phone automatically had the word "wealthy" stamped across their forehead.

And someone speaking in a foreign language stood out even more.

"Pardon me..." Tō Zhiming smiled apologetically; he certainly hadn't intended to show off his wealth in front of Sachiko蒲池.

But Sachiko蒲池, having overheard his conversation, was thoroughly bewildered: "Just now... what language was that?"

"Mandarin," Tō Zhiming didn't hide it.

Sachiko蒲池 marvelled: "Incredible, Tao-kun even studied Mandarin? And English is mandatory too—as expected of a University of Tokyo student..."

Tō Zhiming laughed: "I didn't study it purposely; my grandfather came from China."

"Eh?"

Tō Zhiming teased her with a question: "You aren't going to be even more guarded against me now, are you?"

"Eh?" Sachiko蒲池 hurriedly shook her head. "How could I think that?"

She thought for a moment and added: "I believe you just wanted to... get to know me. I'm sorry, I'm just not very good at interacting with strangers..."

"That's great! It's totally fine!" Tō Zhiming agreed earnestly. "Let's get back to what we were saying. How about coming to Tokyo to sing karaoke some day when you have time? I have a hunch you'll sing wonderfully!"

Sachiko蒲池 once again averted her gaze.

Wasn't this a date invitation?

Was it?

Are University of Tokyo students really this confident and outgoing?

Just like that with a girl they've only just met?