Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 244, The Terrestrial Wave of Female Idols

The girl who spoke was named Yamaguchi Maho. She was 19 years old this year. Last year, she came to Tokyo from Aomori Prefecture to participate in the idol audition and joined the 48 Group. She started her idol career as a trainee. She has a pretty good appearance with regular features. The problem is that she has no talent at all. She is a complete mess when it comes to singing, dancing, acting, and variety shows.

Having no talent whatsoever, all they can do is become an idol.

Because she was afraid that people would say that people from the Tohoku region, like Aomori Prefecture, were from the countryside, Maho Yamaguchi always said that she came from Niigata Prefecture and that her favorite historical figure was Uesugi Kenshin.

Actually, 19 years old is already considered old age for female idols.

As mentioned earlier, in Japan, the prime time for female celebrities is very short. A regular actress playing a minor role usually has to be around 18 or 19 years old before she can start playing leading roles in dramas. If she hasn't become famous by 24 or 25, she can prepare to change careers and get married. Even if she becomes famous and every drama she stars in becomes a hit, she still needs to prepare to change careers after 32.

However, female idols have even shorter lifespans; for them, twenty-three or twenty-four years old is considered old.

This is related to a key benchmark set by predecessors—the famous Japanese diva Momoe Yamaguchi was born in 1959. She debuted in 1972 with the film "The Dancing Girl of Izu" at the age of 13. In 1980, after leaving behind countless popular works and songs, she announced her retirement from the entertainment industry and married Tomokazu Miura at the age of 21.

To be fair, Momoe Yamaguchi was indeed the number one female idol at the time, a top-tier diva. However, the likes of Seiko Matsuda behind her were only half a step behind her. Moreover, Momoe Yamaguchi went through a period of puberty when her voice wasn't in good condition, and her songs and films could only be described as second-rate.

However, by retiring at the peak of her career at the age of 21 and disappearing from people's lives at the most beautiful moment, Yamaguchi Momoe established her unparalleled status as the "GOAT" of female idols. It's like how Jordan won eight consecutive championships after his debut and then went straight to playing baseball at the age of 29 and never returned to the NBA. People would start to think that if Jordan had played until he was 37, he might have won all the NBA championships in the entire 90s.

Influenced by Momoe Yamaguchi, female idols have very short lifespans, and it's really rare to see someone like Maho Yamaguchi who only participated in auditions at the age of 18.

Sakura Miyawaki herself went to Tokyo at the age of 13, became a TOP at 15, and now at 16, she is already feeling a sense of urgency, feeling that she is no longer a newbie.

Although no one seems to realize it, Sakura Miyawaki has already noticed that YKC48 is declining. After the earliest members, such as ACE Maeda Atsushi, Oshima Yu, and Kojima Naa, retired, the 48 Group's overall attention is actually only maintained by the long tail effect, and its actual influence is not as great as before.

But Sakura Miyawaki didn't come to Tokyo just to be a top idol.

The girl has already set goals for her 20th birthday: a two-night stay in an executive-level kaiseki suite at Hakone Onsen, a complete set of Harry Winston jewelry, a candlelight dinner at a Michelin three-star restaurant in Ginza and Roppongi, a press conference at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo with its golden screen, and Tokyo Disneyland's 33 Club. I want it all!

Because I'm an invincible beautiful girl! Because I'm Sakura from Kagoshima, Kyushu!
What exactly is Maho Yamaguchi doing here, since she only entered the competition at 18 and joined the group as a trainee at 19?

As a result, what Yamaguchi Maho said shocked her.

This woman actually had a relationship with Uesugi Muneyuki?

This, isn't this right?

Sure enough, these words were like a depth charge, silencing the entire room.

Maho Yamaguchi realized she had misspoke and immediately covered her mouth, shaking her head frantically, "No, no, no! I admit my mistake!"

The 48 Group is a famous "no dating" group. Female idols in the group are forbidden from dating. Although this was later changed by Western feminism to "allow unrequited love but prohibit romantic relationships", if idol fans find out that their favorite idol has a boyfriend, their popularity will definitely plummet.

But by then, no one believed it anymore.

The 48 Group already has a lot of members; when they record a program, dozens of people come, with about twenty going on stage and a whole bunch of others below.

"Maho-chan! Tell me the truth, what exactly is your relationship with Forensic Examiner Uesugi?"

"Maho-chan, could it be that you really..."

"Speak up! I'm ordering you as a senior, so confess honestly!"

"Waaaaah, so Maho-chan isn't a virgin anymore. The otaku will be so sad. When she's performing on stage for those fat otaku, she must be thinking about Uesugi the forensic officer, right? Waaaaah, I want to be with Uesugi the forensic officer too!"

"Yamaguchi, don't be so stingy, share Uesugi-san's phone number with us!"

Miyawaki Sakura watched coldly from the sidelines.

The situation inside a girl idol group is very complicated. Only by actually being in an idol group can you know how many twists and turns there are. It's the kind of situation where four people in a dormitory can create five chat groups.

Among the maids who were questioning Yamaguchi Maho, almost none of them were sincere; they were all filled with mad envy, jealousy, and hatred, albeit with different inclinations.

Ah, that makes sense. For female idols who are forbidden from dating, if they haven't made it into the selection process or even the top group within about three years of joining the group, most of the girls will start having other ideas. That's why "private contact" is so rampant. Yamaguchi Maho refused to say anything, and her manager quickly came to her rescue. The group reluctantly dispersed, with some continuing on other shows and others forced to return to the dark and dreary theater to continue their lives as lackeys.

Naturally, Yamaguchi Maho, who was still a trainee, was also considered a "foot servant" and had to return to the theater.

But for some reason, when the manager and staff were preparing to arrange the next group of people to appear on Fuji TV, Maho Yamaguchi's name was on the list!
"??????"

Without much thought, when they were taken to Fuji TV in the van, the entire selection team saw from afar that Abiru, the director of Fuji TV's FNS production bureau, was already waiting with his men.

To a young idol, this person is an absolute big shot!
After the last Fuji TV case, thanks to the suggestion of live broadcasting, the case of Fuji TV anchor Mariko Hironaka hanging in the wall was transformed from a scandal into a national-level viewership program that surpassed the level of the Kohaku Uta Gassen. Director Abiru and President Kameyama together established their unshakeable positions within the Fuji TV board of directors. It is said that after this term as director of the production department is over, he will be promoted to a director of the Fuji TV board of directors.

As for the idols, let alone the production director, they have to bow and scrape to any scholar with a little status on variety shows, and even after the show is recorded, they have to drink and sing with the production team.

"So you're Maho Yamaguchi?" Director Abiru said rather arrogantly.

"Yes, I am Maho Yamaguchi. Nice to meet you." The girl from Aomori Prefecture bowed very, very humbly.

"Okay, come with me." Director Abiru and the manager behind Yamaguchi Maho exchanged a glance.

The agent gestured to the person, "I've brought it to you."

This is truly a pleasant surprise.

And so, in full view of everyone, Yamaguchi Maho was taken away by Abiru and his group.

The 19-year-old girl was quickly taken to a secret facility in the Odaiba building.

“Alright, let’s keep it simple, Ms. Yamaguchi.” Director Abiru personally sat down opposite her, dismissing everyone else, and asked, “Is it true that you had a relationship with Uesugi Muneyuki?”

"I..." The girl still subconsciously wanted to deny it, but the person in front of her was too high a status for her idol. She murmured weakly a few times, not knowing whether denying it would have a devastating impact on her.

Doesn't every girl who goes to Beijing to become an idol harbor a dream of making a name for herself?

“Oh~” Abiru Kazuhiko, as a core member of Fuji TV, immediately understood.

Ah, that makes things easier.

"Ms. Yamaguchi, we didn't mean to pry into your privacy, please forgive us. We mainly want to produce a variety talk show about Uesugi Muneyuki. We just don't understand what kind of style Uesugi Forensic Officer likes. I mean, if we need someone to hold up a sign and read the lines to interact with Uesugi-kun, do you think you can do it?"

Maho Yamaguchi was knocked unconscious by a giant pancake that fell from the sky.

Waves on the ground!
It's actually the terrestrial broadcast that all idols dream of!
Moreover, it's a prime time slot, a super spot where you can show your face, recite lines, and interact with Uesugi Muneyuki!

This...this is something even the TOP team can't get.

"I...I...I will try my best..." the girl replied without hesitation.

“Very good, Ms. Yamaguchi, we are pleased that you accepted Fuji TV’s invitation. However, before that, we need to confirm one thing: is your previous statement true? Did you really have a relationship with Uesugi Muneyuki?” Director Abiru followed up by asking, “This is related to whether you can join the program’s discussion.”

Maho Yamaguchi felt a blur before her eyes, a shift from heaven to hell in an instant.

No, she has to get this role, she has to get this role no matter the cost!
Her dreams, her future, everything she longed for in the capital...

So, Yamaguchi Maho told everything, from her chance encounter with Uesugi Muneyuki during the Tokyo auditions to their severing of contact after her successful audition, leaving nothing out.

She knew it wasn't good; she knew that telling the truth would be a huge burden on her.

But she couldn't care less about that anymore.

Everything for terrestrial wave!
Ground wave of female idols!

(End of this chapter)