Hiko brought Ai to the venue listed on the ticket.
Upon entering, he saw various styles of alcohol bottles displayed in cabinets behind the counter. There weren't many people inside at the moment; including the customers, there were only five.
After scanning the shop's surroundings and not seeing the person from yesterday, he led Ai into the performance hall.
As Hiko entered, he noticed the space wasn't very large.
He estimated it to be about a hundred square meters, including the stage area.
The areas of the performance hall not illuminated by lights were as dark as night.
The stage was equipped with various lighting fixtures and performance machines.
About a meter in front of the stage, there was a railing, probably to prevent the audience from getting too close.
When he and Ai entered, there were only three men present in the hall.
"Are we too early? Why are there so few people?" Ai looked around the empty venue, puzzled.
She picked up her ticket to check the time again:
February 27th, 17:05
The time was correct. It was almost five o'clock—so why were there only three audience members?
Hiko had already known there wouldn't be many people, but the number still surprised him.
That girl had worked so hard to sell tickets, yet so few people were willing to buy them?
Perhaps her approach was wrong. An unknown idol group relying on ticket sales to attract an audience… Hiko felt that girl had chosen the wrong path.
Underground idols usually offered free admission, earning money through photo opportunities, handshake tickets, special merchandise, and time spent with the idols.
But she immediately asked passersby to pay for tickets to see an unknown group.
With such an approach, it wasn't surprising that there weren't many audience members.
Hiko had thought that since she was so confident in selling tickets, she must have had many fans. He expected at least twenty people to show up, but now, close to showtime, there were fewer than ten.
He felt speechless about her confidence, though he still replied calmly, "It's an underground idol event, this is normal."
As Hiko spoke, two men walked in from outside. They were surprised by the empty hall but quickly found a place to stand.
Hiko pulled Ai toward a corner, away from the other men.
"But she even dressed up in a cat-eared outfit, and still only sold a few tickets?" Ai felt it was unfair.
"Effort doesn't necessarily bring results, and her approach to underground idol activities is wrong."
Hiko shook his head. "If she had simply promoted the performance and invited passersby to come watch, this place would probably be packed. But instead, she's selling tickets like a regular concert, just to increase the audience..."
"Isn't it basically the same thing?" Ai asked, confused. She didn't think selling tickets was wrong. "How do concerts make money without selling tickets?"
"Regular concerts do make money from ticket sales, but they also have related income streams beyond that."
Seeing Ai's puzzled look, Hiko explained, "Underground idols at the early stage rely on merchandise, handshake tickets, photo books, special goods, time with the idol, and so on."
"As an underground idol without an established fan base, what she should be doing isn't earning money through ticket sales, but building up fans first. But she got that wrong. For an unknown underground idol, trying to operate by the standards of mainstream idols or celebrities is a mistake. If she filters for fans through paid tickets, the fan base will stay tiny, and once one or two fans drop out, then..."
Hiko didn't finish his sentence.
What he wanted to say was, "there are many impoverished idols who end up taking other paths."
"I don't think that girl looks like it's her first time selling tickets for a concert," Ai said. From her behavior, Ai could tell the girl was confident and even encouraged customers to buy more tickets. That clearly wasn't the attitude of a first-timer. "Is this the only reason there are so few fans?"
"If I had to guess, she probably has some principles she sticks to, and most likely comes from a good family background. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to afford the venue fees and other expenses needed to host multiple idol activities."
"Venue fees? Didn't the owner here invite them to perform? Why would they have to pay?" Ai was surprised that idols had to pay venue fees.
In her impression, idols were the ones invited by organizers to perform—and the organizers were the ones paying them.
"Invited idols don't pay venue fees, they get paid. But those girls weren't invited; they rented the stage themselves. So of course they have to cover the costs."
"Otherwise, did you think I was joking when I said idols could end up in debt?"
Hiko pinched Ai's cheek.
"Then what about what you said before? That you'd let me perform on a stage with thousands of people watching... wouldn't that cost a fortune too?" Ai suddenly brought up the issue of venue fees.
"Don't worry about such small matters." Hiko reached out and stroked Ai's head.
Ai swatted his hand away. "Don't mess with me."
She grabbed his wrists and said, "Don't push your luck!"
"How am I?" Hiko thought he could easily break free if he wanted, but he didn't struggle.
"Hmph! Your hands are too unruly!" Ai tried to hold his wrists with one hand, then used her free hand to tickle his side.
"Hiss! What are you doing!"
Hiko flinched from the sudden attack, instinctively pulling back and breaking free from her grasp. He quickly retaliated.
But Ai was prepared, she dodged and stepped back just in time.
"Who told you to pinch my face just now!" Ai laughed as she retreated, keeping her distance.
"Why are you running so far?" Hiko said, giving up on the chase.
"Should I just stand still and let you get me back? Am I that foolish?" Ai replied.
At that moment, three more men entered from outside.
"Ahem..." The earlier passersby saw the two kids bickering and coughed, hoping they would stop their playful fight.