Future Plans

"If you don't have anything you need to get done then, come on over and I'll show you some basic stuff."

Elric was just finishing up with his classes for the day, and before he and Ember could start heading home, the young couple was approached by a man.

After greeting them with the standard The Boys greeting, it was clear who he was.

Dargonrunner, the leader of a talent management club in the college.

It sounded a bit odd, but it would be helpful for many people's careers to gain some experience and knowledge on the subject, and their management helped the college with their sports teams, so they provided plenty of support for the club to run.

Even despite not having a ton of members or being well-known, the management club had access to more money than almost any other club on campus.

Ember still planned to head back home to continue working on music with the Wagner bros, and Peliston had agreed to work with them on adapting Ember's songs.

While he wasn't originally a musical person, Elric's father had spent enough time around Alison to pick up on a thing or two.

"I'll see you later then, Ember. Good luck with songs!"

Elric leaned forward and pecked her cheek, causing her face to heat up a little bit.

"Ye- yeah. Good luck, too!"

Cassie was standing near them too, and her work was in the same direction as their house, so the two girls started walking out of the campus together.

Elric and Dargon headed for the track field, and the duo chatted as they walked.

"So, you and that girl are a couple, right? I've seen some chatter on the group chat about it."

Elric nodded.

"She's amazing."

"And a singer too, right? Is she participating in the Area Schools Competition?"

'Shit, I almost forgot about that!'

Elric frowned as he realized they didn't have a ton of time left to prepare. Every year, the colleges and high schools in and around Annandale, the entertainment capital of the country, would host a competition.

Singers from each school would compete until they were narrowed down into a smaller roster, and the winners would get to perform at a massive concert held jointly by the schools.

The competition was fierce, but so was the payoff.

In the past few years, many of the people who won previously went on to have successful careers in music. Not only would tons of students be exposed to their work, but a few brands would contract with the big concert every year, providing pay to the people singing.

It was just the thing the average singer needed to kick-start their career.

'I never really paid too much attention to it before this year since I didn't need to, but there shouldn't be much time left before the competitions to narrow down participants start!'

Luckily for Elric, when he asked Dargon about it, he learned that he still had enough time to apply for Ember.

"This is something you need to be watching for this stuff if you are managing people. Search up local competitions, or check social media sights for any minor venues in the area. If you reach out to them, you can normally get yourself a spot."

Dargon held up his phone as they walked.

"Like right here, there's a post about a charity 5k run. Pretty short and useless for a track team to attend, right?"

Dargon was shaking his head even as he read off the details for it.

"If our team is seen running here, and at a few other charity runs, it might attract more sponsors for us. That means more money, more resources, and better opportunities to improve."

Dargon leaned a bit closer to Elric and spoke more softly.

"And a better reputation. No one would expect a team of charity runners to pull anything shady, right?"

Elric nodded his head.

"I see, that's really a brilliant strategy!"

Dargon chuckled softly.

"I don't know what the equivalent of a charity run is for singers, but just know that almost any time you can compete, you can gain popularity and money. Furthermore, at smaller places, you might gain some dedicated fans."

Dargon rubbed the back of his head.

"Hell, I didn't even know there was such a thing as dedicated fans for a track runner, not until I started here. I didn't believe the club leader at the time, but I've seen it happen now. Some of them even become fans of our school's team in general, and continue showing up to every run, even after they've left the college and grown up."

He glanced over at Elric.

"This should be even more effective for singers, I think. If you come along to this 5k run, I'll show you how it's done."

It didn't take Elric long to agree after confirming that he had no other obligations for that day.

'Heh, I'll get to see how they do it first-hand! This is great!'

The duo arrived at the track fields and were immediately greeted by the team and their coach warmly.

Dargon's management work made their lives a lot easier, and the money and equipment he was able to gather for them raised their opinion further.

While Elric watched and assisted Dargon at the college, there was a bit more action elsewhere.

In a small concert hall, on the southern end of the city.

A beautiful young woman grinned widely as her bandmates around her slowly stopped playing, signaling an end to the song.

'Perfect, as usua-'

"Trash! Get good, trash singer!"

"Trashstaya! Trashstaya!"

Someone launched a half-eaten apple at the stage, the bitten core narrowly brushing past her hair before slamming into a wall behind her.

"Greedy pig singer, get off the stage! We want to hear the next person!"

'W- what the hell?!'

Alha Nulstaya ducked another half-eaten fruit, her eyes going wide as she saw the riot in the crowds.

Nearly half of the listeners looked enraged, shouting and throwing trash at her. The others looked just as shocked as the singer and her bandmates.

'W- why? Why does everyone look so mad??'

Tears started welling up in the girl's eyes as half of a cantaloupe smashed into the stage in front of her, splattering her legs with its mushy insides.

"Good throw! 10 points to LeadShark!"

A shriek ripped through the crowd from the back as someone cocked back their arm.

"I used to play baseball in middle school!!"

A cup of ramen shot through the air, flying over the cantaloupe and directly hitting Alha. A spray of noodles and broth sprayed all over her, staining her previously white dress a shade of off-yellow.

"15 points for CallmeLittleTony! Direct hit!"

A few management staff ran out from backstage and hurried to usher the band away from the rioting crowd, but the food just kept flying. Someone had climbed up to the walkway over the stage and now dropped a water balloon filled with something onto Alha as she was pushed off stage. It landed squarely on her head, exploding into a cloud of green dye.

"20 points to the lad on the boardwalk!"

"It's Lelhah88, boys! I rule! Trashstaya sucks! Chant with me!"