Enfants Terribles claimed an overwhelmingly dominant victory in the [Asayan] finals.
Their opponent in the final stage was an idol group from a mid-sized agency—not one of the giants, but substantial enough. Naturally, they were no match for Enfants Terribles.
Enfants Terribles didn't surrender a single win to them throughout the finals. This was true even when we performed an opera-like dirge composed by our bald bassist, Shuji.
To be honest, regarding the performance of that funeral-march-style opera, we actually might have lost if it weren't for the sheer weight of the name 'Enfants Terribles' by that point.
"The winner of this season's [Asayan] is Enfants Terribles!!!!!!"
The rewards for winning [Asayan] were a grand prize of one billion yen and three Toyota Camrys. For the record, my dream car in my past life was a Kia Stinger. The pinnacle of a cost-effective sports sedan that a commoner could realistically dream of was about the level of a Stinger.
"But I still can't even drive..."
The legal age to obtain a driver's license in Japan is eighteen, the same as in Korea. And in this world, I am still only sixteen.
"Leader! Don't worry, we'll give you a ride!"
"Hey kid, give us a 'goo-goo ga-ga!' Baby! Kahahaha!"
Just wait until you guys get off this stage. You're dead.
After the [Asayan] finals ended, we were literally collapsed in the rehearsal studio, trying to catch some sleep. No matter how easy the opponent might have seemed, it's not like we could half-prepare for a performance. The fatigue from the finals had accumulated quite heavily.
"Hey!! Wake up!! The sun is already high in the sky!! (≧∇≦)"
The one who woke us was the girl with the violet hair, Ai. She was wearing a party hat, holding a cake in one hand and a party popper in the other.
'Ah... is this what the joy of raising a daughter feels like?'
I looked at Ai with a satisfied expression. Any family with Ai as a member was bound to be happy.
To abandon such a precious daughter—one so cute you wouldn't feel pain even if you put her in your eye. Ai's parents essentially kicked away their own fortune. Every time I thought about it, I felt they deserved divine punishment.
.
.
.
.
"So, Hide, what are you going to do now? [・ヘ・?]"
Ai asked me while stabbing a piece of a strawberry whipped cream cake with her fork.
'Ah, there's cream on her lip.'
I wiped the whipped cream from the corner of her mouth with my finger while objectively assessing our current situation.
First off, we had long since conquered the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Except for Shuji's opera-style dirge, our songs were sweeping the top eight spots in a row.
The media already treated us as more than just rising stars—we were legitimate [Stars]. Our public recognition had grown so much that it was difficult to move through the streets due to autograph requests, and event invitations were flooding in non-stop.
Literally, Enfants Terribles had become the absolute idols of the Japanese archipelago.
"Shuji, Yokishi. What do you think about us joining an agency?"
Based on what we experienced during the semi-finals, we did need an agency. Right now, our popularity was soaring through the roof, so the major agencies couldn't touch us. However, an individual alone isn't enough to protect against the systemic tyranny of the major giants.
"Kid, we don't like being tied down anywhere."
"Leader, I feel the same way."
Actually, I agreed with them. If we were only thinking about ourselves.
"What I'm suggesting is that we join the same agency Ai is in."
"Eh?? ∑(O_O;)"
Ai, who had been listening to our conversation, was so surprised she dropped her fork. Was it really that shocking?
"We saw how filthy this industry is during the semi-finals. Let's join that agency and become Ai's backing."
"Oh!!! If that's the reason, I'm all for it!!"
"Kid, I was already planning to crush anyone who messed with the mascot of Enfants Terribles with my muscles. That sounds like a great idea."
As a result of objectively looking at ourselves, we were now superstars in Japan. Superstars with a substantial fandom at that.
Simply by us joining, it would become very difficult for other major agencies to mess with the company Ai belonged to. If push came to shove, we could intervene under the pretext of being in the same agency.
'Wait, what was the name of Ai's agency again?'