For Ai, it was a peaceful day like any other.
Actually, it was more than just peaceful; it was a lucky day. That morning, when she fried an egg, it came out with two yolks, and since there was a BOGO event for Häagen-Dazs, she had arrived to meet President Sato in a state of pure bliss, her arms full of ice cream.
"Yo! President Sato! (´∪`)"
"It's not Sato... haah... Anyway, Ai, you look like you're in a great mood today?"
The reason she had come to [Ichigo Production] was to watch Enfants Terribles' first music show appearance since [Asayan].
Hide had spent the previous night expressing his excitement to her about finally performing on a proper stage, so she was struggling to suppress her own fluttering heart as she waited for their turn.
'Ah, I should eat my Häagen-Dazs while I watch.'
It was in that brief moment when she reached for the ice cream. Disaster always strikes when one's guard is down.
"Those... those... goddamn sons of..."
For some reason, President Sato was on his knees, clutching the back of his neck and weeping. Sobbing, in fact.
"The aftermath... the cleanup... who's going to handle it...? Ah, I have to, don't I...? Wait, if I just close [Ichigo Production]... Ah, they're the majority shareholders of [Ichigo Production], aren't they...?"
Cleanup...? Huh? She suddenly recalled all the eccentric stunts they had pulled during the [Asayan] broadcast. However, she wasn't too worried. No matter how many accidents they caused, they hadn't repeated anything as severe as throwing middle fingers and swearing at the station staff since then.
"Uh...?"
The girl with violet hair rubbed her eyes repeatedly, unable to believe what she was seeing. The scene was bizarre. This was clearly a music show, yet Yokishi was lifting his drums high over his head to flex his muscles, and Shuji was performing a grotesque dance that defied description.
'But if it's Hide... Hide will wrap things up properly...'
Fortunately, her Oshi, Hide, was singing quietly without causing any trouble. Though he was doing some air guitar in the middle of it, he was extremely well-behaved compared to those two causing a riot behind him.
But life rarely goes as one hopes.
'Huh...? Hide, why are you pulling the mic out...?'
No. Not Hide. There was no way. Who was Hide to her? He was the kind, gentle person who taught her the meaning of a bond, she who had grown up without a family. A man as gentle and sweet as him would never join such a chaotic mess.
"Wait... was the microphone edible...?"
The violet-haired girl began to descend into horror. The handsome blonde young man had shoved the microphone he'd yanked from the stand into his mouth and was mumbling into it. The sound of Hide's brilliant tongue-twisting began to resonate in her ears.
'Wuaaaaaarrgh'
What on earth was that bizarre, grotesque sound? It was the most hideous noise she had heard since that funeral dirge Shuji had composed.
She inadvertently dropped her Häagen-Dazs and the spoon she'd brought to eat it with. She could feel the coldness of the ice cream hitting her foot, but that wasn't what mattered right now.
"At least he didn't swear at the staff..."
The moment she tried to rationalize the situation, she saw the audience joining in the madness. The sight of dozens of people doing squats and wild, chaotic dancing was enough to be called the most shocking spectacle of her life.
"......."
Ai collapsed to her knees, sinking in despair.
'Can [Ichigo Production] even survive this...?'
She seriously began to consider if she should look for a career other than being an idol.
And then, the culprits behind the chaos returned to [Ichigo Production], wearing refreshed smiles, party hats, and carrying a cake.
"A cake???!!!! Party hats???!!!! Gasp..."
At that shocking sight, President Sato collapsed again. Quite literally, he fainted with foam at his mouth.
"Hide!!!!!!!!!! You caused another disaster, didn't you??!!! ＼(´◓Д◔`)／"
Since the unreliable Sato had already sunk, she decided she had to give Hide a piece of her mind. That performance was a traumatic scene she never wanted to remember again.
"Don't worry, Ai. We handled the aftermath properly. .˃̵͈̑ᴗ❛."
Hearing his refreshing laugh and cheerful words, the violet-haired girl also collapsed to her knees. She couldn't understand this man who seemingly lost his mind the moment the word [Rock] was mentioned.
Actually, she might be able to understand, but she really didn't want to.