[Enfants Terribles' Justice! Rushing to Protect Their Fellow Idol from a Sexual Harasser!]
[The Violence of Underage Hide! Minors Judging Minors!]
Though the news headlines were slightly distorted, Enfants Terribles' rampage had once again struck a chord across all of Japan.
From the perspective of media outlets that didn't know the full story, Enfants Terribles was a symbol of hope for the nation. Consequently, despite protests from the [Lalalie Theatrical Company], they churned out a flood of articles favorable to the band.
"Hahahaha!"
Meanwhile, Kamiki Hikaru, his face swollen and bruised, laughed incredulously as he scrolled through the news. Enfants Terribles was a formidable enemy indeed.
Crumpling the newspaper in his hand, he vowed that he would surely achieve his dream.
In the parking lot of a massive building in the heart of Tokyo, a man with blonde hair and a rugged beard began running toward us. Seeing the man's unusually intense aura, Ai swallowed hard.
The man's face was a mixture of deep apology toward Ai and a rage that even his sunglasses couldn't hide.
"Ai! I'm so sorry!"
As Saito Ichigo closed the distance, he shouted his apology as if he were about to drop into a dogeza right there. He was blaming himself heavily for failing to protect her—his responsibility as 'Ai's father figure.'
To Saito Ichigo, Ai was a damned idol, but she was also like a precious daughter. And yet, that daughter had allegedly been sexually harassed by some nobody actor from a nobody troupe like the [Lalalie Theatrical Company].
"President—"
"I'm sorry!"
Saito Ichigo looked ready to commit hara-kiri on the spot as he practically slammed his head against the ground in front of Ai.
She grabbed him to stop his dramatic display and began shouting to set the record straight.
"He was looking at me weird, but he didn't actually touch me!"
However, the bald bassist and the mixed-race, muscular drummer standing beside her began to embellish the story.
"I saw it! That bastard was ogling you with such lecherous eyes!"
"Our mascot is too kind for her own good! Men are always wolves, I tell you!"
Ai smacked Shuji and Yokishi on their backs, raising her voice in protest.
"Shuji! Yokishi! I hate you guys!"
Hearing those words, the two men turned white as sheets and began to crumble like ash. Ai knew exactly how to handle these two overprotective fools.
"You... hate us?"
"Gah..."
"Wow... so this is the Tokyo Dome..."
Kichijoji Yoriko, the author of the manga 'Today is Sweet,' was marveling at the sheer, majestic scale of the venue.
As a mangaka who sacrificed sleep just to meet her deadlines, visiting a venue of this size was a first-time experience. The only performances she had ever seen were the crude amateur shows in her school auditorium back in the day.
But even for someone as disconnected from the mundane world as she was, she knew that performing at a place like the Tokyo Dome was no small feat.
How did I even end up here...?
She had been in a slump lately. Her philosophy was that when stuck in a slump, one had to squeeze out inspiration by any means necessary to escape it.
In the midst of her struggle, her editor—who cared for her deeply—had paid a premium for a black-market ticket and practically shoved it into her hands. She couldn't very well throw away a ticket that cost 100,000 yen, could she?
Honestly, none of them are really my type physically...
As evidenced by her manga 'Today is Sweet,' she had a preference for slender, delicate pretty boys. However, the members of Enfants Terribles were all incredibly brawny and muscular.
The boy named Hide had a face that was somewhat close to her taste, but his body was far too ripped. Since Enfants Terribles frequently performed shirtless, she was well aware of their physiques.
The members' muscles were nothing short of monstrous. Some might call them toned or impressive, but to her, they were simply overwhelming.
The only thing she found even remotely aesthetic was the shape of the bassist's bald head.
"[KAT-TUN]...? The ones who fought Enfants Terribles on [ASAYAN]?"
Even she knew KAT-TUN. They had formed a rivalry with Enfants Terribles on ASAYAN and had achieved respectable results on Billboard, making them a constant topic in the news. You'd have to live under a rock not to know them.
As KAT-TUN's 'Attention' began to blast through the speakers, the standing area started to grow restless. KAT-TUN, like [AAA] and Enfants Terribles, was a group that actively incorporated instruments, making them wildly popular in Japan.
Yes, that's more like it... Slender, pretty boys...
She felt like she might end up liking KAT-TUN more than the main act, Enfants Terribles.
Just then, the people in the back of the standing area began to surge forward, and she found herself caught in the tide. Having spent her life hunched over a drawing desk, she had almost zero physical strength.
"Wait... I'm getting crushed...!"
But in a place where the atmosphere was just beginning to hit its peak, the fragile voice of one woman was destined to be buried.
The crowd from the back continued to push toward the front with increasing pressure.
.
.
.
.
.
Shuji loved standing-room stages more than any other concert format.
They possessed a certain magnetic charm. Unlike standard seated venues, seeing the entire crowd move in sync with your rhythm was always an intoxicating sight.
When I perform, tens of thousands of fans move their bodies in perfect unison with my every motion.
It's about time I ramped up the excitement. Yeah!
Before beginning his performance, the bald bassist scanned the surroundings. An Enfants Terribles stage was always a spectacle.
Behind him, the muscular mixed-race drummer was twirling his sticks like a circus performer, playing with a level of dance-like intensity he maintained for the entire show. And their leader was a god-tier technician when it came to manipulating the crowd.
The leader instinctively knew how to conduct an audience. For some reason, he also had an incredible eye for stage production. His use of lighting, in particular, was on an entirely different level.
To stand out among such geniuses, one had to be even more over-the-top. With that thought, Shuji moved toward the very edge of the stage.
Time for something big. The coolness of the bass—
Just as he was about to drop to his knees for a solo—a move the leader had shown him before—he spotted a slender woman with glasses being crushed in the very front row.
Wait, isn't that dangerous?
Shuji had gained plenty of experience touring. They had actually dealt with a crowd crush incident before. In fact, wasn't he the one who had jumped down multiple times to punch sense into unruly crowd members to prevent a tragedy?
His gut was telling him something. If he didn't stop this now, that woman was going to die.
"Hey! I'll punch anyone who doesn't listen! Back up!"
Predictably, the fans didn't listen and continued to press forward. If anything, they cheered louder, thinking it was part of the show.
"Listen when I'm talking to you!"
The bald bassist tore off his shirt, baring his muscles as he leaped into the standing area. He socked a guy in the face who was crowding the woman and pulled her out by sheer force.
"Another job well done. But wait... she's actually pretty cute."
As expected, the bald bassist was the true madman of Enfants Terribles.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hey, Baldy. How the hell did you even find her?"
Shuji let out a hearty laugh as he responded to the muscular mixed-race drummer.
"Musclemon, you're back there doing your circus act, so of course you wouldn't see her."
"No, I don't mean at the show. I mean your girlfriend."
— Buzz!
● Yoriko ●
- Shuji-san, I finished my pages for today! ❤️
The moment Shuji saw the text, he immediately called his girlfriend.
"Yoriko! Let's meet up in a bit! What, you're coming to the show? Don't worry, I can easily grab a seat for you!"
"You bastard..."
Yokishi was devastated by the fact that the bald guy had managed to get into a relationship before him. Still, he took some small comfort in knowing he wasn't the only single one left. Big Bro Hide wasn't dating anyone yet.
"Yeah~ Ai, you don't have to worry. Not too tired? Should I come pick you up today too?"
He took it back. He was the only one whose side was feeling cold.