"Are you sure we should be doing this?"
The atmosphere at Apex was currently one of extreme tension. From the team leaders to the head managers of various groups, everyone in the conference room was doing nothing but staring at the clock. On the orders of the Apex Group chairman, they had taken the drastic measure of seizing the ending slot of the show.
A boycott.
They had finally committed an act that most agencies only talk about but never actually follow through with. They had even gone so far as to forcibly drag along artists who were adamantly opposed to the idea.
The reason for this extreme protest was that the Entertainment Management Division—the primary cash cow of the Apex Group—was facing a massive crisis.
The singers who had previously sustained Apex Entertainment had entered their twilight years, and their public image had soured due to the scandals that erupted during ASAYAN.
While they had other revenue streams like music distribution, it simply wasn't enough to sustain the various other businesses they had aggressively expanded into.
"You know how the Chairman is, so why ask? We have to do this much, or we'll get ripped to shreds when we're summoned to his office."
"But... if NHK decides to retaliate..."
Another staff member cautiously raised an objection to the Apex Department Head. However, the Department Head shook his head, looking at the man as if he were a clueless amateur.
"Do you even know how many programs we run on NHK? Even if we flake out like this, as soon as we start pushing Koda Kumi or Hamasaki Ayumi back onto the screen, things will return to normal. Do you still not understand how this industry breathes?"
"I... I see..."
Apex Group did, in fact, possess the status to act with such audacity. From film distribution to music retail and even the production of NHK programs, there wasn't a corner of the entertainment world where Apex's reach didn't extend.
They assumed that if they simply lowered their heads a few times and smoothed things over later, NHK would tolerate it. There were already countless people within NHK who had received favors from the Apex Group, so what could they possibly do to them?
That was the Department Head's logic.
"Tell the Zard manager to have her ready to move as soon as the ending slot is confirmed."
"Sir? Do you think Ms. Kamachi will actually cooperate? She has quite a bit of grit when it comes to these things..."
"And what is a single artist going to do about it? Isn't this all for the sake of Zard anyway? If she refuses, just drag her here."
"Yes... understood."
The Apex Department Head smiled as he watched the second half of the Utakon broadcast begin. With a twenty-minute gap suddenly ripped into the schedule, the broadcaster would be helpless. Every executive at Apex believed that, for the sake of the airtime alone, NHK would eventually be forced to reach out to them.
"They should be calling now if they want us to finish preparations. Has there been any word from NHK?"
The Department Head was checking the situation every few minutes. They needed the call soon so that Zard could finalize her prep and be deployed.
"Sir! There's no contact yet!"
"What? Are they trying to have a staring contest? They have no choice but to call us regardless."
The Apex executives took it for granted that they held the initiative. To them, it was impossible to run a broadcast while excluding all the groups under the Apex umbrella.
Therefore, it was certain that the ending of Utakon's second half would belong to Apex.
Once the stage for KAT-TUN, the Johnny's group, concluded, the moment arrived for the groups from Strawberry Productions to fill the twenty-minute void created by Apex's stubbornness.
Before the performance began, the MCs started stalling for time. The Apex representatives were convinced that the call was finally coming.
"Wait... what is that?"
However, the announcement coming from the TV was something Apex never expected.
"The next stage is a special performance prepared by Enfants Terribles' very own label, Strawberry Productions! We're starting with B-Komachi, who received an explosive reaction in the first half of the show! Let's get things started with a warm round of applause!!"
Watching the TV, the Apex Department Head shot up from his seat. In his mind, something impossible was unfolding.
"Get on the phone right now! What the hell is this nonsense?!"
They had staged a boycott, but the boycott had been rendered meaningless. Far removed from the frantic atmosphere of the Apex Entertainment office, B-Komachi was stepping onto the stage to bridge the gap left by Zard.
.
.
.
.
.
Despite the members' young ages, B-Komachi was a veteran idol group with three years of experience under their belts.
Having struggled since the days when Strawberry Productions was just an indie label, they had worked through countless songs over the years. As a result, B-Komachi had plenty of tracks to pull out even for a stage assembled this abruptly.
Among them, the dance track "Star☆T☆Rain" was perfect for a situation like this. It was the song with the strongest K-POP vibe among their discography, designed to maximize the group's specific charms.
B-Komachi, having already made a lasting impression during the first half of the broadcast, began to seize the audience's attention as they dominated the stage. Since Strawberry Productions had grown into a major agency, the girls had been thoroughly trained by professionals in the essential qualities of a 'star.' They were no longer an idol group at the 'underground' level.
In the idol world, the more money you pour in, the better the group becomes.
"Wow... they're so cute..."
"I think I'm becoming a fan of that girl Meimei."
According to the cue sheet, this was supposed to be Zard's time slot, but the audience stopped caring about her absence. While Zard's fans looked bewildered and disappointed, the fans of other groups couldn't have cared less about their heartbreak.
The moment B-Komachi's center, Ai, finished the performance with her trademark flair, the group known as the mentors to B-Komachi fans, AAA, burst onto the stage.
AAA.
While they didn't quite reach the level of Enfants Terribles, they were the frontrunners of the 'Enfants Terribles Invasion' who had achieved visible success on the Billboard charts. The crowd began to roar at their appearance.
AAA started singing their representative track, "Step by Step." It was a title that felt all too appropriate for the current situation. Step by step, AAA was performing to pass the torch to Enfants Terribles, who would ultimately fill Zard's void with their own unique colors.
AAA's leader, Nishijima Takahiro, caught his breath as he glanced back at the 'rascals' waiting in the wings.
'When I first saw them at ASAYAN, I never imagined they would rise this high.'
AAA were stars who had achieved significant milestones, but Enfants Terribles was more than qualified to take center stage. After all, it was the members of Enfants Terribles who had reached out to help AAA when they were on the verge of falling into an abyss.
"Finish it well. We've set the table for you."
"You got it."
The three members of Enfants Terribles grinned and headed toward the stage.
Immediately, the lighting in the Utakon studio began to shift. The spotlights that had been fixed on AAA only moments ago now illuminated each member of Enfants Terribles.
Amidst cheers that eclipsed even those for AAA, Enfants Terribles began to move.
As the act allotted the most time in the special performance, Enfants Terribles chose their signature song, "Rock 'n' Roll Star," as their opening number.
"Rock 'n' Roll Star" was a track overflowing with the raw ambition and self-assurance that the band had during their debut—a declaration that they would become rock stars. People often found solace in the message of conviction woven into this song.
And there's no easy way out"
As I began to play the guitar and sing, the already heated cheers reached a boiling point. I still couldn't entirely shake the sense of unease when performing songs I had essentially plagiarized from my past life, but it was no longer to the point where I couldn't enjoy the stage.
That was because of the words Liam Gallagher had told me when we met again in the UK.
When I asked him how he would feel if I had stolen his songs, he had replied: "I'm too busy doing my own thing to listen to whatever f-ing nonsense you're talking about."
He told me that if I'm a rock star, I should live like one—that alone gives people strength.
Tonight I'm a rock 'n' roll star"
I could hear the audience starting to sing along to our song in a massive, unified chorus. I stepped back from the microphone and simply listened to the sound of their collective voices.
I had heard the sing-along for "Rock 'n' Roll Star" so many times I was almost tired of it. And yet, I couldn't hide the faint smile that tugged at my lips.
This particular sing-along was special. Why?
This was the Utakon stage—a venue where fans of a vast variety of different groups gathered. And yet, fans of all those different groups were singing Enfants Terribles' song as one.
They had been doing it since the very first verse.
It meant that even those who weren't our dedicated fans had listened to our music and memorized it.
I might not be able to purely enjoy the heat the audience radiated toward me anymore, but I wasn't so far gone that I couldn't feel moved by a moment like this.
If you're a rock star, act like one. Walk your own f-ing path. That's the responsibility you owe for the status you enjoy as a star.
Watching that sight, I recalled the words of Liam Gallagher. In both my past and current life, he was my role model and my mentor.