Following the unfortunate accident in Japan, Enfants Terribles abruptly concluded their US promotions and returned home. Almost immediately, they launched a massive promotional campaign for their upcoming second world tour.
Every soul across the Japanese archipelago gasped at the sheer, terrifying scale of the tour.
— What was the scale of the Enfants Terribles tour for their first album?
↳ Wasn't it around 2.5 million?
↳ How many this time?
↳ [Strawberry Productions] announced it's 6 million people.
— Enfants Terribles... their momentum is insane...
↳ What was the scale of the world tours during the peak of Michael Jackson, the one everyone calls the GOAT?
↳ Wasn't it 4.5 million?
↳ From now on, Enfants Terribles is the GOAT. Holy shit.
— Look at it from another perspective, you bastards. The world population is 6.8 billion, and only 6 million of them get to go to an Enfants Terribles show. Doesn't it feel too small? They should have aimed for at least 10 million, not 6 million. And damn it, please tour Japan properly too...
↳ This crazy bastard LOL
↳ Are you an Enfants fanboy? This is hilarious LOL
↳ I want to go to an Enfants concert too, but it's damn expensive. It would be doable if not for the scalpers... those sons of bitches...
Six million. The largest world tour in the history of the Japanese music industry—and one of the biggest in the history of global popular music—had been announced to the world.
The moment the tour was announced, the Japanese public erupted with a fierce sense of national pride. The fervor was so intense that the servers of Yahoo!, Japan's largest portal site, crashed under the weight of the surging traffic.
In a way, it was only natural for people to be stunned.
The Japanese public had only just finished marveling at Enfants Terribles performing in front of 90,000 people in the United States—the very place they admired so much. Now, they were receiving news of a tour on a scale that would leave a permanent mark on history.
The plans even included Enfants Terribles mobilizing 250,000 people in a single day at Knebworth House in the UK.
— So, how long are they saying it'll last this time?
The duration was five months. A world tour running from December through May.
It was the largest world tour in history, aiming to draw 6 million people in a span of just five months. Everyone was awestruck by this staggering display of power, something other Japanese artists couldn't even fathom. At this point, going on a promotional tour before the actual world tour felt like a waste of resources.
— Why did they even come back to Japan? Can't they just keep touring abroad and making bank?
↳ Didn't they come back because of 'that' terror attack?
↳ Even if Hide has to come back, the rest of the members don't need to, do they?
↳ I heard the other members cherish Ai like a little sister too.
↳ Damn... Ai's networking is insane.
— But really, there's no need for them to promote in Japan. Did they just come back for the domestic fans?
↳ Maybe?
— Do you guys even check before commenting? There's a notice that Enfants Terribles is holding a fan meeting in Japan before they leave for the tour.
↳ Truly the GOAT.
↳ Sheeeeet!!! Something big is coming!!!
And then, one more piece of news arrived. Before embarking on their second album tour, Enfants Terribles had decided to hold a fan meeting for their Japanese fans.
A fan meeting.
To summarize it in one sentence: it was a place where stars and fans met to hang out casually.
"Well, I suppose it's about time we gave the domestic fans a carrot. But are you sure about the schedule? If we do this, you'll have to leave for the tour without any rest."
Miyazaki Makoto, who served as the manager and producer for Enfants Terribles, was scouting the venue for the fan meeting.
The Tokyo Dome. A place with a capacity of 46,500, where only the brightest 'stars' in Japan were permitted to take the stage. That was where the Enfants Terribles fan meeting was scheduled to be held.
All of this was based on the sudden insistence of Hide, the leader of Enfants Terribles.
Miyazaki Makoto cast a suspicious look at Hide.
"So, what brought on this change of heart? Originally, you were just going to shoot the tour teaser comfortably and take a break."
"The fan meeting?"
Hide simply smiled at Miyazaki's question. His reason for holding the fan meeting was purely for the fans. Ever since his encounter with Liam Gallagher, he had been striving to fulfill his responsibilities as a 'rock star.'
Since the release of their first full-length album, the time Enfants Terribles had spent in Japan had been extremely brief. Most of their time in Japan had been spent effectively 'vanishing' under the guise of resting, meaning their active time as 'stars' in their home country was even shorter.
Although the Enfants Terribles fan cafe was the largest in the Japanese online community, many members expressed disappointment that the band barely carried out any activities within Japan.
"I just tried thinking from the fans' perspective. Honestly, their chance to see us is like, once a year. While they can easily see our faces on the internet, that's not quite the same as meeting in person, is it?"
"You've completely adjusted to the 'rock star' life, haven't you? You used to be so busy running away from it."
"Well, it's not like I do it because I enjoy it. Anyway, Makoto, please handle the fan meetings and events in every country we visit from now on."
While Hide still couldn't fully enjoy the adoration and fantasies fans projected onto him, he decided that small events or fan meetings were necessary for every country they visited.
For the sake of those who couldn't make it to the concerts.
A fan wants to see their star, and a star lives off that fan's interest. Hide believed that a 'free' fan meeting was the perfect gift for the fans who had been longing to see Enfants Terribles.
And on the day of the fan meeting, 46,500 die-hard fans of Enfants Terribles gathered at the Tokyo Dome. For the record, any scalpers caught trying to profit from tickets were beaten to a pulp by the fans whenever their schemes were discovered.
The fan meeting was essentially a mini-concert. It was a modest affair where talk sessions with fans took center stage, interspersed with giveaways of signed items.
Shuji and Yokishi were beaming at the smiles of the fans attending this mini-concert.
It was during an event where they drew numbers to give away their personal cherished items in a bright atmosphere. As fans came up one by one to receive the band's belongings, one woman began to sob uncontrollably.
"Whoa?! Miss, are you alright? She must be deeply moved to see Enfants Terribles! You guys better take responsibility for this!"
Akashiya Sanma, one of the band's famous celebrity fans and the MC for the event, skillfully stepped in. He held the microphone to the sobbing woman, asking why she was crying.
Was it because she saw the band up close? Or was it a sudden surge of emotion? The curiosity was satisfied quite simply. The woman, her voice hoarse from crying, voiced her sorrow.
"I hate that once this is over, I have to go back to just waiting for you to return to Japan. I know you're busy, but... even when you do come back, you leave again so quickly..."
"......"
Hearing her words, Yokishi and Shuji's expressions darkened, while Hide looked as though he was struck by a pang of guilt.
To the fans, the time Enfants Terribles spent in Japan surely felt like it passed in the blink of an eye. The domestic fans likely felt marginalized. After all, to the members of Enfants Terribles, Japan was not a place to exist as 'stars,' but a place to live as 'human beings.'
Hide felt guilty, believing this sentiment was the result of him neglecting his duties as a 'star.' Simultaneously, he began searching for something more he could do for the fans beyond just fan meetings.
An artist speaks through their music.
In that moment, inspiration flashed through Hide's mind. It was an idea for a song describing the relationship between a fan and a 'star.' The relationship between the two is, fundamentally, 'complementary.'
On his way home after the fan meeting, Hide scribbled down a song.
[Acquiesce]
A gift for the fans of Enfants Terribles. This song was released for free to the entire world through Strawberry Productions' YouTube channel. For the record, Enfants Terribles was the first artist to ever release a song entirely for free.
.
.
.
.
The ticket sales for Enfants Terribles' second world tour began in earnest. In Japan and across the globe, all 6 million seats were snatched up as fast as a supersonic jet.
Fans were saddened by the fact that their 'stars' would be wandering the world again, but they consoled themselves with the fact that they could at least see them occasionally on foreign television.
Meanwhile, a new song was uploaded to the Strawberry Productions YouTube channel.
[Acquiesce]
The song, titled after the English word meaning 'to agree' or 'to accept,' had been released. It contained Enfants Terribles' thoughts on their fans and their deep affection for them.
Though the band had begun their global wandering once again, the fans started to find solace in their music.
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