Enfants Terribles had passed the first preliminary round against all odds. It was only possible because a shrewd, seasoned judge had raised his voice to insist on their success after the performance ended.
It was quite the stir.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
"Those kids... they're not bad at all."
The moment you hear it, it's an addictive bass riff that hooks the ears.
Then there's that handsome face paired with exceptional vocals.
No other descriptors were necessary.
On that stage, they were 'stars.'
Naturally, as the PD of [ASAYAN], this situation wasn't unwelcome. Since they had already decided to use them as kindling, they might as well let the fire burn a little brighter.
In the world of a PD, anything is acceptable as long as the ratings are good. To a producer in the entertainment industry, what matters isn't pride—it's performance. Tangible metrics, specifically the viewership ratings.
A virtuous, model group from a major agency winning after overcoming these rude 'villains.' Doesn't that make for a great narrative?
It had been a long time since a group this fun to manipulate had appeared.
From now on, they would be edited as the kindling for [ASAYAN], framed negatively like a bunch of troublemakers. Of course, he'd throw in a few charming points here and there.
This team was guaranteed to make it to the main finals anyway. In that case, the most rational choice was to milk them for all they were worth.
.
.
.
.
.
From early dawn, we devoted ourselves to practice until Ai arrived.
We were outsiders despised by everyone, and for us to survive, we had to imprint our existence onto the world through nothing but 'music.'
Because of our situation, we were actually more fired up.
"Hide, did you cause some kind of accident in the first round too...? Σ(; ･`д･´)"
An accident... I feel like Ai's treatment of us has become a bit harsher lately, but we definitely didn't cause any trouble.
"What accident? We just played our own music instead of a cover song."
"Ehhh?! That IS the accident! An accident!! ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ"
The bald bassist, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, took the ice cream out of his mouth and spoke up.
"What does it matter? The reaction is hot, isn't it? Right, Leader?"
He showed the two of us, who were bickering, the reactions from online communities.
- Wait, aren't you supposed to do a cover for the first round of [ASAYAN]?
- Those guys have tossed their manners to the dogs and rats.
- These guys are hilarious wwwwww
- It's because people let trash like them act out that Japanese society is decaying!
Public opinion toward them was violently polarized. Some found their confidence refreshing and entertaining, while others argued that their disregard for rules and etiquette was inappropriate for public figures. However, not a single person had anything negative to say about their music.
- But wasn't their song actually good? Honestly, making music with real instruments doesn't seem bad at all?