When we returned after finishing our rehearsal, the members were hesitating, looking restless.
"Um... Leader?"
"Hey, man."
For some reason, they were fidgeting and reading my expression. I couldn't for the life of me understand why they were acting like that, so I threw out a question to find out.
"Were they... minors?"
"Hey? This is a crime! This is totally a crime!"
Ah, was that the reason?
The reason we could joke and laugh like this was that we had been able to watch their rehearsal from the side.
I could say for certain.
They were a level below us. While they seemed to possess talent, they were still unpolished gems who hadn't yet seen their potential bloom.
'By the time Ai enters the scene, they might be able to put up a decent fight against her, though?'
Of course, they say never to let your guard down, but the effort we poured into this Round of 16 wouldn't be tarnished that easily. Some might call it arrogance, but we had practiced with such soul-crushing intensity and agonizing deliberation that we had earned the right to be arrogant.
'An agency manufactures those girls, but we're a homemade operation.'
Even so, the other members were shaking their legs, seemingly worried.
"You guys seem pretty nervous?"
"Leader, how do I put it... it's just an uneasy feeling. It doesn't feel like we could possibly lose, so I'm feeling anxious in reverse?"
"Seriously, man. They were charming, sure, but it wasn't the kind of performance that makes you gasp in awe, right?"
Checking my watch, there was still some time left. My eyes felt gritty since we had pulled an all-nighter yesterday working on the arrangement.
'Should I try to get some sleep?'
And so, the sight of us falling asleep in the waiting room was captured directly by the cameras.
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Released in 1984, Takeuchi Mariya's [Plastic Love] is a track that defines the Japanese City Pop movement. Even thirty years later, it remains a song with a sophisticated, modern melody and lyrics that resonate with the public.
It perfectly captures the optimistic, hedonistic atmosphere of Japanese society in the 80s, back when its high growth was so formidable it threatened the United States. In my past life, it was also a song that blew up as an internet meme.
'I think the meme involved wearing sunglasses and power-walking in your room whenever this song played...'
For this track, we focused on injecting a funky, metal-infused sound into the sticky, bluesy melody of the original. To put it simply, we used a heavy, metallic tone while simultaneously trying to preserve a sense of rhythm that the audience could groove to.
And this time, we even matched our fashion. We threw leather jackets over office attire and donned dark sunglasses that looked like something a Terminator T-800 would wear. If the original song expressed the hedonistic and dreamlike atmosphere of 1980s Japan, we were expressing the raw, dark world hidden behind the light.
"Now, we begin the stage for Enfants Terribles!"
The stinging metal of the guitar and the funky, upbeat slap of the bass were layered over the song's sultry melody. It was raw, but not unrefined.
Rather, their arrangement added a linear momentum and a definitive sense of rhythm to the original piece.
It felt as though the sound had become sharper and more vivid than the original.
The veteran Judge noticed something different as he listened to the song.
'Oh... the vocals have a much brighter, piercing resonance than usual...?'
Usually, Hide would add a bit of grit to his clear voice with scratches, but this time, he was constricting his throat to give the vocals a sharp, metallic edge.
Watching this from the waiting room, Momoiro Clover Z stared at the stage as if they had lost their souls.
That stage was simply too overwhelming. Enfants Terribles were crushing them in every aspect, including the vocals.
Some were already hanging their heads in despair, while others gripped their fists with expressions of bitter frustration. The performance wasn't even over, yet they knew. This Round of 16 was their total defeat.
There was power in the vocals, yet they retained a sultry, desperate quality. One might argue that such a combination was impossible, but the man on stage was pulling off that difficult feat.
Everyone except for Momoiro Clover Z in the waiting room was enjoying the stage. The judges' faces were full of smiles.
There was nothing to evaluate. They were already complete artists in their own right, so what judgment could be passed? The judges were simply watching as fellow professionals, listening to the incredible, unprecedented sound they were hearing for the first time.
To the judges, the men on stage were already colleagues and pioneers of a new genre.
As the vocals finished, a fast, cheerful guitar solo with high-gain resonance wrapped up the song.
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[Enfants Terribles (4) vs. Momoiro Clover Z (0)]
That was the result of the [ASAYAN] Round of 16.
●Hoshino Ai●
- How did the Round of 16 go??! ( ´△｀)
I let a smile slip as I saw the message sent to my phone.
The boy suddenly felt like sharing this joy with the girl.
●Hide●
- 4:0. We're the 4.
- Come out, I'll buy you something delicious.
Closing his phone, he walked out of the broadcasting station without wiping the smile from his face. For some reason, the boy wanted to see the girl quickly.