[ If You Don't Express It, They Won't Know. ]
Recommended to read while listening to: Liam Gallagher - Once.
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[Enfants Terribles! They Become Legends!]
[Enfants Terribles Conquers the Grammys! First in History to Successfully Sweep the General Field Awards Twice in a Row!]
Even after the Grammy Awards, the momentum of Enfants Terribles did not falter.
After crossing the United States, they headed for Brazil.
In São Paulo, they greeted a crowd of 100,000 who had gathered just to see them, proving exactly what kind of 'stars' they had become.
Their grand journey showed no signs of ending. Russia, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, Sweden, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark—Enfants Terribles flaunted their presence across every border, regardless of nationality.
Then, Enfants Terribles' B-Side album made its appearance on the Billboard charts. Featuring masterpieces like 'Acquiesce' and 'Last Night on Earth,' the album crushed the releases of those who claimed to be their rivals, accelerating an popularity that was already snowballing out of control.
As it was a collection of B-sides—often dismissed as leftover tracks—it didn't see the same astronomical sales as their studio albums. Yet, Enfants Terribles still managed to sell a staggering 9 million copies, excluding their home ground of Japan.
This was definitive proof that Enfants Terribles possessed a formidable global fandom.
The peak.
The absolute zenith of a career that every singer encounters once was happening to Enfants Terribles right now.
By the time they finished their tour in Spain and headed for the UK, the sales for both 'Ok Computer' and 'Nevermind' had successfully surpassed 50 million copies each.
The consecutive mega-successes of the first album, the second album, and the B-Side album. These rascals had reached the summit everyone dreamed of. Some were satisfied with that position, while others longed for rest.
However, Shuji, who possessed a fanatical desire for music more than anyone else, was not satisfied.
"Baldy, Leader! It's only been two years! You can only call it a legend if it lasts twenty years!! Let's work even harder!"
Shuji's greed was bottomless. Even if the wheels fell off and he could no longer ride the dump truck that was Enfants Terribles, he wanted to keep running just a little longer, just like this.
'Just because you can't go any higher doesn't mean there's a rule saying you have to stop, right?'
While Hide's heart was broken somewhere and Yokishi was content with the current situation, the only reason Enfants Terribles could keep racing forward—even while making creaking noises—was thanks to Shuji's raw ambition.
It was a night during their brief return to Japan to record the B-Side album after the Grammys. Hide, as usual, headed toward Ai.
After a moment's hesitation following his knock, the front door opened.
Ai stepped out. Despite it being late at night, she was dressed impeccably, looking as if she could step outside immediately without a single hair out of place.
Ai seemed slightly surprised that Hide, who had been avoiding her since his father's visit, had come by in the middle of the night. However, she soon offered a gentle smile and opened the door for him.
The half-closed door slid open fully under her touch.
"...Do you have a moment?"
When Hide asked, Ai's voice responded with a practiced, relaxed tone that carried a hint of acting.
"If it's Hide, you're welcome to come in. I happened to have something to talk about, too."
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.
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The two entered the room and closed the door. Normally, they would have noisily shared their daily lives, but today, they sat side-by-side on the sofa, silently watching a TV show filled with trivial jokes.
During the silence, Hide looked at Ai's hands. They were quite different from when they first met. Looking at the callouses on her fingertips from playing an instrument, Hide suddenly recalled the time he used to teach her guitar.
'What should I start with...'
Hide placed his hand over Ai's and spoke cautiously.
"Did you... hear the story?"
Hide asked, recalling that night. Ai remained silent. But that silence alone was more than enough of an answer.
A hollow laugh escaped Hide's lips. He had begged Director Saito to keep it from Ai, but it seemed he had failed. Only then could Hide accurately guess why Ai was wearing a mask today.
Ai's fingers tightened, her grip eventually digging into the skin on the back of Hide's hand. Hide simply held his tongue in response to her reaction.
"Did you think I wouldn't know?"
Ai was the first to break the silence. She was staring into Hide's eyes without wavering.
She looked as if she were coldly calculating what to say next. Once she finished her thoughts, and before she spoke, she utilized her specialty to craft a perfect, deceptive smile on her face.
"Are you really asking me because you don't know?"
The gaze Ai directed at Hide was filled with various emotions that contrasted with the bright smile on her face. Anger, disappointment, frustration, a sense of betrayal. The negative emotions that had clouded a fragile girl's heart long ago were flickering in her eyes once more.
As Hide remained silent in the face of her words, Ai finally threw away her mask, and a harsh voice erupted from her.
"Who was the one who told me that sincerity was what mattered?! Wasn't it Hide who told me I was his partner, his only one?!"
"Ai, that's still the case even now."
"Then why did you just let me find out those facts through an article?! Who was the one who did nothing but avoid me after that!"
Ai's voice was laced with burning rage and a chilling frost.
In truth, Ai had known from the beginning. She knew Hide was this kind of person even before they met.
Hide is a man who always tries to shoulder everything and take all the responsibility himself. And this behavior of his doesn't change, no matter how much she—the person he claims to love most—tries to persuade him.
Knowing this about Hide only made it more agonizing for Ai.
Ai wanted to ask him why he didn't tell her. She wanted to hug him tight and scream, asking what he had been thinking while spending time with her until now, hiding his [sincerity] while she had bared everything to him.
Soon, Ai's beautiful face contorted as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Why do you always try to carry it alone? Am I just a burden to you? Do you think of me like those people who abandoned me?"
Hide remained silent for a moment before answering.
"I did it because I didn't want you to suffer. You, a burden... there's no way that's true."
"But—I don't feel like you think that way."
With his dating experience from his past life, Hide knew what Ai was going to say without even hearing it. He wanted to beat up his past self for letting the situation get this far; he wanted to cover his ears right now and run away from her words.
"Were you ever [sincere] with me? To you, was I not a partner, but just a young child who needed protection?"
"I never thought of it that way..."
Could he really say he never thought that way? Just as Ai said, there were countless times he viewed her as someone to be protected. However, that wasn't because he looked down on her, but because he wished for her happiness.
But seeing that he couldn't finish his answer, Ai stood up and turned her back. She was about to leave him behind completely.
No, don't go. Those words echoed repeatedly in his head, and his vision blurred. But the words to hold her back couldn't reach her; they dropped at his feet, and only the sight of Ai's back grew more distant.
Ah—the moment he felt a single word finally burst from his mouth, he chased after her without even putting on his shoes. By the time he reached her, his hands were moving faster than his mind.
Grabbing her wrist and pulling her forcefully toward him, Hide pulled her slender body into a tight embrace and tilted her chin up. Then, he pressed his lips against her small ones. Ai's eyes widened to their limit.
The kiss, so intense it was hard to breathe, lasted for a long time as if it would never end. But soon, Ai slapped Hide across the cheek, and that was the end of it. Hearing the sharp crack ring in his ears, Hide released her from his arms.
Ai's eyes were still flickering with disappointment and rage, and a trail of blood trickled down Hide's cheek where her fingernail had grazed him during the slap.
"Hide, let's take some time apart."
"If I say... I refuse...?"
Hide's heart had long since been torn to shreds just by the gaze she directed at him, and the spot where her palm had struck was still burning.
Yet, even to Hide's final cry, the only thing that returned was Ai's cold voice.
"Hide-san, leader of Enfants Terribles."
She, who had always called his name with a warm voice, was now addressing him with a formal title. Her familiar voice felt incredibly alien at that moment.
"I never needed your protection from the very beginning."
Hide froze as if he had lost his soul at her words.
Even after Ai's shadow disappeared, he didn't move from the spot, simply staring blankly at the place where she had left.
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.
.
Walking away with tears streaming down her face, leaving Hide behind, Ai ruthlessly crushed her own heart that wanted to look back at him.
The gaze that had flickered with anger and disappointment had long since turned into a fierce determination to succeed no matter what.
Hoshino Ai intended to refuse being a mere lady who only received help in her lover's arms. Until she could become someone Hide could rely on, she had no intention of returning to his embrace.