My Crown [IDOLiSH7]

03: Of Pain and Tears

"KYAAAAAA TRIGGER!! KYAAAAAAAAA~!" The audience went wild as Nanase Tenn entered the stage with Gaku and Ryuu following right behind. They had a short chat with Mr Shimooka on stage before getting into their dance positions.

"Secret Night" melody started playing. Snap out of it! Tenn thought to himself. TRIGGER sang the first verse and chorus incredibly well.

However, the wound was too fresh for Tenn to take in. Yes, he was an idol. Then again, he wa just a young boy. His body felt heavy and his mind drifted into the world of pain. Riku....

... Tenn!

Tenn...!

Both Gaku and Ryuu noticed that Tenn froze on the spot. They realised he was at his limit. So they both covered and sang Tenn's part until Tenn got himself back again. At that moment, they realised they had failed. Tenn was more than overwhelmed by his actions. No... I... Even though TRIGGER did their best to the end of the song looking like professionals, anyone could see their blatant failure.

Kujou Riku was supposed to go right after TRIGGER, so he was on standby, watching TRIGGER's tragedy unfold. No... Tenn-nii. it's my fault. It's ALL my fault. Riku could break down or have an attack at any moment, but his manager's fierce gaze reminded him to keep his emotions suppressed. Riku was sad. Sad to see his brother struggle because of him. Sad to see that he could almost easily shut down his emotions and put on a cold act.

"No way..." I6, also at the backstage, saw the whole thing. They could not believe it. They were sure that something extremely bad must have happened. The professional Nanase Tenn could not have forgotten the lyrics otherwise.

TRIGGER exited the stage with their heads down, panting. They were frustrated. Gaku was partly angry that Tenn messed up but also very worried about his friend. Gaku directed his furious gaze at Kujou Riku, who stood there staring back at Gaku blankly. Gaku leapt forward, probably trying to punch Riku. Luckily, Ryuu noticed and used all his strength to pull Gaku back. "Calm down, Gaku!" Tenn stood there silently, looking down at the ground. Anesagi had to step in and apologise to Riku and his manager to protect TRIGGER without knowing what was going on.

Riku's manager stepped in closer to Riku and whispered, "boy, you know what to do." She could not care less about another idol group's image. Riku could come out on top without having to bother with dirty tactics. Riku could only receive instructions. He felt like his heart was being slashed over and over, but he had no choice but to bear it.

"Hmph. Pathetic." Riku dropped one of the rudest words to TRIGGER. Both I6 and TRIGGER were in shock. Tenn felt like he was thrown into an acidic river with his hands and feet tied. He could hardly take it, let alone reply.

Iori knew that he himself had a sharp tongue. Even so, what Riku said was way over the line. Iori stepped in, trying to approach Riku when...

"Kujou Riku, please go on stage now."

Riku took a quick look at Iori before entering the stage.

"KYAAAAAAA KUJOU RIKU SO COOOOOOOOOL KYAAAAAA!!!"

"My, my, Riku-san. It almost seems like you have been in the idol industry for a long time." Mr Shimooka touched Riku's arm in a friendly manner.

"But of course, Mr Shimooka." Riku gave a cool smile to the audience. "I am here to show what real entertainment is like."

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

~~

TRIGGER sat in their room quietly. The three could not think of anything to say. In fact, Gaku and Ryuu did not even know that Tenn had left the room secretly. Anesagi was busy talking to Sousuke.