"A ceiling I don't recognize."
In a sterile white room, a beautiful blond boy slowly opens his eyes.
The boy's name is Hide. He is a titan of the pop music industry, serving as both the frontman and leader of the world-renowned band Enfants Terribles.
*Did I collapse?*
A man who had seized everything the world had to offer as a 'star' had tried to turn his back on reality and escape from existence itself.
He turned to drugs to blur a mind that was far too vivid, and he spent his days drowned in alcohol to vent his emotions through its borrowed strength.
The problem, however, was that he was still a physically immature minor. Even though the amounts of drugs and alcohol his underdeveloped body consumed were relatively small, they placed a massive strain on his constitution.
"Leader!!!"
"Big bro!!!"
As he woke, the Bald Bassist and the muscular mixed-race drummer—men who were more like family than bandmates—rushed toward him. Yet, rather than offering them a smile, Hide only wore a bitter grin.
*It's better to burn out than to fade away.*
Like Kurt Cobain, he wished to vanish in a flash of flame rather than slowly flicker out. This desire was amplified by his status as an icon who dominated an era and the king of his genre.
A king is never forgotten, even in death. If such a king were to become a legend and vanish at the absolute peak of his prime, what a dramatic story that would be. He would be remembered eternally, for as long as popular culture existed.
"It's not like I'm dead. Why are you acting like this just because I passed out for a second?"
"Hide, you almost crossed the Styx."
The reason he chose to remain in this world at the crossroads of life and death—abandoning the golden opportunity to achieve eternal legend—was that he still had lingering attachments.
Unlike Kurt Cobain, who sought Nirvana after losing his sense of family, Hide still had a connection with people he could call true family, even if those bonds were on the verge of snapping.
"The Styx...? Makoto, are you saying I actually almost died?"
"First, you're quitting the drugs. We start over from there."
There is a story about the 'boiling frog'—a frog that dies slowly inside a pot of heating water.
A frog thrown into already boiling water would be startled and jump out, but if it is placed in water that gradually warms, it remains unaware of the danger until it unknowingly reaches the end of its life. This parable applies to humans as well.
Humans often respond efficiently to sudden changes, but in the face of a slowly approaching disaster, they fail to perceive the shift. Trapped in the inertia of gradual change, they remain oblivious to the peril until they meet a tragic end.
Hide was no different.
"Makoto, why should I have to do that?"
"Wha... What did you just say...?"
The story of the boiling frog teaches that one must react sensitively to gradual changes to lead an active life. However, that is a lesson only for those who possess the will to live.
If there is a frog with the will to live that leaps out of the boiling water to find independence, wouldn't there also be a frog that has lost all desire, choosing instead to accept the warmth of the water and opt for the peace of Nirvana?
"Whether it's drugs or alcohol, I chose this for myself. Naturally, I will take responsibility for the consequences."
"Hide... What are you talking about...?"
The boiling frog is slowly destroyed by the heat without even realizing it. Much like the countless 'stars' consumed by the excessive interest of the media and the public.
"Makoto, I decide my own life."
'The 27 Club'.
In the West, this is the title given to the group of artists who died prematurely at the age of twenty-seven, poisoned by the weight of public attention.
For the record, if you combine Hide's age from his past life and his current life and divide them by two, his current age is exactly twenty-seven.