"Minors, order yourselves some orange juice. Adults, you can drink as much as you want."
As I thrust a glass of beer topped with a thick layer of foam into the air, everyone in the barbecue restaurant raised their glasses and began to cheer.
My memory was a bit fuzzy, but according to the faint traces of the past, Somnium Music Academy was a place to which I once owed a great debt. Because of that, I couldn't just walk away.
I had intended to visit the mentor of this body and perhaps have a quick meal before leaving, but I couldn't ignore the way those kids were looking at me. It wasn't like it would cost much, so I simply brought everyone from the academy along to treat them to a meal.
Sizzle!
Sitting in front of the grill, I glared at the meat before me, preparing to become a specialist in the art of the barbecue.
"How should I put it... this place feels incredibly familiar."
"This is where I brought you when you first came to our academy. I still come here often when I meet friends who are like you were back then."
"Like I was back then?"
"I'm talking about kids who can't even afford to eat properly, living only on their resentment toward the world."
Watching him look at me with pride, a gentle smile on his face, I felt a wave of warmth—reminded of the older brother who had taken me in during my previous life.
Why hadn't I come back until now?
After coming to this world, I had naturally assumed that outside of Ai and Enfants Terribles, no one knew 'Hide the human' as opposed to 'Hide the Star.' That gentle smile provided a significant amount of comfort.
"This place is always the same. Whether it was when I was wandering in my youth looking for a dream, or when I first brought a friend who was lost on the streets here... nothing has changed. It's always exactly like this."
"Business must be good then. Is it because the meat is so tasty?"
In truth, from my perspective, this man was practically a stranger. Yet, seeing this elderly man with his shock of white hair smiling at me as if looking at something he was proud of made me feel as if a weight was being lifted off my shoulders.
Why had I forgotten? Happiness isn't just about hedonistic pleasure. I had learned the hard way in my past life what kind of end awaits those who think life has no higher purpose than pleasure.
Happiness often finds you in a small smile like this.
Sizzle!
As that thought finished, the glossy fat of the pork belly, cooked just right by the charcoal flames, began to make the meat glisten.
"Listen up, runts. I've grilled a lot of meat in my time, and the secret is you can't flip it too often."
I began to flip the pieces of meat that were taking on a golden-brown hue, spouting 'wisdom' I'd acquired through years of experience.
Once the meat was properly cooked, I snipped it with the scissors. The first piece of pork belly was dripping with juices. I handed it to the white-haired man, the man I presumed to be my mentor.
"It's meat grilled by a superstar. How is it? Does it taste a bit different?"
"Hoho... you've become quite the smarmy one, haven't you?"
"Heh. People are meant to change, after all."
I couldn't help but chuckle. According to the vague memories floating around, the old man used to sit in this very spot, asking about my situation while grilling meat for me, and I would do nothing but eat.
'But why was this never leaked? Usually, people would think about exploiting something like this.'
When a child someone has looked after becomes successful, it's common for people to sell that story for financial gain. Yet, the old man hadn't done that at all. It seemed he truly cared for me.
"You never told me your real name back then, and it seems that hasn't changed even after you became a singer."
"Did I really do that?"
"You looked like someone who could leave at any moment."
The old man spoke quietly of a time I didn't accurately remember, handing me a piece of meat from the grill.
"Is it okay if I call you Hide?"
"Pardon?"
"It's alright even if you don't visit me like this."
"..."
"Still, we could have been nothing more than a passing coincidence, yet you came back and remembered me. I'm truly grateful for that."
"Don't mention it."
"But I mean it when I say you don't have to visit. If the past feels like a shackle, it's okay to live on and forget it. Those who look forward are always more remarkable than those who live looking backward."
A single sentence, stern yet warm. Those words, treating me not as a 'star' but as a weak 'human,' filled my chest with a warmth that was beyond comparison.
"I've always been a rebel. Tell me not to do something, and I'll do it even more."
"That part of you certainly hasn't changed."
As I continued my conversation with the old man, the atmosphere in the restaurant gradually ripened. Laughter and rowdy chatter broke out from every corner.
'How long has it been since I felt an atmosphere like this...?'
What the life of a 'star' had stripped from me was precisely this kind of everyday scenery—the kind of scene that can only be created when people meet simply as human beings.
In the middle of those thoughts, a young girl with stars in her eyes appeared before me, her gaze sparkling.
"Uh... are you a student at Somnium Academy?"
"Yes. My name is Arimura Kasumi."
A girl in the middle of puberty coming to see me? High probability she was here as a 'fan.'
"Want an autograph? If you have a camera, I can take a photo with you too."
"No... that's not it....
"Oh... it's not? Then..."
She didn't want an autograph or a photo? There was a high chance she was an obsessive fan. How many groupies had approached me in America using autographs and photos as an excuse?
"Hahaha, I don't date younger girls, okay? I'm not really into younger types."
"That's not it either!!"
Arimura Kasumi snapped back at Hide's arrogant response.
"Then what is it?"
The moment I tilted my head in curiosity, a shocking story tumbled out of Arimura Kasumi's mouth.
"Actually... Somnium Music Academy is in a lot of trouble... so much so that they're considering closing it down."
"Can you tell me more?"
Hide finally turned his body toward the girl and began to listen intently.
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