"What?? He went to film a music variety show?"
A rough-looking man with bleached yellow hair and black sunglasses wore a look of sheer disbelief as he read the report on Hide's day, provided by manager Miyazaki Makoto.
Hide, the leader of Enfants Terribles, had clearly hit his limit—both mentally and physically. Aware of Hide's precarious condition, Makoto spoke cautiously to the man whose serious expression was hidden behind dark lenses.
"Hide has been running like a dump truck with broken brakes ever since he became the leader of Enfants Terribles. It's only natural that he's exhausted by now."
"You're right. Our damn star is the very engine that allowed Enfants Terribles to stand tall as a giant. No matter how genius the talent, it's impossible to run forever without a break."
It was understandable. Saito Ichigo knew exactly why Hide was unable to produce new music. Mentally, the shock of his family history hadn't even faded before his relationship with his lover was severed; physically, his body was under immense internal strain from a diet of alcohol and pills.
"Then how about we fill the album only with songs from the other three members? I think Hide would agree to that."
"Makoto, that's not something for us to discuss presumptuously. Besides, Hide is a genuine star. No one knows when or where he'll find the inspiration to overcome this slump."
The two men waited.
They were waiting for the miracle that only a genius like Hide could deliver.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
It was blocked. The great river of talent had been dammed, unable to flow. It made sense. Hide had poured his entire soul into his work as a songwriter over the past few years, and as a result, he had finally run out of stories to tell.
This was an inevitable hurdle for a songwriter who had to bare his life to the public through music, but it didn't mean there was no way to overcome it.
What Hide needed now was new experience. Even now, he could churn out hundreds of songs like 'All You're Dreaming Of' or 'Basket Case,' but that wasn't enough anymore.
Those songs wouldn't be bad, per se, but Hide's philosophy was simple: if he were going to release something that was mere self-imitation, he would rather not release anything at all.
.
.
.
.
After the recording was over, the PD approached me.
"Hide! Thank you so much for coming! To think you'd appear on such a humble program... and I know we couldn't even offer you a very high appearance fee..."
"It's a variety show related to music, so there was no reason to refuse."
Normally, I didn't do variety shows. Unless it was for a US promotion circuit immediately after an album release, I stayed away.
Shouldn't a rock star communicate with the public through music?
It was just that, since I was currently stuck in a cycle of self-replication in my songwriting, I had stepped out to shove whatever experiences I could into my head.
Anything minor would do. Even if it had absolutely nothing to do with what I'd done before, that kind of inspiration was precious to me now. A dullard like me has to do at least this much if I want to keep pace with the guys who possess monstrous talent.
"Hide... perhaps... would you ever consider doing something like an anime opening..? I know it might be disrespectful even to ask, but..."
As I stood there, the CP suddenly threw a fresh proposal at me.
An anime opening?
Melodies that my classmates used to hum back in school flashed through my mind. The primary consumers of anime openings are children, but those children grow up to be adults who carry those songs with them for a lifetime.
In other words, the anime opening was a format that held the power to be sung across generations. Normally, it would be fine to accept, but since I couldn't even write a single proper song right now, the correct choice was to refuse.
"Mr. CP, when do you need it by?"
Huh? What did I just say? What the hell did I just blabber?
I couldn't help but be shocked by my own words. My body had reacted before my reason could intervene.
Adding more weight to my shoulders when I wasn't even helping the album production—it was madness.
However, contrary to my inner turmoil, the PD's expression transformed.
"As expected of Hide! Your character is truly great, completely different from your public image! I'll send the contract over to your agency immediately!"
The milk was already spilled. In the blink of an eye, I had taken on the task of writing an anime opening.
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