My Crown: Reimagined [IDOLiSH7 Fanfiction]

15: My Dear

"Hmph."

The pale-faced man turned his back to the BoW broadcasting screen. He looked anything but happy. He certainly wasn't angry either. It looked as if someone had sucked the life out of him, leaving only an empty walking husk.

"Leaving already, Kujou?"

Of course, Tsukumo Ryo would make an appearance whenever something went wrong. He lived by feeding on negative energy, after all.

"There's no point in watching anymore," Takamasa answered in a tired voice. "Kujou Riku lost."

"Ha! Well, you know, it's got nothing to do with me." Tsukumo sneaked behind Takamasa's back and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Sure, Riku didn't win, but he still managed to bring fame and money to Tsukumo. What else was there to care about? From an entertainment business standpoint, Ryo had no reason to worry for the time being. As for his own amusement, hmm, things were more complicated. "So what's next? How are you going to punish him this time? Hmm?" Likely, there was an evil plan forming in his mind since he did not wait for Takamasa to open his mouth. "Playing the part of a puppeteer is getting a little boring, my good friend."

Those last few words had caught Takamasa's attention who appeared disinterested at first. "Don't you care about money? What could an entertainment business do without its idol?"

Ryo suddenly smiled even wider now that they were speaking his language. He leaned in and whispered in Takamasa's ears. "Oh, don't get me wrong, daddy. I do love money, but what I adore even more is drama." He wrapped his arm around Tamakasa's shoulders in an overly friendly manner. "Surely you have some other toys for me to play with. Am I not right?"

"That I do." Takamasa did not seem bothered by Ryo's 'proposal'. He only wanted to leave the place as soon as possible, so slowly, he began to walk away from Ryo.

Ryo's smile was so wide it reached his ears. Such an extreme bliss that man was in. "Pleasure doing business with you as always, my friend."

Before Takamasa ignored Ryo completely, he paused to ask one last question. "What will you do with this 'boring, old toy' then?" He did not look back at Ryo's fox face.

Ryo faked his surprise. "My! Do you even need to ask? Exactly what you do to a marionette with a broken string or food that has gone spoiled."

"Hmph." The father walked away from the venue until it was completely out of his sight. He continued until he could see the natural shining stars in the night sky, at which point he came to a halt and muttered,

"In the end, you're just another failed project, Nanase Riku."

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Anesagi couldn't help shedding her tears for the three boys who worked harder than anyone else. The proud and mighty TRIGGER could not go home with a victory tonight.

"Damn it! We were so close!" Gritting his teeth, Gaku slammed the wall with his fist. No one was stopping him. Not when all of the boys needed their time to express their frustration in their own unique way. Ryuu sat silently by himself. At some point, he let out a big sigh.

Tenn chose to leave the venue briefly, desperately needing a moment alone for his tears to fall and for the cold wind to hit his face and wake him up. He was not the only one needing fresh air, it seemed. He saw a familiar redhead leaning against the wall outside, staring off into the distance.

"Riku," Tenn decided to join his little brother. "It's getting cold. You shouldn't be here."

"Cold? I can't feel it." Riku spoke with a hoarse voice. He had probably screamed or cried the moment IDOLiSH6 stole his spotlight. "My chest. My heart. It burns, Tenn-nii."