At that moment, Director Hase who had nearly been stripped naked finally learned the whole story from his longtime cameraman!
Instantly, his breathing grew heavy!
He frantically searched for that little brat.
Eventually, he found him in a corner, surrounded by several clearly suspicious-looking guys.
How could he tell?
Come on!
Anyone who comes to a place like this and throws their arms around that brat Kamishiro, how could they be decent people?!
After instructing the cameraman on follow-up arrangements, Director Hase strode straight toward Kamishiro.
He would let this guy know
His muscles were not trained for nothing!!!
Kamishiro: ????
Thanks to his sixth sense, Kamishiro immediately noticed Director Hase behind him.
Looking at the flaring nostrils, he said weakly,
"Um… it has only been a short while, but Director, you look as dashing as ever~"
The compliment did nothing to change the director's dark expression.
He grabbed Kamishiro by the back of the neck.
"Let us go backstage. We need to have a proper talk!!!"
"Ah, this…"
Feeling that terrifying strength, Kamishiro panicked slightly.
Fortunately, the drugged handkerchief and stun device in his pocket gave him a strong sense of security.
Perfect.
He could use this chance to slip away.
Otherwise, if Yamamoto came back later…
Escaping would not be so easy anymore.
Thinking of this he not only did not resist, he even cooperated by relaxing his body so it would be easier for the director to carry him.
At the same time, he reminded Iori and the others,
"Um, I will be right back. Wait for me a bit.
Also… if Yamamoto comes back, you better ask him what he was trying to grab!"
Upon hearing this Iori and the others froze.
They had been feeling like they were missing something since earlier.
So that was it!
Looks like… that chubby guy had been hiding a secret from them.
The four exchanged glances and revealed ferocious smiles.
No secrets are allowed here!!!
Five minutes later—
Yamamoto returned with a disappointed look on his face.
The moment he came back, he saw the four of them holding cement, rope, bricks… and Kohei… waiting for him.
Yamamoto: =????(??? ????)
Done for?
Done for!!!
Bang!
As soon as they entered backstage, Director Hase casually tossed Kamishiro onto a nearby cushion.
It had to be said—at 180 cm tall, Kamishiro still looked rather "petite" in front of a two-meter-tall muscular giant.
And this also proved one thing from the side…
The director's muscles were real!
No wonder he managed to keep at least one pair of underwear after being besieged by so many beasts!
Kamishiro thought about it. If it had been him instead… nothing would have been left!
Those beasts had absolutely no concept of keeping proper distance between men!
Terrifying.
For the sake of his chastity, Kamishiro decided he had to be more careful in the future.
To his surprise, after tossing him onto the cushion, Director Hase did not scold or lecture him.
He simply sat cross-legged opposite him, puffing angrily.
"Tell me. What should we do now?"
"..."
Kamishiro glanced at the nearly naked Director Hase, then at the almost empty backstage area.
Finally, he looked at himself…
And said weakly,
"Um… Director, why do you not just endure it for now? You cannot fit into my clothes anyway.
Also, I heard from people at that club that wearing clothes restricts muscle growth. So you can treat this as getting used to the state."
Upon hearing that—
Director Hase's expression immediately turned serious.
"Is that true?"
He had always wondered why people liked working out half-naked. Whenever he asked trainers, they only said it was for showing off or looking good, never giving a real explanation.
So there was actually a reason like this?!
He had learned something new!
No wonder he was looking forward more and more to that club!
"Of course! My two seniors personally tested it. It works!"
Kamishiro continued bluffing. As long as the director did not strip him, everything was negotiable!
After all… standing naked in front of a muscular man wearing only purple briefs really did not inspire confidence!!!
"I see… wait! That is not what I meant to talk about!"
Director Hase finally snapped back to his senses.
He had almost been led astray by this little brat!
"Oh? Then what is it?"
Kamishiro looked confused. Was he not solving the problem in another way?
If you overcame the psychological barrier, did clothes really matter?
Looking at the boy's sincere yet foolish expression, Director Hase's mouth twitched.
Did this brat really not get it?
And why did he sound so natural talking about taking clothes off?!
"Oh! You must be worried about that!"
As if enlightened, Kamishiro suddenly pulled out a bottle of "Water of Life" from behind him and placed it in front of the director.
"With this, there will be no problem at all!"
He flashed a bright youthful smile—so bright that Director Hase felt like he was seeing a live-action version of Might Guy.
(′-ι_-｀)
The director picked up the bottle blankly, countless complaints rising in his heart, but he swallowed them all.
He did not want to become a character whose only role was to complain!
"What is this for?"
"Eh? Director, are you not feeling cold? This solves it perfectly!"
"..."
Seeing the huge "96" on the label, even a heavy drinker like Director Hase could not help but twitch at the corner of his eye.
He had never challenged that before.
Who warms up with 96-proof alcohol?!
Would it not make you even colder after drinking it?
Maybe the kind of cold where your whole body shuts down permanently.
Silently, Director Hase pushed the bottle back.
Better to send that thing back where it came from.
At the same time, he was extremely curious how Kamishiro had hidden such a large bottle behind him.
Truly… nothing leaks from the deep intestines.
Unfortunately, Kamishiro had no intention of putting it back. He opened it on the spot and took a big gulp.
Glug glug glug—
"Ha! That is the stuff! Director, want some?"
{{(°△°; "}}!
The director was stunned by that beast-like display.
If not for the strong smell of alcohol in the air, he would have suspected the bottle contained water.
Impressive…
"N-no thanks. Let us get back to the original issue."
He hurriedly changed the subject before he forgot what he wanted to say.
"What I mean is—what are we going to do now? You have been exposed!"
Director Hase looked at him seriously.
This was far more serious than not having clothes!
"Huh? Exposed? Was I not exposed from the beginning…?"
Kamishiro glanced guiltily at the back door.
Although there had been no movement, he did not believe those beasts had given up.
They were definitely waiting outside quietly for him to appear.
And—
There was not much time left!!!
Kamishiro had checked the forum earlier. They were already planning to force their way in.
Apparently, Hijikata and Sougo alone could not hold back the furious crowd.
When the numbers reached a certain terrifying level, the police's deterrence would no longer matter.
Assaulting police?
Of course not. They would just spare a few people to hold the police back~
Then rush in, grab Kamishiro, and run to some place the police could not reach to carry out judgment!
At the thought, Kamishiro shuddered.
He absolutely could not let those beasts catch him!!!
And after browsing the forum, he had figured out exactly who exposed him.
Someone who knew his identity and dared to use such a rebellious username…
The culprit was obvious!
That damn Hijikata Toshiro!!!
Kamishiro ground his teeth. He wished he could grab Sougo's rocket launcher and blast him!
Damn it!
Was life in the Tokyo police really that boring? Did he have to create excitement for himself?!
If he was that idle, he could go bother Katsura or Gin-san!
Kamishiro was just an ordinary college student who wanted to collaborate with Miss Momo!
He felt exhausted.
He had to come up with an escape plan quickly. If those beasts really broke in…
He might truly die young!
He had not even started enjoying life yet!
He would not be done for here!!!
"Huh?"
When Director Hase heard him say he had already been exposed, he was briefly stunned.
Following Kamishiro's gaze to the back door, he finally realized this brat had completely misunderstood!
"Not that kind of exposed!!!"
The director tugged at his already sparse beard in frustration.
"I mean your outfit! The fans outside already recognized you as one of our staff!"
"So?"
Kamishiro tilted his head, still not getting it.
If they mistook him, they mistook him.
"So…"
(???)
Director Hase looked at him as if he were already dead.
"When you go on stage later, you cannot dress like that anymore. At the very least, you cannot let them recognize you as that staff member from earlier."
Crack!
As the director finished speaking, it felt like lightning struck Kamishiro.
That is right!!!
He had completely forgotten that he still had to go on stage!
"Director, are you saying I have to take off my disguise and go up there?"
Kamishiro's eyes were full of disbelief. That was way too ruthless!
"Well, you can just change into another disguise."
Director Hase said lightly, a trace of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.
Hmph!
Was he not acting all calm and composed earlier? Why panic now?
Men~
"No disguise will help at this point!"
If it could not be linked to his earlier self, then none of his three-piece disguise set could be used!
How was that any different from stripping him naked?!
Smack!
Director Hase patted his shoulder.
"Kamishiro! I believe you can handle it!"
After all, he was already being hunted by so many people what was a few more?
Kamishiro: (′?`)
Easy for you to say while standing there! You try it!
To be fair, he did not really mind a few more people chasing him.
The problem was—
Kitahara and the others were among them!
If they found out…
Wait!
Even if he were fully armed, they would probably still recognize him…
(??? ?-? )~
Great. He suddenly had the feeling his days were numbered.
"Director, I think this segment is not absolutely necessary, is it?"
Having realized this, Kamishiro no longer wanted to go on stage.
He would definitely die!
"That will not do! We already agreed!"
Director Hase rejected him without hesitation. If he dared cancel it, the fans would never let him off.
He was a public figure after all. His address could easily be exposed.
And then…
The director shuddered. He did not dare imagine what kind of retaliation he would face.
He certainly did not think there were any kind souls among those beasts.
"What we agreed on was that I would go up fully disguised!"
"But your fully disguised look has already been exposed by you."
Director Hase shrugged. That was entirely self-inflicted.
Kamishiro's face stiffened. For a moment, he really considered just refusing outright.
Unfortunately, Director Hase had already moved to his side at some point.
He patted Kamishiro's shoulder "kindly."
"Kamishiro-kun, you are a man of your word, right~"
Gulp.
Kamishiro swallowed.
This was pure malice!
He had no doubt that if he really tried to back out, Director Hase would tie him up and throw him onto the stage personally.
Damn it!
Using muscles to bully people!
You muscle freak!
Kamishiro's expression shifted repeatedly before he finally sighed as if accepting his fate.
There was no other way.
Even if he changed his outfit, Kitahara and the others would definitely recognize him.
That was the real issue. He did not care about the others at all.
Just a bit of hardship.
What he cared about more was how to leave afterward!
With the execution power of those beasts outside, they might not even last until the golden ticket announcement!
"Fine. I will go up as myself. But"
Kamishiro looked sharply at the director.
"You promised to guarantee my safety!"
"Ah… about that…"
Upon hearing this, Director Hase's expression instantly turned awkward.
It was true.
He had promised Kamishiro earlier that he would ensure he left the venue unharmed.
Back when Kamishiro was fully disguised, the plan was simple—remove the mask, hat, and sunglasses backstage, and no one would recognize him.
Even if fans got a little crazy, he could change clothes amid the chaos.
Perfect.
Zero difficulty.
However…
That was for normal people.
For Kamishiro… completely impossible!
Forget the crowd outside Director Hase did not even know how to handle the fans inside.
If the outside were clear, he might try to rush Kamishiro out.
But the outside was already packed airtight!
And they were waiting to take his head!
Looking at it that way… the boy in front of him seemed doomed?
"How about you just give the golden ticket back to me?"
He probably would not get a chance to use it anyway. Might as well pick someone else now?
Kamishiro: (???)
"In your dreams!"
He took a deep breath. Judging from the director's reaction, there was clearly no good solution coming from him.
He could only rely on himself!
In this situation, the only option was to force a breakthrough now!
As for going on stage… once he successfully escaped, he would bring a bottle of Water of Life to apologize.
Director Hase would not be hard to track down later~
However, just as Kamishiro was about to act, a timid voice suddenly spoke up.
"Um… actually, there is another way out."
"Huh?!" ×2
Kamishiro and Director Hase both turned sharply toward the source of the voice.
There was a third person here?!
The cameraman had appeared beside them at some point, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"There is actually a hidden door here."
Director Hase: "Huh? When did you get here?"
Cameraman: "Ah, things over there are arranged. I came to report and ask about the next steps."
"Ah, the next step…"
Smack!
Before the director could finish, Kamishiro shoved him aside.
"Brother! Let us talk about this hidden door in detail first!"
Hope sparkled in Kamishiro's eyes.
He knew it!
He just knew fate would not abandon him!
Cameraman: (°ー°〃)
That… excited?
Clearly, he had no idea what situation they were in.
He looked to his longtime partner for clarification.
Meanwhile, Director Hase who had been pushed aside not only was not angry, but now wore a mysterious smile.
Five minutes later
Kamishiro walked out of backstage looking completely drained of life.
He was going to prepare to go on stage…
That damn Director Hase!
Actually using the hidden door to threaten him!
Once they got to Izu, he would definitely give him a proper "welcome"!!!
Behind him, Director Hase watched his back with a refreshed expression.
Hmph. As expected, the old ginger is spicier~
What perfect timing for that assist!
But…
"How did you even know about the hidden door?"
He looked at the cameraman.
He did not remember filming here before.
The cameraman scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Um… I took a job from someone else here before."
Upon hearing that Director Hase's face turned as if he had swallowed a fly.
He suddenly felt like he had been NTR'd.