Chapter 95: Under Pressure
In most rock songs, the bass is just a supporting element, an annotation for the drums or guitar. But when Kira snapped his fingers, the bass reclaimed its glory, proving to the audience that even the underappreciated bass guitar could have its moment to shine.
The name of this song was "Under Pressure."
Kira's snap on stage drew everyone's attention. Some people in the crowd began to tap their feet to the rhythm. Few noticed that Makoto Hibikiya had quietly left the stage.
The moment the intro began, the crowd suddenly screamed. There, in the spotlight, was a shirtless Makoto Hibikiya.
His handsome, slightly world-weary face and powerful, muscular body swayed to the music. He held the microphone stand like a gentleman's cane, moving with it in bold, declarative motions. His audacious moves drove the women in the crowd wild. One woman let out a shriek and fainted on the spot.
This was just a small interlude. Kira watched as Makoto walked step-by-step toward him. He began to sing along.
If Makoto's roaring voice was that of a man who had broken his chains and begun to run wild, then Kira was like a corporate drone living a quiet life, desperately suppressing his own emotions, only to let out one final, mad release under the pressure.
The song ended. Kira lowered the mic, snapping his fingers in rhythm with Makoto. The snap was like the final accompaniment to the bassline, and at the same time, like a countdown timer back to reality.
Perhaps that was the meaning of the song. The release must eventually end, and in the end, one must still face reality.
Just like Yoshikage Kira. Even if he occasionally let his urges out, after he calmed down, he still just wanted to live a quiet life.
This song held an extraordinary meaning for Kira. Even the later songs he sang with Makoto, "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Sheer Heart Attack," didn't give him the same feeling.
Especially that first song. The audience could feel the smugness of the bassist through the audacious bassline, as if he were saying, "See? Who said the bassist is just a mascot on stage?"
During the famous interlude of "Bohemian Rhapsody," Kira and the others hid backstage for a quick toast with a cocktail mixed by Hitomi Mishima. On stage, only the stage lights flashed and switched erratically.
Kansou Eruto, who had just shown off his skills, laughed and explained that his Quirk was "Deformation Paint," which could make anything he painted blend into its surroundings like a chameleon. The figures standing in their places on stage under the flashing lights were just cardboard models he had made earlier—in other words, paper cutouts.
If the people in the crowd knew they were screaming wildly for a bunch of cardboard cutouts, what would they think?
That interlude was made by repeatedly layering the guitar track. It was fine when recording, but it was impossible to replicate that effect live without using electronic instruments. Therefore, just like Queen had done, they hid backstage. This both recreated the past and showed their disdain for lip-syncing.
The audience finally noticed something was wrong. They began to murmur amongst themselves. But because of the stage lighting effects, they couldn't be sure if the figures on stage were real or not.
Suddenly, the lights flared, bathing the stage in white. The audience gasped. The band members were gone. All that remained in their places were their silhouettes.
CRASH! SMASH! CRACK!
Three loud sounds erupted in quick succession. The silhouettes of the lead singer, guitarist, and bassist shattered like glass. The glass crystals, illuminated by the lights, floated in the air as if in bullet-time. The world seemed to freeze.
Ba-dum-dum-DUM! A rapid-fire drum fill from Dave shattered the moment. Behind the broken silhouettes, Makoto Hibikiya, holding his mic stand in a batting stance, returned to his position. Jodo and Kansou's guitar and bass kicked in at the perfect moment, and the entire venue descended into a state of pandemonium.
Countless people raised their phones to record the moment, then threw their hands in the air, lost in the madness.
"Wait, where's Kira-kun?" Momo, who had been watching Kira the entire time he was on stage, was now surprised and a little amused. "He didn't just... run off again at such a critical moment, did he?"
If the first half of the concert had been a warm-up, with the band worried they might displease the audience, then the second half was a pure celebration for the band members. They could sing as loud as they wanted, without any reservations. The audience was completely in sync with their rhythm. Even if they had just flopped around on stage, the audience would have partied along with them. This was the reward they had earned.
Just like at the Sports Festival awards ceremony, at the very moment when Kira should have been enjoying the applause and cheers that belonged to him, he was once again absent.
The audience below was lost in the ecstasy of the music. At this point, even if a thief stole their wallet, they probably wouldn't have noticed, let alone paid attention to one person who had disappeared into the crowd at some unknown time.
"Sorry, excuse me!"
Kira had taken off his conspicuous green jacket, wearing only the light blue dress shirt underneath as he wove through the crowd. His appearance was no different from some of the older gentlemen who had also taken off their suit jackets, and they easily mistook him for one of their own, willingly clearing a path for him.
Kira hadn't left the stage to run; he had a reason. Just as the lyrics said, while he was singing "Bites the Dust," he had seen Killer Queen—a pink cat.
At first, he thought it was just an illusion. After all, the stage lights were constantly flashing; it could have just been a trick of the light, making someone who looked vaguely like Koji Koda appear pink. But when they started "Bohemian Rhapsody," Killer Queen was still there, seared into his retina, standing in the crowd and staring silently at him.
Yoshikage Kira couldn't wait. While they were hiding backstage, he had told Makoto and the others that he had to leave, and that they would have to sing the remaining songs themselves.
They had all been shocked, their cocktail glasses frozen in their hands. Jodo had stammered, desperately trying to get him to stay, thinking that they had made a mistake in the performance and that Kira was expressing his displeasure. But he soon saw the resolve in Kira's eyes. It was just like his own dedication to music. This was something he had to do.
Makoto Hibikiya had made a quick decision, agreeing to Kira's temporary departure and telling him not to worry. They were a band that had been practicing together for years. Without the temporarily-added Kira, their coordination might even be more perfect.
Kira, seeing that the band was now in a groove on stage, relaxed and began to earnestly search for the cat that had suddenly appeared.
However, even after two songs had ended, Kira still hadn't found Killer Queen. It was as if it truly had been just an illusion in his own eyes.
Wait... my eyes... my retina... Bites the Dust...
A bold idea suddenly occurred to Kira. That thing... don't tell me it's hidden inside a spectator's eye?
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