WARNING: Longer chapter because I didn't bother to make it short :P

CHAPTER 28

Last night, he fought with his wife.

No, it was not really a fight. His wife, Maaya was a gentlewoman with the tendency of bottling up what she felt. Unlike him who was really straightforward, Maaya was prone to burst into tears before asking him who was the women he went out with. Meeting Tomochika frequently was still acceptable since the idol was also her close friend but not other women who were sexy and popular. He could not answer her for a reason so their relationship ended up strained.

I am sorry, Maaya. After tonight, you'll understand why I met them, Ren thought. He rested against the sofa right after his office hour finished, accompanied by his laptop. Apparently, even years had passed since he gave up on his ladies' man status, it was hard for others to simply accept that. Sometimes, the ladies appeared again in his life and devastate his marriage. The fact that some people still doubted his loyalty towards Maaya had always been slurring and that was when he understood Tokiya the most.

It's hard, right, Tokiya? You want to make yourself clean but somehow, people love to dwell on your past instead of giving you second chance, he thought. He hunched forward as his cyan eyes scanned the pictures from his laptop pensively.

STARISH's sleepy faces when they were cast for 'Good Morning, Idols!' variety show...

STARISH when they won the decisive concert for Triple S event...

STARISH's smiling faces during Syo and Natsuki's birthday party...

All of them smiled. All including Tokiya who sadly no longer felt to do such thing with them, let alone for them. It took only one painful blow to ruin everything. When he meant everything, he did not simply refer to how Syo and Natsuki were fired from their beloved jobs and how Otoya almost lost his children for good. If Saotome thought that they simply would give up because of the tortures, he was wrong.

But he could not help but feel lost at what to do when he learned Tokiya's attitude regarding his own circumstance. For someone who was strong-willed and stern, he now gave up to fight for his self-worth. Instead, he was willing to continue being The Stripper just like how Saotome wished.

Ren frowned as he stared at Tokiya's smiling face which was during their debut performance. It was soothing and this guy should smile more instead of looking miserable continually. Seeing how young all of them looked in the picture, it reminded him of how cold Tokiya was at the beginning of their friendship. Their seats in the class were just next to each other but most of the time, Tokiya treated him worse than a wall. Later, when they got closer especially after debut, he concluded that Tokiya had extreme trust issue due to his upbringing and what he had gone through as a young celebrity. Ren was glad when Tokiya slowly opened up to them and coolly showed how much he cared about them.

But now, the trust was broken again and it was their faults. They almost wanted to get rid of Tokiya from still being one of them and now they had a taste of their own medicine. Now, Tokiya himself did not want to have anything to do with them anymore and it seemed like he was resolute with his decision. Judging from his personality, he might do it so that everyone was safe. Tokiya simply did not want to take a risk anymore.

Now, a question just crossed his mind. Should they give up, then? But they did not start anything yet, though. Just organized a plan here and there...

"Ren? Ren?" A few pats on his broad shoulder managed to drag him to reality. He slightly turned, only to meet eyes with his brother.

"Nii-san," he exclaimed, wondering what brought the CEO of the company to his room at this hour. "I wonder what brings you here. Something happened?"

"If you're asking about work, no, nothing happened. But, it seems like something did happen from your side," his brother, Seiichiro remarked before taking a seat opposite Ren. "Given you're still here instead of going home right away, STARISH's picture on your laptop screen... I can tell that something is bothering your mind."

Ren shook his head.

"No, nothing happened. I just want to sit here..."

"It's about Tokiya, right?" More seriousness layered Seiichiro's voice.

Ren straightened his back as the name was brought up. Years passed and he was grateful that their relationship had grown so much. Seiichiro was more expressive with how much he cared about Ren while he himself put more trust in the guy.

"I know you might not want to talk to me about your friends since... yeah, there are certain private matters among you guys but..."

"What should we do if we want to help a person but he refuses our help? He knows he needs help but he particularly refuses ours. Should we give up then?" At last, Ren blurted out questions that Seiichiro was waiting for. It was not his way to seek somebody's opinion since he normally could brainstorm on his own but this time, he felt like he was wedged in a maze. It was suffocating and he needed the answer before the tonight news conference.

Seiichiro smiled. He was totally fine with how secretive and independent Ren was. The fact that he ended up asking his opinion mattered more.

"Well, it depends on why you insist to help him," Seiichiro's simple answer sent his brother startled.

"It's...it's because we care about this person and..." Ren heaved a long sigh as the second answer felt like it would explode in his head soon. "We had wronged him. We wanted to patch up with him but he won't forgive us."

"Then, the only thing that you should do is never give up. Keep trying or else, he won't see your sincerity. If he still shows that he cares about you guys despite his coldness, I am sure you still stand a chance, Ren."

That was when Tokiya's words conveniently crossed his mind.

"The first thing that you smart people need to consider is you just picked a fight with a VIP who will use their money to misfire your plan. Second, they sure will mention the president in their statement and guess what? He'll ruin your life. Just like how he did to mine."

"My point is, you will risk your wife's and children's life as well, Masato. They will suffer as well. Is that what you want?"

Yes, Tokiya still cared about them so like Seiichiro said, they still stood a chance.

"Thank you, nii-san," Ren said, a relieved smile spread over his lips.

"My pleasure. I am glad I could help in some ways," Seiichiro returned the smile before exclaiming, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your proposal to own the building is approved. You might use it to start your own company anytime."

Ren could not conceal his smile. His eyes shone with hope and thrill.

"Thanks again, nii-san. I really appreciate that."

"Nah, stop being so formal. I just want to see you being happy with your friends once again. It's such a waste if you keep distant like this. After all, we don't know who might leave first. I learn from my experience, Ren," Seiichiro remarked before leaving the room.

The casual remarks tugged at Ren's heartstrings for the rest of the day.

I don't want any of us to leave. At least not this soon and not in this kind of situation.

"So, the fact that Natsuki was suddenly fired from the children show is also because of you, huh?" Tokiya questioned which was replied by proud chuckles from Saotome. Hyuga and Ringo from both of his side remained smirking, much to the blue head's indignation. "As expected from the scum of the earth like you."

"But this scum is the one who will grant your wish to stay away from your friends. Tonight is your news conference and you'll be free from them forever. Who else can do that for you?"

"Yeah, sure," Tokiya said, nonchalantly. His pale face looked obviously bored as his heart entreated that they would get lost as soon as possible. There was no way he would let them visited him just to inform the 'good news' and not because they actually cared about his constitution. "Just give his job back and I am all yours. Well, I am your property in the first place so I won't go anywhere."

"That's my boy! Good. Very good," Saotome said, clapping happily at Tokiya's remark. The property himself called himself 'property' so it really made the president's day.

"You have made a very good choice, Tokiya. The president already arranged so many exclusive projects for you so more money will come to you," Hyuga supplied, being oblivious of the fact that Tokiya was too disgusted to hold their eyes together. He still could not believe that this guy was the remarkable teacher in Saotome Academy back then.

The same goes for Ringo. Tomochika admired him so much and was inspired by him but his true color was unspeakable.

"You're so amazing, president. You even kidnapped someone's children just to make your wish come true," Tokiya said, soft but sharp. "Obviously, you dare to do that because you're heartless. You can't understand a father's feeling so that's why you even try to harm those innocent children as well. I know you never married but judging from your previous relationship with your long-lost ex-composer, your child might still exist somewhere and he or she might have their family now. In order to reach your target, what will you do when you learn that you end up kidnapping your own flesh and blood? That's heart-breaking, you know."

"What're you trying to say, Tokiya? I know you're still sick but stop talking rubbish," Saotome said, never accepting Tokiya's words seriously. "I just ordered the doctor to discharge you this afternoon so make sure to pack your belongings early. Seriously, I can't stand to see you staying here without working. It's a big loss for me. This kind of place will just pamper you and you'll never bring any profit to us," Saotome said, eyeing Tokiya from head to toe in annoyance.

"Okay."

"Practice the script that I gave you. Make your regret to see STARISH disband sounds upsetting as much as possible in front of the press."

"Sure."

"Contact my driver to pick you up," before Tokiya could refuse, Saotome added, "I repeat, my driver. Not Himura."

"Did you seriously fire him as well? You do know that unlike you, he still needs a job..."

"He picked a fight with someone like me so he should pay for the consequence. How many times do I have to tell you, Tokiya? Don't get attached to people since you won't go anywhere. Just look at you. You were willing to be the VIPs' servants just for those guys' sake but what did they do to you?"

Tokiya was rolling his eyes when the door was open. He met eyes with Masato and Haruka right away but the most interesting part was how shocked they were to have to face the three prominent figures.

"Ah, I forgot. While you hate the other five friends who didn't appreciate you, you sure are still chummy with this couple. How ironic," Saotome said. He found it fun to unmask his true self after spending years being pretentious before these people.

"It's even ironic for him to stay with someone like you after you treated him like a plaything," Masato remarked, earning surprised looks from others except for Saotome.

What a blunt bastard, he thought.

"I heard from Ren that you're not going to attend the conference, Masato. Well, what should I expect from a sick dude..."

"No, I'm going to attend it. Don't worry," Masato interposed, blue eyes pierced Saotome's. Tokiya and Haruka stared at each other in shock, unable to swallow Masato's declaration. "I can't let you have all the fun, right? Not after I know how filthy you're."

"Please calm down, honey. We're in hospital," Haruka whispered in panic. She realized that Masato was easily annoyed nowadays. He looked particularly tense when he talked with Ren by phone.

"Yeah, your wife is right. No need to be so serious, Masato. It's not wrong for us to get chummy to each other no matter what'll happen tonight."

"I don't want to get chummy with a scumbag like you," Masato said, almost earning an angry remark from Hyuga but Saotome quickly raised his hand to stop any interruption from Hyuga nor Ringo.

"Stop that, Masato," Tokiya said, throwing a lazily disapproved look. He was still on his sickbed so the last thing he wanted to hear was Masato and Saotome's scrap.

"You both are very interesting," Saotome stood up, eyeing each of the blue-haired guys. "Even after so many years had passed. You should learn how to calm down from your friend, Masato. You need to learn a lot."

"And why should I hear advice from somebody like you?"

"Enough, Masato!" Before his head could explode with pressure, Tokiya's voice reacted first. He looked daggers at Masato who kept pulling his poker face.

"Shall we leave, guys? I am sure they need some privacy," Saotome glanced at Hyuga and Ringo before slowly leading his way to the door. "See you guys tonight."

He only received a blank look from Tokiya and glower from Masato but he was too happy with tonight's news conference to care.

Tokiya and his friends would go their separate ways... that was what he wished for so long.

"What're you guys doing here? For your information, I am going to leave this place today so I am too fine to receive a visit," Tokiya remarked as the trio disappeared from his sight. However, he received a disappointed look from Haruka and a constant glare from Masato.

"Yeah, a stubborn patient like you will always say you're too fine even in fact, your doctor just told us that you got a heart attack yesterday," Masato claimed as sarcastic as possible.

It managed to stop Tokiya from blurting out whatever excuse he had in his mind. It was all because of...

Stupid doctor! These two are not even my guardians so why bother telling them?

"We just bumped into your doctor and that's when we asked him," Haruka explained softly when she knew it was pointless for her to make any of them relaxed. The circumstance was too complicated for them to talk calmly.

"And yet, did you just say that you will get discharged today? What's wrong with you, Tokiya? After what the scum had done to you, you still haven't learned your lesson?" As for Masato, he was too angry to be soft with his words. At this point, trying to be mature and so-called diplomatic only made things slow.

"I just don't want somebody else's children to get kidnapped again and that includes Harumi and Mitsuki as well," Tokiya could not be sterner than he was. He preferred them not to talk about this matter any longer when he hinted them so many times that nobody could change his decision to stay in Shining Agency.

"We're fine on our own, Tokiya. You don't need to..."

"The same goes with me. I am an adult and I am fine on my own. I don't need anyone's help including from you guys so stop forcing me!"

Despite not flinching at Tokiya's harsh tone, it did not indicate that Haruka's upset feeling would fade any soon. She lowered her head, concealing how hurt she felt inside from being shown over her face.

Meanwhile, at this moment, Tokiya expected Masato to yell at him right away but much to his surprise, the scion just pursed his lips as he nodded his head.

"Our friends did tell me that when you get depressed, you're prone to blurt out anything that you don't mean so I won't take your harsh words to heart this time," Masato said, much to Tokiya's discontent. "But, I am still slightly angry that I feel the sudden need to drink whiskey. Can you help me walk today, Tokiya? I want you to see my progress."

"Masato, what're you talking about?" While Haruka was puzzled with Masato's mismatched remarks, Tokiya could only sigh as he was starting to get tired to stop Masato with his words.

Okay, then. If that's what you want...

Tokiya's conclusion after the walking session; Masato's progress was incredible. The scion must use a lot of his free time to practice.

"I hope that after this, we still can see each other despite any kind of situation. Remember, Tokiya. We're friends and nothing can change the fact," was the most memorable remark from Masato during his visit.

And it still haunted both of them.

Tokiya hated these mixed feelings in his heart. He was the one who wished for this news conference to take place as soon as possible but...

Here he was, in his waiting room, one of his legs could not stop tapping nervously. Hyuga, Ringo, and Saotome's anticipated voices around him were off the radar screen. He could not think anyone or anything except his teammates.

Their apology... how they looked so sincere and determined to fight for him... their children which were also the sources of his strength... their bitter-sweet memories together...

No, I can't feel like this. This is not the right time for me to get nostalgic. I should move on from them. They're no longer part of my life.

At the same time, Masato was in his own world, also getting mixed feelings about that night's event. The beautiful night view from outside of Ren's car did not interest him at all and he was not in a good mood to talk either.

He remained silent until Ren, who was driving, initiated a conversation first.

"Masato."

"Yes?" He turned, holding Ren's confused eyes right away.

"Can you explain why does your bag look heavy? Haruka only put your medicine, right?" Ren asked, pointing at Masato's black and small bag.

"It has a water bottle as well," Masato said nonchalantly. "I need it."

"Oh, yeah... that makes sense. It's for your medicine, right?"

Masato did not answer his friend.

When they took their own seat, camera flashes rained their way. They could spot all journalists from all media that they could think of, ready with their respective recordings and notebooks. They and Saotome would have a win-win situation anyway. The cruel president wanted every single soul in this world to know STARISH's disbandment while the journalists believed that every single news about STARISH especially Tokiya would give them the most profit.

Even in this kind of situation, Tokiya still ended up being a great source of turnover for every involved party. That was why Saotome never gave him up to anyone. He could lose other underling but Tokiya.

All seven of them sat uncomfortably but the busiest part of them was their minds. The thought that one day, they would end up sitting here to announce their disbandment broke their hearts. Except for Tokiya, the other six could not stand this situation any longer despite only sitting there for a few minutes and they knew what would happen next.

They did not want to lose Tokiya and the same goes with the blue head no matter how many times his mind denied it. He ended up sparing no glances towards them, worrying about the possibility that his mind would get swayed by any of their faces and the memories they had created together.

The news conference was started typically with the introduction from the Saotome. Masato took a look at Tokiya who had a very calm expression. The camera flashes and the crowd did not have a chance to make him nervous anymore.

I know. Deep inside, you don't want this to happen but the stress made you cold. That's okay. I'll make sure to bring back the old you, Tokiya. I will end this if the geezer still insists to have his own way.

After all, I can walk more and more now...

"I now officially announce that STARISH will disband starting from tonight. We have talked a lot through this matter and trust me, it's never easy for me to decide this kind of thing since they're like my own children. Given STARISH had lasted more than seventeen years, of course I had grown attached to them. I treasure them, I only gave the best for them and I had seen how hard they worked in order to achieve his dream. That's why... no matter how upset I am to let them have their own path, they still have my fullest support. If there's any other company out there willing to scout them, I totally recommend them even all of them except Tokiya will leave Shining Agency for good."

Yeah, yeah, keep flapping your gum, Ren mentally scoffed. He glanced at his friends. Knowing them for 17 years, Ren knew they were expressing their disgust at Saotome's hypocritical speech in their own way. For example, Syo might look like he stared at the floor with full interest but his mind was far more interested to curse at the president. Otoya could not hide his sadness but occasionally curving in a faint smile at Saotome's speech.

But, Masato's reaction was the most confusing. He clutched his bag as if his life depended on it.

"Do you want to consume your medicine now? Do you feel sick anywhere?" Ren whispered to the blue head's direction.

"Huh? No, I am fine," Masato remarked, blue eyes widened at Ren's question.

So, he's not sick, Ren thought. He immediately felt the vibe around him and the crowd grew overwrought as it was Tokiya's turn to read his speech.

Which was obviously not written by himself and all six of them knew it. Judging from how controlling Saotome was (thanks to all the voice recordings from Tokiya's laptop), the fact that the founder of Shining Agency would ensure Tokiya to say the exact same thing that he wanted word by word did not surprise them anymore.

"Now, any question from the floor?"

As if they were dying to wait for the cue from Saotome, loud voices from the journalists ricocheted in the hall. More blinking camera flash and more hands were raised for questions but the scariest part was...

All of the questions were directed towards Tokiya. Only Tokiya.

"Since you're way more successful than the other members, do you think you did contribute to the disbandment? Could it be... you're the one who asked for disbandment first?"

"Do you think all this time STARISH only relies on your achievement to survive in showbiz? Do you think you're too good for them?"

"Do you personally never feel attached to the group? You guys are in the group since 17 years ago, right?"

"Tell us the truth! Your fans won't be happy to see STARISH disband like this unless you give a solid reason!"

Anger immediately flew through Masato's veins. He could not care less about how his irritated face just scared some of the journalists who happened to meet eyes with him.

"What the heck? Why are they all attacking him?" Masato's mumble did not escape Ren's hearing who instantly moved closer to explain the situation. It also caught Natsuki's attention who was next to Ren.

"As they said, he's the most successful out of us so it's bound for them to assume that a person likes him prefers to work individually."

"I see," when Ren thought Masato's anger level dropped, the pianist added, "If you ask me, they should ask the rest of us instead. 'Did you guys ever think to remove Tokiya from STARISH since he carries an offensive title like Stripper?' 'Did you guys ever feel ashamed of him?' Those are the right questions."

Masato was too outraged to bother that his words felt like punches for Ren and Natsuki. All his eyes bothered was to glance and throw an empathetic look at Tokiya who was still calm but God knew what his heart was battling with inside.

"I never thought that STARISH could survive just because of me. My friends have their respective talent and I believe that STARISH's disbandment won't affect our career," Tokiya said but it immediately echoed more questions from the floor.

"But according to our sources, your relationship with other STARISH members has been strained since you become more popular. You guys even rarely appear in shows together except for a grand concert."

Ren was relieved that he received a text from Tomochika just before he wanted to explode and shout at the microphone for the journalists' bluntness.

Hi, Ren. It's all done.

"I am sorry, guys..." he initiated which lowered the loud voices right away. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Saotome and his two assistants looked confused by his sudden interruption. He smirked at them before supplying, "Please kindly check what's been viral right now. I guarantee you, it's far more interesting to grab the headlines tonight and tomorrow."

The puzzled crowd immediately took out and used their gadgets. Silence lingered in the air for a while before more and more shocking expression written over their faces.

"Shining Saotome...what?" One of the female journalists exclaimed, eyes widened at her phone screen. "He... he rented Tokiya to VIPs?"

"What the hell? Kouda Shin sexually assaulted... who?" Another voice echoed.

"Where is this news coming from? And why tonight?" More voices added the tautness in the hall.

"Look at here. Shibuya Tomochika is the writer!"

"Saotome..." Ringo's feminine face turned pallid as he scrolled through the internet. "Somebody just let the cat out of the bag."

As soon as Saotome read one of the articles which were the cause of current outrage, he quickly looked daggers at Tokiya who was sitting beside him, looking all bewildered.

"You... did you just pretend to stay with me while in fact, you're betraying me?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

More questions from the crowd were bombarded towards Saotome. Ren was right. The viral news was far more captivating.

"Is it true that you oppressed Tokiya and forced him to be the Stripper?" A first question came up.

"Did you seriously 'rent' Tokiya to be a sex slave for your clients?"

"Is it true that a lot of VIPs had involved in this agreement?"

"Did you threaten Tokiya with other STARISH members had he refused to obey you?"

"Tell us the truth, Saotome-san! This scandal is too shocking! Plus, Tomochika is your idol too. Why would she write something that will ruin your reputation if this article isn't true!?"

Saotome threw an accusing look at Hyuga and Ringo but they shook their heads in horror to prove their innocence. As for Tokiya, his head was dizzy with the current roller coaster.

What just happened?

"Tokiya, is it true that you sacrificed your body for your friends' sake?"

"Is this news trying to tell us that rather than being treasured, you're actually exploited by Shining Saotome?"

Ignoring those desperate questions, his blue eyes looked around the busy crowd before he looked at his friends.

Those smiles... those warm smiles which were the sources of his strength.

What are these guys doing? Tomochika too...

As for Ren, he never found that Saotome's pale and anxious face was the most entertaining thing until tonight. He stood while still holding a microphone. Smiling so bright at his friends who bumped their fists with one another, he continued, "Well, maybe the cat got Saotome-san's tongue so let us answer your question... or should I say, let the true events unfold themselves now?"

With the cue, Himura who was already waiting at the sound room nodded at the crew. A certain recording which would drag Saotome more into the hell echoed right away, much to the whole hall's disarray.

"I know. I know how you're feeling right now. I understand it but I don't think we should settle it here. You don't want my maids to find out those embarrassing things about you, right?"

"What now?" A journalist exclaimed as he got annoyed at these dramas but it was enough for Tokiya to lose his breath for a while since...

There was no way he could forget the cruel voice of Saotome which initiated the most nightmarish moment in his life. He started shaking before he received a text from Masato.

We're sorry. We already consulted with Dr. Mayama about this and we got his permission as long as we don't expose the recording too long.

Tokiya eyed his left side which was where his friends were. Masato held his eyes right away, sending a soothing smile. After that, his surrounding felt like a fast-motioned video with some of the recordings of Saotome's sins were exposed and other people's multi expressions. It was traumatizing and overwhelming. He could feel Natsuki slowly lifted him so that he could stand up before the big guy brought him to their side.

"Shit, where the hell is this coming from!? Stop playing the damn recording!" Saotome shouted while the crowd was too busy to jot down the juicy news from out of nowhere.

Six of them looked above, hoping that Himura could see them and returned their smiles.

Which was correct. Himura smiled back.

"How dare you ungrateful bastards! Are you trying to ruin my reputation!? What's with all these slanders!?" Saotome shouted again, unable to suppress his anger. He was more exasperated when the friends were standing right in front of Tokiya, blocking his view.

"Yes, we're because you don't deserve the reputation at all," Ren said, intentionally using microphone to allow the whole hall to witness their fight. "Just stop here, Saotome-san. We let the cat out of the bag because we want Tokiya to be with us. We don't want him to suffer anymore."

"You guys are the one who made him suffer. You only rely on him to survive in this industry so he should stay in my agency for good!"

"You wish," Ren chuckled, eyeing Cecil who already held another microphone.

"So, ladies and gentlemen. Please allow us to officially announce that STARISH won't be disbanded. If the geezer over there still wants us to disband, we won't allow that to happen. Why? Because all this time Tokiya has been trapped by this geezer to be a sex slave and we as his friends would certainly make him face the music."

"Since Tokiya was 21 years old, he 'rented' Tokiya to his clients so that they would invest more in Shining Agency and Tokiya would get more projects. While it did raise Tokiya's popularity, he suffered so much from The Stripper nickname since Tokiya did not want it. In fact, he hated it," Otoya added.

"Guys, stop that..." even his frame was getting calmer, Tokiya could only mumble.

"I want all of you to listen and jot down every single line from us, not the geezer and the bastards who he worked with. He neglected us. He let Tokiya shine in a provocative way so that he could gain profits as much as possible. Since Masato is The Saint, Tokiya had to be the opposite him and that's what he truly suffering all this time. Not only that, our dear friend had suffered mental illness due to Saotome's exploitation," Syo supplied which was the last straw for the journalists to raise an outburst and bombarded more criticism and questions.

"Wait, ladies and gentlemen. Let's be adults and listen to what I want to say. It's unfair if you don't listen from both sides, right?" Saotome said, clutching his microphone as tight as possible to cover his terror. "What these guys said are not true. They just made up things and they're in delusion."

"Oh, yeah? All six of us are in delusion? How funny," Masato exclaimed, slowly standing up from his wheelchair. Otoya offered to help but he gently stopped the redhead. "I think it's the best for you to free Tokiya and let him leads his own life. It's all over for you. Starting from tonight, people will..."

"Do you think I'll just allow this shit to happen!? No, this slander is too much and you guys will face the consequence. I'll..."

"What do you mean with 'face the consequence'? Do you simply want to sue us or whose children are you going to kidnap after this?"

"Now, you give me more reasons to sue you guys. I don't have anything to do with the abduction and you have no proofs to show anyway. You know me, right? With just a call, I can make your life nightmarish. Get lost and leave Tokiya alone!"

It managed to make something snapped in Masato's head.

"I warn you, Saotome. Don't call anyone and don't misuse your power here. Just free Tokiya or..." When Ren saw how it took all for Masato to control his quivering body, something creepy shot his mind.

Could it be... Did he seriously want to...

"Or what?"

"I am going to make you unable to call anyone for the rest of your life. Just so you know, The Saint is not meant to be sainted forever. He also has his limit."

"What?"

"Masato, don't!"

It was too late for Ren to shout, let alone to stop Masato. The blue head already raised his hand after taking out a whiskey bottle from his bag. He took a few steps ahead before smashing the object as strongly as possible against Saotome's head. The rest of the hall was fulfilled with loud gasp and scream. It was such a horror to see an artist who was unable to control himself anymore attacked his own president for everyone to see.

For the world to see how malicious Saotome was to deserve such humiliation.

But for Masato right now, the sight of Saotome collapsed on the floor with the bloody head was the only thing he wished more than for his health to recover.

Tbh, it's so hard to write this chapter, given I had to describe a news conference. I hope you like it and I am so sorry if the news conference doesn't sound and look real. Feel free to tell me what you do you think about this chapter, okay? Bye~