Sleeping with the Enemy (4)
Tae-il imagined Honjo Rena in two different roles.
Guitar and drums.
He'd always prided himself on his lack of imagination, but for some reason, the images came vividly to mind.
It was inevitable—he'd seen all sorts of Rena from fan art and official merch in his past life.
Rena cradling a guitar, shooting a provocative glance his way.
She wore a high-exposure blue gosuori-style dress that gave off more of a bratty mesugaki vibe than haughty elegance.
The original artist had gone all out on the quality, sparking a frenzy in the otaku communities.
It had turned a bunch of people into lolicon, more or less.
Next came a more familiar look.
The group outfit from their iconic debut stage: white-and-black bottomless hoodie fashion.
A lively shot of her tossing finger hearts to the crowd with drumsticks in hand after a flawless performance.
The brightest smile Rena ever showed in the original work.
Either way, both suited her perfectly.
Of course, he meant the instruments, not the images.
In this reality, though, the guitar fit her better than the drums.
She looked more like a girl strumming a guitar than a princess barricaded in a fortress of drums.
At least, that's how it seemed to Tae-il.
But Rena refused the guitar position, the same as Arisugawa Iris.
In Tae-il's eyes, she looked scared.
'Just like Ayane.'
She feared stepping into an unfamiliar world.
'No, maybe even worse than Ayane.'
Ayane had been afraid but never hesitated in her choice. She'd mustered her own courage and stepped forward.
That wasn't why Tae-il had teared up for nothing.
…
Actually, it wasn't just a few tears—he'd shed quite a lot.
Enough to fluster Ayane.
He'd been that moved. She'd decided to trust and follow just him alone.
'Ayane wants to stand side by side with us.'
Rena didn't.
Rena's attitude was more like secretly trailing behind than walking together.
Quietly.
Watching Iris's reactions.
So as not to catch her eye.
Hiding her petite frame snugly behind Tae-il's back.
"Honjo."
"I'm not changing my mind. No guitar."
Rena put on a tough front, bluffing.
Tae-il could see right through it.
Right now, she was far more frightened than he'd imagined.
Her huddled form reminded him of a terrified hedgehog bristling its spines—almost pitiful.
Tae-il let out a deep sigh.
"Teacher."
"Okay. I'll give you some space?"
Takahashi smiled.
It was a shame to miss a page of youth right in front of her, but she tactfully stepped out.
"First off."
Tae-il bent his knees to meet Rena's eye level.
The key now was to show her he wasn't a threat.
Rena flinched as he approached.
Her blue eyes darted away, avoiding contact.
The original Rena would've kicked first if an unfamiliar or disliked guy got close.
Tae-il gently placed his hand on her shoulder without applying pressure.
Fortunately, no fist flew at him.
'I was even braced for a hit.'
Getting this far was half the victory.
"Let's settle this first."
"S-Settle what…?"
"You heard Arisugawa's dream, right?"
"…."
Rena grimaced in distress before nodding.
To keep the conversation going, he needed to understand her first.
Tae-il set aside his preconceptions from the original work for a moment, recalling only the Rena he'd seen.
"You hate me, right? Honjo?"
"…Yeah."
She hesitated briefly, then nodded.
"First, let me answer that question you asked in the art room a bit more thoroughly."
"Which one? If I hate you…?"
Tae-il smiled softly and nodded.
"Might be late to the party, but I can say this for sure. I don't hate you, Honjo."
"Hah? Why…?"
Rena sucked in a sharp breath.
Her face was a mask of confusion.
She had no idea how to react.
"If we're talking like or dislike, you're more on the like side."
"What? Are you some playboy…? Gross."
"No, not like that…."
Explaining his fan's inner affinity wouldn't land, so Tae-il scrambled for a fitting analogy.
One popped into his head perfectly.
"You like Arisugawa, right, Honjo?"
"Huh?"
Rena froze like a glitching computer.
Moments later, her face flushed crimson as she yelled.
"W-What the hell? Iris and I are childhood friends! It's like, not love! Don't get the wrong idea!"
"Pfft—haha!"
"Don't laugh! Pervert! How can you even think that!?"
The more she tried to stop him, the harder Tae-il laughed.
"That's what makes you amazing, Honjo."
He barely calmed down, catching his breath.
Rena was still utterly baffled.
No clue what he was getting at or his intentions.
To her, Tae-il was a complete unknown enemy.
"You like your friend so much you want to support her, be with her, right?"
In a way, just like Ayane.
If there was any difference between them, it had to be their mindset.
Ayane didn't mind failing.
She'd support Tae-il, prepare a place for his return—everything.
As long as he came back properly.
Rena feared failure.
Failure meant Iris's despair.
The thought of her one-and-only friend hating her shrouded Rena's mind in fog.
'She might hate me.'
All of Rena's fears stemmed from that.
Tae-il could see straight into her head. And he deeply empathized.
'I'll just be a hindrance to Iris.'
An emotion he'd felt countless times.
Standing in the same session as superiors far better than him, his true feelings surfaced every time.
'Do I even belong here?'
Even in the same place, communicating and syncing up, he felt like the only one missing.
A chilling alienation.
Followed by a hollow, alien sensation—eerie, unpleasant, dominating his mind at random.
Whether a simple project band or a temp one thrown together for a professor's assignment, same deal.
Floating alone, feeling like a sticky obstacle.
Tae-il had thought it was "jealousy."
It wasn't.
It was "fear."
Vague terror and dread visited whenever pressure and burden crushed him.
The escape was simple.
Overcome with mental fortitude.
Build skill and confidence.
Or shed the burden.
Tae-il figured the best fit here was easing Rena's burden.
"Honjo. Arisugawa isn't your whole life."
"What bullshit are you scheming now…."
"Even if we fail, she won't blame you."
Rena's feelings for Iris—positive or negative—were intensely fierce.
If that pressure broke her here, it could crush her life as an artist too.
Tae-il wanted to avoid that at all costs.
"I promised Arisugawa. We'd go major together. I'd make sure of it."
"I know. I heard…."
"Let me be straight."
Our odds of success are ridiculously low.
Tae-il confessed the reality. Rena asked cautiously.
"That low…?"
"Yeah."
Not all major debuts were equal.
Tae-il and Iris aimed for commercial success—the kind the public recognized.
Way too high a bar for Rena, who'd never dipped a toe in. Hence the massive pressure.
Especially since she was close to Iris.
'Doesn't matter.'
Tae-il reminded himself he was the band leader.
Leaders were new to him.
But leaders had to ease members' anxieties.
All issues boiled down to her fear of Iris hating her. Eliminate that, and it was done.
Tae-il spoke lightly on purpose.
"Not sure if you know, Honjo, but we're insanely short on time."
Rena's heart skipped.
Time.
Iris was critically short on it.
First-year first semester was already wrapping up.
Only two and a half years left until third-year graduation.
As her burden swelled—
"Let me say this upfront."
Tae-il drew the line first.
"We're basically writing off performances in our first year anyway. No, we can't. Even if told to, we won't. I've already given up on first year."
"What? No performances…?"
"Our skills suck."
His words stabbed like daggers into Rena.
The calm tone felt like "It's because of you."
But Tae-il continued, dismissing any such notion.
"I'm planning for a five-member band. With you, that's four."
He didn't count Yuuya as a real member—just filler.
"And two of those four are total beginners already."
"So you're skipping first year because…?"
"Yep. The next one I recruit will probably be a beginner too."
Tae-il had Sakuraba Sakuya in mind.
Obviously a beginner. A monstrous talent, sure, but still.
Finally.
Rena's face twisted in disbelief.
Not knowing Tae-il's vision, she finally got why Iris had been so pissed.
'This guy's insane.'
Not like some rookie baseball team chasing Koshien glory or anything.
"Gonna gather three total newbies who've never touched an instrument? Aim for major with them? You serious?"
"Dead serious. You're the first I've told, by the way."
"What?"
Iris didn't know.
She was the one who'd dragged in Ayane on a whim and gotten mad. Rena had asked to keep her own joining secret for that reason.
But that wasn't the issue anymore.
'Is he for real crazy?'
Rena started genuinely worrying about Tae-il's head.
Dragging in three beginners and hitting major before graduation? No nonsense was as earnestly, sincerely nonsensical.
Rena clutched her head against the rising irritation.
Her worries and fears about Iris had already vanished.
"You're a real fucking lunatic."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Tae-il grinned.
In the arts world, calling someone crazy was as good as praise.
Above all, he believed in them.
That their talents—those flowers named genius—would bloom.
"That's what I wanted to say, Honjo."
Tae-il chuckled at her still-incredulous face.
Like a total madman.
"I'm the leader."
With a crazy bastard like him leading, no need to worry about failure.
All the anger would head his way, the leader.
Rena and Ayane would just be poor victims who'd wasted two years on him.
"So let's find an instrument that suits you. Sound good?"
"Ha, hahaha…."
Rena swept her hands down her face, letting out a dry laugh.
"Lunatic."
Her mouth was still foul, but her expression somehow looked refreshed.