Chapter Text
Shit!
In a moment of carelessness, a wet cloth with some kind of disgusting-smelling liquid was pressed to Touma's mouth, and he began to feel weak. All the sirens in Touma’s head began to sound out, but it was too late.
He had been careless, never expecting that one day someone might go after him. In all his time as an idol, Touma never expected that he would get kidnapped one day.
Strong, muscled arms held him in a headlock that he couldn't get out of no matter how much he struggled. All the training he did at the gym amounted to nothing when faced with someone bigger and more experienced than himself.
Touma's last thoughts before he lost consciousness were about his precious group members.
They were supposed to meet in a while to go out together…
Tora, Haru, Mina…I'm sorry. I guess this is payback for what we did to TRIGGER.
A tear rolled down his cheek, and he limply slumped into the kidnapper’s arms.
“We got the target. Now it's time to make Tsukumo bleed.”
* * *
“Inumaru-san is late.” Minami remarked, eyes fixated on the clock on his phone.
It had been almost twenty minutes after their scheduled time.
“Touma was always scolding me for arriving late. If he's late to our outings, he usually sends me a message. What's going on here?”
Impatiently, Torao grabbed his smartphone tighter, almost dangerously close to crushing it. Outwardly, he looked mostly composed, but his thoughts were a mess.
Touma never let me down after that one time. Something had to have happened!
Frustrated, Torao paced a few steps back and forth until Haruka ran out of patience.
“You’re making me nervous, stop!”
ŹOOĻ’s youngest quickly typed something into his phone and clucked his tongue.
<<Touma, where are you??? We’ve been waiting for twenty minutes now!>>
Haruka waited a few seconds, because typically it didn't take more for Touma to answer, but nothing happened.
“Idiot!!!” The teen finally yelled out loud and threw his phone into his pockets.
“Calm down, Isumi-san. It's not worth getting your pretty face ruined by Inumaru-san’s thoughtlessness. Maybe he met another one of his friends on the way and lost track of time.”
Minami walked over to the agitated teen and brushed his slender finger across Haruka's cheek. In response to the unexpected touch, the teen calmed down and blushed a little, his mouth drawn into a cute pout.
Torao was positively impressed with how well Minami managed to soothe Haruka's anger. The blonde had a real knack for dealing with Haruka's outbursts, though he didn't appreciate the way Minami phrased his argument.
Touma most definitely didn’t forget about them over something trivial like meeting another friend!
Something in Torao's stomach gave him a bad vibe. It wasn't like Touma at all to go radio silence on them if all of ŹOOĻ planned to go out together like this.
This all didn't feel right…
Just as Torao was about to grab his phone to try calling Touma once more, Minami tapped him on the shoulder.
“I know, Mido-san. Inumaru-san wouldn't leave us like this.” Minami whispered so Haruka, who had just calmed down a little, didn't hear what he said.
“I've got a bad feeling as well. Let's call Utsugi-san to hear if he knows something.”
With a trembling hand, Torao picked out Utsugi-san’s number from his contacts and called him. Within a few seconds he heard their manager’s voice.
“Ah, Mido-san! I …um just wanted to call you myself…!”
The strain in Utsugi-san’s voice made Torao's heart drop. As always, he was a bad liar, and Torao’s stomach began to twist with anxiety. He almost had a premonition of what would be said next, which is why he subconsciously braced himself.
“There's an emergency. Please take Natsume-san and Isumi-san with you and come to the office immediately."
Without explaining anything else, the call ended, and Torao almost dropped his phone, his hands trembling even worse than before now.
He didn't need Utsugi-san to explain anything to them. Deep down Torao could feel it.
Something had happened to Touma.
* * *
After an indescribable time, Touma awoke from his forced slumber, and despite his first instinct to open his eyes, he kept them shut.
The moment his consciousness was back, Touma remembered what had happened to him.
He had been on his way to meet his precious group members when someone pulled him into a back alley. Without even being able to see who it was, that person had made him lose consciousness by some kind of drug.
It was a karmic twist of fate that something that he and ŹOOĻ had forced upon TRIGGER in the past had happened to him now.
Unsure of what to do, Touma tried to pretend to be asleep. Maybe his kidnapper– if it was even more than one person – would give away some information.
From the way his body felt, Touma knew he was unharmed. There was no pain in any part of his body.
The only thing he noticed aside from that was that both his arms and legs were bound by a rope. The kidnapper even went so far as to put his arms behind his back to make moving harder. He was also sitting on some kind of standard chair that made it hard to gauge where exactly he was.
If push came to shove, he could try to stand up, but since his legs were bound, he would probably fall down and hit the floor, which would amount to nothing.
“Now we wait to see how much money they'll give us for their golden goose.”
The ruff, voice of the kidnapper almost made Touma blow his sleeping disguise as he had to bite back the surprise that bubbled up in his chest. His heart beat so loud that he heard the blood rush through his ears.
So he was kidnapped for ransom money?
I hope Tora, Haru, and Mina are okay…!
His beloved groupmates were all Touma could think about.
What if they were also dragged into whatever was happening to him?
He didn't want that!
“I hope Tsukumo grovels for what they did to us!”
Another unknown voice spoke tone filled with a hatred that reminded Touma of his own old self. Hearing this, Touma couldn't help but think that maybe he was partly responsible. And even if he didn’t have anything to do with this personally, he knew that Tsukumo Productions had a lot of enemies because of Ryo-san.
Ryo-san’s revenge against the idol industry had left them with many people who resented the company for what they did.
“It's just too bad that we only managed to grab this one here. I don't give a shit about their music, but Blondie or the kid would've been more fun to mess with than the redhead.”
?!
Touma should've been happy at the implication that the other three were safe, but he couldn't be happy when his blood pressure had risen through the roof by the callous remark.
He knew he should've kept his mouth shut, but he couldn't.
“Don't you dare touch even one strand of hair of Haru or Mina, you assholes!” Touma growled like a wild dog ready to bite his kidnappers' heads off, and he opened his eyes to see who had pissed him off. He realized he was in some kind of warehouse that looked abandoned.
The sudden curse from him jolted the last third kidnapper awake, and a weird gasp went through the empty warehouse where Touma found himself.
Right in front of him stood two burly men in black suits. They looked like they were right out of a bad Yakuza movie, with sunglasses covering their faces (even in the dark) and slicked-back hair.
A little farther away sat the now awake third kidnapper, a smaller man that wore a gaudy brown suit with a strangely intricate pattern. Touma definitely knew that he had no idea who this was, but his gut told him that it was someone who Ryo-san had pissed off in one of his many revenge plans.
“What a foul mouth for an idol,” the man in the gaudy suit drawled, and goosebumps began to spread at the back of Touma's neck.
This guy was bad news.
The man stood up from his chair and slowly walked towards Touma, giving the impression that he was amiable, but Touma had spent enough time with Ryo-san to see the insane glint in the man’s eyes. This man was what Ryo-san could’ve become if he didn’t start to change.
If he fucked up here, ŹOOĻ would be history, but he also wouldn't take threats against his beloved members without biting back.
“I wasn't really interested in you until now, little red, so tell me your name.”
The guy now stood right in front of Touma, glaring down at him with a friendly expression, but his smile never reached his eyes. He was like the wolf hiding his fangs from the naive Little Red Riding Hood.
It would be wise to do as he was told, but the way the guy talked to him made Touma want to resist.
In an impulsive moment, Touma almost let his anger win out and spat out a curse that he would’ve regretted, however, he held his breath at the last second, and stayed silent instead.
If he let his anger out, God knew what they'd try to do to ŹOOĻ. Just because the rest weren't here didn't completely negate the possibility that they were in danger.
“...”
Touma averted his eyes from the man to look around the room a little. Quickly he realized how bad the situation was. The crowbars and other weapons beside the burly men were silent threats against him.
If you make too much trouble, it’s over for you…
He had no chance to win. Even if he managed to somehow get his hands and legs freed, he couldn't do anything.
Frustrated about his current powerlessness, Touma bit his lower lip.
“I don't like being ignored by puppets!” The ringleader spat out with a dangerous edge in his voice, and before Touma could turn his head, a cold, bony hand tilted his chin into position. The cold touch brought more goosebumps to Touma’s body, and he had to fight against showing any weakness.
He was faced with cold, calculating eyes that seemed unreadable staring down on him with a hint of madness.
“If you don't want your pathetic little group to suffer worse consequences, you should do as I say.”
Each word was spoken with such venom that Touma's goosebumps multiplied until his whole skin was covered in them.
For the first time in his life, he felt true, tangible terror, as he knew there was no easy way out.
He couldn't disobey now, even if he wanted to bite this lunatic’s hand, but for ŹOOĻ he had to stay calm and do as he was told.
Utterly defeated, Touma took a deep breath before introducing himself in a dejected voice, full of disdain.
“Inumaru Touma.”
Just as he finished, the gaudy man smiled, flashing his teeth dangerously, and Touma thought that this was it.
Before he could do anything else, something hard connected with his face, making him fall out of his chair and onto the floor.
With a loud noise and a pained groan, Touma fell to the floor, scraping his face and shoulder in the process. The radical motions made his jacket roll off his shoulders a bit, and a part of his shirt exposed his stomach.
Fuck.
Not fully processing what had happened, Touma tried to calm himself down even if his cheek hurt like hell. He was sure there was a bloody scrape now, since he noticed a few blood drops right where he landed.
With his current position on the floor, he must’ve looked like the most pathetic leader there was, but he tried to endure it.
If he didn’t persevere, ŹOOĻ might be in danger!
“How about we discipline you a little, Inumaru-kun? It’ll teach you not to disobey me while you’re in my care.”
The lunatic smiled at Touma with a warm smile that hid the devious plans he probably had in store for him. All Touma could do was gulp and wait.
He was powerless all alone…
* * *
“I need you all to listen to me until the end and stay calm, ok?”
Utsugi-san stood in front of ŹOOĻ with a grim expression and a disheveled look that gave away a lot of information without any word being exchanged. Torao’s whole body was as taut as a rope at the following silence.
In an attempt to calm himself, Torao picked up a glass of water and took a sip, too anxious to digest anything else. His hand gripped the glass tightly, knuckles white from the force that was used on the glass. Haruka and Minami looked equally pale and anxious, as Utsugi-san’s sudden instruction and Touma’s disappearance left little room for speculation.
And yet, as long as nothing was officially revealed, Torao still hoped that the sinking feeling in his stomach was just a wrong premonition and not what had actually transpired.
Touma, please be well…!
Utsugi-san took one last look at the three of them before he opened his mouth. What followed was Torao’s worst nightmare unfolding in real-time.
“Inumaru-san had been kidnapped by an anonymous group that called the agency for ransom. We have no clue where they brought him or what his status is.”
The glass in Torao’s hand dropped to the floor and shattered, spilling the contents on the carpet underneath him together with countless shards.
Time came to a crawl for Torao as he stared at Utsugi-san with wide eyes. Beside him, Haruka cried out in shock, followed by an anguished noise that was likely a desperate sob, but Torao wasn’t sure. He felt utterly frozen in place, having to accept that the worst possible outcome had happened.
All he could do was stare at Utsugi-san for some kind of hope.
Touma wouldn’t go down so easily.
You promised us you’ll sing with us forever…!
Noticing ŹOOĻ’s growing panic about the incident caused by his own horrible news, Utsugi-san sighed deeply before he managed to find more words.
“We’re assuming that the kidnappers will get into contact with us soon. We didn’t contact the police officially yet, but I called a friend of mine who works for them to help behind the scenes. Inumaru-san will return to us in good health!”
Over the course of his explanation, Utsugi-san managed to kindle a small flame of hope in Torao’s heart, as he could tell that their manager was genuinely trying his best.
Even if he felt like crying, it was no time to sit around. A true hero showed themself in dire times by keeping their cool. After taking a deep breath, Torao bent down and began to pick up the shards of broken glass underneath his feet, collecting them all in no time.
Once he threw them away, he finally took a look at Minami and Haruka and noticed that Haruka had calmed down again, even if his eyes were puffy from crying. Minami didn’t look better, his face paler than his usual milky complexion, but all three of them had one thing in common.
Torao saw it clearly; they all hadn’t given up yet. Their old selves might’ve given up here, but not their current versions. Knowing what to say, Torao addressed their manager.
“What can we do to help? We won’t let anyone take Touma from us like that.”
“Yeah, let’s find those shitty kidnappers and kick their asses!” Haruka shouted with a combative expression in his young face.
“The person foolish enough to steal Inumaru-san from us will pay their dues in blood. Fufufu.” With a dark expression on his face, Minami stood up from the couch as well.
Utsugi-san’s face brightened at the fighting spirit that was awakened. “Lovely ŹOOĻ became dangerous ŹOOĻ but that fits you guys as well. Let’s try to collect all the information that we have first.
With newfound strength Torao’s anxiety calmed down a little. Maybe if all of them worked together, they’d be able to find Touma, just like the others worked together to find TRIGGER back then.
* * *
It hurt so bad, Touma couldn’t hold back the tears that collected in his eyes.
After his earlier disobedience, the ringleader ordered the other two men to kick him in the stomach a few times, and of course the two meatheads were anything but gentle with their kicks.
When they were done, Touma bit back a broken sob. His insides felt like mush, but despite the pain, he knew he was still mostly okay.
Things could’ve been much worse…
Too weak and unable to sit up on his own since both his legs and arms were bound by thick ropes, the ringleader spoke up with a joyous voice to order his two henchmen once more.
“Now that Inumaru-kun learned to play nice, how about we make him sit up again properly.”
Very roughly, one of the henchmen, the bigger one of the two, grabbed Touma by the arms and pulled him up from the ground as if he weighed nothing.
He was practically tossed to sit down on the chair, his jacket slipping from his shoulders in the process. When he noticed the eyes of the ringleader on himself, Touma tried to quell his anger.
If he angered that lunatic again, he wouldn’t be able to hold out.
There had to be some kind of way to contact the others, but his hands were literally tied.
If he were only able to reach his phone…!
“Inumaru-kun, do you know what Tsukumo did to us?” The lunatic asked, eyes growing hazier with each word spoken. Touma wasn’t sure whether to answer or not, so he shook his head truthfully.
He had no clue. Touma knew very little about Ryo-san’s actions outside ŹOOĻ, so how was he supposed to know.
Much to Touma’s relief, the kidnapper accepted his answer and continued to speak in the most hateful voice imaginable. This was a man who had witnessed the abyss.
“We were one of his adversaries. A small production company that miraculously managed to gain some fame and managed to make a name for themselves. When we didn’t want to bow our knees to him, our worst nightmares started.”
The man began to tell his tale, and Touma’s stomach dropped.
It was a standard story that probably applied to many others that Ryo-san crushed out of spite or other low motives. The entertainment industry had many dark sides, and what Touma experienced in the short time when ŹOOĻ was led by Ryo-san was only the tip of the iceberg. As naive as it was, he didn’t even want to imagine what other heinous crimes were committed in the name of ‘competition’.
“Our stars were systematically targeted until one of them committed suicide one day. My fiancé died because of this ASSHOLE!” The man suddenly screamed, eyes wide as if he was experiencing the fateful day once more.
Touma lowered his eyes, trying to fight back tears of frustration. He knew things like that had to have happened, and hearing such a tale now from a victim made it all the more tangible.
“After that it was over for us. We were left with nothing but debt, and that was when I swore that I’d make Tsukumo bleed, which brings us to you, Inumaru-kun.”
…!?
Still caught up in the man’s dramatic reveal, Touma was caught off guard when he was pulled up by his hair. A strong hand was pulling up his head by his bangs alone.
More tears burst out of his eyes at the sudden pain on the top of his head.
The sound of a shutter went off, and Touma was blinded for a split second.
“If Tsukumo sees their new golden goose is in danger, they’ll listen to all of our demands.”
The ringleader waved his smartphone around, and Touma was released from the painful grip on his head. He sank back to the chair with wide eyes, anxiety spreading in his whole body as he realized one painful truth.
Was the ringleader even aware that Ryo-san wasn’t the head of Tsukumo Productions anymore, or was he too far gone to even care?
With clacking steps, the man approached Touma until he stood only a few fingers away from him. A shadow fell over Touma’s entire body, and he had a bad premonition.
If this guy was off his rocker like this, there was probably no limit to his depravity. Fear slowly started spreading in Touma’s heart, and to distract himself, he thought about ŹOOĻ.
They were surely searching for him now or at least trying to find a way to find him.
I’m sorry I’m making you worry about me, guys…
Touma imagined each of their faces to try to give himself the strength to stay strong, no matter what happened.
Haruka was probably crying by now. The teen always tried to appear mature, but sometimes he still behaved like a normal kid, getting angry or happy about the most random things.
Haru…I hope Mina is comforting him, but he’ll be affected too.
Minami played tricks on all of them, and teased them but when something was amiss, he was usually the first one to notice.
I'll pay you back with delicious food!
Lastly, Touma’s thoughts wandered to Torao, and his heart ached deeply.
Tora finally agreed to go to the hot springs with me. I wish I told him how I felt earlier…
There was something Touma had recently noticed about his feelings towards Torao, but this incident had ripped his chance right out of his hands.
Tora…I wish I could see your face right now…!
Far from gentle, Touma was ripped out of his deep thoughts when his chin was touched once more. For a moment he was able to forget the horrible situation he was in, but the cold, bony hand made him remember his current situation.
The ringleader watched him with stern eyes tainted by madness. “I was thinking about only sending out one picture to Tsukumo as a present of goodwill, but I changed my mind.”
Touma’s alarm bells began to ring again, as goosebumps spread on his whole body again. The cold bony hand caressed his throat and trailed further down without a care in the world.
“How about we show them what’ll happen to their precious idol if they don’t do as we say? The old picture isn’t strong enough of an incentive, right, Inumaru-kun? Let’s go one step further.”
Without waiting for a response, the ringleader made some gestures, and both henchmen stepped closer to stand at each side of Touma. He was caged in from all sides now.
“Take his pants off. If a disgraced idol won’t make them act, then you’ve only got your callous employer to blame, Inumaru-kun.”