(T/N: I forgetti...)
'An emergency?'
'CCC!'
'An obsessive fan? Really trying to kill someone online?'
'Call the police!'
The sudden incident threw the studio into chaos.
Fortunately, Haruto had stepped in to save the guests. Otherwise, given their nerves, they might have frozen in place, staring as the attacker charged.
Hikaru however, had lived multiple lives and possessed considerable courage.
While dodging, he subtly glanced at Haruto.
Though he had no evidence, Hikaru was 99% sure this incident had been orchestrated by Haruto.
After all, inciting obsessive fans to attack celebrities was one of Hikaru's own tactics. He suspected this was Haruto's way of turning the tables.
Rip...
Dodging, Hikaru only suffered a cut on his arm, avoiding any life-threatening injury.
Jumping over tables and chairs, Hikaru escaped the attacker's range.
'Heh, this level of threat? It'll just be a stepping stone for me.'
Hikaru sneered inwardly.
Once this was over, the media would praise his quick thinking, and his injury could be used to garner sympathy.
In fact, the cut on his arm was intentional.
The attacker, failing to land a hit, tried to climb over the tables and chairs. Hikaru kicked the table, causing the attacker to lose balance and fall.
As the two faced off, the staff finally reacted, and several people rushed forward.
The attacker was pinned to the ground by the staff.
The knife was wrestled away and kicked into a corner.
Hikaru looked slightly panicked, but inwardly, he was smirking. His gaze flicked toward Haruto. However, Hikaru didn't see the disappointment of a failed plan on Haruto's face.
Instead, there was still a mocking glint in Haruto's eyes.
Just like before.
This made Hikaru's confidence waver.
'That was terrifying! This is straight-up criminal behavior!'
'Thankfully no one was hurt, or this would've been the biggest broadcast accident of the year.'
'Izumi-sensei was so cool just now! He immediately protected Mai-san in his arms!'
'Kamiki-san was amazing too! If it were me, I'd have frozen on the spot!'
'By the way, who's the attacker? An obsessive fan? Seems like they were targeting Kamiki-san.'
The comments were filled with praise.
As Hikaru had predicted, his quick reaction and injury became positive publicity.
Once this recording was over, his company could edit and promote it, boosting his popularity even further.
That is... if nothing else went wrong.
The staff pulled the attacker to their feet, preparing to restrain them until the police arrived.
The director breathed a sigh of relief. This livestream had too many accidents.
But this was also an opportunity for explosive popularity. The topic was trending like crazy. The director could already imagine the show topping the hot search tomorrow, achieving massive success and reaping both fame and profit.
But then...
As the attacker was pulled up, the hood covering their head slipped off.
A twisted face appeared on screen.
The moment Hikaru saw that face, his mind exploded.
He recognized the attacker.
They were a former member of the LALALAI Company, where Hikaru had also performed.
Realizing this, Hikaru vaguely guessed what was happening. He glared at Haruto. At that moment, Haruto was off-camera, and the other guests were focused on the attacker.
Only Hikaru saw the mocking smirk on Haruto's face, just like before.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hikaru immediately moved to shut down the livestream.
"Kamiki Hikaru! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! For Mikaya! You deserve to die!"
The restrained attacker roared.
At the same time, they began struggling violently, their strength overwhelming the staff trying to hold them down.
'Mikaya? Does the attacker know Kamiki-san?'
'Mikaya must be that girl from the LALALAI Agency.'
'Wait! Look closely, isn't this a member of the LALALAI Agency? Didn't they go to jail?'
'Didn't Mikaya die in a violent incident? Why would the attacker seek revenge from Kamiki Hikaru?'
'I smell a huge scandal. Could Kamiki Hikaru be involved in Mikaya's death and this person's imprisonment?'
Fans of Hikaru quickly recognized the attacker's identity.
Mikaya had also been a member of LALALAI, once as famous as Hikaru. But she had died in a violent incident.
Behind that incident, of course, was Hikaru pulling the strings.
It seemed like the truth was coming out, but in reality, the attacker and Mikaya had almost no connection.
Moreover, Hikaru had covered his tracks perfectly, leaving no evidence.
Hearing this, Hikaru was furious.
Though he had indeed orchestrated Mikaya's death, this situation was clearly a setup.
"Shut down the livestream!"
Hikaru shouted at the staff, no longer caring about appearances.
While shutting down the livestream mid-incident might seem like covering up, it was still a reasonable response.
If they could end the stream now, the fallout could be managed later.
But Haruto wasn't about to let him have his way.
A faint red light flashed in Haruto's eyes.
The staff member controlling the equipment fell under the influence of the Sharingan's genjutsu, their eyes going blank.
Seeing this, Hikaru rushed to the equipment, planning to shut it down himself.
Meanwhile, the attacker continued to shout,
"Kamiki Hikaru! You bullied me, and I could forgive that! You used your resources to take Mikaya from me, and I could forgive that too! But why!? Why did you incite your fans to kill Mikaya!? You slept with her! She was carrying your child!"
"You framed me and sent me to jail! Were you that afraid I'd seek revenge!? Then why did you kill Mikaya in the first place!?"
"I'll kill you, Kamiki Hikaru! Even if I have to crawl out of hell, I'll kill you! Let's go to hell together!"
As the attacker roared, they broke free from the staff and lunged at Hikaru. This time, their speed and strength were noticeably enhanced.
Hikaru, trying to shut down the equipment, had moved away from the tables and chairs.
He was tackled to the ground, the attacker's hands around his throat.
The shadow of death loomed over Hikaru.
Even after multiple reincarnations, this was the first time he had faced such violent death head-on.
His survival instincts kicked in, and his hands flailed wildly.
His fingers brushed against something cold.
Hikaru instinctively grabbed it and thrust it toward the attacker.
Thud!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed.
The knife that had been kicked into the corner had "coincidentally" ended up in Hikaru's hands and was now "coincidentally" plunged into the attacker's chest.
The blade pierced the heart, and the attacker immediately went limp, their grip on Hikaru loosening.
Blood splattered as the attacker collapsed onto Hikaru.
This scene was captured by the camera and broadcast to thousands of viewers.
Amid the bloodshed, the livestream was forcibly shut down, and the channel was banned.
Viewers, after screaming in shock, began refreshing the page.
But their efforts were in vain—the livestream was gone.
With nowhere to discuss the incident, viewers flooded YouTube's discussion boards. Many had recorded the incident from the beginning.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of screen recordings were uploaded to the video section of YouTube.
The heat quickly climbed, and the topic instantly became a hot search.
'Questionable cause of death of Mikaya, member of LALALAI?'
'Accident during live broadcast of dating show 'Starting Love Today'!'
'Intrusion by an obsessive fan? The shocking scoop about troupe LALALAI!'
'Bullying members, forcing young girls, and he's still popular today? We are all responsible!'
'Fugitive caught, escaped from prison just to avenge his beloved, and the target of revenge is actually this celebrity!'
Several tags were hung on the hot search list, instantly dominating it.
And the top search term was:
'Hikari Kamiki kills!'
Some of the uploaded screen recordings involving bloody violence were banned.
But some clever people cut out the last few frames or added thick mosaics.
This way, without the gore elements, it was just pure violence, and because of the high topic search, it passed the review.
Soon, the homepage was occupied by screen recordings.
Netizens in the first line of surfing in Japan almost all learned about this incident. For a while, various speculations) were flying everywhere.
PR?
Not to mention too late for PR, even with the fastest reaction, PR was powerless.
The videos were already welded on the homepage, and the hot search list was early nailed down.
Withdrawing from the hot search? The staffs managing the hot search were all at a five-star restaurant in Japan, invited by 'Umbrella' for a meal.
Pushing away the corpse on his body.
Yes, a corpse.
The stab just now went straight into the heart, causing instant death. Hikaru, covered in blood, got up from the ground, his face ferocious.
Seeing this, several guests all stepped back.
Even the staff of the dating show were scared and retreated.
Hikaru looked at Haruto, wishing he could pounce on him and eat his flesh and drink his blood.
Hikaru knew that his acting career was over.
Reached the end.
Even without looking at the outside information, he understood that there was no room for maneuver.
The assailant died on the spot.
The 'slander' against him with a human life, even if the assailant's words had no evidence, it didn't matter anymore.
Hikaru only felt that the young man in front of him, who still had a calm sneer attitude, was a devil.
Because of reincarnation, Hikaru who considered himself superior, now deeply felt that he was nothing more than an ant that could be casually crushed underfoot in front of him.
The appearance of this assailant, from the very beginning, was not to kill Hikaru.
The scene at this moment was what the devil wanted.
This assailant had no extra interactions with Mikaya and had no reason to seek revenge. Moreover, he was also a real criminal, drug addict and rapist, and it was natural for him to go to prison.
But, after the incident, the assailant's imprisonment would be spread as Hikaru Kamiki's framing.
Mikaya and the assailant would become a pair of ill-fated lovers, persecuted by Hikaru Kamiki, both meeting their demise.
Even without evidence, labels like bullying, scum, murderer were already welded onto Hikaru.
And all of this was thanks to the devil in front of him.
At this moment, Hikaru felt a deep fear.
It was a fear deeper than death.