Chapter 41: Chapter 41
Tomori's family situation was relatively ordinary among the members of CRYCHIC. Mrs. Takamatsu naturally didn't have any thoughts of social climbing, but she was a little worried about her daughter hanging out with such a high-class young lady.
After all, as an adult, she knew that the circles of different social classes were clearly defined. Forcibly entering a world that wasn't your own could only lead to getting hurt.
However, remembering the reliance and trust her daughter showed when she spoke of that "Mutsuki," Mrs. Takamatsu suppressed her worries.
She believed in her daughter. Miss Mutsuki must be a very good person, right?
Turning her gaze back to the TV, the scene had already switched to Sumimi, with Miss Anon selecting a song.
A video that could be easily found in a karaoke box naturally didn't need to be voiced over by the members themselves.
In any case, Kamijo Mutsumi had already spoken with the two girls' agency and paid the licensing fees.
So, there would be no problem.
Faced with Anon's request for a duet, Tomori naturally refused.
Miss Ano seemed to sense Tomori's low spirits and smoothly brought up her old band.
Then, the two of them started talking about the reason for the band's disbandment.
"...Could it be because of different musical aspirations?" Miss Anon offered her own theory.
"I don't think so," Tomori replied, her voice growing even lower. "It was probably my fault..."
Hearing Tomori's self-blaming words, a certain girl clenched her fists.
No, it's not Tomori's fault.
It's all... my fault!
Tomori doesn't need to blame herself. She should be blaming me, the irresponsible one.
The girl had only wanted to cut ties with her past; she had never wanted to hurt anyone.
Especially not the dazed, lovable girl she had found, who was like a small animal.
"Is that so? That's really sad."
Anon fiddled with the song selection tablet in her hand, replying as if she were distracted.
"..."
Tomori's eyes dimmed even further.
"But, you just have to work hard so you don't fail next time, right?"
The girl had, at some point, put down the tablet in her hand, and even her tone had become a bit gentler.
"Eh?"
Tomori lifted her head, her magnificent, amber-like eyes widening.
"Ah~ Otherwise, life is so long, how can you get through it?"
Next, naturally, was Saint Anon's talk therapy session.
"Maybe next time you'll run into a miracle, find even better teammates."
"Not that I'm talking about myself."
"But I hope you can continue to be in a band."
My love is great and needs no further explanation.
With her high emotional intelligence as a trendy girl, combined with her standard yasashii (gentle) nature, even the more withdrawn Tomori after CRYCHIC's disbandment was touched to her core.
Even Taki had to admit that this pink-haired girl had something to her.
For the sake of her comforting Tomori, she would temporarily forgive her previous frivolous words and actions.
Of course, only temporarily!
Mrs. Takamatsu, watching the pink-haired girl console her daughter, also felt her fondness for her grow immensely.
She wasn't wrong. This was a very likable girl.
And Tomori seemed to have said that this girl named Anon was also her friend in real life.
With her daughter having a friend like this, she could finally rest a little easier.
"Then..."
Looking at the pink-haired girl smiling gently at her, Tomori's heart was finally opened.
Then, under the surge of this emotion, she made an invitation that made the expression on Miss Anon's face freeze instantly.
"Can you be in a band with me for a lifetime?"
Gravity field deployed. A gravitational pull like that of a black hole pressed the pause button on the anime's scene.
Under the spinning LED lights was the awkward face of a certain pink-haired girl.
In fact, it wasn't just Anon; even Tomori's mom couldn't hold it together.
Wait, is my daughter this 'heavy'?
Throwing around "a lifetime" at the drop of a hat, and to another girl, no less.
Oh no!
It was as if Tomori's mom remembered something. Don't tell me my daughter's orientation is...?
Thinking of this, Mrs. Takamatsu couldn't help but look at her daughter with worry.
"Uhh..."
After a moment of non-still footage, Anon forced a smile and spoke with uncertainty.
"A lifetime?"
Seriously, sis? I just wanted to form a casual band for fun. Isn't "a lifetime" a bit too heavy?
It was as if she had found a girl she got along with and wanted to hang out, only for the other person to pull out a marriage certificate the next second.
"..."
Looking at the girl's forced smile, Tomori seemed to realize something, and her eyes visibly dimmed.
Then she picked up her bag and fled.
"As expected! A frivolous woman like you can only hurt Tomori!"
Watching the on-screen Tomori run away in disarray, the sliver of goodwill Taki had developed for Anon was instantly wiped out.
Being in a band with Tomori means you have to be prepared for a lifetime!
What's with that expression on your face?
Don't tell me you just wanted to play around?
Taki realized that her initial assessment of this woman was not wrong at all.
"...What a terrible woman!"
"Tomori-chan!"
In the anime, Anon, seeing Tomori run away, also stood up, as if surprised by her reaction.
And the real Anon, watching this scene, felt more regret than anything.
After all, even though "a lifetime" was a bit much for her, wasn't she on this pirate ship now anyway?
If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have just agreed to her proposal back then!
If I had just tried a little harder, gritted my teeth a little more...
Wouldn't I have won her over?
How could Kamijo Mutsumi have had the chance to intercept her midway and take advantage of the situation?
Thinking of the now-obvious difference in Tomori's attitude towards the two of them, Anon's heart ached uncontrollably.
Waaah, I was here first... my Tomori...
"Tomori-chan, wait!"
And in the anime, seeing Tomori run away, Anon also chased after her.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed," the slightly out-of-breath girl said.
"It's okay. I was the one who said something strange first."
Unfortunately, the wrong route had been chosen. It was too late for Anon to try and make amends.
"Thank you for inviting me to be in your band."
"But... I'm sorry!"
With that, Tomori gave Anon a deep bow.
"Tomori-chan," Anon said, seeing this, seeming to want to say something more.
But Miss Taki, seeing this from the side, thought Tomori was being bullied and immediately ran over to perform her filial duty.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"You're asking me? Are you an acquaintance of hers?"
Faced with Taki blocking her way, Anon's attitude at this point was still relatively mild.
"I'm the one asking you!"
Compared to Anon, Miss Taki's attitude was a bit more hostile.
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