As the band's guitarist, Anon seemed a little different today.
During the break after practice, she wasn't chattering away about fashion trends as usual, nor was she teasing Taki or Soyo, and she wasn't whining about her fingers hurting or her shoulders being sore either.
She simply sat properly in her own seat, savoring the warmth of black tea with a faint smile on her lips. It felt less like the lively, noisy pink-haired brat sitting there and more like Togawa Sakiko had borrowed her skin.
To Soyo, this alone was weird enough, no different than Kakarot suddenly reciting the Buddhist texts, drinking prime, and watching the hawk-tua podcast.
During MyGO's group practice, while she made no real mistakes in performance, the moment her fingers stopped plucking the strings she would start grinning to herself, sometimes even forgetting she was holding a guitar.
Strange, very strange no matter how you looked at it.
"What's with her anyway?"
Taki, drumsticks in hand, had an indescribable feeling. Even she could tell something was off with this troublesome pinkhead, not to mention someone sharper like Soyo.
"It's already obvious, isn't it?"
Soyo spoke casually, lips pursed, though her deep blue eyes carried a faint trace of jealousy.
Hearing this, Taki slowly caught on to what her words implied. Surprise flickered across her delicate, alluring face, and after a long struggle she only managed to cross her arms with her cheeks flushed red.
"You're serious?"
"What else could it be? If Anon's mood is tied to anything, I can only think of Haru."
Her voice lingered with a honeyed tremor, so sweet it made Taki's whole body shiver. That sly smile, eyes narrowed, was one she hadn't seen from her in a long time. Just one glimpse was enough to send shivers crawling across her skin.
Yet Taki was also a little surprised. After hesitating, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "…Don't you have any other reaction to this?"
She knew full well how strong Soyo's jealousy could be. Back before anyone had confirmed their relationship with Haru, if Soyo had even suspected this pinkhead of trying to sneak ahead, she would never have let it slide.
But now, though Soyo clearly knew something was off with Anon, she still had no intention of doing anything. That difference was more than a little unsettling for Taki.
"Why ask like that? Taki… are you hoping I'll do something?"
"Huh?"
Soyo's calm counterquestion immediately made Taki frown as she gripped her drumsticks tighter, a faint panic flickering in her eyes. The wood gave a sharp crack under the pressure.
"Didn't you just say it yourself? Anon's obviously about to make a move, don't you have any thoughts about that?"
"Taki-chan, that so-called girlfriend pact, it's long expired."
Soyo toyed lazily with a strand of light brown curls resting on her chest, her words poking directly at the younger girl's pride. Taki stiffened, face burning even more.
"…I'll admit I feel a little jealous, but… I'll never try to interfere with others again."
"Soyo, you…"
Taki's gaze softened with complexity as she looked at her. The drumsticks that had been creaking in her hands slowly loosened.
Once they had glared at each other in the middle of the street like sworn enemies, yet now they stood in such a different place. It was hard for either Taki or Soyo to believe.
Soyo's slender fingers absentmindedly stroked her sleeve as she set down her bass, a faint, meaningful smile tugging at her lips.
"But just because I won't interfere, that doesn't mean I'll just sit back and watch either."
"Hah? What are you planning?"
Soyo didn't answer directly. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes glinting faintly.
"Honestly, Taki, you should already know. The relationship between Tomori and Haru isn't what it used to be. If what you're worried about is Tomori's feelings, then in this situation… you don't really have to hold back anymore, do you?"
"…Huh? I don't get what you're saying."
The girl with hair as black as the night sky felt her ears grow soft, a faint blush of charm spreading across her cheeks. The dark patch of sweat soaking through her school uniform collar rose and fell with her quickened breath.
But Taki knew perfectly well she was only being stubborn, and Soyo, who understood her personality, knew it even better.
"Oh my, I've already said all I needed to say, haven't I?"
The delicate-faced girl smiled with gentle warmth, still using that sweet, tingling voice with practiced ease. She clasped her hands together in a cute little gesture.
Taki's cheeks burned as she tried to argue back, but after holding it in for a while she could only shrink away weakly.
Just as the two of them were about to exchange more words, Anon suddenly snapped out of her daze, guitar still in hand.
"Practice is already over today, right? Sorry, I just remembered I have something to do later, so I can't stay and practice with everyone any longer!"
"I'm heading out first!"
With that, Anon hurriedly stuffed her guitar into its case and left RiNG's studio with light, lively steps, moving so fast no one had time to react.
If before it had only been Taki's suspicion about her intentions, now it was confirmed. That grinning pink brat was definitely trying to sneak off.
"Um, Anon-chan, she…"
The little penguin slowly lowered her small hand, unable to stop herself from glancing at the others nearby. Already red-faced and guilty, Taki quickly turned her head away and tried to act nonchalant.
Soyo caught her with a sidelong glance, then let a gentle, friendly smile blossom across her pretty face as she waved to the two younger girls.
"Well then, I should be going too. Tomori, Raana-chan, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Soyo-chan~"
The little penguin lifted her hand obediently and waved goodbye. Once Soyo had also stepped out of the studio, only Taki remained, sitting by the drums, unsure what to say.
Now Taki herself could no longer sit still. Forcing down her flustered feelings, she set her drumsticks aside, coughed, and with a stiff expression turned toward the little penguin.
"…I, I just remembered I have something to take care of too."
"See you tomorrow, Taki-chan?"
Sensing her embarrassment with surprising sharpness, the clumsy little penguin spoke up to give her an escape. That eased Taki's nerves a little, though she still seemed like she wanted to say more.
In the end, with ears burning bright red, she failed to find the words. All she could do was murmur quietly, her tone heavy,
"…See you tomorrow."
Honestly, what was she even hesitating about?
She and that guy were already dating. They had shared intimate moments, both small and not so small. So why couldn't she get used to being his girlfriend?
If it was just her own lack of confidence, thinking she wasn't feminine enough, that would be one thing. But from the way Haru had acted before, it was obvious he wasn't uninterested in her.
"…"
The thought made her blush and her heart race. Overwhelmed by her muddled feelings, she almost wanted to bang out a rhythm on her drums, though she knew it would only come out messy, a clumsy attempt to drown out her restless heart.
As Taki fled, Raana, who had just set down her guitar, looked intrigued. Her jewel-like mismatched eyes narrowed as she leaned forward like a curious cat, as if a swishing tail might be visible behind her.
"Is everyone thinking about Haru?"
"R-Raana-chan? You noticed too?"
Takamatsu Tomori, flustered, turned to the stray cat beside her. Even the penguin, who always seemed absentminded, had noticed the odd atmosphere around them. And now Raana was smirking with interest, lips pursed like a little cat who had seen through it all.
"I'm going to find Haru too."
"No… you can't! At least not right now!"
"Why not?"
"B-because… it's one of the rules girlfriends have to follow?"
Tomori's voice faltered with uncertainty. Her words carried no real weight, and the stray cat frowned in dissatisfaction.
"No way."
"U-um… if you're bored, Raana-chan, look… I still have the stones I collected this morning, this bandage Haru bought me before, and this is—"
The little penguin earnestly explained one trinket after another, desperately trying to distract the curious cat. All so that Anon could have a chance to be alone with Haru later. She was determined to give it her all.
…
The last time he had visited Anon's house, had it been last time?
Haru, fluent in the language of pointless monologues, studied the small villa in front of him. He instinctively reached out to ring the Chihaya household's doorbell, but before he could, the tightly locked door suddenly swung open.
Out popped the pinkhead still dressed in her Haneoka uniform. She crept to the entryway, looking around nervously, then jogged to the front gate. Her eyes darted left and right as she scanned the street.
Only after confirming there was no little tail following her did she nod in satisfaction.
"…"
Haru stared at her with a complicated expression, momentarily unsure how to even respond.
When the pink brat finally skipped over to him with a big, goofy smile, Haru shoved the small gift he had brought into her hands. Taking advantage of her delighted surprise, he met her eyes with a firm gaze and said:
"What did the doctor say?"
"Eh? D… doctor?"
The girl clutching her gift froze for a moment, confused but instinctively responding.
"You're not Anon at all. Which pink brat are you really?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Her brows lifted slightly in puzzlement, but she didn't care about such things now. Instead, her face lit up as though she were about to cheer, her smile wide as she shook her head playfully.
"Haru, I've been waiting so long for you!"
"Hehe… I didn't expect you to bring me a gift too. Since I'm your cutest girlfriend, the great Anon-sama has to give you the proper return gift!"
Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms like a pink Labrador greeting its master at the door. A wave of fragrance brushed past as she rose on her toes and brushed a fleeting kiss across his lips.
You're really doing something new here.
Haru only rubbed her silky pink hair and spoke with a half-smile. "Weren't you supposed to be practicing guitar today? Did Kita and Bocchi already show up?"
"Ah?"
The pink Labrador nestled against him froze for a few seconds before lowering her head with a regretful expression. "Kita said Ryo-senpai's bass is sick, so she had to go take care of it."
And what about Ryo?
"As for Bocchi… she said she had something planned with Tomori, so she couldn't make time today either."
Why not just say Bocchi caught a fever and accidentally awakened a Stand called the King Crimson?
Such a flimsy excuse could never fool Haru, but he kindly pretended not to notice. Instead, he lightly pinched her nose in playful punishment.
"So it's just the two of us today?"
"Mm-hm! Just the two of us!"
Anon lifted her chin proudly, eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation, as if a tail wagging behind her was the only thing missing. Haru couldn't help but chuckle.
Of course, he wasn't going to refuse.
Haru saw through it clearly. As his relationships deepened with more girlfriends, the ones left behind naturally started to panic. With Anon's impatient nature, she was bound to be the most restless of all.
Was it wrong to follow one's heart when it came to the person you loved?
Put simply, it was nothing more than a plot full of affection. After all, once they had confessed, they already understood how deep their feelings ran. Wanting that affection to crystallize into something more was only natural.
Soon Haru followed the pink brat into her room. The moment he stepped in, he caught a faint citrus-like fragrance. Glancing around, he noticed a familiar-looking bottle of aroma in the corner.
Wait, wasn't that Soyo's fragrance?
"Eh!"
Anon's eyes lit up as she opened the gift box. Inside was a shiny Pokémon plush, a pink puppy that resembled Jigglypuff in color.
A soft, cherry-toned little dog.
"I'm so happy! I'll hug it when I sleep!"
"As long as the great Anon-sama likes it. But isn't it time to get started?"
Get started?
Anon stiffened, hugging the plush tightly. Suddenly sitting upright, her blushing face was a world apart from her earlier playful expression.
"Get… started with what?"
"Guitar practice, of course. The Future World Fes preliminaries are right after New Year's, aren't they?"
Haru fought down a laugh as he spoke. Anon's eyes went wide, and with a pout she squeezed the plush before reluctantly fetching her guitar.
It was guitar practice, yes, but quite different from usual.
At first, it was the standard practice, her fingers climbing up and down the frets as she sat beside him. Then Haru began teaching her hand-over-hand. Before long, she naturally ended up in his lap.
But surprisingly, the longer it went on, the more serious she became.
Wait, was he really here to teach guitar?
Anon, restless as ever, was bound to act sooner or later. He could already guess her likely pattern: hint after hint, failing to get through, then finally bursting out with a frustrated straight ball.
If all else failed, Haru might need to take the lead himself, since her "attacks" were still a little clumsy.
"I… I'm just going to the bathroom for a bit."
Anon suddenly rose from his lap, but as she moved, a small square plastic packet slipped from her uniform pocket. Its distinct crimson color froze the air instantly.
Anon's face burned scarlet. From Haru's view, he could see her ears glowing red, the flush spreading down her pale neck. Her soft gray eyes shimmered with nervous moisture.
"I suddenly… don't feel like going anymore."
Murmuring those words, she sat back down on his lap.
It was a move more blatant than any direct hint, leaving Haru sucking in a sharp breath.
If earlier he had only joked to himself about her being swapped for someone else, now he was seriously wondering. Was this brat really Anon?
There had to be some coaching from Tomori behind this.
"Ah!"
Anon let out a small cry as he suddenly hugged her from behind. Her fingers trembled on the guitar strings, but she quickly caught on to the situation, cheeks burning as her heart swelled with both embarrassment and joy.
Haru shook his head with a helpless smile and pinched her cheek.
"Anon, aren't you being a little too hasty?"
"S-so what if I am?"
Anon shrank back slightly, turning her head with a sulky pout. Jealousy tinged her voice as she muttered,
"Haru, you're such an idiot. You've already done things with Tomori and Kita, but you never came to me… I almost thought maybe you weren't even interested in me."
"That's not true. I only worried you might get tired on your own."
The moment she heard that, Anon's eyes flared with frustration. She pushed him down onto the wooden floor with surprising strength, not caring about her Haneoka uniform, her face flushed as she leaned stubbornly over him.
"Anything they can do, I can do too. And what they can't do… I can still do!"
"If you're really not uninterested in me, then prove it, Haru!"