Upon hearing the words for life, Kikukawa Kyo didn't show much surprise.
After all, back during summer break, when she ran into Tomori at the aquarium, she had already noticed her longing for a stable, lasting connection.
Kyo couldn't fully grasp the weight of the emotions packed into the phrase for life. She had no way of knowing how much it affected Anon. But she did understand how difficult long-term commitments were from a purely objective standpoint.
Even from a rational perspective, she figured Anon wouldn't make a promise she wasn't sure she could keep.
Because for life—that was no small thing.
Maybe what Tomori meant was something more along the lines of let's be best friends forever.
Kyo had heard similar promises from classmates back in middle school. She had even categorized the desire for long-term commitments as a common emotional need in her mental archive of human behavior.
And for Tomori, that need was even greater than for most people.
But forming a band for life?
That wasn't just a sentimental promise—it was a commitment that involved future career paths, financial stability, and lifelong dedication.
It was practically handing over your life to someone else.
Too heavy.
And Tomori—she had just found the courage to open up, to take her first step forward.
Yet, because of the sheer weight of her words, she had ended up making Anon uncomfortable instead.
Kyo understood why.
To Anon, a band was a social activity—a way to have fun, grab attention, and be in the spotlight.
She started bands because she wanted to be noticed.
But after high school, when her social circles inevitably shifted, would she even need a band anymore?
From the very beginning, their perspectives on music had been completely mismatched.
Anon was probably feeling trapped by Tomori's sudden, serious commitment.
And knowing her personality, even if she didn't want to agree, she would have still considered Tomori's feelings—maybe tried to laugh it off and stall for time until Kyo returned, hoping for a better way to handle it.
But instead, Tomori, who had just taken her first step toward moving forward, immediately faced rejection—
And that made her want to run.
Which led to the situation now.
Kyo pieced everything together in her mind, analyzing the whole scenario in a matter of seconds.
"Tomori, move in a little."
Now that she was blocking the doorway, there was no way Kyo was letting Tomori run.
Rather than sitting back down where she had been before, she herded Tomori further inside the booth—like guiding a stray sheep—before settling into Tomori's previous seat herself.
She placed the tray on the table, carefully setting the toppled cups upright again.
She moved deliberately slow, giving herself time to think.
Damn, I could really use a drink right now…
She eyed the empty cups.
The drinks had spilled onto the tray, the floor, her clothes—everywhere.
Yet, somehow, not a single drop was available for her to drink.
…Wait. Maybe there was one place.
Meanwhile, Anon was incredibly relieved that Kyo had returned when she did.
Because if she hadn't—Tomori really might have run away.
Kyo was slowly, methodically licking her own hand.
To be precise, she was licking off the drinks that had spilled onto her skin.
Her tongue, soft and red, flicked over her fingers, curling slightly as she carefully traced over the gaps between them, her palm, the back of her hand—leaving no drop behind.
She was so focused, so deliberate, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
The sheer absurdity of the act, combined with the unintentionally seductive movements and her otherwise calm demeanor, left both Anon and Tomori completely frozen in place.
"Th-that's so…"
Anon gulped.
No, no, no!
She quickly shook her head and dug through her bag, pulling out a handkerchief.
"Kyo, stop licking your hand! That's so unsanitary!"
Anon hurried forward, forcing Kyo to stop and wiping off whatever was left before she could continue.
Kyo didn't argue. She had already drunk plenty of water, and licking up a bit of spilled liquid had helped her settle down from the unexpected chaos.
Once Anon had more or less dried off her hand, Kyo immediately turned her attention to Tomori.
"Tomori. Why were you trying to run?"
"I…"
Tomori glanced at Anon but couldn't find the words.
"Do you remember what I told you back at the aquarium?"
Kyo's voice was steady.
"Things that last a lifetime might exist—but they're not something you can get just by standing still and wishing for them."
"…You have to build up one moment after another, until maybe—just maybe—it becomes forever."
Tomori echoed the words Kyo had once taught her.
How could she ever forget?
"Today could have been the first of those moments. But instead, you tried to run away."
Kyo's tone was sharp.
"If you can't even hold onto this, then how can you talk about forever? What gives you the right to make that kind of promise?"
There was no gentleness in her words—only direct, blunt criticism.
Tomori lowered her head, shoulders shrinking slightly.
"Kyo…"
Anon hesitated.
Tomori looked like she was struggling.
Wasn't this a little too harsh?
But Kyo didn't stop.
She looked straight at Tomori and asked—
"Do you want to be in a band?"
"..."
"Don't think about whether it'll break up. Just tell me clearly—do you want to start a band with Anon?"
"…Yes."
"And Anon?"
The sudden question caught Anon off guard, but she quickly gathered herself.
"Of course I want to start a band with Tomori! I just got freaked out by the whole 'for life' thing… That's a long time, you know?"
"Then that's enough."
Kyo's response was firm.
"Why are you worrying about the far future? You haven't even put a full band together. You haven't even had your first practice.
"If you let this stop you now, then whatever happens in the future—good or bad—will have nothing to do with you."
"Tomori. Hold onto each moment as it comes."
"Don't be afraid of a band breaking up."
"Even if it does happen someday—do you really think Anon and I would just disappear from your life?"
"Even Sakiko—you spoke to her again today, didn't you?"
"…Ano-chan…"
Tomori lifted her head and turned to Anon.
"…Will you start a band with me?"
"Of course!"
Anon was thrilled to see Tomori coming back to herself.
All of her worries about forever had faded under Kyo's reasoning.
She could take it one step at a time.
The first step out of the shadows hadn't been easy.
But the second step…
That had led Tomori to something that made her happy.
Even though a part of her still held lingering fears about the future, she finally had the strength to move forward.
"Then let's come up with a name for our band!"
Anon, unsurprisingly, was the most excited of the three. She immediately started chattering away, throwing out ideas.
"Ah, wait—"
Kyo suddenly cut in, sweat forming on her brow.
"Uh… I never actually planned to join the band."
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