After returning home, Anon greeted her mother, who was in the middle of cooking. They happily chatted about how smoothly the first day of school had gone before Anon hurried back to her room.
The first thing she did was fling her bag aside and collapse onto her bed.
"Today… was so exhausting…"
Muffling her voice into the covers, she let out a groan. Too many things had happened in a single day. Now that she was finally home and letting her guard down, the fatigue hit her all at once.
She shifted, crawling further onto the bed until she was lying completely sprawled out, her entire body radiating laziness. But as her muscles relaxed, her mind began to stir. Thoughts drifted in and out of her head.
Anon thought back to London—a place forever shrouded in mist and rain.
The cold, damp weather. The bland and unappetizing British food. The English she could barely speak fluently. The loneliness of having no close friends.
London had left almost nothing but negative memories. In just a few short months, she had been put under immense psychological pressure, struggling in a foreign country.
And back then—when she forced herself to smile, hopping between trendy cafés, relying on shallow compliments from strangers on SNS to keep herself from breaking down too soon—she met Rainy Lady.
Anon had been too proud to admit to her old classmates how miserable she was, and she didn't want to worry her parents either.
So, in the end, the only person she could confide in… was the online stranger who had originally messaged her just to criticize her terrible tea-making skills.
She had hinted at her struggles to Rainy Lady, who had always responded with just the right amount of comfort—not too much, not too little. More than that, she had taught Anon how to make simple mixed drinks using common convenience store ingredients.
It was a small thing, but for Anon, it had been fun. It had added a splash of color to her dull, miserable life in London.
Even her biggest turning point—the first time she had actually managed to integrate into her new environment—was thanks to a tea-making tip from Rainy Lady.
Using a half-understood technique she had learned from their conversations, she managed to brew a cup of tea that wasn't a total disaster. That tiny success earned her a few words of approval from her roommates.
After constantly hitting walls in London, it was one of the few moments where she had made progress.
…But in the end, she had gotten overconfident. She thought she had learned enough when, in reality, she hadn't even grasped the basics yet. And that arrogance led to a massive embarrassment—one that made her the laughingstock of her peers.
Forget it. Forget it.
The awful memory hit her like a flashback to the taste of a "stargazy pie."
Letting out a pained groan, Anon thrashed around on her bed, rolling back and forth—until she suddenly thunked against the wall.
"OW!"
The impact brought actual tears to her eyes, forcing her to stay still for a moment.
Well… at least that got my mind off London.
No use thinking about it anymore—it was in the past.
Anon tried to keep her brain from digging up more embarrassing memories, but of course, the more she wanted to forget, the more her mind refused to cooperate.
Quickly, she switched gears.
Think about something else…!
Like school! Today was the first day of school!
But when she started recalling the day's events, the first image that surfaced in her memory…
Was her.
Kikukawa Kyo.
The very same person who had appeared in her London memories.
"…What kind of person is Kyo, anyway?"
If Anon had to sum up her impression of Kyo in a single phrase, it would be: full of contradictions.
Every time she thought she had figured Kyo out, she would immediately do something that shattered that impression.
Kyo could be incredibly reliable, someone who put others at ease. Most of the time, she carried an air of calm detachment, speaking in a measured, logical manner that made people instinctively want to listen.
Back in that cramped karaoke room, when Tomori had suddenly dropped the word "forever" into their conversation, catching Anon completely off guard—her first instinct had been to look at Kyo.
As if, so long as Kyo was there…
She would be able to handle whatever unexpected situation arose.
But at the same time, Kyo could be completely oblivious—displaying a natural clumsiness that made her seem as though she lacked basic common sense.
Most of the time, she was good at maintaining appropriate social distance. And yet, she would suddenly engage in interactions that felt entirely too casual, as if she had no sense of personal boundaries.
For example…
Anon could almost hear it again—the damp, sticky sound of wet fabric peeling away.
She hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now, as she replayed the moment in her mind, she realized something.
When she had turned back around, Kyo had already changed into a fresh outfit. Including her undergarments.
Which meant that, for those few seconds…
If she had turned around just a little earlier, she would have seen Kyo, completely bare, her skin glistening with lingering moisture like she had just stepped out of a bath…
Too hot.
Anon abruptly lifted her head from the covers, only to realize that her face felt as if it had been basking under the warmth of a spring sun, radiating heat.
If someone who had once helped you—someone who had given you a lifeline when you were at your lowest—suddenly appeared before you again… what would you want to do?
Anon had read plenty of novels, including romance stories. There was always that common trope where the protagonist, after receiving help during a difficult time, inevitably fell for their savior.
She had always been skeptical of that idea.
Anon did long for romance.
To her, love was supposed to be like cotton candy—sweet, soft, and light, melting on your tongue in an instant, leaving behind a lingering warmth in your heart.
Love should be pure.
The way she imagined it, the most ideal love was love at first sight.
But falling for someone simply because they helped you when you were struggling—wasn't that just some kind of misplaced gratitude?
…But Kyo.
Kyo was so cute.
She had a great personality, was well-liked at school, and even had an incredible singing voice.
Sure, she was a little calculating, but so what? Anon had her own little schemes too. If anything, Kyo's way of thinking about others—her ability to guide things in a way that still took both Anon's and Tomori's feelings into account—only made her even more endearing.
And then there was…
"I was just thinking that you might actually be my type."
Even without the covers, Anon could feel the heat rising in her face again.
"…That's so unfair."
---
...
Umu! I am Nero Claudius—the brilliant Emperor of Rome, the dazzling Saber, the one and only performer who can steal a stage with a single smile!
Merry (slightly late) Christmas, my beloved subjects! I hope you ate something warm, took a proper break, and didn't spend the whole day doom-scrolling like a tragic commoner. Now then—if you'd like to support Translator (totally optional, only if you want), there's a bonus: early access / reading ahead.
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