Of course, even if she had this realization psychologically, she absolutely couldn't show it on the surface.
Chihaya Anon decided this.
After all, no matter how oblivious she was, she could tell that Asagumo had a considerable liking for Asakura.
Although she had only known Asagumo for a day, her warm bosom had provided soft comfort during her most helpless moments. Even if Asagumo didn't think so, Chihaya Anon had unilaterally considered her a friend.
So, after hesitating for a moment, she decisively said, "Yes, actually, there is someone I care about."
"Really? Tell Mama all about it!" Chihaya's mother, who hadn't expected her daughter to confide in her, suddenly looked surprised. She immediately leaned mysteriously towards Chihaya Anon and asked excitedly.
Even if it wasn't Asakura-kun, it didn't matter; she was just concerned about her daughter's social life at the new school! She told herself this.
"It's Asagumo!"
"Asagumo is wha... huh?" Chihaya's mother had just put on a gossipy expression, about to ask which boy Asagumo was, when she suddenly remembered that the girl who had visited their home earlier, who was half a head shorter than her daughter, seemed to have the surname Asagumo.
"Could it be Asagumo-chan's older brother?" So Chihaya's mother pointed upstairs, indicating.
"No, it's Asagumo-chan upstairs!" Chihaya Anon saw her mother's obvious surge of gossip and simply hardened her heart, saying, "Rather than admiration for Asagumo-senpai... it's more like longing! That's right, Asagumo-senpai is the person I like!"
"Eh..." Chihaya's mother was a bit at a loss with her daughter's sudden coming-out declaration.
"Um, Anon, aren't you being a bit too aggressive...? How about we talk about this topic again after you've calmed down?"
"I'm not being aggressive; everything I said came from my heart!" Anyway, there are many kinds of liking. Besides, Asagumo-senpai is indeed small, fragrant, and soft, and she knows about the supernatural world just like me. Is there anyone more suitable to be a witch companion than Asagumo-senpai?
As soon as she thought of this, Chihaya Anon's expression became resolute.
And Chihaya's mother, who knew her daughter best, felt her heart sink halfway upon seeing her daughter's expression: her daughter seemed to be full of determination.
Now, should she bless her daughter and encourage her to bravely pursue her love, or should she correct Anon's preferences and let her find a normal boyfriend...? Chihaya's mother was lost on a path she had never imagined.
At this moment, Chihaya Anon, who had eaten about half her fill of fried chicken, also put down her plate in due course: "Um, Asakura-kun and Asagumo-senpai are still waiting for me. I'm going up now. Mom, remember to call us when dinner is ready."
After speaking, she scurried out of the kitchen, leaving Chihaya's mother, who was still pondering life, staring blankly at the can of red beans in her hand, utterly troubled about whether or not to cook red bean rice today.
After leaving the kitchen, Chihaya Anon ran into Asakura, who looked embarrassed.
"Asakura-kun..." The girl's gaze suddenly became somewhat evasive as she asked, "Um, how much did you hear?"
"Sorry, I just came down to find the restroom. I drank a bit too much tea earlier, and I didn't mean to eavesdrop..." Asakura also gave an awkward smile, "Don't worry, I won't tell Chihaya... oh, Asagumo."
At this point, Asakura hesitated again and added, "If you really want to develop things further with Asagumo, I can even help you out a bit..."
"No, no, no, it's just a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!" The girl quickly explained, "I don't have those kinds of wild thoughts about Asagumo-senpai!"
Rather, if Asagumo found out you were helping me out, I'd be the one who ends up unlucky.
"What kind?" Asakura quickly pressed, even leaning his ear closer, looking as if he wanted to keep the secret as much as possible.
The girl was completely speechless, babbling for a long time before slumping her shoulders and saying, somewhat at a loss for how to explain, "It's that kind, that kind!"
"How would I know what kind if you don't say it!" Asakura said righteously.
"Asakura-kun just likes to see me in a difficult position, doesn't he!"
"Actually, it's not that simple."
"Don't just deny those meaningless parts!"
The two bickered at the stairwell for a while.
Just then, a voice with a subtle tremor came.
"I was wondering why Takuma-kun took so long to go to the restroom..." Asagumo Chihaya stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the two. Her expression, taxonomically speaking, should still belong to the category of a smile, but for some reason, it exerted immense psychological pressure, and even the atmospheric pressure around her seemed to have increased. She said plaintively, "It seems I was in the way too much..."
"That's not it at all!"
"You're overthinking it..."
Chihaya Anon and Asakura said in unison, though not in sync.
"So, could Miss Asagumo, who feels excluded, please tell me properly what's going on?" Asagumo Chihaya asked with a smiling face but a tone utterly devoid of amusement.
"Let's go back to the room..." Asakura said.
Although slightly displeased with Asakura's way of changing the subject, Asagumo Chihaya still nodded obediently.
Asakura, who had actually heard everything from outside the kitchen, led the two back to Chihaya Anon's room for the time being: "This is a poignant story of a young girl expressing her feelings to her mother..."
"Oh?" Asagumo Chihaya's expression became a little curious.
"Once upon a time—" Asakura cleared his throat and began to narrate.
"Hey, was such an extensive opening really necessary for what just happened?" Chihaya Anon couldn't help but protest.
"Approximately 4.55 billion years ago, Earth was just born—"
"That's too far! It's not even on the same level of problem anymore! Why don't you start from the Big Bang!"
"Then that would be 15 billion years ago—"
"Don't actually say it!"
"Then let's fast forward. We can start from the Ediacaran period to the Cambrian explosion of life. I particularly like that part…"
Asakura nodded obligingly: "Have you heard the story of the ocean's first overlord…?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not really interested in Anomalocaris. Can you get straight to the point?"
Asagumo Chihaya said with a smile.
"In short—" Asakura replied dryly: "Anon seems to have developed some strange feelings…"
"For Takuma-kun?"
The girl's expression looked a bit complicated.
"No—" Asakura said, "It's for you."
"…Huh?"