"I'm sorry, I have to organize the records left by the previous Astronomy Club president, so I can't go with you…"
Inside the Astronomy Club's activity room, Tomori apologized to Kikukawa Kyo and Anon with a guilty expression. Since she was the only member of the club, she had to sort through the records left by the former president on her own. On top of that, she needed to decide on the club's research direction for the future, and she had only a few days to submit it to the advisor—otherwise, they might lose the right to use the activity room.
She was the one who wanted to form a band the most, yet when it came to finding members, she couldn't even help.
"It's totally fine, Tomori! You should take care of this first. We've got sooo much time to form a band! No need to rush."
Anon was optimistic about it. To her, forming a band was just for fun, and she didn't have high expectations for her bandmates. If anything, rather than technical skill, the most important thing was getting along!
Not to mention, if her bandmates were too skilled, she'd have to worry about getting overshadowed.
Kikukawa Kyo, on the other hand, remained silent—not because she was ignoring Tomori, of course. Did she even need to explain why? Just look at those ten or so bottles of water, all filled and ready to drink! Even if their original purpose had failed, she would never let them go to waste. The best way to repurpose them was to drink them all herself!
"Whoa, Kyo, you're still drinking water? You haven't stopped since earlier! Even at karaoke… You've already finished two bottles!"
Watching Kyo continuously chug water, Anon suddenly realized that in just this short time, Kyo had drunk almost as much as she herself did in an entire half-day.
Was Kyo secretly made of water? Or was she a mermaid? A siren? A water-elemental spirit in human form? Or maybe… one of those Deep Ones from the Lovecraft stories that seemed to be getting more popular lately?
Anon's mind raced through every water-related myth and fantasy creature she knew, and somehow, every single one of them seemed oddly fitting for Kyo…
"Water is the source of life… glug glug…" As Kyo spoke, the air escaping from her mouth bubbled up through the water bottle.
"For some reason, when Kyo says that, it's way more convincing than when those so-called life-hack experts do," Anon remarked in awe.
Tomori, seeing that the water she brought hadn't managed to "lure" Kyo into joining the band but had at least been useful to her in another way, felt quite satisfied.
"Phew." Taking another deep gulp, Kyo let out a refreshed sigh. "Alright, Anon and I will be heading out, then, Tomori."
They had already planned this in advance—today, they were going to RiNG to find one of CRYCHIC's former band members, Shiina Taki, and ask if she was interested in joining their new band.
The reason for choosing Taki first was simple. Unlike Soyo, whose after-school activities and whereabouts in Tsukinomori were uncertain, Kyo knew exactly where to find Taki at this time.
Taki had been working part-time at the café inside RiNG since summer break. Given her personality, she wouldn't quit so easily—she would take her job seriously. So as long as they went during her shift, there was a high chance of catching her.
Of course, if Tomori could come along, their chances of success would be even higher. To put it bluntly, all Tomori had to do was stand in front of Taki and say, "Join the band." Taki would agree on the spot without hesitation.
But even without Tomori, it wasn't a problem. With Kyo's persuasion skills, as long as she mentioned that Tomori was in the band, success was practically guaranteed.
And another advantage of asking Taki first was that she wouldn't question why Kyo was helping to form the band but wasn't joining herself. She'd probably just give a confused "Huh?" and then add, "Do whatever you want."
Kyo could already imagine Taki's cold expression in her mind…
"Tomori, can I take a few bottles of water with me?"
"All of them are drinkable…! Anon, take a few too!" Tomori immediately started handing the water bottles to the two of them.
"Tomori, not again. We don't need that many."
"I would love to drink more water, but unfortunately, if I carry all these, my backpack will get too heavy. The water I drink will just turn into sweat and be used up anyway."
"Then… two bottles?"
After being rejected this time, Tomori didn't fall into her usual slump. Though she still felt a momentary sense of disappointment, she quickly gathered herself and spoke up again.
Phew, even though the band wasn't fully formed yet, Tomori had already begun to show positive changes. This kind of "flow" was exactly what Kyo was happy to see.
As long as it didn't become stagnant and lifeless, whether moving forward or backward, it was still a good sign to Kyo.
After both Kyo and Anon took their bottles of water, they left the activity room under Tomori's watch and headed for RiNG.
"So… the one we're looking for is Shiina Taki, right? What kind of person is she?"
On the way, Anon, who had no prior knowledge of CRYCHIC's past, was curious to learn a little more about the band member they were about to invite.
"She's a very irritable person." Without the slightest hesitation, Kyo's first response was to speak badly of Taki.
"Huh?!"
Anon was genuinely surprised. Usually, when people are asked about someone, their first reaction reflects their most vivid impression of that person, so for Taki's first impression to be "irritable" was surprising.
Anon couldn't help but worry—if Kyo thought of her that way, would she be able to get along with her?
"It's fine, it's fine. Taki's a bit of a tsundere—she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She can be harsh with her words, but she's actually very gentle on the inside." Kyo's words reassured Anon a little, as Taki now sounded like a character with a typical tsundere personality, but Kyo quickly added,
"However, her sharp tongue is really something. I just hope you won't be too put off by it."
"The more you say, the more worried I get..."
"Relax, relax. I'll teach you a trick to make it easier for Taki to accept you." Kyo seemed much more relaxed now. After all, during her time with the previous band, she had rarely been criticized by Taki, thanks to...
"As long as you do your job well and treat the band seriously, you'll avoid about 90% of her harsh remarks. The remaining 10%... unfortunately, it can't be avoided. Taki's used to speaking that way, so even in normal conversations, she might still throw a jab or two your way."
After all, even with Kyo, Taki wouldn't always give a pleasant response.
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T/N: im back, did a poll on my patreon on the new schedule and releases for webnovel so yeah
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