"Thank you all so much!"
Seeing the people surrounding her finally disperse, Anon let out a huge sigh of relief.
She immediately ran over to her three friends, showing a grateful expression.
Sure enough, at critical moments, they were the ones she could rely on!
"This is… what friends should do."
Facing Anon's thanks, the green-haired girl in the trio turned her head away a bit unnaturally, a faint blush appearing on her fair cheeks.
"…"
Then why are you blushing?!
"W-well… let's talk later."
With a stiff expression, Anon gave an awkward laugh, then hurriedly slipped away, almost as if escaping, hiding beside Tomori.
Tomori, protect me!
This was way too scary—Anon felt like the world had turned into something she no longer recognized.
"Tomori, that was terrifying—there are girls like that in our class…"
She had thought everyone was joking, but didn't expect someone to actually mean it.
"Girls like that?"
The little penguin tilted her head curiously.
"I mean… that kind…"
While explaining it to Tomori, Anon tried to calm herself down.
As a perfectly normal, outgoing straight girl, she simply couldn't accept this kind of overly "yuri" atmosphere.
Compared to the girls in class, even someone like Kamijou Mutsuki—who was kind of a playboy—suddenly didn't seem completely unacceptable.
No, wait—being a playboy was still unacceptable. Unless he only liked her…
Wait, what was she even thinking?!
"Anyway, if you run into people like that, Tomori, you should stay away from them. Don't let them take advantage of you."
With her cheeks slightly warm, Anon shook off the messy thoughts in her head and seriously lectured the "little penguin" beside her.
"Stay away…?"
However, to Anon's surprise, after hearing this, Tomori actually started looking at her carefully, as if thinking about something.
Then…
Tomori silently moved her chair a few centimeters away.
Anon: ?
Wait—Tomori, what do you mean by that?
-----------------------------------
[…Please let my feelings…]
[…be forgotten～]
"Alright, that's a wrap."
At Houbunsha's recording studio, as Sakiko finished the final note, someone immediately stood up and started applauding.
"To get the official recording done in one take—just as expected of Saki-chan, easily doing what others can't!"
"That said,"
However, "Sakiko-sensei" didn't seem very appreciative.
"The 'important matter' you mentioned… was just having me record this kind of strange song?"
The girl walked over to Kamijou Mutsuki's side, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"What do you mean 'strange song'? Doesn't it sound good?"
Kamijou Mutsuki seemed a bit dissatisfied with her comment.
"It does sound good, but…"
It was undoubtedly a high-quality song—the problem was that it was far too different from the style of a band girl.
Which meant…
"You're not plotting something weird again, are you?"
Sakiko stared at Kamijou Mutsuki as she said this.
"How could I… probably?"
"What do you mean 'probably'?!"
"Anyway, just take this first."
Kamijou Mutsuki didn't intend to dwell on the topic. He took out a bank card and stuffed it into her hand.
"This is…?"
Sakiko wasn't as sensitive about money as she used to be, but she was still confused by his action.
"That song just now counts as a personal request from me—it won't be released officially."
Seeing her confusion, Kamijou Mutsuki explained.
"It won't go through the company accounts—consider it my personal payment."
"Oh, right—"
Noticing Sakiko seemed about to say something, Kamijou Mutsuki cut her off.
"Since you just earned so much today, you're paying for our date later."
"…A date?"
Her attention immediately shifted away from the payment and locked onto that word.
"Well, we've still got plenty of time later… unless you want to go back to school?"
Facing her gaze, Kamijou Mutsuki spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Kamijou Mutsuki,"
However, Sakiko showed a slightly annoyed expression and said seriously,
"You already have a fiancée—doesn't this feel like you're betraying Mutsumi?"
"So, are you going on the date or not?"
"…I'll go!"
"Don't misunderstand!"
Facing the boy's somewhat teasing gaze, Sakiko's cheeks instantly turned bright red.
"It's just to pass the time—and to keep an eye on you."
As if finally finding a way to justify herself, she repeated,
"That's right—supervision!"
"After all, if I'm not around, who knows whether a playboy like you will go flirting with other girls!"
"I wouldn't do anything to betray Mutsumi."
"No one said you would…"
Kamijou Mutsuki looked at the girl in front of him, stroking his chin.
"Could it be… bringing up Mutsumi-chan makes you more… excited?"
Could it be that Mutsumi is like your side dish?
Sakiko… I really underestimated you!
"Y-you…"
Sakiko had never expected Kamijou Mutsuki to say something so outrageous. She felt completely overwhelmed by embarrassment.
"How can you just make things up and smear my reputation?!"
This was slander!
"How could I possibly have thoughts like that?!"
She kept emphasizing his identity as her best friend's fiancé precisely to remind herself—there was no way she had such thoughts.
Absolutely none!
And she definitely wouldn't do something like those cliché dramas—wearing Mutsumi's clothes, using Mutsumi's things, even sleeping in—Anyway, the pure and spotless Miss Sakiko would never do such things!
"…So, Saki-chan, are you going or not?"
In the end, Sakiko very honestly accepted Kamijou Mutsuki's invitation.
Of course, she refused to admit it was a date.
After all, it was just an unrelated boy and girl, alone together, going out to have fun—how could that count as a date?
…Alright, even she couldn't convince herself with that excuse.
Sakiko knew it wasn't right, but when Kamijou Mutsuki invited her with that smile…
She simply couldn't refuse!
Looking at the carefree smile on the boy beside her, Sakiko felt an inexplicable irritation.
How could this guy be so completely unbothered?!
Strictly speaking, what they were doing was basically—
If Mutsumi found out, what would happen?
In the end, the girl let out a sigh and lowered her head.
Mutsumi… what should I do?
"I wonder how Mutsuki and Sakiko are doing."
Over at Tsukinomori, Mutsumi rested her cheek on her hand, slightly lost in thought.
Recently, Sakiko had been getting closer and closer to how she used to be at the very beginning.
But even so, Mutsumi could still see the inner conflict hidden beneath her smile.
Hopefully, this time, her time with Kamijou Mutsuki would bring some change.
And Mutsuki… that guy really doesn't even try to hide things from her.
As if thinking of something, the girl puffed her cheeks slightly, then the corners of her lips curved into a faint, sweet smile.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since she last went out together with Kamijou Mutsuki.
Maybe she should just take a day off tomorrow too.
.....................