"Ano-chan, I had no idea you were in such a hurry."
Looking at Anon, who had frantically snatched the marriage application from Tomori's hands, Kamijo Mutsumi wore a "doting" and somewhat helpless smile.
"Don't worry, how could I leave you out?"
"You get one too!"
With that, he stuffed another marriage application into Anon's hands.
"Oh, that's more like it... wait, no!"
Anon's mind was already fuzzy from agitation, and for a moment, she was actually fooled by him. But she quickly snapped back to reality.
"Who wants to marry you?!"
Good grief! Not only Tomori, but he's not letting me off the hook either?
Anon was so angry she wanted to tear the two marriage applications in her hands to shreds and slap them right onto this scumbag's face.
"I must have been crazy to ever trust you..."
That's it, I can't take it anymore! I'm going to lose it on him!
"You bastard who preys on innocent young girls, have you decided how you want to die?"
"I know you're angry, but don't be angry just yet. You should have other things to deal with."
"What, you want to beg for mercy?"
Anon was so furious she actually laughed.
"Ano-chan..."
Just then, Tomori, who had been standing to the side, couldn't watch anymore and timidly tugged on the corner of her sleeve.
After calming down, Anon realized that their interaction had already attracted the attention of the surrounding Haneoka students, and their gazes were all a bit strange.
"Is that... first-year Takamatsu-san and Chihaya-san?"
"I think Chihaya-san just said... marriage?"
"Could that boy be Chihaya-san's boyfriend?"
"They're already at the point of discussing marriage? Th-that's amazing..."
"Pass it on, Chihaya-san was just proposed to by a boy from another school..."
"What? Chihaya-san and a boy from another school are proposing to Tomori-chan together?!"
Hearing the surrounding discussion, Anon's entire being faded into grayscale.
Her image, her carefully crafted persona, her social life, her wonderful school days... It was all over!
"Let's talk somewhere else. After all, you don't want to be the subject of gossip, do you?"
Looking at Anon, whose eyes were completely dead, Kamijo Mutsumi flashed a brilliant smile and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Ano-chan, my car is ready!"
"And whose fault do you think this is?!"
The girl's heart felt dead. Could this guy be heaven's punishment for her running away from her problems?
Wanting to escape reality, the girl ended up grabbing Tomori and letting herself be sheepishly lured into Kamijo Mutsumi's car, completely oblivious to the crowd of students behind them, who were now gossiping even more fervently.
"This car of yours..."
After pulling Tomori into the car, before she could even settle the score with him, Anon found herself captivated by the vehicle's interior.
"...A Maybach 62S?"
As a trendy rich girl whose family drove a Land Rover, Anon knew a thing or two about luxury cars.
This scumbag is actually this rich?
"But... isn't it a bit too spacious?"
"I had the dealer modify it when I bought it..."
After all, the original model couldn't fit the entire MyGO!!!!! band.
"They can modify this kind of car?"
"The suffering of being rich... it's beyond your imagination."
"You..."
Looking at the smug scumbag before her, the girl ground her teeth in frustration.
My family is rich too!
But we definitely can't compare to a guy who drives a Maybach...
This only made Anon even angrier.
"...It's a pity it's not pouring rain today and there's no overpass ahead, otherwise I'd definitely let you see this car's true performance..."
"...So you came looking for me today just to show off your luxury car?" Anon said with a cold laugh, her arms crossed as she ignored his bizarre, incomprehensible comment.
"...I've already found the band members I told you about yesterday."
Seeing her reaction, Kamijo Mutsumi cleared his throat, his expression turning serious.
"Rest assured, every one of them is a talented individual, just as outstanding as me!"
"...That's exactly why I'm not assured!"
Good grief, just like this scumbag?
One Kamijo Mutsumi was already enough to nearly kill her with anger. If there were a few more, wouldn't she ascend to heaven on the spot?!
"And each of them has their own unique strengths, their own special skills. Their musical talents are astounding and will surely bring you some extra surprises!"
"...The way you say that makes me feel even weirder..."
Don't tell me they're all bizarre, surreal characters like him?
Anon was worried.
However, Kamijo Mutsumi paid no mind to her reaction, instead turning to look at Tomori.
"What about you, Tomori-chan? Do you want to form a band together?"
"That's right," hearing this, Anon finally remembered her main purpose and turned to Tomori.
"Tomori-chan, you should join too. Your story... this guy told me everything."
"You... you really want to be in a band too, don't you?"
"'Haruhikage'... is a really wonderful song. I'd love to hear you sing it again, Tomori-chan!"
In truth, Anon had initially only wanted to form a slacker band to fit in. She invited Tomori because she was the class's universally beloved pet, and it would look good for her reputation.
But after Kamijo's stunt yesterday, it had turned into a full-blown obsession for her.
Even without him, though, the outcome probably would have been the same.
After all, the gravity of a black hole...
...is something not even light can escape.
"I..."
Tomori had been dragged into the car in a daze and never expected the topic to circle back to her.
Faced with their invitation, the wounded girl almost instinctively wanted to refuse.
But looking at Anon's expectant gaze, the words that came out of her mouth were something else entirely.
"It's... all my fault."
"It's because of me... that Sakiko quit, that CRYCHIC disbanded."
"If I join... we'll definitely fail again..."
"It's not your fault, Tomori-chan! It was clearly the fault of that girl who suddenly quit!" Anon immediately retorted, seeing Tomori start to wallow in self-pity again.
"And she didn't even give a reason. That's just too selfish. That's why you all got hurt so badly..."
"It's not Sakiko's fault... My singing was bad, that's why Sakiko was disappointed..."
Even though Tomori wasn't Soyo, she clearly couldn't bring herself to place the blame on Sakiko either.
"That's right. It's all your fault."
Just as Anon was anxiously trying to figure out how to console Tomori, Kamijo Mutsumi's voice made her expression freeze.
"Huh?" The girl stared at him in disbelief, looking just like Soyo had when she was backstabbed by Mutsumi Wakaba after Sakiko quit the band.
"And it's not just your fault. All of you were at fault."
Kamijo Mutsumi ignored Anon's reaction and continued his assault.
"Takamatsu Tomori, you sing too desperately."
"Soyo, you only think about yourself."
"Taki, you're a pressure-freak. My evaluation: less talented than Sakiko."
"Mutsumi, you've never once been happy playing in a band."
"Sakiko, the main culprit. Sooner or later, karma will hit her like a boomerang."
"And Anon..."
"Wait..."
Anon never expected him to call her out.
Hold on, buddy, I didn't even know Tomori when CRYCHIC disbanded. How could I possibly have anything to do with it?
However, Kamijo Mutsumi just gave a faint smile and unleashed a special technique from his homeland.
"Setting the facts aside, when it comes to CRYCHIC's disbandment, are you telling me you bear no responsibility at all?"