Chapter 81: Anon's Band Crisis
Anon should have realized it sooner—since Ren had started a harem, there was no way he would date someone properly.
All those steps like confirming the relationship, holding hands, hugging, kissing, and finally going all the way—none of that existed. Instead, they'd go straight to intense intimacy whenever the mood struck.
This made her understand one thing clearly: falling behind at one step meant falling behind at every step. While she was still struggling with whether to let that bastard Ren have his way, Karen had already boldly stolen a march on her.
"Does it bother you?"
After Karen left, Anon remained silent but kept stealing glances at Ren. Ren, being no ordinary person, acted as if he hadn't just been caught being intimate with Karen moments ago. Instead, he questioned Anon, whose face still carried a faint blush.
"How could it not bother me? No matter how you look at it, that was way too bold..."
This was the advantage of their childhood friend relationship. Though embarrassed, Anon actually felt it wasn't that bad deep down. In her vague memories, she had bathed with Ren when they were young—she had seen him naked before anyone else. So she wasn't too ashamed to speak.
"You should ring the doorbell next time. What did you come to see me for?"
Ren smiled and asked about Anon's purpose for visiting. Since both sides had laid their cards on the table, Anon must have had something to say if she still came to see him.
"Ren, you haven't forgotten about the weekend, right?"
"You mean your band performance?"
"Yeah, even if you want to go on a date, you can't. You have to come watch, understand!"
This was only one reason. The second was that Anon wanted to hint to Ren that if he wanted her to join his harem, he should show some sincerity, shouldn't he? Like taking her to Meiji Shrine for a grand confession, or at the very least, renting out Tokyo Tower.
She loved that kind of extravagance. If Ren could fulfill these small wishes of hers, the tears she'd shed after being moved wouldn't just be tears of excitement.
"I know. Even if you didn't say anything, I wouldn't break my promise. So, have you made up your mind?"
Ren really hadn't forgotten about the band performance. After all, it was his childhood friend's first stage performance. Though Anon's guitar skills were quite poor, at least she had persevered.
But these weren't the most important matters. Ren directly asked Anon whether she had changed her mind about him having a harem.
"Made up my mind about what? Ren, you don't think I'd join your harem, do you?" Anon twisted her hair around her finger, talking tough.
"I didn't know you were a tsundere."
"Who's tsundere! No matter what, it should be more formal... Not as direct as you're being, Ren."
"Isn't being direct better? But of course I'm making preparations. Anon, do you want me to confess at your school, or find an important holiday to confess during some festival?"
"Actually, it doesn't need to be that formal. And would Bocchi-chan and Karen really agree?"
Anon wanted to make a scene but was afraid of making things too difficult for Ren. If Ren did as he said—confessing to her at her school with grand preparations—she would definitely love it.
The fact that someone like Ren would boldly confess his feelings under the gaze of all the students and even amidst the teachers' interference was bound to make her the center of attention.
Just having her childhood friend drive her to school had already elevated her to the top of the campus social hierarchy, earning her the envy of many—let alone a daring confession that defied school rules.
But these were secondary concerns. Anon wasn't foolish; the current situation was that she might be willing, but Karen and Hitori might not be. If she hesitated, she might miss out entirely.
That's why she was so conflicted. What if she agreed, but Hitori and the others didn't?
"I'll ask them about it later. I'll make sure they agree."
Once the door to a harem was opened, Ren's appetite only grew.
It wasn't just Anon; now Yuno and Satou were also within his considerations. They were both beautiful girls with long pink hair, and their affection for him was already at its peak.
"Then make sure to prepare seriously. It doesn't have to be too formal, but it can't be too plain either."
After wrestling with her thoughts for a while, Anon blushed and subtly expressed her wish: she absolutely wanted a confession. As for what came after, that was Ren's problem—how to persuade Hitori and the others was none of her concern.
"Alright, give it your all during the performance. Don't embarrass me."
Once Anon's feelings were confirmed, Ren felt even more motivated to plan. Not long ago, he had thought that if Anon found a lover in the future, he might feel upset for a while but would eventually wish her well—after all, they were childhood friends.
But now? He wanted it all.
After their conversation, Anon returned home. She spaced out for a good while before blushing and pulling out her phone to cram some knowledge about love.
Karen was not only beautiful but also exceptionally proactive. If Anon didn't catch up to their pace, she would lose her competitive edge. Relying solely on her status as a childhood friend wouldn't be enough to keep Ren tied down forever.
Soon, the weekend arrived. Anon's performance was scheduled for Saturday. Her band members were the same ones Ren had met briefly before, with the addition of a girl with rare heterochromatic eyes. Like Kessoku Band, they were a band of beautiful girls.
"Bocchi-chan, how about having Kessoku Band's next performance here?"
It wasn't just Ren who came to watch the performance; Hitori and Nijika were there too.
"It feels great! I'm sure everyone wants to perform on a bigger stage, right?"
Nijika's eyes sparkled with excitement. Kessoku Band's current venue was still too small; they ought to set their sights higher.
If they worked hard and wrote a couple more songs, performing at RiNG would be no problem at all.
"There are quite a lot of people, but I think I'll be okay."
Hitori was a little scared, but the support of her lover and friends gave her strength. Though nervous, she wasn't as afraid of larger stages, bigger audiences, or even fans as she used to be.
As they chatted, MyGo took the stage. Even their self-introductions were stumbling, causing some concern, but the performance of their first song was remarkably effective.
It was unclear whether a second song had begun when their vocalist started rambling on stage.
Her words sounded like both confessions and soliloquies. Ren initially couldn't tell whom she was addressing, but when his peripheral vision caught a distinctive blue-haired girl with a hedgehog-like hairstyle showing an expression completely different from everyone else's, he realized the vocalist named Takamatsu Tomori was speaking to her.
After Tomori finished speaking on stage, the silver-haired girl with heterochromatic eyes spontaneously began playing her guitar. The other band members looked surprised but quickly followed her rhythm. Meanwhile, the blue-haired girl's face revealed emotional turmoil before she eventually ran off while shedding tears.
"Cool. The bassist wasn't even playing at first."
Ryo's gaze remained fixed on the stage, where she noticed MyGO's bassist initially looking around without properly playing. Yet this barely affected the performance, and she only started playing with her head lowered later. "So cool," Ryo thought—this was their bassist, whose presence seemed almost optional.
Ren detected these technical issues but didn't comment. He came to watch girl bands for the girls themselves, primarily to see how Anon performed—and naturally felt satisfied with the results.
Though the bassist radiated low energy after the performance, that wasn't something Ren and his group concerned themselves with.
"Karen, how did you find the live atmosphere?"
While waiting for Anon outside the venue, Ren asked Karen about her impressions. Having chosen Karen as his vocalist, he brought her to experience this live atmosphere firsthand.
"Everyone was shining so brightly! I love this kind of atmosphere."
Karen exclaimed with visible excitement and joy. The experience of watching a live performance offline felt incredible, and she now dreamed of creating the same electrifying atmosphere they'd just witnessed at RiNG with her own singing.
"Then let's work hard. I can personally mentor you in this aspect."
After chatting awhile, Nijika and her group left first. Since Ren lived in the same direction as Anon, he stayed behind to wait for her.
"Ren~~"
Much later, Anon emerged from RiNG looking troubled despite the successful performance.
"Why the long face?"
Ren asked with concerned confusion. Last time, his band had happily gone celebrating after their show—why did Anon look so distressed now, and where were her other members?
"I don't know why Soyo got angry either! Even if Raana unexpectedly playing Kasugano was unplanned, didn't it turn out well? But as soon as we got backstage, she started getting mad and we ended up arguing."
Anon complained gloomily. Though rumors said bands could easily fall apart—sometimes even during world tours—she never expected it to happen to hers. They'd all been so happy before the performance, so why had everything changed afterward?
She'd previously thought Soyo was such a gentle person, but now she seemed like another peculiar individual.
"You had an argument?"
This surprised Ren even more. Anon often complained to him about how Shiina Taki was a pressure monster, how Raana's natural talent nearly made her insecure, and the challenges they faced during their adjustment period.
Though there were occasional arguments and noise, overall it was quite enjoyable—after all, she genuinely had a pleasant personality.
Under such circumstances, it was puzzling that a successful performance had led to a quarrel. If they were going to argue, they had plenty of chances during regular times.
"Yeah, they're really strange. It was supposed to be a memorable and happy day, yet this happened. It's so frustrating," Anon complained discontentedly. She wasn't a saint; on such a celebratory day, Soyo had lost her temper, and in her anger, Anon couldn't be bothered to care anymore—let things unfold as they may.
"Calm down, you played the guitar really well today," Ren said, unaware of the details. For him, what mattered most was Anon's feelings. If she wasn't having fun, they could simply not participate. As he spoke, he handed her the drink he had prepared, and they slowly walked toward the parking lot.
"Right? It felt like everyone had grown tonight, but then this happened. Look, Ren, if I don't send messages in the group chat, they all go silent."
Taking the drink, Anon channeled her frustration into quenching her thirst and showed Ren the Band's chat group on her phone. Eighty percent of the messages were from her, and now it seemed like she was the only one putting in effort while others remained indifferent. Had she been silently ignored all along?
Though the thought crossed her mind, Anon didn't take it seriously. Tomori wasn't good with words and rarely typed online, Raana was like a cat and didn't use her phone much, Taki was very busy, and Soyo's situation wasn't clear—so she probably was just overthinking.
"What do you plan to do next? If it's just a quarrel, you'll make up eventually, right?"
"Not today, Ren. I don't want to go home so soon..."
Anon sighed, feeling emotionally drained. The grievances she had accumulated in the Band all came pouring out at once, manifesting as discontent and complaints.
Seeing this, Ren drove Anon to a hilltop. The weather was beautiful, with stars shining brightly in the night sky. They found a spot to sit down, saying nothing, just keeping Anon company as she hugged her knees and spaced out.
Anon occasionally internalized her feelings but never kept bad moods bottled up for long. If she was unhappy, she would speak up, and a little comfort would make her feel better. However, her Band members didn't seem inclined to console others or take the initiative to apologize.
But with Ren there, he watched Anon's dejected expression, took her guitar, and under the starlit sky, played to comfort her.
The power of music was magical. Though the performance had brought both joy and anger, as Anon listened to Ren's melodious and warm tune, her heart gradually calmed.
"Ren, thank you for being here with me."
Half an hour later, having vented all her inner frustrations, Anon looked softly at Ren and thanked him quietly.
"Don't mention it. If our roles were reversed, you'd do the same. Want to get some late-night snacks? The performance must have been exhausting, right?"
Ren smiled faintly as he put away his guitar, asking Anon if she wanted to get something to eat. Though they had only played two songs, the physical exertion was still considerable.
"I want you to cook for me, Ren."
Anon acted coquettishly with Ren for the first time in a while—today remained a memorable day for her.
Though she didn't understand why Soyo had been so angry, it was likely related to "Haru Kagayaku," since that was a song created by Soyo's former band.
One thing she wanted to figure out was why Soyo, who got angry over "Haru Kagayaku," had chosen to form a band with her in the first place.
As for what the outcome would be, Anon didn't care. While chatting with Ren earlier, she felt he had made a very valid point: the most important thing about being in a band is to have fun. This was merely a path she had chosen during high school to enrich her social life and hobbies. None of them owed anything to each other, so who was Soyo putting on a stern face for? Just look at how much fun Kessoku Band has—isn't forming a band supposed to be enjoyable?
If things really don't work out, we can just disband.