At the same time, inside a room at a certain talent agency, a black-haired, brown-eyed girl wearing sumimi's long stage dress was sitting there, completely focused on the images playing on her phone.
Staring at the blue-haired girl on the screen—like a white moonlight—she couldn't help but sigh.
"She used to be such a wonderful girl… how did she end up like that?"
"Mana-chan?"
Just then, the door to the room was pushed open from outside. A blonde girl carrying a guitar, with a face that could only be described as "great," walked in.
"What are you watching?"
This was the first time she had ever seen this friend of hers so absorbed in her phone.
"Uika, come over here and watch with me!"
Seeing her friend, the girl immediately waved excitedly.
"I found an insanely interesting anime—there's just so much to enjoy."
Something this good absolutely had to be shared with a close friend.
"If you haven't seen it, you'll definitely regret it!"
"I've got a feeling this might be the best band anime since K-On!?"
"And they even showed us in it! I didn't expect sumimi to already be this famous~"
"Anime?"
Hearing this, the blonde girl tilted her head slightly, a mix of confusion and curiosity on her face.
These past few days she'd been busy practicing singing. During breaks, she'd been recharging her emotional energy by rereading messages Sakiko had sent her who knew how long ago—she hadn't paid attention to any anime at all.
In fact, she wasn't particularly interested in that sort of thing to begin with.
But since it was a recommendation from a friend, she naturally didn't want to spoil the mood.
"To make Mana-chan like it this much…"
She set her guitar aside and casually glanced at the screen in her friend's hands.
"I'm sure it must—"
As the white-moonlight figure entered her field of vision, her words abruptly stopped, followed by a violent tremor in her pupils.
"Saki-chan…"
She instinctively murmured the girl's name.
"Eh?"
Mana, who had been enthusiastically recommending the new anime, looked rather surprised.
"So Uika's seen her before?"
"What exactly is this anime about?"
However, what Mana didn't expect was that after snapping back to her senses, Uika suddenly grabbed her shoulders, her expression more serious than Mana had ever seen.
"Can you tell me about it carefully?"
"Eh?!"
Leaving Uika aside for now, in the anime, White Sakiko had already begun reading Tomori's notebook.
"Even though I've made friends like everyone else,"
"Even though I'm with everyone, it still feels like I'm alone…"
"Th-that…"
Watching White Sakiko casually read out those embarrassing lines, Tomori started stuttering.
"Are these lyrics?"
This wasn't exaggeration—at that moment, White Sakiko's eyes truly seemed to be shining.
That light was so dazzling it was enough to burn the present Sakiko.
Then, the two girls' positions were reversed—this time, it was Tomori who got carried off to White Sakiko's home.
Only, compared to Tomori's ordinary residence, where White Sakiko lived was on an entirely different level.
A standalone villa that could practically be called an estate—and in Tokyo, no less!
The moment this huge house appeared, White Sakiko instantly gained the aura of a walking streetlamp ornament.
However, looking at this luxurious villa, the girls all vaguely felt that something was… off.
"So Sakiko's family is that rich too?"
Anon's casual remark was like a sword stabbing straight into Sakiko-sensei's heart.
"Still, I kind of feel…"
MIss Anon thought for a moment, the expression on her face turning hesitant.
"Isn't Sakiko-chan's villa really similar to the one we're living in right now?"
Anon clearly felt her output wasn't enough and continued piling on the damage.
It's not similar—that is her house!
Even though she had moved out earlier, the villa had remained with the Togawa family. At the very least, it was something for her to hold onto emotionally.
And now, it had been taken by Kamijou Mutsuki.
This guy—he took away her Tomori, took away her former bandmates, and in the end, he even had to take her house…
Sakiko-sensei kept her face tight, but she gave off the feeling that she was about to cry at any moment.
"Not just similar,"
In the end, Soyo delivered the finishing blow.
"This is the same villa."
Being sensitive to everything about Sakiko, she easily discerned the truth.
And then, a question inevitably arose in her heart.
Why was Sakiko's house now in Kamijou Mutsuki's hands?
"Sakiko, does that Kamijou guy live in your house now?"
Straightforward as ever, Riki just asked it outright.
"..."
How was she supposed to answer that?
"Even though this villa used to belong to Saki-chan, it really is mine now~"
In the end, Kamijou Mutsuki spoke up and answered Riki for her.
"For some reason Sakiko suddenly stopped living here. I thought it was nice, so I bought it."
"Hey, Saki-chan,"
Kamijou Mutsuki turned his head and, with a perfectly serious expression, asked Sakiko-sensei, "Why did you stop living in such a big house?"
"Is it because you didn't like it?"
What do you think?!
Facing Kamijou Mutsuki's expression—as if he genuinely knew nothing—Sakiko felt her blood pressure truly rising.
Her fist clenched.
Her fist was really clenched.
Being mocked this directly to her face, she really couldn't stop herself from wanting to hit someone.
"Think whatever you like,"
Sakiko said in a low voice, forcibly suppressing the urge to lash out.
"That villa has nothing to do with me anymore."
This place was no longer home. That narrow, damp rental room was.
Thinking that way only made Sakiko feel even worse.
No—this was nothing. She was no longer who she used to be!
Wait… did she just say the wrong thing?
Sensing the subtle atmosphere between the two of them, Anon thought awkwardly.
"I forgot to introduce myself,"
At this moment, White Sakiko in the anime had also finished singing her adult song.
"My name is Togawa Sakiko."
She stood up, her posture a textbook example of a refined young lady—graceful and dazzling, so different from the disheveled Sakiko of now…
It was as if they were two completely different people.
"What's your name?"
"Tomori."
"Tomori-san."
The girl extended an invitation, her tone carrying a hint of excitement.
"Would you like to form a band with me?"
And so, the gears of fate began to turn.
After that, the anime's pacing picked up.
Soyo, Taki, Mutsumi, together with Tomori—the five members of Crychic—gathered under White Sakiko's coordination.
"Excuse me."
Once everyone had arrived, Miss White Sakiko began to give her speech.
"Everyone, thank you for accepting my invitation today."
"I've been very much looking forward to meeting you all."
One could only say she truly lived up to being a young lady—her polite formalities flowed effortlessly.
"From today on, we are a band."
"A community of fate, bound together to play music as one."
.....................