Chihaya Anon: "!!!"
'To think he actually cares this much about my preferences, Kaito-kun… he must have feelings for me too, right?'
'Hehe, hehe~'
'But, come to think of it, it's understandable~'
'After all, I, Anon-chan, am a super beautiful girl far above the waterline.'
From childhood to now, aside from that one time in London where she hit a wall due to the language barrier, Anon had never suffered a setback anywhere else. She was always popular wherever she went. She even served as student council president in middle school and had tons of fangirls.
It's only natural that Kaito would fall for her too.
'So, after marriage, let's have two kids for now. Hopefully both girls. They say daughters take after their fathers. Just how cute would babies inheriting Kaito-kun's looks be? Hehe~'
Chihaya-san, are you getting caught up in strange fantasies again?
Though it might be rude to say, Kaito had indeed developed a sort of stereotype.
It seemed like girls with pink hair always had particularly vivid inner worlds.
Even someone socially anxious like Bocchi couldn't escape this rule. She'd often smile foolishly just because someone praised her, and once she realized she might be getting carried away, she'd shrink back like a startled hamster and hide in the corner playing dead like a mushroom.
Though Kaito didn't dislike this kind of personality. In fact, he even thought it was kind of cute… it still depended on the situation.
Like right now, if it were just the two of them alone, maybe it would've been fine. But since there were others present, he couldn't just let the girl make a fool of herself in front of her idol.
Thinking this, he slightly curled his index finger and tapped Anon lightly on the forehead.
"Chihaya-san, time to snap out of it."
Anon let out an "Ah" and reflexively said, "After marriage, moving to your country to live is fine too. Though communication might be a bit difficult, I'll work hard to learn the language of your homeland…"
"Eh?", She suddenly came to her senses, realized what she'd just said, and her voice cut off abruptly.
The train continued to glide along quietly. Outside the window, orange-red sunset light sped by in reverse, slowly dyeing the girl's pink cheeks with a charm like spring mountains.
Seeing the atmosphere grow increasingly awkward, Sumita Mana, sitting nearby, couldn't bear to see her little fangirl embarrassed anymore. She shook her phone and smiled with pursed lips,."If Anon doesn't mind, want to add me as a friend? Next time I perform, I'll prepare front-row tickets for you."
'Uu, Mana-chan, love!'
This timely lifeline moved Chihaya Anon to the verge of tears. As expected of the idol she had loved for so long, beautiful and kind-hearted. She made up her mind, 'Starting tomorrow, Uika will be demoted from my number one spot. The sky cannot have two sun, , there is only one sun in my heart, and it's Mana!'
After the two added each other as friends, the train happened to arrive at its destination.
After leaving the station and arriving at RiNG, perhaps because school had just let out not long ago, the café wasn't very crowded.
Aside from the familiar manager Ririko, there was only one female staff member behind the bar. She had long black hair and was polishing a glass. Her features were delicate and lovely, and below her eye sat a very rare beauty mark, lending her an extra air of icy elegance.
"Two hot Earl Greys, one iced Americano, a small sweet donut, and three matcha parfaits," After confirming the two girls' orders, Sumita Mana handed the menu back to Ririko and said, "Please make it quick."
"Y-Yes, please wait a moment," The manager finally withdrew her gaze from Kaito, reluctantly turning away, which made Anon mutter inwardly, 'What a blue-hair disaster.'
She hadn't forgotten. Last time they came to RiNG for afternoon tea, this manager lady had acted like she slipped her hand but clearly used it as an excuse to get touchy, total pervert behavior.
Sumita Mana didn't know about any of that. Compared to the departing Ririko, her attention was much more focused on Kaito sitting before her.
Even if you ignored the life-saving grace he gave her during that crisis, just based on that face alone, which practically defined "pure beauty," it had a devastating effect on any girl with a budding heart.
Perhaps boys with budding hearts too?
In the past, the only people or things that could move her were her supporting fans, and Uika, her fellow "sumimi" member.
But now, for the first time in more than a decade of life, Mana felt a powerful urge to understand someone deeply.
It was just that…
Looking at the cheerful pink-haired girl in front of her, passionately chatting, Sumita Mana sighed in her heart.
She could tell that this girl named "Chihaya Anon" harbored quite deep feelings for Kaito. Otherwise, she wouldn't be fantasizing about their married life already.
Though their relationship didn't seem that close for now, you could tell just from the fact that Kaito still called her "Chihaya-san."
'But, as an idol… to poach a fan's crush…'
Gentle Mana really couldn't bring herself to commit such a disgraceful act that would make her unworthy of being an idol.
The brown-haired girl lowered her lashes, hiding the loneliness in her eyes, but continued smiling and chatting with Anon.
She really was a great conversationalist. Totally down-to-earth with none of that celebrity arrogance. No matter how strange the question, she always answered sincerely, without a hint of perfunctoriness.
Kaito simply listened to the girls' sweet, lark-like voices, occasionally chiming in. The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.
Unfortunately, that harmony was soon broken by a sharp ringtone.
As a popular girl idol, Mana was under immense work pressure daily. Especially with recent issues surrounding sumimi, she was mentally and physically exhausted.
Even now, when she was out to relax, it was just a rare moment snatched from her busy schedule, destined not to last long.
"Sorry, I may need to leave now," She called over Manager Ririko to pay the bill and gave a regretful smile, "Looks like today's tea party will have to end early~"
"It's okay! Work is more important," Anon waved it off. Just being able to talk with her favorite idol for so long and even hear some backstage stories from previous performances was enough for her. Of course she wouldn't act clingy and annoying.
Maybe her manager really was urging her urgently, because Mana didn't waste time with small talk. But right before leaving, she once again asked to exchange contact info with Kaito, and this time, she wasn't rejected.
Watching the idol girl's silhouette gradually disappear, Anon stretched lazily and was just about to say something when the bell above the door jingled noisily.
A moment later, a short silver-haired girl carrying a guitar case walked in.
Her eyes were a rare mismatch of yellow and blue, and after scanning the room idly, her gaze suddenly lit up upon seeing Kaito, sparkling like a leopard cat locking onto prey.
"Found you."
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