"Brother! You were so cool today!"
When Tetsuya got ho from work that day, the first thing Anon did was imdiately find him to recap the day's eting.
"When you were educating them on fashion, you didn't even notice their eyes and expressions! That feeling of them going from shock to gradual respect was just the best!"
"Hm? Was it like that?"
Tetsuya, who had been completely focused on introducing the outfits at the ti, was totally unaware of this.
Out of professional habit, he had even forgotten for a mont that he was only facing a few high school freshn, so much so that he had subconsciously adopted the serious deanor he used when communicating with clients.
"But, I just introduced them to a few of the most common styles. Because of the ti limit, I didn't even get to introduce them to all the types I had prepared."
"It was more than enough! In fact, I didn't even rember everything you introduced today."
"Isn't that because you were staring at their expressions the whole ti?"
"I was staring at you too, Brother!"
"That unfocused way of doing things is nothing to be proud of."
Faced with his sister's completely shaless admission of slacking off, Tetsuya couldn't help but shake his head:
"And their respect for alone probably isn't enough to make you the leader of this band, is it?"
"That may be true, but this feeling of showing off my brother in front of my friends really gives a lot of face!"
Although she was being lectured by her brother, Anon couldn't control the pride in her words and expression at all.
"And even if it can't get their approval in the short term, it can at least salvage my image a little... You know what? Ever since they t you, even that Taki hasn't been arguing with anymore!"
"She only argues with you when you bring up unreliable ideas, right?"
"She's pretty blunt at other tis too... especially when we're talking about Tomori!"
Anon said with her arms crossed:
"She's like an overprotective parent... even though we're all the sa age!"
"Indeed, Shiina-san often subconsciously observes Takamatsu-san when she speaks."
Tetsuya, who was good at reading people, had noticed this as well.
"But, they were in the sa band before, so it's normal for them to be a little closer, right? What's more, Takamatsu-san does give off the impression of needing extra protection."
"Well, that feeling... I guess I can understand it."
Anon agreed with this statent.
But speaking of Takamatsu Tomori, another question naturally popped into Anon's head.
"By the way, what was that 'planetarium' thing you ntioned today, Brother? I've never heard you talk about it!"
"About that..."
Anon had already expressed curiosity about this at the café, but at the ti, to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on Tomori, he hadn't directly answered his sister's question.
However, now that they were back in their own ho, there were naturally no more worries or concerns.
Subsequently, Tetsuya recounted his brief encounter with Takamatsu Tomori at the planetarium to his sister in full detail.
And after hearing the whole story, an expression of sudden realization appeared on Anon's face.
"I see! No wonder Tomori let her guard down around you so easily. It's because she already knew you were a gentle adult!"
With that, she hesitated for a mont, then added:
"Actually, more than Taki, my biggest worry about this eting was Tomori... after all, she's so shy, she's bound to be really nervous in front of a strange man. But thankfully we had the 'planetarium incident' to set the stage, otherwise I was really worried she wouldn't say a single word all day."
"Speaking of which, even though she's the lead vocalist, her personality doesn't have that strong, assertive feeling at all."
Tetsuya was also a little curious about this.
In the ti he had been studying band culture, perhaps the styles and characteristics of the various musicians were different, but the impression the vocalists gave him was always particularly consistent—
"As the most expressive position in the entire band, and the one that has the most direct contact with the audience, is such an introverted personality really okay?"
"Ah, about that... I was a little skeptical at first too, but after I saw a video of their old performance, I never thought that way again."
Anon said as she took out her phone.
"First of all, it goes without saying that her voice is beautiful. Secondly, when she sings, she's like a completely different person from her usual self. How should I put it, that state of being completely imrsed is really not sothing an ordinary person can learn... Ah, found it!"
At this, she tapped her phone a few tis and then handed it to Tetsuya.
"This is the video they uploaded when they first ford their band! You'll understand once you see it."
"Is that so?"
Tetsuya took the phone with so curiosity.
However, when he saw the image on the phone screen, an incredibly familiar figure made his eyes widen unnaturally in an instant.
The background of this recording was a recording studio, and on the screen, besides the three girls he had t today, he also recognized the other two band mbers—
(Wakaba-san... and Togawa?!)
Those two incredibly familiar faces sent Tetsuya's mind into high-speed processing mode.
He couldn't help but recall the conversation he had with Togawa Sakiko on the train that night, about bands and the past.
(So, this is the band that Togawa ntioned she had to quit by using harsh words?)
To avoid making Sakiko recall that painful mory, Tetsuya had never taken the initiative to ask for the details of the matter.
He never thought that... he would now, through his sister's arrangent, co into contact with that past in such a coincidental way.
Shock and amazent intertwined in Tetsuya's heart, filling it with bewildernt at this surreal developnt. But as the video continued to play, his attention returned to the screen—
(Togawa... looks genuinely happy.)
Looking at Togawa Sakiko standing in front of the keyboard and microphone, a gentle smile on her face, Tetsuya even felt a sense of unattainable unfamiliarity for a mont.
Although Sakiko often smiled in front of him now, that polite and reserved smile, polished by reality, was fundantally different from the innocent and pure smile in the video.
...
"This band they were in before... what was it called?"
"It was called [CRYCHIC]."
Anon replied as such:
"Their songs are so good, and everyone seed to get along so well. I have no idea why they would suddenly disband..."
"Yeah, I wonder why?"
Tetsuya murmured in a low, thoughtful voice:
"I think, for that question, the answer can probably only be found by asking the people who were involved..."
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