Chapter 163: Anon-chan might be angry, but it’s unlikely Kaito-kun is really angry

Before coming to the living room, Nagasaki Soyo had imagined many kinds of reactions from Mutsumi.

Perhaps opening the door and immediately asking where she had gone last night.

Or saying nothing at all, just giving her a strange look of silent judgment.

'But, nothing? Nothing at all?'

As if nothing had happened, Mutsumi only gave a faint smile, then softly greeted her with a "good morning."

But it was precisely this calm and unaffected smile that made Soyo feel even more dazed, as if she were looking at a completely different person.

She hesitated for a moment, then carefully asked, "Is… it Mortis-chan?"

Wakaba Mutsumi shook her head, "She's still asleep."

Everything she witnessed last night had indeed given Mortis a massive shock.

Even after a whole night, there was no sign of recovery. She completely ignored calls from the main personality and just focused on playing ostrich. One could say, super lame.

But, that didn't matter anymore.

Because Mutsumi had already made up her mind.

The atmosphere during breakfast was slightly heavy.

After greeting the friend who had come from her brother's room, Mutsumi quietly began eating breakfast, with no intention of digging into what had happened the previous night.

Seeing her clearly trying to turn the page, Soyo was more than happy to go along with it. Why would she be the one to pierce through this fragile peace?

Even Kaito said nothing, remaining silent.

Thankfully, this atmosphere didn't last too long.

It was Monday, and Shuka had normal classes.

After breakfast, bidding farewell to the Tsukinomori duo who weren't going the same way, Kaito headed to the train station alone, starting his journey to school.

———

[Fifteen Minutes Later]

After entering the classroom and as usual clearing out the love letters stuffed full into his desk, Kaito had just sat down when a pink-haired baby dragon with a radiant smile leaned in.

"Kaito-kun, good morning~"

Even her voice was brimming with energy, enough to unconsciously lift anyone's mood.

The girl named "Chihaya Anon" seemed to have this magical power, effortlessly dispelling all gloominess.

"Good morning," Kaito gave a slight nod. Seeing her so cheerful, he casually asked, "You seem really happy today. Did something good happen?"

"Hehe~", Chihaya Anon eagerly nodded, her gray eyes sparkling, "It's Sumimi. My absolute favorite idol group. Recently, one of the members got invited to act in a movie. Even though it's a horror film, Mana's look in it is still so beautiful. Especially that scene where she's in a dress, smiling sideways at the camera. I even took a screenshot and set it as my wallpaper!"

"Hey hey," she held up her phone like showing off a treasure, "Kaito-kun, look too. Isn't she gorgeous?"

On the screen was a brown-haired girl in a floral dress, smiling sweetly with shallow dimples on her cheeks.

Kaito glanced at it and felt it looked familiar. After thinking for a moment, he quickly recalled.

He had watched this movie before with Soyo. It should be the same one.

He even remembered the actress named "Mana" since she had similar brown hair like Soyo, though without Soyo's maturity. Her style leaned more toward the pure girl-next-door type.

Facing Anon's expectant gaze, he nodded, "She's really pretty."

For a fangirl, having her idol be acknowledged was even better than being praised herself.

Chihaya Anon was no exception. She proudly showed another photo. This time of a blonde, violet-eyed girl. Also beautiful, but with a cooler and more dashing aura.

"This is Misumi Uika, another member of Sumimi. Actually, I like Uika more than Mana, but sadly she didn't get a cameo in the movie… such a shame…"

"Hey hey, Kaito-kun, who do you think looks better, Mana or Uika?"

One's the sweet, pure girl-next-door. The other's a cool and valiant blonde idol.

Kaito raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you going to include yourself?"

"Eh eh eh?"

Chihaya Anon was both surprised and delighted. All those shoujo manga scenes she'd read flashed through her head. Her gaze started to drift, and she lowered her head, nervously twisting her pink fingertips together, "Th-then… what if… you included me?"

Kaito paused for two seconds, "Mana looks better."

Chihaya Anon: "?"

The pink-haired girl snapped her head up, glaring at him in frustration, 'If you weren't going to call me the prettiest, then why bring me into the question?'

Kaito coughed lightly and added with a straight face, "Because I don't want Uika to come in last."

Chihaya Anon: "?"

Anon ground her tiny tiger tooth, really wanting to bite that face of his.

'What a meanie!'

"Are you mad?", Seeing that Chihaya really did look a bit upset, her little face all tense in mock seriousness, Kaito reached out and waved his hand in front of her.

And in response, he got a dissatisfied little "hmph."

'Did I… actually go too far?'

Though Kaito had meant it as just a harmless little joke, jokes only work if both sides find them funny. Otherwise, it's just being offensive.

So he simply and honestly apologized.

"Sorry. I didn't consider your feelings and made you upset."

Such a sincere apology actually made Anon a little flustered.

Angry? Of course not. She wasn't that petty.

Even if her chest wasn't big, her heart was huge.

Rather than being angry, Anon's earlier attitude was more like playfully sulking toward someone she liked. Her little expression practically said, 'Hurry and coax me, I'll stop being mad if you do.'

But now that Kaito had misunderstood. Her gray eyes flickered, and she quickly came up with an idea, putting her hands on her hips in mock righteousness.

"That's right, I'm totally mad!"

"Sorry."

"Just apologizing? That's way too insincere!"

Chihaya Anon lifted her chin, her dreamlike cherry blossom-pink hair fluttering in the air like a stream of moving color.

"So…"

She kept her little face serious and delivered the sentence:

"As punishment, you have to go have afternoon tea with me at RiNG after school, and eat a parfait! Two of them!"

Kaito: "..."

'That's a punishment?"

But his silence was mistaken by Anon as rejection.

The pink-haired girl bit her lip, feeling uneasy, and added in a small voice, "…Of course, I'll be the one treating~"

"O-or… if Kaito-kun doesn't want to have afternoon tea, we can go somewhere else."

"Boys all love video games, right? How about the arcade? I'm okay with that too!"

The always cheerful, warmhearted girl, usually bursting with sunshine-like energy, now wore a nervous expression.

Was it because he had already turned her down more than once?

Looking into those cautious gray eyes, he didn't let her down again. He simply nodded seriously.

"Okay."

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