"..."
You're already "setting the facts aside," so what more can I say?
Looking at Tomori, who was getting depressed from Kamijo Mutsumi's lecture, Anon simply threw in the towel.
I'm done. Let's just see what this guy pulls next.
"So... you've already messed up once. Are you going to make the same mistake again and let Anon get hurt too?"
"Huh?"
Wait, is your method of consoling Tomori really just to guilt-trip her by dragging me into it?
Ano-chan discovered that she had once again underestimated Kamijo Mutsumi's moral bottom line.
But, you know what? It actually worked on someone like Tomori.
Hearing his words, a look of hesitation was clearly visible on Tomori's face.
"Ano-chan already told me yesterday that if you, Tomori, don't join her band, she won't be able to go on."
Seeing that his words were effective, Kamijo Mutsumi naturally pressed his advantage.
"She'll probably hide at home all alone, dropping little pearls... crying and wailing, rolling all over the floor, boohoohoo... How pitiful~"
Wait, when did I cry and wail and roll all over the floor?
I'm still right here!
Do you not even care if people hear you making up rumors?
However, the innocent Tomori actually fell for his nonsense. She grabbed Anon's hand with a worried expression.
"Ano-chan, please don't cry..."
I'm not crying and wailing, don't listen to that bastard's lies!
Although she thought this, Anon didn't refute it. Instead, she looked away unnaturally, a blush like a sunset creeping up her cheeks.
After all, when a girl as cute as a small animal like Tomori stares at you with her big, sparkling, teary eyes full of concern...
Who wouldn't be flustered by that?
"...And please don't roll on the floor. The floor is dirty."
Anon, who had been feeling a bit shy, almost lost her composure again.
I really didn't cry and wail and roll on the floor! Believe me, Tomori-chan!
"And then there's Soyo."
Seeing that Anon was about to get too much satisfaction out of this, Kamijo Mutsumi quickly continued.
"Because she can't contact you, she's got a case of the big sad. She's been muttering all day about how 'the spring sun can't hide the shadows, and all that meets the eye is Tomori's light.' Her mental state is a bit... unstable."
Tomori: "..."
That does sound like something Soyo would do.
"...She has been trying her best to make up for her past mistakes. Tomori-chan, what about you?"
She's trying. What about you?
"But..."
Tomori was clearly on the verge of being convinced, but she was still hesitating.
"I... I can't... If I join, we'll definitely fail..."
Tomori still believed that Sakiko had quit the band because her singing wasn't good enough. The sins of Great God Saki weighed heavily.
"Tomori-chan... what do you think a band is?"
He was just one step away from success. Kamijo Mutsumi certainly wasn't going to drop the ball now.
"What... is a band?"
"A band isn't about playing with outstanding people. It's about playing with people you love."
"Soyo and Anon need you, not because of how talented you are, but because to them... you are irreplaceable and indispensable."
Finally, Kamijo Mutsumi took Tomori's hand.
"...Can you do it for my sake? Use 'Flame' on him—ahem... let's form a band together!"
"..."
Meeting his gaze, Tomori was silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Then... for a lifetime..."
Tomori admitted that he was incredibly persuasive, but she, BanG Dream's number one "emotionally heavy" girl, hadn't earned her title for nothing.
"...Will you... be in a band with me for a lifetime?"
Wait, the one who wants to form a band with you is Anon. Why are you looking at me?
Oh no, she's coming for me!
Kamijo Mutsumi finally realized he had gotten too close to the black hole and been caught by its gravity.
Seeing this, Anon, who was sitting to the side, felt a sense of schadenfreude.
In fact, she had almost managed to reel Tomori in yesterday, but she'd been completely stunned by the "lifetime" keyword.
When had a normal, trendy high school girl like her ever encountered such an intense situation?
"A lifetime, huh..."
He never thought he'd get a chance to trigger Tomori's keyword himself.
"Is it... not possible?"
Seeing him not agree immediately, Tomori's eyes instantly dimmed.
"It's not that it's not possible. But a lifetime is a serious matter. A verbal promise lacks a bit of... persuasive power."
Kamijo Mutsumi certainly wasn't going to fall into the same trap as Anon.
"So..."
He produced another white contract from somewhere and handed it to her.
"This is..."
Tomori opened the contract. Unsurprisingly, it was another marriage application. The dagger was revealed at the unrolling of the map.
"If we get married, won't we be together for a lifetime?" he said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
"Together for a lifetime..."
Unlike the last time when she was just confused, this time Tomori was genuinely swayed by his words.
If we get married...
It seems like we really can be together for a lifetime!
"Tomori-chan, don't be fooled by this guy!"
Seeing that Tomori seemed ready to be tricked into signing the marriage application, Anon, who was sitting beside them, couldn't sit still any longer. She snatched the document from Tomori's hands and glared angrily at Kamijo Mutsumi.
"Are you ever going to quit it?"
"Tch~"
Mr. Kamijo, who was one step away from Harem +1, expressed his dissatisfaction.
"What's with that attitude?"
"...Aren't I helping you, Ano-chan?"
"This is how you help me?" she asked, laughing in exasperation. "I asked you to help me convince her to join the band, not to marry her!"
"...Actually, marrying you would be fine too, Ano-chan."
"That's not the point, and my name isn't the issue either!"
Anon was so angry her stomach started to hurt.
"Ano-chan..."
"Tomori-chan, don't say anything right now!"
This was the first time Anon had ever interrupted Tomori so forcefully.
"Marriage is a very important thing for a girl! Don't just agree to it so casually!"
"You can't equate a band with marriage!"
"Besides, this whole 'band for a lifetime' thing..."
Having already hurt Tomori yesterday, Anon didn't want to see her get hurt again.
But she felt that if she didn't do something now, she might end up having to help raise Tomori's daughter down the line if she wasn't careful.
"In the future, you'll go to university, you'll get a job, you'll have your own life... and you still want to be in a band for a lifetime?"
"I..."
Tomori was never good with words and naturally couldn't refute Anon's points.
She just... didn't want to experience that kind of sadness again.
Is that... really so strange?
"...Then why don't we compromise?"
Just as Tomori was shutting down and Anon was feeling guilty that her words might have been too harsh, Kamijo Mutsumi spoke up.
"Huh?"
What does the main culprit have to say?
"A lifetime is too far away... How about we try it for one week first?"
"...That's a bit too much of a compromise."
"Mutsumi..." Tomori felt betrayed. She had thought he was on her side.
"First, we try for one week. Then another week... If you add up countless weeks, doesn't that become a lifetime?"
Kamijo Mutsumi naturally wasn't going to let Tomori down.
"That... that sounds really intense too..."
Anon now felt like she was trapped between two black holes, completely at a loss.
"Countless weeks added together..."
Tomori, however, was perfectly on his wavelength. Her once dim eyes seemed to sparkle with light again.
"If you still feel uneasy..."
Seeing his chance, Kamijo Mutsumi hooked his pinky finger around hers. This might seem childish to Anon, but for him and Tomori, it was just right.
"Then believe in me. I will make sure your band never disbands," he said, looking at Tomori with a serious expression.
"...Even if I have to bet Anon's future on it!"
Anon: "???"