Although in different ways and contexts, every member of this band had indeed received help from Chihaya Tetsuya.
As his sister, Anon was a matter of course.
Tomori received an earring from Tetsuya, gaining the courage to change herself.
Soyo, with Tetsuya's guidance, resolved her misunderstanding with Sakiko and was no longer bound by the past.
Taki, thanks to Tetsuya's advice, broke free from the shackles of responsibility and began to try and overcome her inferiority complex.
As for Raana, while she didn't have the same psychological burdens as the others, she had become much more obedient because of Tetsuya's presence.
It was no exaggeration to say that without Chihaya Tetsuya, this band would certainly not have come together so smoothly, nor would they have formed the group that could now be called a whole.
"...You're right. We have indeed received a lot of help from Chihaya-san."
Having just resolved her own issues, Taki nodded, being the first to agree with Anon's statement.
"In that case, what we should do is not just stop causing him trouble, but find a way to repay him."
"I... think so too."
Tomori said while gently touching the earring she had received from Tetsuya.
"If possible, I'd like to help Chihaya-san too."
"..."
Soyo didn't reply directly, but after a moment of thought, she asked:
"Preserving his career as a designer is a given, but what does your brother think about being liked by a popular idol?"
"? What do you mean?"
"That girl named Hoshino Ai... even if you set aside the whole 'orphanage companion' and 'popular idol' thing, she's still an undeniably beautiful girl, right?"
Soyo said with her arms crossed.
"If she and Chihaya Tetsuya reach a consensus on the future, then the only thing left for him to consider is whether or not to date her. If Chihaya Tetsuya has no objection to that, then whatever we do next will be pointless."
At this, she turned her gaze to Anon's slightly surprised face.
"You would lose a difficult rival, and gain a beautiful sister-in-law."
"S-Sister-in-law..."
Although she was already aware of Tetsuya's attitude of refusal towards Ai, this incredibly unfamiliar word still dealt an unprecedented shock to Anon's consciousness.
Before this matter with Ai, she had almost never imagined a scene of her brother dating someone, let alone getting married, which was completely beyond her scope of understanding.
However, Soyo's words just now had suddenly conjured an incredibly vivid image in her mind.
She could almost see Tetsuya bringing Ai home in the future and introducing her as his "future sister-in-law."
No, it wasn't just Ai; that Togawa-san, whom her brother trusted so much, could also very possibly stand in that position.
...
For a moment, the familiar feeling of frustration welled up in her heart again.
She was still certain that even if her brother had a girlfriend, or even a wife, in the future, he would continue to treat her gently.
But even so, she still couldn't easily accept this scene that existed only in her imagination.
"If something like that really happened, I would definitely be too stunned to know what to do... but no matter what, that scene won't happen anytime soon."
Along with the powerful impact of this image, a strong sense of dissonance with reality also surged into Anon's mind.
"...Even if they really did reach a consensus, my brother would absolutely not accept Hoshino Ai so easily."
After a long silence, Anon said:
"Having grown up in an orphanage, his views on relationships are far more cautious than we can imagine. According to my brother, what he hopes for is a more stable relationship that can bring him long-term peace and companionship. And to achieve that, the first thing he has to secure is his career as a designer. So until he establishes his own brand and achieves success, he will absolutely not date anyone."
"Long-term peace and companionship, huh... That's a pretty flawless argument."
After hearing this, Soyo first nodded slightly before speaking.
"I see. It looks like we really don't have to worry about his stance. In that case, when it comes to helping him, there's probably only one thing we, as a new band, can do, right?"
Strum—
Just then, Raana, who had been listening silently from the side, lightly strummed a chord.
"...Done talking?"
"Mhm."
"Time to rehearse?"
"Mhm."
Soyo nodded, then stood up from her chair.
"Alright, as for our band name, we'll leave it for everyone to think about on their own after rehearsal today. As for the major debut... let's tentatively set it as our goal to work towards. More importantly, let's just focus on putting on a good performance at the imminent live show."
"When it comes to anything about Chihaya-san... you really are quite proactive."
Taki said, twirling a drumstick in her hand as she looked at Soyo in surprise.
"Even though you're always trying to find ways to oppose Chihaya-san, in the end, you really do support him, don't you?"
"I wouldn't say support. I just want to repay his favor as soon as possible."
Soyo lowered her head slightly, her long hair obscuring the side of her face.
Tetsuya's aspirations made her involuntarily think of her own spacious, cold home, and the loneliness she felt during the time just after [CRYCHIC] disbanded.
Before this, Soyo had never considered a place to belong other than a band. However, after this conversation, certain new ideas began to sprout in her mind.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but murmur softly to herself:
"Long-term peace and companionship, huh..."
It seems that she, too, has found what she's been searching for all this time.
On the other side, Anon, returning to reality, swallowed the unhappiness and frustration that had just welled up and picked up her guitar again.
She looked towards the other members of the band, and upon seeing that everyone now wore a similar expression, an unprecedented sense of power and elation surged through her heart.
She could clearly feel that, from this moment on, the band had finally reached a true consensus.
"Not just for ourselves, but for my brother too... Let's do our best together!"
—5 days until the Live.