"Come in." Kyo opened the door and stepped inside first. She pulled a pair of guest slippers from the entryway shoe cabinet and tossed them onto the floor. Then, with the practiced air of a hotel concierge, she bowed slightly and gestured for her two guests to enter.
The very first thing they saw upon stepping inside was a large fish tank near the entrance—just like Anon had imagined before walking in. The only difference was that there weren't any fish inside. Instead, small sculptures resembling various sea creatures were arranged neatly within.
Out of the corner of her eye, Tomori caught sight of the unusual fish tank as she glanced at Kyo. Her curiosity took over, and before she knew it, she had wandered over, pressing her face almost right up against the glass.
"This is… a clownfish, a sea turtle… and a penguin…"
Tomori, who had a strong passion for collecting things, instantly took a liking to the tiny, ocean-themed figurines. They were the perfect mix of cute and right up her alley.
"Kyo, where did you get these?" Tomori's amber eyes shone as she gazed at the little sculptures, her voice filled with longing.
"My dad brought them back from overseas last time. I don't think you can buy them anywhere here."
"Oh…" The moment she heard they weren't available locally, Tomori's shoulders drooped. She reluctantly ran her fingers along the smooth surface of the fish tank, as if touching the glass would somehow let her reach the tiny figurines inside.
Anon patted Tomori on the shoulder in a show of comfort. "Hey, if you can't buy those, how about we go shopping for bandages together next time? You said you got all your cool ones from the aquarium, right? I've never been there before."
"Really?!"
Bandages were another of Tomori's beloved collectibles, but what excited her the most was the idea of going with Anon to pick some out.
"Then…" Tomori turned to look at Kyo. "Kyo, would you like to come too?"
"Hmm… I might be busy for a while. If we go, it'll probably have to be later down the line."
Kyo thought about it for a moment. Setting aside everything else, now that she had officially joined the band, she knew it would take up a good chunk of her time.
But precisely because she had joined, she didn't have to worry about making time for a trip to the aquarium with Tomori.
Speaking of which, she still hadn't told the others about her decision to join the band.
"Okay…!" Tomori cheered, clenching her fists and making small, determined motions in front of her chest.
When we go to the aquarium… I have to make Kyo agree…!
Watching Tomori try to psych herself up, Kyo decided to hold off on mentioning the band for now.
She could let Tomori stay excited a little longer—then surprise her later.
"Tomori, go ahead and put on the slippers first. You can keep looking after that."
"Oh—right."
Anon had already slipped hers on, so Tomori hurriedly crouched down, hooking a finger behind the heel of her shoe and tugging it off with ease. Her ankle-high socks wrapped snugly around her feet as she slid them into the waiting slippers.
Since Kyo and Anon had both finished changing their shoes already, that left only Tomori. Naturally, they both ended up watching as she switched to slippers.
And then, without even meaning to, Anon's attention drifted to Tomori's socks.
Wait, hold up! Don't go thinking Chihaya Anon is some kind of weirdo! Listen—socks might seem like a tiny, insignificant detail in a person's daily outfit, something most people wouldn't even notice.
But precisely because they usually go unnoticed, the moment they do stand out, they reveal a lot about a person's sense of style! They're a small but crucial element that should never be overlooked!
Take Tomori, for example. She was wearing simple white cotton socks—clean and unassuming. They reached just a few centimeters above her ankles, leaving her soft, slightly chubby calves exposed. They looked so squishy that it was hard to resist the urge to give them a little pinch.
And among all types of socks, these ankle-length ones were the most ordinary, the most innocent of them all.
These little details only served to further highlight Tomori's already prominent qualities—her pure, adorable, and utterly uncalculating nature.
Fashion expert Anon pushed up the glasses she wasn't even wearing today, mentally analyzing everything with a knowing air.
"Ano…?"
Tomori had already finished putting on her slippers, but when she noticed Anon still staring downward—seemingly fixated on her feet—she quickly looked down as well. Had she put her slippers on the wrong way? Or done something embarrassing without realizing it?
But… nothing seemed out of place.
"Ahem, ahem—!" Anon coughed loudly several times. "It's nothing, nothing at all."
Though Tomori was confused, she didn't press the issue. Anon let out a long sigh of relief in her heart. Thank god it's Tomori… Otherwise, I'd totally be seen as some kind of pervert.
But the moment Anon turned her head, she found Kyo looking at her with an expression that was… hard to describe. A subtle, inexplicably understanding smile—one that might as well have had the words "It's okay, this is normal" written across it.
"Anon, it's okay…"
"Gwah—Don't actually say that out loud! I swear I'm not some kind of weirdo with a thing for cute girls' feet!!"
Anon's despairing cry echoed throughout the Kikukawa household.
After much flailing, frantic explanations, and dramatic gestures, Anon finally managed to convince Kyo and Tomori that she had merely been conducting an academic observation.
"Ano… Anon, you really know a lot about this stuff, huh? I don't understand fashion at all…"
"Anon really does love following trends," Kyo remarked. "But I didn't realize socks counted as fashion too."
"They totally, totally do!" Anon nodded furiously, desperate to keep the conversation from circling back to whether or not she was a pervert.
To prove she was completely serious, Anon went all in—lifting one leg to show off her own socks.
She was wearing knee-high stockings made of sheer black material. The fabric was just translucent enough to hint at the skin underneath, yet not so thick as to completely obscure it. Unlike solid opaque tights, these stockings subtly outlined the shape of her legs while still providing an air of refinement.
"If ankle socks are the plain, everyday choice, then knee-high socks are the balanced middle ground."
Master Anon's fashion lecture had begun!
"They don't accentuate the full shape of your legs like thigh-highs do, so they don't create that 'absolute zone' effect. Sure, thigh-highs are eye-catching, but they're too conspicuous. At the same time, knee-highs aren't as plain as ankle socks. Even if they only cover the lower half of your legs, as long as you have confidence in your leg shape, knee-highs or calf-high socks can already enhance your silhouette beautifully!"
"Whoa…!" Tomori, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of information, could only nod along in a dazed sort of admiration. She didn't fully understand, but Anon sounded really impressive.
Kyo, on the other hand, remained silent for a moment before finally saying:
"…Anon, there's a point where knowing too much about something just makes it seem kind of weird."
"Ehhhhh?!"