Why… was "Haruhikage" being played?
Inside the dream, Soyo Nagasaki sensed that something was wrong.
And wait—why did Mutsumi's voice sound so much like Tomori's?
The illogical development shattered the dream's internal logic, and once she realized that, Soyo finally jerked awake from the dream.
She slowly opened her eyes with some difficulty as her mind gradually cleared.
What a strange dream…
Even now, she still felt as if "Haruhikage" was echoing in her ears.
[光はやさしく連れ立つよ]
(The light gently takes us along…)
Wait.
That wasn't an illusion!
Soyo turned her head—
and saw Tomori Takamatsu standing by her bed, singingHaruhikage to her.
Meanwhile: Anon Chihaya and Raana Kaname were playing guitars.
Taki Shiina was beating on a drum that Kamijou Mutsuki had apparently pulled out from somewhere.
As for the bassist…
Oh right.
The bassist was lying in bed.
Though honestly, it didn't make much difference.
After all, whether there was a bassist or not, you couldn't really hear the difference anyway.
[雲間をぬってきらりきらり]
You wake up from sleep…and the first thing you see is Tomori singing "Haruhikage" right at you.
What the hell is wrong with you people?!
Faced with this surreal scene, Soyo was completely dumbfounded.
For a moment she even wondered if she was still dreaming.
Damn it…"Haruhikage" is still chasing me!
[ずっとずっと離さないでいて]
(Please never, ever let go…)
"So? How was it? Sound good?"
As Tomori finished the song, Mutsuki's voice suddenly came from the side.
"Well, of course 'Haruhikage'—"
Soyo instinctively started replying before suddenly realizing something.
"Wait."
"Why are you playing 'Haruhikage'?!"
"Because Kamijou told us to,"
Anon immediately sold Mutsuki out without hesitation. Though honestly… she had also thought it would be pretty funny.
"He said it would be a gentler way to wake you up…"
Even though they had intentionally lowered the volume, it still had absolutely nothing to do with "gentle."
And no matter how you looked at it, this whole operation was just too absurd.
It felt less like reality and more like something that would happen in a parody video online.
"Mutsuki, what exactly is going on here?!"
Soyo immediately turned toward the true culprit.
And then—
she paused.
"…Mutsuki?"
Soyo's reaction had been mostly instinctive.
But beside her, Anon Chihaya couldn't help frowning slightly.
Why did she suddenly call him so intimately?
Did she miss something?
What exactly had happened between the two of them before they arrived?
Meanwhile, faced with Soyo's question, Kamijou Mutsuki simply replied casually: "What else could it be?"
"When they heard you were sick, Tomori and the others came to visit you."
"Soyo."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tomori Takamatsu immediately leaned closer.
"Are you okay?"
Then, copying what Mutsuki had done earlier, she reached out and felt Soyo's forehead to check her temperature.
"Does your body still feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"I feel much better now…"
Tomori's overly close gesture made Soyo Nagasaki feel a little embarrassed.
"And… Tomori, you're a bit too close…"
Taki Shiina: ?
She could accept losing to Mutsuki.
She could even accept losing to Anon.
But now she was going to lose to Soyo too?
Was she really destined to become the ultimate losing heroine?
"You okay?"
At this moment, Anon also leaned over.
"How did you get sick just from getting caught in the rain? That's seriously pathetic."
This Soyo was just that lame!
"Soyo, here."
Perhaps because she was a patient, even Raana Kaname generously shared one of her cat candies.
Unfortunately, the matcha bitterness instantly made Soyo's face twist in discomfort.
But with the reaction speed of a mere human girl, she had no chance of resisting Raana's lightning-fast feeding.
"You idiot, you'll be fine for practice tomorrow, right?"
Even Taki, who had been feeling a bit upset because of Tomori's earlier closeness, now stood with her arms crossed and spoke in a rather tsundere tone.
"I…"
Faced with the concern from the four girls surrounding her—
Soyo suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
For some reason, her throat felt a little tight.
The warmth filling the room was so real that it almost felt unfamiliar.
-----------------------------------
Although Soyo Nagasaki's physical condition wasn't particularly strong, she recovered surprisingly quickly.
By the next day she was already able to go back to school normally.
She even became noticeably more enthusiastic during band practice atRiNG.
The aftershocks caused by Mutsumi Wakaba's song seemed, at least on the surface, to have temporarily settled down.
The next thing the band girls had to deal with was the upcoming first live performance ofMyGO!!!!!.
However, because the venue had changed from RiNG to a music festival stage, the live show originally planned for this Friday had been postponed until next week.
The pressure was greater now—but they also had more preparation time.
Of course, during this period there was also a small side event:
their weekly group gathering.
-----------------------------------
"Sakiko, that outfit you're wearing…"
Before the anime had even started airing, the outfit worn by Sakiko Togawa had already shocked several of the girls.
Because she was currently dressed in a maid outfit.
Wait—before we arrived, what kind of play were you two doing here exactly?
And now that everyone had arrived, you didn't even bother changing clothes?
Are we… also part of your play now?
"U-Ui, Uika!" one girl trembled dramatically.
"That Demon King forced Sakiko-chan to wear a maid outfit! He must be trying to satisfy some kind of special fetish!"
The girl nicknamed "Miss Donut" was practically shaking.
"Th-that Demon King won't suddenly attack us too, right?!"
She couldn't help letting out a pitiful wail.
"Waaah, Uika, we should retreat!"
Seriously, Mana, why is your imagination so wild?
Uika Misumi sighed and lightly smacked her friend on the head.
Meanwhile, seeing maid Sakiko, a faint blush appeared on her face.
She had to admit.
Sakiko looked absolutely stunning like this.
But…
Why would she appear dressed like this in Kamijou Mutsuki's house?
Could it really be like Mana imagined…?
Uika quickly shook her head, rejecting that speculation.
Even though they hadn't known each other for very long, she still trusted Kamijou Mutsuki's character.
Sure, he had a dark history of running a harem…
But he would never force anyone.
My boss is upright and honorable.
My close friend is pure and noble.
How could they possibly be doing something so shameless behind my back?
..........................