The rhythmic sound of the knife stopped entirely as Agung began to sing. In the cramped, steam-filled kitchen of the Takami Ryokan, his voice rose—not with the polished perfection of a school idol, but with the raw, earnest energy of a man who had spent many lonely nights in another world listening to these exact lyrics.
As he reached the chorus, the air shimmered again. Whether it was his "Creation Magic" reacting to his mood or just a gift from the "brat operator," a backing track suddenly swelled from the walls themselves. The dark, gothic rock arrangement of **"Kowareyasuki"** filled the kitchen, the heavy bass thumping against the wooden cabinets.
Agung leaned into it, waving his wooden spoon like a conductor's baton:
> *"Kowaremono wa mamoranakute wa kowasareru yo...*
> *Watashi ga zutto kimi o mamoru yo dakishimeru yo!"*
He hit the high notes with a level of "off-key enthusiasm" that was truly legendary. It was passionate, it was loud, and it was—vocally speaking—a complete disaster.
As the final *"You're fragile"* faded out and the magical music cut off, the kitchen fell into a stunned silence. Then, like a dam breaking, the tension snapped.
**"HAHAHAHAHA!"**
The laughter started with Nico and rippled through every single girl in the room. Even Dia was leaning against the doorway, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.
"Agung, that was... that was something!" Chika wheezed, clutching a stack of napkins. "But wait—whose song is that? I've heard every Aqours song a thousand times, and I definitely don't remember us singing about being 'fragile' like that!"
"It's definitely not a \mu's song," Nico added, crossing her arms but still grinning. "We have style, but that was a bit too 'dark and edgy' for our discography."
Kanata shook her head slowly, still holding her new credit card. "Nijigasaki doesn't have anything that sounds like that either. Did you... did you just *create* a song with your magic?"
Agung wiped a bit of steam from his forehead and gave them a knowing, slightly mischievous smile. He looked directly at Mari, Riko, and Yoshiko.
"It's not magic," Agung said, leaning back against the counter. "It's a song by **Guilty Kiss**."
"Guilty... Kiss?" Riko repeated, her head tilting in confusion.
"A sub-unit," Agung explained, pointing his spoon at each of them in turn. "**Mari, Riko, and Yohane.** In the world I came from, you three formed a group. You were the 'Gothic Rock' queens of the school idol world. That song was one of your best."
The three girls stood frozen, looking at each other. The idea of the refined Riko, the chaotic "Fallen Angel" Yoshiko, and the flamboyant Mari forming a "Guilty" trio seemed both impossible and, somehow, perfectly right.
"Me... and Riko-san... and Mari-senpai?" Yoshiko whispered, her eyes widening. "A unit of darkness? It... it sounds beautiful."
"Guilty Kiss..." Mari tasted the words, a brilliant, predatory smile spreading across her face. "I like it! It sounds *expensive* and dangerous!"
"See?" Agung chuckled, turning back to the miso soup. "You girls haven't even realized half the things you're capable of yet. But don't worry. Between my 'infinite stamina' and your talent, we've got plenty of time to get the band back together. Just... don't ask me to provide the vocals again."
"Please," Maki muttered, though she was smiling. "For the sake of our ears, let's keep the 'Panda' in the kitchen and off the stage."