"Clerk-saaan~ Order here please!"
As soon as Chihaya Anon sat down, she naturally raised her little hand to call for service.
Takamatsu Tomori, who had been dragged along with her, curiously stared at the various small round objects on the table's edge. She leaned in, her entire little face full of curiosity.
A somewhat surprised voice suddenly came from nearby.
The sudden call made Chihaya Anon, who still had her hand raised, blink in confusion.
Standing not far away was a girl also wearing a "RING" staff uniform. Her beautiful dark brown hair fell to her waist, and her usually serious face clearly showed a look of surprise as she stared straight at them.
"Is that Tomori?! What are you doing here?"
"Uh, are you an acquaintance of Tomori's?"
Chihaya Anon still looked a bit lost. This sharp-eyed, long-haired girl with upturned outer eye corners seemed to know Takamatsu Tomori. She even walked right up, leaving Tomori momentarily stunned.
"So it really is you, Tomori. The uniform you're wearing... is that Haneoka High? So you ended up going there after all..."
A flicker of disappointment flashed through Shiina Taki's eyes. She had chosen not to continue from Haneoka Middle School to its high school division, instead enrolling in the neighboring Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy. As a result, she and Tomori had lost touch.
Regret. The kind that makes you want to die.
"Ahaha~ um, who might you be?"
The pink-haired girl, having been completely ignored, finally couldn't help speaking up. Her question made Shiina Taki cast a sharp and puzzled glance at her.
Arms crossed, she looked Anon up and down.
Although something about her was irritating, she was Tomori's friend, so Taki responded with a cool tone, "My name is Shiina Taki. I'm Tomori's friend."
"I'm also Tomori's friend! My name is Chihaya Anon!"
Anon gritted her teeth slightly. She didn't know why, but this Taki girl gave off an unmanageable vibe.
Only Takamatsu Tomori remained unaware of the tension between the two. She continued sitting politely, as if nothing was wrong.
That is, until she saw a message from Kazami Haru pop up on her phone under her "special contacts." Her eyes sparkled as she immediately tapped on it, it was a picture of a small coffee cup, with a dolphin drawn in the latte art!
Haru had made it just for her. So cute.
"So... why are you here at RING, Tomori?"
Shiina Taki's voice carried a hint of excitement. She hadn't been able to reach Tomori in ages and had been worried sick. She never expected to run into her here at RING.
Could it be... she came to find me?
"I'm... here to look for people to form a band with..."
When Tomori lifted her head and said that, Shiina Taki froze in place.
Tomori came here... to recruit band members?
Was she still dreaming?
But Tomori had suffered such severe emotional trauma from her time in CRYCHIC. She hadn't even replied to Taki's messages. The wounded Tomori she knew... shouldn't be capable of forming a band again!
What happened while she wasn't looking?
"Tomori?! Have you decided to form a band again?"
Tomori nodded softly, confirming it. That's when Shiina Taki realized she hadn't misheard.
"That's right! I'm in a band with Tomori now. We came to this live house today to recruit more members!"
Chihaya Anon lifted her head proudly, her tone obviously showing off, which made Shiina Taki frown deeply.
Could it be... this somewhat airheaded pink-haired girl was the one who convinced Tomori to form a band again?
That's hard to accept.
"Hey! What's with that look!?"
Shiina Taki clicked her tongue but didn't say anything else.
Takamatsu Tomori looked at Taki's face. After hesitating for a moment, she tugged gently at her sleeve and asked nervously, "Taki-chan, would you... join the band with me?"
Chihaya Anon's mouth fell open. How did things suddenly lead to inviting this scary-looking girl into the band?
And when did she and Tomori even meet? She still hadn't figured that out!
"Of course! If it's a band with Tomori, I have no problem at all!"
Seeing Tomori summon the courage to ask, Shiina Taki's eyes widened. She immediately crouched down beside her and looked into her eyes seriously as she gave her answer.
"Wait a minute! What about my opinion?!"
Seeing the stark difference between how Taki treated her and how she treated Tomori, Anon was stunned.
What's going on? Why am I the only one being excluded?!
"Hold on, shouldn't we at least ask the others first? Haru doesn't even know about this yet!"
"There's someone else?"
Shiina Taki looked confused and turned to Tomori for clarification.
"Haru... said he's okay with it."
Tomori picked up her phone. She had just sent a message asking him and received an "OK" almost instantly.
That speed left Chihaya Anon speechless.
"That was way too fast! Isn't he working right now?! How can he reply that quickly?!"
Anon held her head in disbelief.
Only Shiina Taki noticed the real issue.
"This other member... is a guy?"
Shiina Taki's expression instantly froze. She had even attended the all-girls middle school at Haneoka, and when she heard the high school was becoming co-ed, she transferred to the all-girls Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy.
She rarely interacted with boys.
And now, without her knowing, a guy was in a band with her sweet, innocent Tomori?!
No way. What if he was taking advantage of how cute and naive Tomori was, tricking her into joining his band?
She couldn't trust this at all.
Unacceptable. She needed to keep a close eye on this!
"Tomori, wait right here!"
Shiina Taki rushed back to her work counter. She opened a drawer and pulled out several familiar-looking gadgets, stuffing them into Tomori's hands while explaining.
"This is a personal safety alarm. And here's a reflective strap. No matter what, even if it's someone you know, don't go anywhere with them!"
"Taki-chan... I... I don't want these..."
Watching the chaos unfold in front of her, Chihaya Anon felt her mental energy plummet again.
They had successfully formed a band, but... why did all the members seem more troublesome than the last?!