Anon walked out of the room with her hands behind her back, pacing calmly as she headed toward the living room. She began rummaging through the cabinet in a familiar manner, looking for the snacks and drinks she had already prepared.
Her relaxed movements seemed like she was waiting for something.
Sure enough, Kita, who had excused herself saying she needed the bathroom, was already by her side.
A trace of curiosity flickered in Kita's eyes, but the bright smile on her lovely face stayed as cheerful as ever. That natural warmth and sunshine in her personality made it hard not to like her at first glance.
"Anon-chan, let me help you?"
"Aw, thanks a bunch, Kita-chan! Could you grab a few bottles of chilled KISS Coffee from the fridge?"
"Of course!"
With her offer accepted, Kita took a small breath before heading over to the refrigerator in Anon's house.
Though she looked like she was just there to help, her heart wasn't nearly as calm as her expression suggested. Her mind was occupied with one thought: what exactly had Anon meant with that strange glance?
Was this just a convenient excuse to talk to me alone?
As that question stirred in her head, she slowly opened the large freezer door in front of her.
The moment she pulled it open, an overwhelming number of KISS Coffee cans came into view, packed tightly together.
"Huh?"
Kita blinked in surprise, staring at the sight in front of her.
There had to be at least a few dozen cans, wasn't that a bit much? Would any normal household keep this much canned coffee?
"This... this is way too many!"
"Anon-chan, do you really like this brand of coffee?"
Anon's lips curled slightly into a smile.
"Not really~ I don't like bitter stuff, you know~"
Chihaya Anon replied casually, grabbing an assortment of snacks and senbei(rice cracker) from the cabinet, plus some chocolate swirl buns she had picked up earlier from the store.
Looking at them brought a wave of familiarity.
"You don't like bitter drinks, but you bought all this coffee…"
Kita's lips parted slightly. She had sharp eyes and quickly noticed the swirl buns wrapped in plastic, complete with the floral print unique to Yamabuki Bakery.
That detail sparked a suspicion in her heart.
"Wait... could it be..."
"Hehe~ These are all things that Haru likes!"
Chihaya Anon slowly stood up, her grin carrying a touch of smug satisfaction.
She made no effort to hide her feelings for Kazami Haru—in fact, it was a bold, deliberate show of interest. Her actions practically spelled it out: I like Kazami Haru.
Even someone as naïve as Tomori would've caught on to her meaning.
"Anon-chan, do you... like Haru-kun?"
Kita's expression was one of alarm, as if she had stumbled onto enemy territory. That only made Anon smirk more confidently.
"Yup! And Kita-chan likes Haru too, right?"
Anon didn't dodge the question, she boldly owned up to it.
As long as Haru wasn't in front of her, Anon had no fear in expressing her passion.
She was shameless, aggressive, and relentless in chasing after what she wanted. Once her feelings were clear, she would go all in.
"I-I see..."
"You really do like Haru-kun, huh..."
Anon's cocky posture—hands on hips, radiating smugness—made Kita hesitate.
She hadn't expected Anon to be this confident. The way she stood, like she had already secured the role of "girlfriend," was something else.
Why was Anon so sure she'd win?
Did she already have something up her sleeve?
Kita's eyes darted aside as she muttered, "I... I just kind of like Haru-kun a little, that's all. I mean, we're in the same band, and he's really reliable…"
Ikuyo Kita had backed down.
Because she didn't know where Haru's heart stood and she had no idea what "secret weapon" Anon might be hiding. It didn't feel safe to reveal her own feelings.
"Eh... Eh?!"
"I thought for sure you liked Haru too, Kita-chan!"
Anon's mouth hung open in surprise, her cute little fang showing. She had clearly expected Kita to confess, and now she was too stunned to respond.
Did... did I just shoot myself in the foot?
The confident Anon flushed bright red. She had assumed any girl who got close to Kazami Haru must have a crush on him, but thinking about it, Kita and Haru were in the same band.
It wasn't that strange to show affection. So... did she misunderstand?
"Uh, maybe I kinda jumped to conclusions."
As Anon awkwardly played with her cherry-pink hair, twisting the strands around her finger, Kita quietly sighed in relief. Hiding her feelings seemed like the right move.
If they clashed openly now, it would make her efforts at school way harder.
"Ahem... Kita-chan, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"I heard from Bocchi-chan about someone named 'Ryo-san', the one your band disbanded with. What kind of person was she?"
To ease the tension, Anon clumsily shifted the topic.
And just then, Kita's eyes sparkled. She'd found her chance.
A glimmer danced in her gold-green eyes as a sneaky idea formed—brilliant and devious, the kind of plan born from pure instinct.
"Ryo-senpai~ She was super cool and super pretty. Even girls found it hard to resist her."
"She and Haru-kun were really close, too. Their personalities and interests kind of matched! She was usually pretty quiet, but when it came to Haru-kun, she'd talk a lot more. I always thought maybe she liked him or something...?"
Love is war.
Only the victor gets it all, even if you have to be a little sneaky.
Kita had deliberately pulled out this weapon—an old, cunning tactic: Let the tigers fight each other.
She couldn't take on Ryo head-on. Too strong and Anon was too confident. Kita couldn't risk a direct clash.
So why not make them focus on each other?
"I-I see..."
"That girl... Ryo..."
As expected.
The moment she heard about Ryo, Anon's expression grew cautious. She lowered her head in thought, clearly weighing what she now knew about Yamada Ryo.
She had completely forgotten about Kita in front of her.
Exactly what Kita wanted.
Inside Chihaya Anon's room.
Hitori Gotoh sat clutching her guitar, more nervous than she'd ever been. Her body trembled as she sat still, head down, long pink bangs covering her eyes and making it impossible to read her expression.
But even without seeing her face, Kazami Haru could feel her anxiety.
"…"
So awkward!
Hitori Gotoh felt so embarrassed her toes could probably dig a whole apartment unit into the floor. She had no idea what to say.
The last time she had been alone with Haru was when they first met and back then, all she could think about was apologizing and panicking.
Now that their relationship had improved, she had no clue how to start a conversation.
This was classic social anxiety silence.
She racked her brain for something, anything interesting to say, but her own daily life was so uneventful that all she could imagine were quiet parks no kids would visit and dark, gloomy libraries where light barely reached…
At that moment, Bocchi had never envied Kita and Anon more, for how easily they could talk to people.
"Oh no…"
But if she kept silent any longer, Haru would definitely think she was ignoring him on purpose!
As that thought crossed her mind, Hitori Gotoh's expression turned completely stiff.
Inside her head, a courtroom fantasy unfolded. A pink-haired BOCCHI, wearing judge's robes and sunglasses, slammed down a gavel with cold finality, declaring judgment over a trembling defendant—herself.
"Defendant Bocchi, for deliberately ignoring a friend—judgment is hereby passed—"
"Death penalty!"
Nooooo! That can't happen!
"H-Haru-kun! D-Do you... ever throw parties at home or something?"
The moment she blurted it out, Hitori Gotoh felt her brain implode.
She had spoken without thinking, pure reflex from panic.
Before her brain could even react, she had already asked such a dumb, irrelevant question.
Kazami Haru was known for being the quiet, solitary type who rarely interacted with others. Barely anyone at school even got to talk to him.
So why would she ask that of all things?
Parties?! Who asks about parties?!
"…I've never invited anyone over before."
Maybe it was the sheer power of Bocchi's social anxiety, but even Kazami Haru seemed a little thrown off by the awkward tension.
Still, he could tell she was trying hard to make conversation. Seeing her squirm, he felt a little guilty.
Guess it was up to him to keep things moving.
"What do you usually do, Bocchi? Aside from playing guitar?"
"Eh? Um…"
Bocchi instantly broke out in a nervous sweat, fumbling for words.
Her day-to-day life was… not exactly exciting. On her days off, she'd wake up around 8 or 9, eat breakfast, then crawl into her closet and practice guitar until lunch.
After eating, it was back to practice, all the way till dinner at six.
She had no real hobbies to speak of!
Carefully setting her black guitar down on Anon's guitar stand, she knelt awkwardly in place, her thoughts spinning into a storm.
She had to come up with something that sounded even vaguely "normal." Her temples throbbed from the pressure.
"I-I sometimes edit videos for my channel... and I occasionally write lyrics…"
"A-And I drink boba tea."
Boba tea?
Kazami Haru had heard her say that before.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing curiously at the trembling pink-haired loner. When she mentioned "boba tea," there wasn't even a hint of joy on her face.
That was strange.
People usually lit up when talking about things they liked.
"…Bocchi, you don't actually like boba tea, do you?"
"I'm sorry! I lied!"
Instantly exposed, Bocchi dropped to the floor in a flawless dogeza, limbs outstretched in a full formal apology.
She moved so quickly and precisely that Haru was left speechless.
"So… why boba tea?"
"B-Because it's popular with normies…"
Haru's mouth twitched. That... actually made sense for her.
Wanting to escape the awkwardness, Hitori quickly asked, "D-Do you have any hobbies, Haru-kun?"
That question actually made him pause.
He didn't really have any.
If he had to pick something…
"Maybe… gardening?"
"EHH?! Seriously?!"
Hitori stared at him in total shock. That was not the kind of answer she'd expected, it was way too elegant!
No wonder she sometimes caught a faint floral scent from him, this explained it!
"I sometimes grow flowers at home… Lately I've been trying to raise cucumbers. Want to come over next time and see?"
"C-Can I?!"
It was such a simple invitation, but Bocchi leapt to her feet in excitement.
Unfortunately, she bumped into the guitar stand in her excitement, and her black-and-gold electric guitar tipped forward from the sudden jolt.
Her pupils shrank, she loved her guitar.
She instinctively dove to catch it, completely forgetting about the danger to herself.
By hugging the guitar, she was basically letting the back of her head slam into the floor.
"UWAAAH!!"
She fell with her guitar in her arms, eyes squeezed shut, bracing for pain.
But... there was none.
Instead, she felt something soft beneath her—a familiar, gentle warmth.
"Huh? That didn't hurt at all... Wow, the floors at Anon's house are kinda soft…"
"You wouldn't feel pain."
A calm voice came from behind her.
Hitori stiffened and peeked over her shoulder. The second she confirmed her suspicion, she yanked her head back.
Sweat poured down her back.
She wasn't lying on the floor.
She was lying in Haru's arms and had been for a good few seconds without moving.
"S-S-Sorry! I'll get up right away!"
Flustered, she scrambled to stand up, but moved too quickly, her foot slammed down onto a guitar effects pedal.
The triangle-shaped knob jabbed into her foot like a LEGO from hell.
"OWWW!"
Face twisted in agony, Bocchi lost her balance again.
"GYAAH?!"
With a thud, she tumbled back into Haru's arms, again and this time, the pose was even more intimate than before, closer than a princess carry.
Their faces were separated by barely a fist. If she just leaned in a little, she'd kiss him.
His warm breath grazed her cheek, along with the faint scent of sunlight.
SLAM!
"We're back! Hope we didn't keep you waiting!"
At the worst possible moment, the wooden door swung open and a red-haired, radiant beauty stood there, holding four bottles of KISS Coffee.
Ikuyo Kita had a bright smile on her face—
Until she saw that.
Her sunny grin instantly froze into something wooden and stiff.
"Huh? What's wrong, Kita-chan? Hurry and come in."
Anon, holding a massive basket of snacks, raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Her hands were full, so she had asked Kita to open the door, but now the girl just stood there, frozen like a statue.
FWIP!
Bocchi had never moved so fast in her life.
Her entire face flushed red down to the tips of her ears, and she instantly sprang away from Haru. Sweat beaded across her forehead, and sheer panic gripped her mind.
I'm doomed!
She glanced at Kita's slowly twisting smile and swallowed hard.
"I always thought of you as my best friend, Bocchi-chan... but you betrayed me the second I turned my back."
"Unforgivable..."
In her mind, Kita now stood with hollow eyes, expression blank, holding a knife with a sweet smile.
I—I'm gonna die!
Instinct kicked in. Bocchi slammed her forehead to the floor with a thud.
"I'm sorry! I-I just remembered something! I need to goooo!!"
Tears welling in her eyes, she grabbed her guitar and bolted like a pink tornado, dashing past everyone and out the door, leaving Kita behind, still frozen like a statue.