—Chihaya Anon was a sturdy (not really) young lady.
She'd always been pretty since childhood, smart as a whip, excelling in her studies.
She was also socially adept—a friendly, dependable student council president loved by everyone from teachers to underclassmen!
But she had one small flaw... she loved showing off!
Because she was cute, smart, and talented, right?
It was only natural for everyone to adore her and revolve around her, wasn't it?
Growing used to being the center of attention from an early age, Anon-san greatly enjoyed this feeling of being liked and praised, happy to bask at the center of every crowd.
Of course, Anon-san was still a good girl at heart.
She might enjoy the spotlight, but she'd never done anything nasty like sabotaging others or bullying them behind their backs.
Kind-hearted, pretty-faced, sweet-talking, and delightful—that was our precious Saint Anon!
Thus, naturally...
In this era dominated by high school girl bands, now that Anon was a high schooler herself, she obviously wanted to form a band and ride the trend!
So, when she found out the school's most famous twin sisters had joined the Light Music Club, she was overjoyed:
(If I can form a band with the super-popular twin athlete sisters, my popularity will skyrocket schoolwide too! ( /＞3＜)/)
"Oh..."
Watching the bubbly fantasies float above the pink-haired girl's head, Rinto could practically see the tiny chibi characters in her imagination already popping champagne bottles.
Seemed like she was a spirited young lady as well. Good, very good.
Rinto handed her the club application form:
"Welcome, Chihaya-san. Just fill out this form, and you'll be an official member of the Light Music Club. You're free to come hang out anytime."
Rinto explained the club's activity times and rules—which essentially meant no rules.
While chatting, Rinto casually kept an eye on Togawa Sakiko's reaction.
"..."
Our cute little Sakiko had clearly become restless beside them, opening her mouth several times but failing to say anything.
Normally an eloquent, refined ojou-sama, when facing someone even more sociable like Chihaya Anon, she'd suddenly turned shy, as if socially anxious.
It was hilarious to Rinto.
After warming up to him, this Sakiko had grown quite sharp-tongued, happily rewarding him with sweet smiles and cutting remarks.
But with outsiders, her shyness and formality made her seem incapable of casual conversation—almost socially anxious.
This girl would definitely dominate and bully her husband after marriage—a textbook domestic tyrant.
No choice, then.
As a senpai who quite enjoyed being bullied, Rinto decided to help out his shy kouhai who was currently drowning in anxiety:
"Chihaya-san, can I ask something? Do you know Takamatsu Tomori?"
"—Huh? Senpai, you know Tomori too? Wow, amazing~!"
The kouhai, whose cute little fang peeked out whenever she smiled, had no intention of hiding anything and excitedly jumped in before Rinto could even finish:
"Tomori is in my class. Actually, I transferred here a week late, so everyone had already formed their groups, making it hard for me to join in."
"So, I thought of inviting Tomori, who was also alone, to form a band together!"
…Crash!
Little Sakiko, sitting by the piano, visibly shuddered, almost smacking the keys with her elbow.
Like someone whose girlfriend had been stolen by a naturally charming pink-haired ikemen, Sakiko sulked quietly, hunched shoulders and pursed lips, not daring to look at the brightly smiling Anon.
Totally oblivious, Anon genuinely didn't notice Sakiko's distress.
She merely sighed with mild disappointment:
"But, you know, it seems Tomori was in a band before, and something happened... That band apparently broke up unhappily."
"Tomori's so cute, she's like our class mascot—our treasure. I can't imagine who'd hurt her like that. They're terrible!"
"So, because Tomori still seems upset, I decided not to push her. Maybe if I have fun in the Light Music Club, I can invite her to join later… Ah, sorry, am I talking too much?"
Saint Anon quickly covered her mouth, peeking at Rinto with innocent eyes.
She knew exactly how cute and charming she was.
Rinto smiled warmly: "Not at all—I'd love to hear more."
"Actually, to be honest, I only know Tomori through a friend of a friend—she doesn't know me at all. So please, Chihaya-san, keep it a secret that I asked about her. I don't want to scare her off."
Rinto proactively requested secrecy, prompting an understanding nod from Anon.
Keeping a subtle distance while building intimacy through a shared secret—this was a foolproof social technique Rinto had perfected through experience.
As expected, Anon's smile grew brighter:
"Rinto-senpai, you're actually a really nice person! After talking to you, I can tell you're super friendly and yasashii!"
"I totally misunderstood before. Everyone said you were a scumbag dating multiple girls—not just the Yoshizawa twins, but also a super-pretty mixed-race model and a girl from the volleyball team. Even rumors you often took girls to love hotels... But those are obviously just silly rumors, right? I won't believe them anymore, Senpai!"
Hmm... Rinto simply smiled quietly, grateful for this junior's unwavering trust.
With introductions finished, the club officially began practice, meaning everyone needed to demonstrate their skills.
Rinto informed Anon that the Yoshizawa twins were essentially cheerleaders who didn't have time to properly learn instruments.
Rinto himself was also a beginner, so the only truly capable members were Sakiko and Bocchi.
As for Chihaya Anon…
"Uh…nghh~…got it!"
This pink-haired girl—who claimed she'd been a guitarist-vocalist back in middle school—awkwardly gripped the guitar even more clumsily than Rinto after just two days, barely managing to strum a single chord.
Yet she immediately raised her chin proudly:
"Look, a C chord~! Haven't played in a while, but I still remember it! Just a few more days of practice, and I'll totally nail Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"
"Seriously...?"
Sakiko, dumbfounded, unconsciously dropped her refined speech.
Indeed impressive. Even Rinto had to nod in admiration.
To be this confident calling herself a guitarist-vocalist when she could barely play one chord…
He instantly understood she was just as much a clueless beginner as himself—or even worse.
Thus relieved, Rinto quickly clapped his hands:
"No worries, everyone. Let's all practice individually. Ah, Bocchi-sensei, there's a fingering transition I don't get, could you demonstrate again...?"
Anon: "Huh? Why's everyone leaving? Did I play something wrong?"
^( o H o )^... Saint Anon puffed her cheeks in confusion.
Glancing around, Anon observed Sakiko, who'd coldly ignored her since the start, just playing piano alone.
The Yoshizawa twins… She really wanted to get closer to them.
But seeing the twins shamelessly clinging onto Rinto-senpai, faces buried in his hair and neck, secretly sniffing him, made Anon blush deeply.
They're definitely doing things with Rinto-senpai... normal friends don't act that way!
They're absolutely in a god-level relationship! That senpai's really two-timing twin sisters... a true scumbag!
Yet somehow, Anon's heart was racing.
Beautiful athlete twins sharing a guy... it felt mature and scandalous. Was she jealous, amazed, or both?
Anyway, she shook her head, quickly turning to the remaining member—
Bocchi-chan, quietly sitting in the corner, pretending to be a statue.
From Anon's perspective, Bocchi seemed entirely detached from the outside world, meditating like a Buddha to avoid any emotional reactions.
—So cool! Anon had found her ally!
She immediately grabbed her guitar and squeezed up to Bocchi, who squeaked "Eeek?!" in panic:
"Bocchi-chan~! You're an experienced guitarist, right? I saw you even teaching scumbag-senpai! Can you play something for me? I wanna see how good you are!"
Rinto: "…Why'd you start calling me scumbag-senpai again, Anon?"
But Anon ignored the scumbag-senpai monopolizing the idol sisters.
As for Bocchi…
"6д9 ah… I-I actually can't play guitar! My dad bought it but I gave up—it's too hard! I'm selling it today and buying yakiniku instead—!"
Overwhelmed by Anon's normie aura, Bocchi panicked and tried fleeing, forcing Rinto to drag her back, gently urging:
"Actually, Bocchi, I've never heard you play either. Can you show us?"
Persuaded by Rinto's kind words, trembling Bocchi finally began her performance…
And thoroughly crashed.
Afterward, Anon cheerfully hugged her:
"Yay! Bocchi-chan's just as terrible as me—we're soulmates! Let's debut together!"
"Ehhh~?!" (6д9)
Captured by the energetic normie, Bocchi promptly melted into a puddle.