Whatever "real-life voice actor prototype" nonsense—none of that mattered. She only knew that she had seen a living, breathing Chihaya Anon.
"Ah, um…"
Compared to Mana, Anon's mood was a bit more complicated.
She hadn't expected to be asked for an autograph by her own idol.
Ever since MyGO!!!!! aired, her popularity had been steadily rising.
Her fame had grown to the point that only the Sumimi she once admired could compare to her…
Compare?
Perhaps Chihaya Anon's popularity had already far surpassed that of her former idol…
Ahem. Calm down. Don't let it go to your head!
"…Is signing here okay?"
Anon gave a light cough, suppressing the excited flush on her face.
"Yes, yes! But Anon-chan, can we take a photo together?"
"Of course! Mana-chan, could you sign one for me too?"
"Eh? Anon-chan actually likes Sumimi? Mana is so happy!"
At this moment, Mana's feelings were probably about the same as Anon's earlier—after all, how would you feel if your favorite anime character stepped out of the screen and asked you for an autograph?
Though speaking of which, in the anime, wasn't Anon's setting that she was a fan of Mana-chan?
Then the remaining few could only watch as the two girls expressed mutual affection, exchanged autographs, and took photos together.
What kind of conjugate idols are these!
Well, whatever. As long as they're happy.
Unlike her partner, however, Uika didn't seem to show much emotional fluctuation.
After all, while MyGO!!!!! was objectively an excellent work, most of Uika's reason for following it was because of "Sakiko-sensei."
When she had switched companies before, she hadn't expected MyGO!!!!! to be a project under Kamijou Mutsuki's company. No wonder she had felt that Houbun Animation looked familiar at the time.
But why hadn't Sakiko-chan arrived yet?
Not seeing her, Uika subconsciously shifted her gaze toward Tomori, her eyes growing deep.
In the anime, it was this girl who had the deepest relationship with Sakiko.
Under Uika's gaze, Tomori seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Taki quickly stepped in front of her protectively.
What are you staring at?
What's it to you?
Good thing Uika didn't actually say that out loud—otherwise the two of them would definitely have started fighting.
The blonde girl seemed to realize that her gaze had been somewhat impolite and shifted her eyes away.
"Sorry, I'm late."
At this moment, Sakiko-sensei finally arrived, unhurried as ever.
Mm. At least this time she wasn't drenched in the rain.
"Saki-chan! ×2"
Upon seeing her, the two girls called out her name at the same time without thinking.
One was the newly arrived Uika; the other, naturally, was Soyo.
Uika had watched the anime and knew clearly about Sakiko-sensei's obsession with her childhood friend. In contrast, Soyo looked at Uika with surprise and a trace of vigilance.
"Uika?"
Sakiko-sensei continued her usual practice of ignoring Soyo—after all, the moment she saw her, she couldn't help recalling the sensation of her shoes and stockings being stripped off.
As for Uika, there was only the surprise and joy of reuniting with an old friend.
"What are you doing here? Your band…"
Sumimi had been doing perfectly fine—why would she appear here?
It couldn't be that Sumimi had disbanded too, right?
Mana: ?
"I was poached by the boss."
Looking at the girl she had longed for day and night, Uika suppressed the excitement in her heart.
"I didn't expect you to be working here too, Sakiko. What a coincidence!"
"Yes… what a coincidence…"
Was it really a coincidence?
Sakiko-sensei cast a subtle glance at a certain boy, then continued chatting with her old friend.
"It's been more than a year since we last met, hasn't it? I'm really happy to see you."
"Me too…"
"Every time I saw the messages you sent me, they gave me the courage to keep going. I still remember what you said to me when I debuted."
"You still remember that?"
The two friends, reunited after a long separation, began chatting as though no one else were there.
Mana had just finished getting Anon's autograph and photo when she turned her head—only to discover her home base had been stolen.
Who was this person? Why did Uika look happier than when she was with her?
Seeing the smile on Uika's face, Miss Donut couldn't help but feel a little sour inside.
As for Kamijou Mutsuki, fine—let's say it was just because his skills were too good. But what was with this blue-haired girl?
Compared to Miss Mana, the expression on another girl's face looked even worse.
She had already grown used to Sakiko-sensei's rejection of her—so long as there was no comparison with Uika.
Why was it that she alone was treated so coldly?
Kamijou Mutsuki was fine. Mutsumi was fine. Tomori was fine. Even this blonde girl named Uika was fine…
Why was she the only one who wasn't?!
What exactly had she done wrong to make Sakiko treat her like this?
Seeing Soyo's expression, Mutsumi wanted to go over and comfort her, but Soyo—her emotions running high—ignored her outright.
Kamijou Mutsuki, however, didn't indulge her. He directly tapped her on the forehead with Mutsumi's cucumber.
"What are you doing?"
Soyo, already in a bad mood, instantly flared up.
"Thought this suited you pretty well. Want a taste?"
Looking at the emerald-green cucumber in Kamijou Mutsuki's hand, Soyo felt an inexplicable sense of mockery.
"No!"
She suppressed the urge to lash out and answered in a low voice.
Kamijou Mutsuki didn't mind. He snapped the cucumber in half and split it between himself and Mutsumi.
"Uika, let's talk later."
Sakiko-sensei also realized that she had been chatting with her old friend for a bit too long.
"Let's finish the work first."
"Sorry."
Uika had clearly realized it as well, but when facing Sakiko-sensei, she always found it hard to control herself.
"It's just… I haven't seen you in so long, Sakiko. I got a little excited…"
After that, it was naturally time for the voice recording session.
There wasn't much to say—except that the originally cheerful Anon stopped feeling so cheerful after reading through her script.
[I actually went abroad to study before.]
[My life has always been about running away.]
[But I've already ended that.]
No matter how the lines were rearranged or how much misdirection was added, some things couldn't be changed.
And mixed in with the Japanese was that clumsy English that triggered her PTSD.
Even if Anon couldn't guess the full plot of the anime, she knew that her identity as "DunDun the deserter" wouldn't stay hidden.
She had been so happy these past few days. She had even thought she was about to forget.
But the past had caught up with her again.
Anon knew that, unlike the light hinting before, once this episode aired, there would be no turning back.
She had been proud of the popularity the anime brought her—only to realize at this moment:
All the gifts bestowed by fate had long had their price secretly marked.
And now was the time for Chihaya Anon to pay it.
"Kamijou."
Holding her script, the girl walked up to Kamijou Mutsuki.
"Let's talk. Alone."
PS: Anon's voice recording will be described a bit, but it will be recorded separately. Her identity as "DunDun the deserter" won't be revealed just yet. After all, that's one of the biggest highlights of Episode 5—if it's exposed now, there won't be much left to write about when everyone watches the anime together later.
.....................