"What do you mean by this?"
Once the two of them stepped into a small room beside the recording studio, Anon began complaining without any attempt to hide it.
"You should know about my past. Why would you write lines like that for me?"
It was precisely to cover up the truth of "DunDun the deserter" that she had cut off contact with her old friends and come to Haneoka.
It was a dark chapter she couldn't let go of, a past she didn't want to face.
Good thing this was the current Kamijou Mutsuki—she had a fairly high initial favorability toward him.
Otherwise, her attitude definitely wouldn't be this mild.
"Probably because… it's interesting?"
"You think I really wouldn't hit you?"
Hearing the boy's utterly insincere reply, Anon's expression immediately darkened.
Though she had once given a certain Miss Taki the evaluation of "off-putting," she had to admit that sometimes her methods were indeed quite effective.
"This land may once have endured countless nights of darkness, but the stars that surround it already shine brighter than you imagine."
Facing the girl's raised fist, Kamijou Mutsuki finally began to explain seriously (?)
"No one would think the sun less dazzling just because it was once covered by shadow."
"Speak human language!"
Miss Anon was getting impatient.
"Since you're already unhappy, why not air it and let everyone else have a laugh~"
"Are you actually asking to get punched?"
What had started as a conversation nearly turned into physical conflict.
"You…"
After the brief scuffle, the girl crossed her arms, looking unconvinced.
"You're completely just enjoying watching us, aren't you?"
Anon voiced the complaint she had long buried in her heart.
"Does making that anime really make you that happy?"
"Happy."
Instant answer.
"So there's no room for negotiation?"
The girl let out a soft sigh, seeming a bit mentally exhausted.
"There is room."
"Wha—"
His reply completely caught her off guard.
"What do you mean, there is room?"
"If you really don't want to,"
Kamijou Mutsuki said,
"We can delay the shoot."
"Isn't that still shooting it?"
Anon immediately pulled a small cat-pout face.
"If I treat you too preferentially, it wouldn't feel fair to the others."
"And now you suddenly care about fairness?"
The girl muttered that in complaint—yet another thought began forming in her mind.
To Kamijou Mutsuki, was she really nothing more than that?
Couldn't she occupy a place in his heart special enough—special enough to be treated preferentially?
The thought flashed by in an instant. Even the girl herself didn't notice it.
"The best way to overcome fear is to face it. Go for it, Anon-chan!"
"Even if you say that…"
"If you really dislike it that much…"
Seeing her dispirited reaction, Kamijou Mutsuki shifted his tone.
"It's not like I dislike it that much…"
Yet Anon, who had been strongly resistant just moments ago, suddenly changed her stance.
"You're right. Running away forever really isn't a solution."
"Thinking about it now, the old me was really stupid."
She seemed to be reminiscing—or perhaps lamenting.
"Maybe it's fine to let it out."
Anon tried to appear as carefree as possible, but what she showed instead was a completely give-up attitude.
"But I might not be that strong."
"If I get laughed at because of it, I might run away again!"
[My life has always been about running away.]
The line Kamijou Mutsuki had written for her was painfully accurate.
"Before you peel off the candy coating, who knows whether what's inside is sweet or bitter?"
"You're right. That's why I didn't want to eat it in the first place."
Miss Anon declared that as long as she slacked off hard enough, nothing could hurt her.
"Eat it."
"No."
"…"
"I really… like my life right now."
After the joking and banter meant to lighten the mood, the girl finally revealed her true feelings.
"So, if I try to run away… will you catch me?"
"Can you… bear the weight of my life?"
Anon looked at the boy, as if trying to draw courage from him—the courage to face her past.
"…"
Wait, he didn't even kneel. Why did that line trigger?
And Anon, why are you saying Teacher Daishou's lines?
"Um, how about you lose some weight first."
Kamijou Mutsuki ventured in reply, looking at the girl in front of him.
"With my physical condition, I can't carry anything too heavy."
"Can you be serious for once at a time like this?!"
The atmosphere she had painstakingly built collapsed in an instant.
To think she had actually expected something from this guy—what an idiot she was.
Anon felt like she had fed her maiden heart to a cat.
"But if Anon wants to run away, you probably won't be able to."
"Oh? Now you can catch me?"
Anon crossed her arms, speaking irritably.
"No. I'd lock you in the basement!"
A bright, refreshing smile spread across the boy's face, like a sunny young man.
"A yandere man isn't cute at all!"
"And that's straight-up criminal speech, okay?!"
Anon admitted she was a little scared.
"You really…"
She let out a soft sigh, yet her gaze unconsciously softened.
"I seriously lose to you."
"Give it to me."
The girl held out her hand.
"What?"
"My lines. The full version."
She said firmly,
"Even if I'm going to die, I should at least know how I'm dying, right?"
And so she received the script with her lines properly arranged, without interference.
So the previous messy script really had been intentional!
"I actually went abroad to study before."
This time, Kamijou Mutsuki was quite generous—he handed her the entire script for Episode 5.
But Anon didn't read it carefully; she only used the parts she needed.
"But I just couldn't keep up."
Once she truly said it aloud, Anon realized it wasn't as unbearable as she had imagined.
"So I ran back."
Instead, it felt like a heavy stone in her heart had finally fallen.
"My life has always been about running away."
"I thought about pulling myself together again,"
"But I've already ended it."
As she read her lines, her eyes never left Kamijou Mutsuki, as if she were hoping to draw some kind of response from him.
"…Yeah, yeah, sure?"
"Sure your face!"
The girl burst out laughing in exasperation.
Still, it was the familiar flavor—this unserious, trashy guy.
-----------------------------------
After finishing the recording, Anon left the small room together with Kamijou Mutsuki.
Perhaps because the two of them didn't usually have much intimate interaction, the other girls didn't form any ambiguous ideas about their time alone.
However, Anon couldn't help glancing at Mutsumi, feeling slightly guilty.
After all, she had just asked someone else's fiancé, "Can you bear the weight of my life?"
Thinking about it now, didn't that sound exactly like a confession?
No, it wasn't a confession.
Kamijou Mutsuki was turning her dark history into an anime for the whole world to watch for free. It was perfectly normal for him to take responsibility for that, right?
How could she possibly have feelings for that scumbag, that trashy guy? What a joke.
She didn't have any other thoughts. That was all!
PS: Writing this chapter gave the author a headache. After all, the protagonist is the type who's completely unsuited for saying sweet nothings—but he can't just keep dodging forever either, so this is the only way it could turn out.
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