When Anon heard her brother's request, her heart was instantly filled with a sense of disbelief.
First, her brother, who had always been so meticulous and careful, had actually forgotten to prepare drinks!?
Second, instead of going to the convenience store himself, her brother was choosing to send her on the errand!?
Although just running an errand was no big deal for Anon, these two unprecedented situations made her feel inexplicably concerned.
However, in the next second, just as the curious Anon was about to ask something, Tetsuya directly took out his wallet and pulled out a 10,000 yen bill.
"This is for you. You can keep the change as pocket money."
"Roger!"
Compared to those trivial little things, pocket money was, of course, far more important.
Thus, Anon unhesitatingly cast aside her questions and turned to ask Takamatsu Tomori:
"Tomori, is there any drink you'd like?"
"Eh? I-I'm fine with water..."
"If it's to go with sushi, a more refreshing drink would probably be better, right? How about sparkling water?"
"I-I have no opinion."
"What about you, Brother? Is there anything you want to drink?"
"Same as you is fine."
"You two are way too indecisive."
Faced with their two useless answers, Anon couldn't help but shake her head helplessly.
"Then I'll just go buy whatever I like~"
With that, she hummed a song and left the house with a cheerful spring in her step...
...
After Anon left, the once lively living room instantly fell silent.
Takamatsu Tomori's silence was naturally due to her personality, while Tetsuya's silence was because he was casting aside the last trace of hesitation in his heart.
"Takamatsu-san."
Finally, after about ten seconds of thought, Tetsuya took the initiative to break the silence.
"I'm not a person who likes lies, and I'm not very good at telling them either, so I'll be direct with you—"
Then, under Tomori's stunned gaze, Tetsuya said:
"Do you want to reform [CRYCHIC]?"
"...Eh?"
For a moment, Tomori almost doubted her own ears.
"Reform? [CRYCHIC]?! Wh-Why..."
Such an unexpected question from such an unexpected person sent Tomori's thoughts into a state of chaos.
How does he know about [CRYCHIC]? Why would he suddenly use the word 'reform'? And why did he specifically choose to ask me this question alone?
At the same time, while Tomori was still reeling in shock, Tetsuya had no intention of leaving her much time to think.
"Although right now you only have Nagasaki Soyo and Shiina Taki with you, if you want, I can help you contact Togawa Sakiko and Wakaba Mutsumi anytime."
Tetsuya continued to press:
"So, you just need to tell me frankly, do you or do you not want to reform [CRYCHIC]?"
"Eeeh?!?!"
Tomori finally lost control and let out a cry of shock.
Not just [CRYCHIC], he even knows Sakiko's and Mutsumi's names? Not only that, he even said he could contact Sakiko, who had suddenly lost touch with everyone?!
What in the world is going on!?
The turn of events was simply too bizarre, to the point that Tomori's thought process couldn't keep up with the current situation no matter what.
"You seem very hesitant."
He sat down on the other sofa, his expressionless face and emotionless eyes fixed on Tomori's wavering gaze.
"Is this question that difficult to answer?"
"..."
Already in an unfamiliar environment, Tomori became even more nervous under Tetsuya's pressure. The intense palpitations made her involuntarily breathe faster, and fine beads of cold sweat even began to appear on her forehead.
Her delicate and sensitive heart could clearly sense Tetsuya's seriousness and gravity at this moment, but she really didn't understand why he would suddenly ask her this question, and with Anon not around, no less—
...
(Eh? With Anon not around?)
In that tangled mess of thoughts, Tomori suddenly caught onto this premise that could not be ignored.
Then, the scene of Tetsuya sending Anon away on the pretext of an errand also entered her mind.
(Chihaya-san... doesn't want Anon to hear our conversation.)
Why is that?
According to Anon, although her brother never doted on her or was overprotective, he was still extremely concerned about her actual experiences and feelings.
That is to say... Chihaya-san believes that the topic they were about to discuss was not only related to Anon but also something she shouldn't hear.
But the reforming of [CRYCHIC]... what does that have to do with Anon? Why would Chihaya-san make such a judgment? And... what kind of reaction would her answer provoke from him?
As her thoughts gradually became clearer, Tomori's nervousness eased slightly.
But even so, her difficult situation had not changed in the slightest.
Without knowing Tetsuya's true intentions, she was very worried that a slip of the tongue would cause the conversation to develop in a worse direction...
"...You can't answer the question?"
On the other side, seeing Tomori's prolonged silence, Tetsuya couldn't help but frown.
There were probably less than ten minutes left before Anon returned. He had to finish his questioning of Tomori as quickly as possible.
"Then I'll rephrase. Do you think Anon is necessary for your current band?"
"O-Of course she's necessary!"
To this question, Tomori's answer was practically without hesitation.
"If it weren't for Anon, we definitely wouldn't have gotten back together like this! Or rather... I would never have wanted to form a band with anyone else again..."
"Even if Anon prompted your reunion, if your goal is to reform [CRYCHIC], then regardless of whether you succeed or not, Anon will have no value in staying here in the future, will she?"
Tetsuya's suspicion was not swayed in the least by Tomori's unhesitating reply.
"Gratitude is just a short-term psychological state. It's not enough to constitute her necessity for being here. To ensure that Anon won't be abandoned by you in the future, I must be sure that you all genuinely want to form a band with Anon."
"!"
The reforming of [CRYCHIC], necessity, and a reason not to be abandoned...
I see, so that's what this is about!
Hearing this, Tomori finally understood why Tetsuya had suddenly asked her these questions.
At the same time, she also understood why he had deliberately sent Anon away to talk to her alone.
...
"Chihaya-san... you really are a good older brother."
Once she understood the reason behind this series of questions, there was naturally no need for Tomori to be hesitant any longer.
Because now, she had more than enough confidence to resolve Tetsuya's suspicions about her.
"I'll answer your first question first."
Under Tetsuya's increasingly serious gaze, Takamatsu Tomori said:
"I... do indeed want to reform [CRYCHIC]—"