Regarding Kamijou Mutsuki suddenly messaging her to tell her to come to work, Sakiko didn't feel any negative emotions.
Putting aside his identity as her creditor, as "Customer Service Sakiko," her stress tolerance was clearly far beyond that of her peers.
What's more, it even came with a chauffeured car to pick her up, saving her another expense.
After all, the current "The Sakiko-Sensei" really couldn't afford to take taxis anymore.
The only thing she cared about was probably the "surprise" Kamijou Mutsuki had mentioned.
Although her attitude toward him had changed somewhat for certain reasons, The Sakiko-sensei still remembered very clearly the things Kamijou Mutsuki had threatened her with before.
Because of that, the so-called surprise he mentioned always made her feel a vague sense of malice.
And then, after arriving at Houbunsha Animation, The Sakiko-sensei realized that her feeling had been right.
"Saki-chan…"
The moment she stepped into the recording studio, she saw a certain high-school-girl rich lady wearing a face full of delight.
Behind Soyo, Tomori and Taki were staring straight at her, while Mutsumi wore an expression full of concern.
What the hell do you mean by surprise?!
The heart that had been hanging in suspense finally died.
"We finally meet again…"
If Tomori and Taki were merely surprised to see CRYCHIC's former white moonlight again, Soyo had already lost some control and moved right up to Sakiko's side.
"…Saki-chan is also voicing a role in this anime? What a coincidence."
"And about last time, I'm really sorry. I was too impatient then…"
Even though she had been the one scolded last time, Soyo was now the one taking the initiative to apologize to Sakiko.
"But… I really want to have a proper talk with Saki-chan."
Originally, Soyo had planned to probe and hold back a little, but she overestimated her own self-control. After just a few sentences, her true intentions were fully exposed.
"Why did you transfer schools? Was it because of CRYCHIC?"
"Where is Saki-chan now? Can you tell me?"
"Even if CRYCHIC has disbanded… we're still friends, right?"
"I really have a lot I want to say to Saki-chan. After we finish recording, can we go to your place and talk together…"
Soyo's behavior startled all the band girls except for the cat, including Mutsumi.
They hadn't expected that Soyo, who was usually as gentle as a mother, would reveal such a side. Anon even stiffly tugged at the corner of her mouth.
After all, among the current band members, aside from Tomori, Soyo had left the best impression on her.
After all, who could resist a Tsukinomori young lady with a gentle expression?
But now that she looked again, why did she feel even heavier than Tomori? Could it be that everyone in the band was like this?
Ano-chan instantly felt that her future was bleak.
Meanwhile, the animation department members who were forcefully spectating from the side felt like they were watching a live-action version of MyGO!!!!!, their excited faces flushed red.
Sakiko: "..."
Just seeing Soyo already made her feel irritated, and she had long since grown sick of the girl's repetitive lines—she'd already been bombarded with the same thing earlier through LINE messages.
And Soyo's initial heavy-handed attack had completely crossed her bottom line, making the girl's gaze unconsciously turn icy.
She didn't even bother to reply. Casting a complex look at Tomori, she directly pulled Kamijou Mutsuki aside.
"What's going on with Soyo and Tomori? Why are they here?!"
The girl looked up at Kamijou Mutsuki, suppressing her anger.
"As everyone knows, MyGO!!!!! is an anime produced by Houbunsha Animation, based on CRYCHIC—a girl band anime. The audience will follow Chihaya Anon's perspective and gradually uncover CRYCHIC's past on the Bang Bang stage… Therefore, it's perfectly reasonable that I invited Tomori and the others to do voice acting, right?"
"Or… is it that Miss Togawa doesn't like my surprise?"
You call this a surprise?!
Looking at Kamijou Mutsuki's "innocent" expression, Sakiko felt like her teeth were about to grind to dust.
She didn't believe for a second that this boy was unaware of her current situation or thoughts.
This malicious guy was deliberately trying to see her squirm.
"I don't need this kind of surprise!"
Thanks to her customer service career, The Sakiko-sensei had developed stress tolerance—otherwise, she would have exploded at the boy right then and there.
"Later… call me over again after they've left."
Mutsumi was one thing, but she really didn't want to face Soyo and Tomori—the former irritated her, and the latter made her feel guilty.
"So… Saki-chan plans to keep avoiding it?"
Kamijou Mutsuki's unexpected words left the girl stunned.
"Togawa Sakiko,"
He looked down at the blue-haired girl in front of him.
"Do you really think that by transferring schools, becoming Customer Service Sakiko, and cutting ties with your old friends… all the things that happened can be erased with a single stroke?"
Faced with the boy's pressing gaze, Sakiko couldn't help but feel a bit guilty and defensive.
But she quickly realized.
What does CRYCHIC have to do with you, an outsider? What right do you have to say something like that?
"…This has nothing to do with you, right?"
"You're right. But, Miss Togawa…"
The girl suddenly noticed that Kamijou Mutsuki's expression had become somewhat familiar.
Since a simple conversation wouldn't work, Kamijou Mutsuki naturally switched tactics with practiced ease.
"You don't want it either, right? You wouldn't want your old friends to be bullied by me while you're not around, would you?"
"You…"
Hearing this all-too-familiar threat, Sakiko's cheeks flushed with anger.
"…Despicable!"
But in the end, with her weak spot fully exploited, Sakiko still chose to yield, as if replaying that day all over again.
Even so, despite being coerced by Kamijou Mutsuki into staying, Sakiko had no intention of interacting with Tomori and the others; she focused solely on completing her own task.
This caused Tomori, who had wanted to greet her, to lower her head in subtle disappointment.
Seeing Tomori wronged like that, Taki couldn't hold back, though fortunately her father stepped in to stop her.
Meanwhile, Sakiko kept her expression unchanged as she performed her lines, seemingly indifferent to their reactions.
No one noticed the fist she had unknowingly clenched so tightly that her nails nearly pierced her skin.
Even though Sakiko's presence made the atmosphere in the recording studio somewhat tense and awkward, the girls still managed to complete their tasks properly.
After all, acting naturally wasn't particularly difficult for them.
However, Kamijou Mutsuki hadn't brought the girls over today just to have them do voice acting for the previous episodes. More importantly…
"What? You want us to perform the anime's OP and ED?"
Hearing Kamijou Mutsuki's words, Anon couldn't help but speak up first.
Although she tried to hide it, a trace of nervousness and unease still lingered in her eyes.
.......
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