In fact, back when Kamijou Mutsuki first wanted her to do voice acting, Ano-chan had already been feeling uneasy.
But for outsiders, so-called voice acting was nothing more than reading lines off a script, which easily gave people the illusion of I could do that too.
On top of that, Tomori and the others were just like her—complete novices with no experience whatsoever—so the pressure Anon felt wasn't as overwhelming as she had imagined.
But composing and performing music for an anime was a completely different matter. That was something only a professional-level band was qualified to do.
And judging by the original trajectory, she had even dragged her feet over holding a live performance, let alone something like this—a top-tier match.
This was basically like stepping out of the tutorial area and immediately going to fight the Soul of Cinder. Who could handle that?
"Isn't this supposed to be what you're best at? Is there any problem?"
Seeing Anon already starting to sweat, Kamijou Mutsuki asked with feigned confusion.
"Ah… I mean, that's true, but we're still just a rookie band,"
Facing Kamijou Mutsuki's "question," Anon thought for a moment and quickly found a reason.
"We were only just formed today… playing the OP and ED for your anime—isn't that difficulty a bit too high?"
Anon's reasoning was also met with agreement from Taki and the others. After all, taking on professional-level work right after forming really was a huge leap.
"Ano-chan does have a point…"
Of course Kamijou Mutsuki hadn't failed to consider this issue. It was just that—
"I have my reasons too. It has to be you. Anyone else won't do!"
He'd already invited the actual people themselves—was he supposed to have someone else perform the OP and ED?
That was something he absolutely couldn't accept.
"Ugh…"
Why did this scumbag suddenly get so serious?
Anon felt her face heat up a little.
After all, what girl could resist a 'it has to be you' kind of line?
Even Taki-chan's expression softened a lot. She crossed her arms and slightly turned her head away.
"Hmph! Sweet-talking!"
"I used to be a Crychic fan myself. I know all of you, and I believe in your abilities."
Moreover, although anime soundtrack requirements were higher than simply holding a live, there was one advantage it had that the latter didn't.
"And our company has the best sound engineers in the industry. Just do your best."
As long as the sound engineer was skilled enough, even Big Bowl Wide Noodles could be tuned into Confession Balloon.
And in this regard, he could be said to know a thing or two.
"I… I'll sing my hardest. I definitely won't let Mutsuki down!"
Tomori was the first to speak up in support of Kamijou Mutsuki, determination shining in her amber-like eyes.
She had already disappointed Sakiko once before. This time, she wouldn't disappoint Kamijou Mutsuki!
With Tomori having spoken, Taki naturally wouldn't back out.
The cat only cared about how good it felt to play guitar, while Soyo was just thinking about finishing quickly so she could get off work and go bother Sakiko. In an instant, only Anon was left isolated and helpless.
"..."
At this point, the fact that she had only joined the band to fit in—and couldn't even play the guitar—was no longer something she could bring herself to say.
Anon was already able to imagine the scene where her real skill level was exposed and she got kicked out of the band.
"…Then everyone, take some time to familiarize yourselves with the score. Ano-chan, come out with me for a moment."
Seeing that the script in Anon's hands was about to turn from a band anime into a getting-kicked-out-of-the-band storyline, Kamijou Mutsuki decided not to keep watching her suffer.
"I can't play. You should just find someone else!"
The moment they were out of Tomori and the others' sight, Anon immediately dropped the act and said angrily.
"This is your band's first performance. Are you sure you want to have someone else replace you?"
"Ugh…"
One sentence from Kamijou Mutsuki completely silenced Anon.
She had only wanted to form a band out of vanity, but the moment she thought about the band's first performance being played by another girl in her place, she felt inexplicably upset.
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
Probably because Kamijou Mutsuki already knew the secret she least wanted to face, Anon didn't put on any pretense in front of him at all.
"I don't even understand the most basic guitar stuff… once I'm on stage, I'll definitely give myself away…"
"…Are you deliberately targeting me or what? Just tell me what to do already!"
"Don't be afraid, Aino-baby. I've got a way!"
With sufficient conditions, Tomori and the cat could both reach professional-level performance. Soyo and Taki were a bit worse, but could barely keep up. Only Anon…
If she knew even a little, it wouldn't be a case of knowing absolutely nothing.
At the same time, Anon wasn't a bassist like Soyo—she couldn't just slack off without anyone noticing.
But since Kamijou Mutsuki dared to make this request, he was naturally well prepared.
"The method you're talking about… is this thing?"
Looking at the clearly chibi-style Q-version sticker that Kamijou Mutsuki had somehow pulled out—obviously drawn after her—Anon showed a suspicious expression.
And how did Kamijou Mutsuki even have her sticker? Could it be that he really had designs on her?
Kamijou Mutsuki ignored the girl's reaction and instead sized up where the sticker might go on her.
Only then, sensing the faint fragrance coming from the girl in front of him, did he realize that at some point their distance had closed to less than five centimeters.
Bro, you smell so good!
Completely different from that blue-haired idiot, yet not inferior in the slightest.
"..."
Anon also suddenly became aware of how close they were. Her face instantly flushed red, but unexpectedly, she didn't step back. Instead, she shot Kamijou Mutsuki a warning look.
Paired with her rosy cheeks, however, it probably only served to increase a criminal's attack speed.
"..."
Crap, the desire switch flipped!
This was the first time Kamijou Mutsuki had felt a different kind of delicious temptation coming from one of the band girls.
"Can I kiss you?"
"Th-this… this is your solution?"
Faced with the boy's abrupt request, Anon's voice trembled slightly.
He wasn't trying to trick her with an excuse like this, was he?
Did this guy take her for an idiot?
"No. I just want to kiss you."
Kamijou Mutsuki had always been straightforward.
"..."
"Pervert!"
Ano-chan nearly blew up on him.
So why on earth could this guy say something like that so matter-of-factly? Was there really nothing wrong with his brain?
Anon kept complaining inwardly, using it to suppress her somewhat out-of-control heartbeat.
And after nearly getting beaten up by the embarrassed and furious girl, Kamijou Mutsuki's big head finally took control of his body again.
"Anyway, let's focus on the serious business first. We can talk about the rest later."
"What else do you even want to talk about later?!"
Anon almost couldn't hold it together. What did he still want to talk about? Did he really want to kiss her?
Did he seriously think that she, Chihaya Anon, was that easy to win?
Sure, Kamijou Mutsuki looked decent enough, but if he wanted to chase her, he was still a hundred thousand miles too far!
However, after Kamijou Mutsuki forcibly pressed the sticker onto her forehead, there were suddenly far fewer messy thoughts in her mind.
"This feeling…"
PS: Anon's ability really can't keep up for now, so she can only rely on item-based matches. Also, the voice-acting arc feels a bit long—mainly because it's the first time writing this kind of content, so there's a lot that needs to be detailed. It won't be like this later.
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For advance chapters: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)