No, no, no—there's really no need to respect the facts this much.
And besides…
Isn't this basically a complete reenactment of what happened back then?
As her emotions gradually settled, Mutsumi also began to sense that something was off.
Kamijou Mutsuki had said he would use CRYCHIC's experiences as a template, but wasn't this level of reproduction a bit too extreme?
If someone told her he had been holding a camera and filming her on the spot, she'd believe it!
The most crucial point was—
"Mutsuki… how do you know all this so clearly?"
Why did Kamijou Mutsuki know CRYCHIC's story in such detail?
Did Tomori and the others tell him?
But even she herself, as someone who had lived through it, could no longer remember every detail of that incident. How could Kamijou Mutsuki possibly recreate that scene perfectly just from secondhand accounts—even down to the girls' expressions and reactions, without the slightest discrepancy?
"I was right there on the scene—I was the guitar in your hands, Mutsumi!"
Faced with Mutsumi's question, Kamijou Mutsuki replied with a completely serious expression.
"..."
For one second, Mutsumi genuinely wondered if Kamijou Mutsuki was actually her guitar that had somehow gained sentience.
But she quickly turned her head away and didn't pursue the matter further.
Whatever secrets Kamijou Mutsuki had were none of her business.
All she needed to know was that Kamijou Mutsuki was her fiancé—and that he treated her well.
On the other side, Miss Sakiko felt as if dead memories were launching a relentless assault on her.
She had clearly already cut herself off from the past—so why was she being forced to relive that experience again?
And seriously… Kamijou Mutsuki, did you film this on-site or what?
It was that accurate.
But the weak version of her was already dead!
These were just a few memories she didn't want to face—nothing that could bring her down!
The girl wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes, her gaze becoming resolute once more.
"Saki-chan…"
Tomori looked conflicted as well. Even though she had a new beginning now, the past was clearly not something that could be forgotten so easily.
Among the former members of CRYCHIC, Rikki was probably the only one without much emotional fluctuation.
She just felt that Sakiko was being unreasonable—and had even lashed out at Tomori.
In that regard, Kamijou Mutsuki was actually better than her.
This guy might not be a good person, but he genuinely doted on Tomori and had never spoken harshly to her.
"So this is what happened between them before?"
One of the only two outsiders, Anon, finished watching this part of the story and stroked her chin, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face.
Although she already had some understanding of it, hearing things secondhand was nothing compared to seeing them with her own eyes.
Still… Soyo's behavior was really intense!
Why did she care so much about Sakiko?
It had clearly gone far beyond the bounds of ordinary bandmates.
After all, even Tomori—whose "gravity attribute" was so prominent—didn't show it as obviously as she did.
But she soon had no mental space left to think about any of that.
As the animated scene shifted, a pink figure appeared on the screen.
Anon recognized the girl instantly—it was herself.
Even worse, what the animation showed was a scene at the airport.
Oh no—was the whole "deserter Anon" incident really about to be exposed?!
Fortunately, to the girl's immense relief, the airport scene only flashed by briefly, quickly cutting to Haneoka Academy, to her conversation with the principal.
Anon let out a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't exposed, it was fine.
Then she watched as the animated version of herself passed the Haneoka principal's interview, encountered Tomori picking up stones, and an unconscious, faint smile appeared on her face.
But very quickly, as if she had thought of something, that smile froze solid.
Wait—bro. How do you know the story between me and Tomori this well?
Even the lines are exactly the same.
Did Tomori tell him?
That shouldn't be possible… you didn't seriously install a camera on me, did you?
Just as Anon was full of doubts, the animated plot on the television didn't pause for her thoughts at all, continuing to move forward.
The scene jumped from Anon having just passed the principal's interview to her officially starting school—new classmates introducing themselves, and her reunion with Tomori, whom she had met once before.
However, watching Tomori greet Anon and introduce herself, Rikki felt unbearably sour inside.
Tomori definitely hadn't been that proactive the first time she met her. What was so great about that pink-haired girl anyway?
And that pink-haired girl she was annoyed with was now starting to sweat bullets again.
Anon even felt that, at this rate, the amount she'd been sweating lately would be enough for her to run for revolutionary army leader.
All because the animation wasn't just recreating her past experiences—it was also putting her inner thoughts on full display.
Wow. So not only did you install a camera on me, you put a wiretap in my brain too, huh?
At this point, the animated Anon was already chatting with the "traffic-light trio" about bands.
"Guitar?"
"So that means… I'd have to stand in the corner?"
The animated Anon showed clear resistance to being stuck in the corner, forcing a polite fake smile as she tactfully turned them down. However, the real Anon couldn't bring herself to smile.
It was over—her vanity had been exposed!
More importantly, what if the "traffic-light trio" also watched the animation and found out that she'd rejected them simply because she couldn't stand in the center position?
After all, some things—even if everyone understands them tacitly—are a completely different matter once they're actually spelled out.
Yet while Anon was still panicking and agonizing over it, the animation dealt her another blow.
In the scene, she had already returned home after school and then began to reminisce.
That's right—reminisce about what happened when she was studying abroad in the UK.
In the memory, she was wearing her overseas school uniform, holding a white slip of paper in her hand, standing there dazed in the classroom.
Then, for reasons unknown, she suddenly closed her eyes and crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball.
After that, the camera moved behind her, giving a close-up of her tightly clenched fist. Finally, the image returned to the present.
Although the flashback only lasted a few short seconds, Anon was completely numb.
Under normal circumstances, with such a lack of information, people would only feel confused—they wouldn't guess that she was a deserter.
Yes, under normal circumstances.
If Kamijo Mutsuki hadn't sung that song earlier.
Anon seriously suspected that Kamijo Mutsuki had some kind of grudge against her. Why was he always targeting her specifically? Why did she have so much screen time?!
She suspected that if the animation kept airing, all her little secrets and petty thoughts would be completely exposed.
As Anon thought this, the animation's progression—unsurprisingly—did not disappoint her.
On the screen, Anon took out the guitar that had already gathered dust and began practicing.
But the level she displayed…
Even a dog would shake its head after seeing it.
After all, her original guitar skills were only barely passable to begin with, and after such a long time without practice, she was basically no different from a complete beginner.
Alright—after her inner thoughts, now her guitar skills had been exposed too.
.......................