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V2 Chapter 41: Maybe It Was Just My Imagination
🕑 Added 2025-05-12 12:24:15 +0000 UTC"No matter what… I can't just sit back and do nothing."
Chihaya Anon lightly twirled a lock of cherry-pink hair draped over her shoulder. When she saw Kazami Haru walking with that unfamiliar girl earlier, her heart had started pounding uncontrollably. A strange sense of loss and unease crept into her chest.
That girl hadn't appeared in any of her "dreams."
Could it be that the future she'd seen changed, because of the actions she took after gaining those memories?
A cute girl she didn't even know was suddenly walking so closely beside her unofficial boyfriend, that was not good news for Chihaya Anon.
Especially considering Haru had just turned down her invitation… only to go on a "date" with someone else. Her sixth sense as a girl screamed that something was off.
That green-haired girl was dangerous.
She couldn't ignore this.
There was no way Chihaya Anon could just brush it off.
Hearing this, Shiina Taki crossed her arms, tone cool: "What do you mean 'can't ignore it'?"
"We don't have any reason to interfere in his personal life, do we?"
Unlike Anon, whose mind was running in circles, Taki always kept the solid, grounded mindset typical of a drummer, avoiding anything that could threaten the group's balance.
But seeing Anon's expression, Taki's sharp purple eyes flickered with something unspoken. She hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking:
"…Wait. Don't tell me you're planning to follow them?"
As Anon smiled stiffly and her silvery-gray eyes darted away awkwardly, Taki's suspicion was instantly confirmed.
She was planning to tail them to figure out what was going on between them!
Seriously…?
Taki had seen Haru feed Mutsumi earlier. Not to mention Mutsumi had let him touch her face. Witnessing that kind of intimacy made their relationship crystal clear.
Following them now would only end in disaster and if Chihaya Anon got caught sneaking after them, that would drag her and Takamatsu Tomori into it too!
How were they supposed to explain that they were spying on Haru?
"Rikki! It's not stalking, it's for Haru's own good! What if he runs into some trashy girl only interested in his looks? There are tons of shallow girls like that at school!"
"If we're not careful, the band might fall apart over something like this!"
That's clearly just your own bias talking—
How the hell would a band fall apart just because someone started dating?
"You…"
Taki's brow twitched. Anon, standing there acting all righteous and indignant, left her speechless.
This was clearly just an excuse. She just wanted to follow them and made up a half-baked reason on the spot.
And "trashy girl"?! Really?
The only ones who knew Mutsumi well were her and Takamatsu Tomori. They used to be in a band together. They knew Mutsumi's quiet, emotionless personality. She was nothing like what Anon imagined.
If anything, it was Haru who gave off suspicious vibes, luring in a naive girl like that!
Taki let out a long sigh and waved her hand. "If you want to go, go. But me and Tomori—"
"I want to go too…"
The soft voice that interrupted her made Taki freeze mid-sentence.
Takamatsu Tomori, standing beside her, had her delicate brows gently furrowed. Her naturally melancholic face was tinged with an unmistakable trace of worry.
Her dark lashes trembled, like they were silently expressing her unease.
Seeing her expression, Taki couldn't finish what she was going to say.
"Alright, then it's settled~!" Anon brightened immediately. "Let's follow them and find out what they're doing! If we stick to the shadows, they'll never notice us!"
She turned and briskly began tailing Kazami Haru and Wakaba Mutsumi, clearly having planned this all along.
Takamatsu Tomori followed behind her with small, hesitant steps, nodding as she went.
Leaving Taki standing alone, torn.
Her eyes flicked toward Tomori, her most important person in this whole mess and her resolve wavered.
"What the hell…"
"…How did it end up like this?"
She couldn't just leave Tomori alone.
After hesitating in place, drummer Shiina Taki bit her lip and reluctantly followed them.
Meanwhile…
Wakaba Mutsumi walked quietly beside Kazami Haru, holding her little bag in both hands.
She tilted her head slightly, listening carefully as he chatted idly. Just being this close to him, just looking up at his profile, it was enough to make her feel content.
"Well, since I'm taking you out, I should take you somewhere you've never been."
"Pachinko?"
Mutsumi suddenly remembered what he'd mentioned the first time they met. That unfamiliar word stuck with her.
"No, definitely not."
Bringing her to play pachinko?
Haru wouldn't dare and if Sakiko-sensei found out, she'd probably rip him apart. Not to mention what the Wakaba family would do to him…
Mutsumi tilted her head, not understanding why Haru was so against it. But if he said no, there had to be a good reason.
She trusted his words deeply.
But just then, she sensed something.
Her golden eyes glimmered subtly, but her expression remained unchanged. As she turned to respond to Haru's comment, she glanced behind them with the corner of her eye.
"…?"
They were being followed.
Her father was a popular TV comedian. Her mother, a respected actress. From a young age, Mutsumi had been taught to avoid the spotlight.
Constantly exposed to cameras and interviews, she'd developed a strong sense for when someone was watching her.
She could always tell when someone was following her.
Turning slightly, she caught a glimpse of bright pink hair.
…Pink?
She didn't recognize the ditzy-looking one, but the timid girl beside her was familiar, her former bandmate from CRYCHIC, Takamatsu Tomori.
After CRYCHIC fell apart, they hadn't kept in touch.
So… why was she following her?
No. This wasn't just about her.
Mutsumi looked expressionlessly at Haru beside her.
She was starting to piece things together.
…
"Bocchi! You promised you'd come with me!"
"Nooo! You didn't say anything about a clothing store! I'll die if we go to some normie paradise like that!"
Near Hanaeoka High, two girls—one in red, one in pink—were caught in a tug-of-war.
A long-haired girl in a bizarre pink tracksuit with a pleated skirt thrashed about dramatically, trying to escape like a flailing yokai.
"It's okay! Wearing nothing but tracksuits every day is a waste of your high school years!"
"I-I don't only have one! I have several tracksuits!"
Kita Ikuyo clung tightly to the pink-haired snake, otherwise known as Gotoh Hitori, who was desperately trying to flee. They'd made it all the way out here, and no matter what, she was going to make Bocchi try on something cute!
Of course, Bocchi didn't want to go.
Up until now, even phrases like "going out with friends" or "hanging out after school" had felt like delusions to her. And now, she was being dragged past the beginner level of casual shopping and thrown straight into the deep end—a trendy boutique?!
They were standing outside MIKU, a famously fashionable store near Shimokitazawa.
The fashion vibes here were just as intense as in Shibuya, the ultimate normie zone. Only someone like Kita Ikuyo, a certified social Brahmin, could walk in here like it was nothing. As for Gotoh Hitori, a social Shudra, she couldn't even look at the place without flinching.
(TL Note: Brahmin= 1%, Royal, Intellectual; Shudra= Lower working Class;)
"At least… at least let me take in a bubble tea first!"
"Eh?! Why bubble tea now?"
Kita tilted her head, puzzled by Bocchi's sudden compromise. She didn't really get how bubble tea helped, but… if it got her inside, it was a good start?
"Ah, it's Haru…"
Bocchi, still half-grabbed by Kita, suddenly stopped struggling. Her eyes locked on something behind Kita, and the moment that name came out of her mouth, Kita froze in shock.
Haru? Wasn't he supposed to be working right now?
Wait, did I just get tricked?!
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Kita's gaze drifted, and landed on a familiar figure.
The moment she got a clear look, her golden-green eyes widened in disbelief.
"Eh?! It really is Haru?!"
"Isn't he supposed to be at work?!"
And then she noticed, he wasn't alone.
He was with a girl.
A girl Kita had never seen before.
She was petite, dressed in a deep blue uniform from Tsukinomori Girls' Academy, a school known for being full of upper-class elite students. Her dainty figure and porcelain features gave her the look of a handcrafted doll, and her glossy green hair shimmered under the sunlight.
Every movement radiated grace. She was elegant, composed—like someone from a completely different world.
A real rich girl?!
"Who the heck is that?!"
Kita felt like her eyes were shaking. Seismic activity detected.
Without even thinking, she yanked a stunned Bocchi and dove behind a nearby billboard.
Wait, why did she hide?
She had seen Haru with a girl, and her body just… moved. Now, crouched here, she only felt more suspicious.
But charging out would only cause chaos.
Still, what was Haru doing with her? Kita had never seen this girl before. She hadn't shown up in any of her dreams, either.
That Tsukinomori uniform… Why would she be with Haru from Haneoka High?
"No, no—maybe I'm just overthinking it?"
"Maybe they don't even know each other? Just happened to walk the same way…"
Trying to convince herself, Kita peeked from behind the sign.
The two were standing close, Haru was smiling at the girl, chatting.
Kita nearly passed out on the spot.
"B-Bocchi…"
"Is there a chance they're, like, siblings or something?"
No. There wasn't.
Gotoh Hitori didn't want to crush Kita's hopes, but Haru and that girl looked nothing alike. No blood relation in sight.
In fact, to any onlooker… they looked just like a couple.
Of course, Bocchi couldn't say that out loud. If she did, Kita might emotionally self-destruct on the spot.
Kita didn't know what to do anymore.
She'd thought that reality would follow her "prophetic dreams" more closely. Sure, some things could shift slightly, but this much?
All because she didn't ask Haru to go to karaoke the moment she had the chance… Now beautiful girls were springing up around him like bamboo shoots in spring!
The pressure!
If she didn't raise her affection points ASAP, other girls were going to sneak in, sweet-talk him, maybe even get him drunk and—
Noooo! That kind of thing cannot happen!
"H-Hey, Kita-san… Haru and that girl just went into the store."
Gotoh Hitori's voice was soft, almost envious.
Going shopping together like that… It really made her wish she could do the same.
If only she had the courage to ask Haru out alone. Maybe then, even a nervous wreck like her could step into a trendy place like this.
"Uuuu… I can't help it! I need to know!"
"Please, Bocchi! Come with me and let's follow them!"
…
"Photos?"
Wakaba Mutsumi tilted her head slightly, staring blankly at the unfamiliar machine in front of her, a purikura photo booth, commonly seen in malls.
She'd never used one.
Neither had Sakiko.
"Wanna try?"
Kazami Haru smiled and winked at her. Just those simple words made her golden eyes glimmer faintly, and she gave a small nod.
Taking photos with a friend, she liked that.
Click!
The flash lit up, and their picture appeared on the screen.
But Mutsumi's expression was… well, a little too serious. Like she was taking a passport photo.
With the booth's default wacky filters, it ended up looking unintentionally hilarious.
"Pfft…"
Haru couldn't help but laugh. Mutsumi, tilting her head in confusion, looked at him quietly.
"Was it bad?"
"I think it's totally cute. Let's take more."
He was already planning to sneak the best one into a photo frame on his wall at home.
Mutsumi didn't understand why he laughed, but it reminded her of the past, when she was with Sakiko, that same inexplicable smile would sometimes appear.
Smiling was still unfamiliar to her.
She loved PP's(Poppin'Party) songs, could sing them fluently, even learned the dances… but she had never quite mastered the smile that came with them.
"But you'd be even cuter if you smiled."
Mutsumi blinked.
Click!
The flash popped again. This time, Mutsumi had leaned just a little closer to Haru and, with effort, raised her fingers in a peace sign. Her eyes shimmered just a bit differently than before.
Maybe neither of them noticed—
But in that last shot… Mutsumi's lips had curled into the faintest of smiles.
Inside, the two were completely unaware of the chaos happening outside.
"Where is he? Where did Haru go?!"
Chihaya Anon was now frantically looking around, pacing, while Shiina Taki stood beside her, uncharacteristically agitated.
They'd clearly seen the two enter this shop, so where did they go?
"Chihaya-san?"
"Eh? Kita… Kita-san?!"
The sudden voice made Anon whirl around, only to lock eyes with Kita Ikuyo. And right behind her was Gotoh Hitori.
Why… why now, of all times?
And Kita thought the exact same thing—
How the hell were they supposed to sneakily follow someone with these two popping up here?!
