Kikukawa Kyo subtly leaned back, taking an inconspicuous step away from the peculiar formation of water bottles that seemed to be specifically arranged for her—though for what purpose, she had no idea.
"So, mind explaining what exactly this is supposed to be?"
Standing her ground, Kyo's mind kicked into high gear, her eyes scanning the room for any clues. She needed to figure out just what kind of nonsense these two were trying to pull on her this time.
But no matter how she looked at it, the bottles seemed to be just… normal bottles of water. Nothing suspicious at all.
"I'm not too sure myself," Anon admitted, flashing her signature grin and raising a hand as if answering a question in class. "By the time I got here, Tomori was already setting everything up. She told me to help out, so I did."
"So you just went along with it without even knowing what it's for? That's like helping someone count money after they've sold you off!" Kyo huffed, pointing an accusing finger at her before shaking her head. Figures—it had to be Tomori's idea. The only person capable of setting up something so completely incomprehensible was the resident airwave anomaly herself.
"Tomori would never trick me!" Anon turned to Tomori, laughing. "Right, Tomori?"
"Mm." Tomori nodded, still holding a bottle in each hand, lifting them slightly as if to emphasize her point. "It's not a prank… probably not."
"That's suspicious…"
Kyo narrowed her eyes. That was basically an accidental confession—Tomori wasn't intentionally messing with her, but she wasn't completely certain this wouldn't end up bothering Kyo either.
Seeing Kyo subtly inching backward again, even Tomori—slow as she sometimes was—noticed that the distance between them was growing. Her expression faltered, and she hesitated before lowering her head, silently preparing to start putting the bottles away.
"Wait, wait, wait—I never said I wouldn't do it!"
Kyo immediately called out, stopping Tomori's movements.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn't be so quick to agree. But Tomori? Even if this was some kind of prank, it wouldn't be anything too over-the-top.
"Really…?"
Tomori's face brightened at an unbelievable speed. If Kyo wasn't already used to how quickly Tomori's mood could shift, she might've suspected she was being emotionally manipulated.
"Really, really," Kyo reassured her before stepping forward, closing the distance she had unconsciously created. "So… I just sit in the middle, right?"
Tomori immediately nodded, her pigtails bouncing slightly with the motion.
Kyo gave the setup one last glance, double-checking for any hidden tricks. Finding nothing, she carefully lowered herself into the empty space, making sure not to knock over the carefully placed bottles surrounding her.
"Alright, I'm sitting. Now what?"
By now, Kyo had resigned herself to whatever bizarre scheme Tomori had cooked up. In fact, she was starting to get a little curious—Tomori wasn't usually this proactive, so there had to be some kind of logic behind this.
"And then? And then?" Anon echoed eagerly, turning to Tomori. She was just waiting to see if something fun would happen.
"Anon-chan, hold up your water bottles with me, around Kyo," Tomori explained, demonstrating by standing to Kyo's side. She raised the bottles in her hands to Kyo's face level—close, but not quite touching her—then held them steady without doing anything else.
Anon followed suit, taking position on Kyo's other side and mimicking Tomori's actions.
It was a bizarre sight…
But aside from Tomori's usual peculiar thought process, Kyo couldn't shake the feeling that she had been in a similar situation before—sitting while Anon and Tomori stood on either side, looking down at her.
A bad memory is surfacing. Don't tell me they're about to recreate it…
"Tomori, is this all we have to do?" Anon asked, confused by the lack of further instructions.
"This is fine," Tomori replied, still holding her bottles up, watching Kyo's face with a mix of nervousness and anticipation—like she truly believed that if they just waited a little longer, the reaction she wanted would come.
Kyo, however, had no idea what kind of reaction Tomori was expecting.
She had assumed there would be more to this, but nothing was happening. And sure, being surrounded by this many water bottles was somewhat pleasing, but not nearly as satisfying as, say, the sound of actual rainfall.
…Wait. Could it be?
She blinked, shifting her perspective now that she was seated within the "formation" rather than looking at it from the outside. And for the first time, she noticed it.
The astronomy club's activity room had a large window directly across from the entrance. Sunlight poured in, passing through the transparent blue water bottles, refracting into shifting patterns of light.
A cascade of blue-hued reflections danced across the floor and walls—like a shimmering underwater glow.
Especially the four bottles Anon and Tomori held in front of her, which cast a gentle, wavering blue light over her face. It was almost as if… she were inside an aquarium, bathed in the serene glow of an ocean exhibit.
Kyo glanced at Tomori's expression—anxious yet hopeful—and suddenly, she understood.
She's trying to bring me back to that moment at the aquarium.
And if she can, maybe she thinks she can get me to agree to join the band.
Even though it was a clear attempt at manipulation, Kyo couldn't help but find Tomori adorable. She chuckled, the sound slipping out before she could stop it.
"Uhh… Kyo?" Tomori flinched slightly, hands trembling. The reaction she had hoped for wasn't happening, and her disappointment was evident.
"This amount of water isn't enough," Kyo teased, reaching out to pat Tomori's head. "If you really want to recreate an aquarium, you might as well just let me drink all of these. That way, my chances of agreeing might be a little higher."
"Then… do you want to drink them?"
Tomori immediately offered her bottle, eyes lighting up once more.
Kyo didn't hesitate, twisting off the cap and taking a sip. "Bringing all these bottles up here must've taken some effort with your stamina, huh? No need to go through all that trouble next time."
"Then… Kyo, will you join the band?"
"Sorry, not interested."
Kyo hesitated for a split second.
She could have given an excuse—said she was too busy. But that lie would be too easy to see through. She wasn't that busy, and she wasn't about to start avoiding Tomori and Anon just to maintain the illusion.
"Mm… oh."
Tomori didn't even have time to let her disappointment sink in before Kyo gently rested a hand on her head, lightly pinching her cheek.
"Like I've already told you, my decision not to join isn't because of you, Tomori. It's just my own choice. Besides, look—I'm still here talking with you two about band stuff, aren't I? There's no difference between this and being in the band itself."
"You'll stay with us?"
"Yeah."
It seemed Tomori was willing to settle for a compromise. She stopped pushing, quietly sitting down beside Kyo—even if there was still a row of water bottles between them.
"Wait, what about me? I want a head pat too!"
The big pink puppy wasn't pleased. But now that they were more familiar with each other, Anon was more comfortable joking around.
"Then, bend down a little? You're a lot taller than Tomori—I can't reach."
"I was just kidding," Anon laughed, but after a brief pause, she still leaned down, letting Kyo pat her head. A grin spread across her face.