“So amane-sama was Yamatsu Rui-sama...!”
“Eh...?” “Unyu...?”
Not only Ichikawa, who was specifically named, but for some reason even Azuma answered in a cat-like manner for the first time in a while.
“Who’s Yamazurui?”
“I think she’s a lyricist... someone Taira-chan likes?”
“Hooo...”
“Hey, focus on the conversation.”
Beside them, Sako and I were whispering back and forth.
“Um, first of all, what do you mean by amane-sama...?”
Ichikawa asked Taira-chan, her eyes darting around in confusion.
“I-I should have said so earlier! I am actually a huge fan of amane-sama!”
“Eh, really!?”
amane-sama looked shocked. I guess she hadn't been told directly by her.
“Yes...! I thought my feelings might become a pressure to you, so I haven’t mentioned it until now...! But I love you so much, so much that my body has been trained to hear the sound just by pressing my ear against the CD...!”
“Ugh, creepy...”
Sako recoiled at the shocking confession, while—
““I get it...””
—the two believers agreed.
“I-I see... um, thank you, I guess?”
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, yay! Not at all! It’s I who should be thanking you! Truly, I have been saved by amane-sama’s music all this time! Yes!”
No, she repeated that initial humble denial so much that it turned into a rhythmic “Yay!” at the end.
“Ahaha... I’m honored. Truly, thank you.”
Ichikawa smiled and bowed slightly, then—
“So, who is this Yamatsu Rui...?”
She finally threw out the obvious question.
“Eh...? No, no, there’s no need to play dumb anymore, you know?! I’m talking about Yamatsu Rui-sama, the administrator and poster on that famous lyrics site, ‘My Lyrics’! You’re the same person as amane-sama, right!?”
Taira-chan’s eyes were sparkling.
Wait, why did it turn out like that?
“Um... I really don’t know what you’re talking about...?”
Ichikawa tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled.
“...Huh? No, no, but, the lyrics for the song you were just singing, ‘Daily Life,’ were definitely posted on ‘My Lyrics’ during the first semester! It wasn’t the full text, but I read the first half around June! I was so excited, thinking ‘A long post after so long! Let’s go!’ and read it over and over!”
...I see, I’m starting to understand.
“Since the lyricist for ‘Daily Life’ is Yamatsu Rui-sama, and ‘Daily Life’ is a song made by amane-sama, it follows that Yamatsu Rui-sama and amane-sama are the same person, right...?”
At Taira-chan’s brilliant deduction—
“““Ahhh...”””
—everyone except one person let out a long realization.
Looking at the one person who didn't—
“Nyaa...”
There stood the Poemer, her face beet-red and trembling. (...Why does Azuma turn into a cat when her sensitive spots are poked?)
Well, basically, that seems to be how it is.
The site ‘My Lyrics’ by Yamatsu Rui was the blog Azuma had mentioned before, where she posted lyrics without telling anyone.
Around June, ‘Daily Life’ was posted on that blog.
Taira-chan found it and read it, and since she thinks amane wrote the lyrics and music for ‘Daily Life,’ she deduced that Yamatsu Rui and amane are the same person. (She probably couldn't hear the lyrics during the low-quality audio at Rock On, but she could hear them during our practice just now.)
However, from the perspective of us three who know that ‘Daily Life’ was actually written by Azuma, it means that Yamatsu Rui is actually Yuri Azuma herself.
Even so, I wonder what that pen name ‘Yamatsu Rui’ means?
As that question floated in my head, I looked at Azuma and met her moist eyes.
“Anyagram...”
Huh...?
“Anyagram...!”
...Ah, an “Anagram.”
She must have used her skill 《Mind Reading》 to answer my question.
So she can still use her skills even in Azuma-cat version (commonly known as Azunya).
An anagram, if I recall, is a wordplay where you rearrange letters to form a different word. Like “Morita” becoming “Tamori.” I’ve seen it before.
Azuma Yuri... Yamazu Rui...
Wait, only the “Ma” and “Zu” match up?
If that’s the case, is it in Romaji?
Ah. Azuma Yuri → Yamazu Rui. I see.
Okay. That clears it up.
...Now, what do we do about this situation?
“Um, so, should I just say that I’m Yamatsu Rui...?”
Ichikawa offered a lifeline to Azunya that wasn't really much of a lifeline.
“Nyan...”
Seriously, which is it...?
“...Excuse me.”
While the second-years were having a high-context conversation with just their eyes, Taira-chan spoke up quietly.
“I don’t know what you seniors think of me, but even someone as silly as I can tell by now...?”
Taira-chan’s face was cast down, so I couldn't see her expression from here.
Wait, is she angry...?
“In other words... Master is Yamatsu Rui-sama, isn't she!?”
Taira-chan suddenly snapped her head up, her eyes sparkling with light, and grabbed Azuma’s hands.
“...!”
Azuma, her face bright red, bit her lip for a while with an expression of worry and hesitation, but after a moment—
“...That’s right.”
—she admitted it.
“Wow...!”
Ichikawa looked delighted.
It might be a small step, but another person now knows that Azuma writes lyrics.
“Amazing...! You really, truly are my Master...!”
“Ahaha, what is that even...”
But for Azuma, this must still be something that requires a lot of courage.
Her hands and legs were trembling, ever so slightly.
“Yurisuke, it’s okay.”
Sako stepped closer to Azuma and gently supported her body.
“Sako-hasu, thanks...”
Azuma smiled happily.
“Master...?”
Seeing Azuma like that, Taira-chan’s face became a mix of sadness and worry.
“Master, is telling someone that you write lyrics... really that scary?”
“...Ahaha, maybe so.”
Azuma gave a strained smile.
“Sorry, showing you such a pathetic side when you look up to me.”
Taira-chan cast her eyes down again.
“...As I thought, it’s unforgivable.”
Her voice was trembling.
“Tsubame-chan...?”
“To do such a thing to a talented person... The horrible person who threw ‘words sharp as icicles’ at Master, at Yamatsu Rui-sama, and also,”
Taira-chan looked at Ichikawa with a face on the verge of tears.
“Hey, Taira-chan.”
“The person who posted that horrible tweet about amane-san too.”
“...!”
Sako, standing next to me, gasped.
“Taira-chan, look...!” “Tsubame-chan, that’s enough...!”
“Taira-san.”
Interrupting the words Ichikawa and I were about to say, Sako took a step forward.
“Yes...?”
Sako’s profile was incredibly serious, and—
“The one who posted that tweet... was me.”
“Ha— Hasu-senpai...?”
Sako’s painful resolve and stinging honesty seeped through her voice.
“I won’t run or hide anymore. I’m going to tell you everything.”