"So, are you jealous?"
In response to the girl's question, Mutsumi Kamijo didn't answer directly, instead posing a question of his own.
"Don't worry, I love you both equally!"
"..."
The girl, Mutsumi Wakaba, had no intention of replying. Instead, she attempted to use her death glare to pierce through Kamijo Mutsumi's psychological defenses.
"...If you keep this up, I'm going to have to accuse you of using the female gaze, Ms. Mutsumi Wakaba~"
Seeing that she was as unresponsive as a doll, Kamijo Mutsumi started to find it boring.
"Besides, for you to be so concerned about another woman... aren't you disregarding me, your fiancé, just a little?"
That's right. Kamijo Mutsumi was Mutsumi Wakaba's fiancé.
Which also meant that Mutsumi Wakaba was Kamijo Mutsumi's fiancée.
If anyone who didn't know the truth were to hear this, words like "childhood betrothal" or "childhood friends" would surely pop into their heads.
But in reality, the relationship between Kamijo Mutsumi and Mutsumi Wakaba wasn't just distant; they were practically complete strangers.
The person Kamijo Mutsumi was actually familiar with was her father...
Well, at least on the surface.
In fact, among the three bands in MyGO!!!!!, Mutsumi Wakaba's family background was quite privileged.
However, compared to those from more ordinary backgrounds, her parents were, for Kamijo Mutsumi, much easier to deal with.
Take Tomori's family, for example. Even though they weren't particularly well-off, her parents would never sell out their daughter for personal gain.
But for Mr. Wakaba, a famous comedian who was only middle-aged and still wanted to advance his career, the same couldn't be said.
Of course, it didn't have to be put so harshly.
Mr. Wakaba was simply finding a good match for his daughter while simultaneously advancing his own career. Why refuse such a win-win situation?
As for Mutsumi Wakaba's feelings on the matter...
What do kids know?
Your parents are only doing what's best for you. You'll understand when you're older!
And so, while Mutsumi Wakaba was still suffering from her own heart-wrenching issues, she inexplicably gained a fiancé.
And the official reason Kamijo Mutsumi wanted to get close to her...
That's right, it was for the voice acting in his anime.
This was also why Mutsumi Wakaba's attitude had grown even more serious when he'd explained himself earlier.
Having her isn't enough, you also have to go after Soyo? Why don't you just catch Sakiko in your net as well?
"I..."
Faced with Kamijo Mutsumi pulling the "fiancé" card, Mutsumi Wakaba clearly showed a hint of hesitation, temporarily losing the focus to worry about Soyo.
"This is the first time we've met. It's not very appropriate to keep talking about other women, is it?"
"More importantly... Mutsumi, what do you think of me, your future other half?"
"...You are my fiancé. My future husband."
Her opinion? What opinion could she have?
In truth, because he had appeared out of nowhere and was also targeting Soyo, Mutsumi Wakaba's initial impression of Kamijo Mutsumi was not very good.
But what meaning do the thoughts of a doll have?
Or rather, how could a doll have thoughts of its own?
The suppressive upbringing she had endured since childhood had made obedience almost second nature to her.
Therefore, her attitude towards Kamijo Mutsumi was based only on the factual status of their relationship, devoid of any subjective evaluation.
"So you're saying you're very dissatisfied, then?"
Kamijo Mutsumi, however, interpreted a different meaning from her words.
"..."
And surprisingly, Mutsumi Wakaba did not refute it.
"Actually, I didn't intend for things to be this way at first."
Looking at the girl who seemed resigned to her fate, Kamijo Mutsumi felt a little bored and decided to drop a bombshell.
"If you're really not satisfied... how about I have a word with that old geezer and we call off our engagement? It's only a verbal agreement, anyway..."
That's right. Although he found "Cucumber Hero" quite cute, Kamijo Mutsumi had initially approached her father only to find a voice actress.
But that old man had misunderstood and was practically throwing his daughter at him.
Even so, their engagement was only verbal, with no binding power whatsoever.
The old man's attitude was really just to "get to know each other first," but his earnest daughter had taken it as gospel.
"Call off the engagement..."
Hearing Kamijo Mutsumi's words, Mutsumi Wakaba's eyes predictably lit up for a moment, but her golden pupils quickly dimmed again.
So what if the engagement is called off? Does a doll truly have the right to choose her own marriage?
In the end... it will all be the same.
"I will fulfill my duties as a fiancée, and as a wife."
As if she had finally made a decision, Mutsumi Wakaba looked at Kamijo Mutsumi with a determined expression.
"So... you cannot make a move on Soyo!"
Her own life is already set in stone, but at the very least, she has to protect Soyo.
Although Soyo probably didn't have a good impression of her—after all, not only did her line "I've never had fun in a band" deliver the final blow to CRYCHIC, but she also only paid lip service to helping, never proactively contacting Sakiko for her.
But people forget the relationship between Mutsumi and Sakiko. They were childhood friends, two halves of the same soul.
In fact, after Sakiko, Soyo was the person Mutsumi cared about the most.
Even when Soyo resented her, her heart was still thinking of Soyo...
She's so pure, my heart breaks for her.
"I thought Soyo was already invincible, but to think someone even more valiant exists. Whose general is this?"
Mutsumi Wakaba's words, however, almost made Kamijo Mutsumi laugh out loud.
And here I was saying Anon was too normal to be a manga protagonist. Look, isn't Mutsumi stepping up to the plate?
Soyo is already a master who can compete for the top spot, but it turns out Mutsumi is an even bigger heavyweight.
"To think my fiancée is such a forward person... it makes me a little angry, you know."
"I am not... forward!"
Kamijo Mutsumi's words had clearly crossed a line for the innocent girl. Even the doll showed a flicker of anger.
"See? You can get angry. What's the matter? You dare to talk back to me, but you don't dare to resist that old geezer at home?"
However, faced with her displeasure, Kamijo Mutsumi simply smiled.
"..."
Now she was speechless.
"It's not the same..." she finally said in a low voice after a long silence.
You listen to him so obediently, is he your father?
Oh, right, he is!
"Alright then, we'll leave it at that for now."
Kamijo Mutsumi didn't get angry. He knew that habits formed since childhood couldn't be changed so easily.
Besides, he was the main culprit behind her predicament. Although he hadn't intended it, he hadn't refused either. To then criticize her for lacking her own opinions would be a real jerk move.
Anyway, this is just the beginning. The real fun is watching a doll gradually transform into a real human being in my hands.
The reason he hadn't refused Mr. Wakaba in the first place—wasn't it also because he wanted to use this status to see how this cute doll would react?
"But what I said before... the offer still stands."