The first thing Nagasaki Soyo did when she opened her eyes was check the date and time.
When she saw “April 27” displayed on her phone screen, she silently let out a breath of relief.
She didn’t know why she had been able to return, but this time… she wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Even before her rebirth, she’d already sensed it—whether it was the new band or the now-vanished CRYCHIC, both were already doomed.
Her lies wouldn’t hold up for long. By June 6, she had practically laid all her cards on the table. Once Raana learned the truth, there was no reason for her to hide what Soyo had done from Anon out of some misplaced sense of loyalty.
What would happen next was obvious. Anon would leave after learning the truth. Then Raana would leave. And in the end, Tomori would leave too.
As for Taki? That girl would probably disappear the very first day she sensed something was off.
“So, from the very beginning, I never should have started a new band. That was where all the mistakes began.”
Muttering to herself as she changed clothes, Soyo glanced around her empty room and suddenly felt a loneliness that seemed to chase her across time itself.
“…I should head to school.”
School was still school, after all. And now that she had a second chance, Soyo intended to enjoy her campus life properly.
Some things were simply out of reach—there was no point in thinking about them too much. The best thing she could do was hold onto the people and moments right in front of her, ensuring that her life remained undisturbed.
Tsukinomori Girls’ Academy wasn’t exactly close to her home in Roppongi. Wearing her school uniform, Soyo had to take the subway and transfer to the train before finally arriving at the school gates.
At nearly 8 a.m. on April 27, the school entrance was still bustling with students. But what struck Soyo as odd today was the presence of a tall woman, about her own height, with long golden hair—someone she had never seen before.
She only glanced at her briefly before dismissing the thought. Details like this weren’t something she usually paid much attention to.
“Mutsumi.”
“…Soyo.”
At the sound of her voice, Wakaba Mutsumi, who had been walking ahead in silence, stopped in her tracks. The girl slowly turned to look back at Soyo, her expression as indifferent as ever.
“Long time no see.”
“We saw each other the day before yesterday.”
“Ah… I meant—never mind, it’s nothing.”
To Soyo, the Mutsumi standing before her had been absent from her life for over a month. She was someone from the “past.” Before her rebirth, Soyo had been absent from school for days, and even when she did show up, she barely acknowledged Mutsumi.
So seeing her again now really did feel like it had been a long time.
Mutsumi seemed a little puzzled by her words. She glanced up at Soyo but ultimately chose to say nothing.
“Let’s go, class is about to start.”
Soyo smiled. Mutsumi might have always been the quiet type, but she had still been the last person to leave CRYCHIC by her side.
Besides… if she thought about it, Mutsumi was probably the only friend she had at school.
“You know, that temporary English substitute teacher we’ve had lately is really awful. But our original teacher, Miyano-sensei, is on maternity leave, so there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s so annoying.”
“Don’t say that. What if the teachers find out?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? The school forum is full of complaints about them. If the administration hears about it, maybe they’ll get us a new teacher sooner.”
Hearing her classmates gossiping about the teachers, Nagasaki Soyo felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
This kind of thing wasn’t unusual. Tsukinomori was a girls’ school, and the majority of its teachers were women. Naturally, maternity leave was something that happened regularly. But once students got used to a particular teacher, adjusting to a new one was always difficult.
Soyo didn’t think the complaints were entirely unreasonable.
If she had to make a comparison… adding an “evil pink-haired girl” and a “sinful cat girl” to a band obviously wouldn’t make it better than the original lineup with Sakiko and Mutsumi.
Especially the keyboard! A band without a keyboard had no soul. Two guitars? That was just overkill! A completely unnecessary addition!
Of course, if anyone ever suggested that the bass was the unnecessary part, whether they were joking or just clueless, Soyo wouldn’t hesitate to bash their head in with her bass.
“We have English first period today, right?”
The morning bell hadn’t rung yet, and the classroom was still abuzz with chatter. Soyo didn’t particularly want to listen to these complaints a second time, but she couldn’t exactly tune them out either.
“Aren’t substitute teachers usually retired or former faculty members? Why is this one so bad?”
“Huh? You don’t know? That teacher was from a dispatch company. Apparently, they were a newbie.”
“That explains it. Newbies just can’t compare. When it comes to this, I’m a traditionalist—originals are always better.”
“Why do I feel like you’re hinting at something? Spill! Did someone in class just break up with their boyfriend?”
“……”
Just then, an argument suddenly broke out in the hallway.
Soyo froze for a moment. This wasn’t something she remembered happening before.
Curious, she glanced out the window—just in time to see the previous substitute teacher storming away in frustration.
And… wait a second.
That person in the hallway—where had she seen her before?
Before Soyo could figure it out, the door to Class 1-A swung open.
Stepping inside was a strikingly beautiful woman, a little over 160 cm tall, with long wavy blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and an elegant face.
This was an all-girls school, but admiration for beauty wasn’t limited to boys—people of all genders appreciated it.
Clearly, the moment Tsuzuki Chihiro walked in, she caught everyone’s attention.
First impressions? Nearly perfect.
“Good morning, everyone. I’ll be your new substitute teacher for the next few days. Your previous teacher had to step down due to a sudden job transfer, so I’ll be taking over.”
She paused for a moment, scanning the room filled with curious, skeptical, and puzzled gazes.
Then, with a soft smile, she turned to the blackboard and wrote down an English name:
[Anon]
…???
There was a problem. A huge problem. A gigantic, massive, colossal problem!!!
Soyo’s eyes widened like saucers. Everything was falling apart.
Who was this person? Why had she suddenly appeared as their new teacher?
And more importantly—
That name.
Did they think she couldn’t read? Did they think she didn’t recognize Roman letters?!
That was literally the real name of that evil pink-haired girl!
“This student. You there?”
“Ah—”
Realizing that every single pair of eyes in the classroom was now on her—including Anon’s—Soyo panicked.
“Are you alright? You looked a little unwell just now.”
“N-no… I’m fine… A-Anon-sensei.”
—
This is a fan translation of 素世同学，恭喜你被我优化了 by 杰克喵. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
Reader discussion
0 Comments
Be the first reader to share a thought about this chapter.