“Soyo…”
It was Saturday. With plenty of free time in the afternoon, Nagasaki Soyo wasn’t in any rush to go home. She trusted Chihiro’s abilities now.
So today, she chose to spend a little more time with Mutsumi in the garden, tending to the vegetable patch.
She hadn’t really understood before why Mutsumi was so insistent on coming back to water the cucumbers every now and then.
But now, she thought she might have a new perspective.
“What is it, Mutsumi?”
Hearing Mutsumi suddenly call her name, Soyo pushed aside her thoughts and turned toward the girl beside her.
“…Are you leaving the country because of Sakiko?”
“Leave the country…”
Damn.
Had Sakiko been talking to Mutsumi again?
Soyo had only thrown out that excuse on a whim, but now it felt like it was becoming “fact.”
It was a convenient excuse, though.
Deciding it wasn’t too big of a deal, Soyo shook her head, distancing her so-called “study abroad plans” from Sakiko.
“It had nothing to do with Sakiko.”
“Even though the band fell apart, I’m sure she had her reasons for doing what she did. That alone wouldn’t have made me leave the country.”
“To be honest, I never really wanted to go abroad.”
“But my mom is going to be transferred to the UK in a few years, and I won’t be able to stay in Japan on my own.”
“…Is that so?”
Of course not, Soyo grumbled inwardly.
She was really bad at keeping up a lie, huh?
She’d been given a second chance, the perfect opportunity to turn over a new leaf—so why was she back to making things up on the spot?
Tch. This is all Chihiro’s fault. That girl lies so easily it’s starting to rub off on me.
“I had a hard time accepting it when we all drifted apart,” Soyo continued, her words flowing a little too naturally. “But once I realized that I’d have to leave eventually, I finally understood.”
“Sakiko probably had her reasons too. Maybe they were even more unavoidable than mine.”
“But we’re just students. What can we do besides accept it?”
“Back then, I didn’t get that. I put too much pressure on Sakiko… and for that, I feel sorry.”
That last part was genuine.
Back then, when Sakiko had looked at her with cold, emotionless eyes and told her, You only ever think about yourself, what had she felt?
Soyo remembered the disbelief.
The sense of collapse.
But after all this time, she understood now—it had been her who had pushed Sakiko away.
But even knowing that, she still couldn’t bring herself to give up.
Not yet.
At the very least, she needed to confirm whether Sakiko’s reason for leaving was truly unsolvable.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to move on.
“Mutsumi, don’t you have ballet class today?”
“I do. I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Mm.”
Soyo glanced at the cucumber patch again.
And suddenly, she had her answer.
Because… in this tiny patch of soil, Mutsumi had something that was truly hers.
Her own creation.
A moment of peace.
—
“Soyo, what do we do?! Anon isn’t giving up at all!”
Taki busied herself clearing away the teacups and plates, but her scowl had completely taken over her face.
She had honestly thought that, after today’s talk, things would play out the way she and Soyo had expected—that this pink-haired girl, realizing she was outmatched, would just back down and leave.
But even after Soyo had laid out the entire history of CRYCHIC, after emphasizing Tomori’s feelings and how much the band had meant to all of them—Anon showed zero signs of retreating.
“She’s just saying that for now,” Chihiro said casually, taking a sip of the coffee she hadn’t gotten a chance to drink earlier.
She smiled at Taki, who always got worked up over the smallest things.
Chihiro had to admit, having Anon back off would have been the best outcome.
But it seemed like all those compliments she’d showered on her during the train ride had boosted her confidence too much.
Now the girl actually wanted to challenge herself.
But then again…
Chihiro felt a little guilty toward Anon.
That girl had opened up to her completely, shared her deepest insecurities.
And yet, Chihiro had still chosen to keep her own secrets.
She would do her best to grant Anon’s wishes.
But at the same time, she would consider how to balance everyone’s expectations.
Who said that fulfilling the request to revive CRYCHIC meant she had to keep messing things up for these passionate girls?
Maybe Soyo was just too stuck in her way of thinking.
“But…”
“But Anon brought it up with Tomori again today, and Tomori didn’t immediately say no, right?”
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Taki frowned.
She could already tell this was heading in a bad direction.
If Tomori really did form a band with Anon, there was no way it would end well.
Even during their earlier conversation, Anon hadn’t been as stubborn about being the lead vocalist as Taki had expected.
She had even reluctantly admitted that playing guitar was fine too.
But that look on her face—that ‘I’m getting the short end of the stick’ attitude—was seriously annoying.
“Taki, I’ve been meaning to ask… do you really like Tomori—”
“Hah?!”
“—’s songs?”
“…Yeah.”
Taki shot “Soyo” an annoyed look for her dramatic pause, then muttered an honest response.
“So, you want to see her back on stage one day, singing her heart out again?”
“…”
Taki frowned.
She couldn’t deny it.
She had never joined another band at school.
Because, deep down, she had always been waiting—waiting for a chance to play with Tomori again.
But…
“I know what you’re thinking,” Chihiro cut in. “But have you ever wondered why, when Sakiko invited us to form a band, Tomori was the first to join?”
“Logically, shouldn’t she have been the last, like Mutsumi?”
Taki didn’t answer.
Chihiro took her silence as permission to continue.
Piecing together the information she had, with a little bit of her own improvisation, she said:
“It’s because Tomori wants to be heard.”
“She might not talk much, but inside, she has a lot to say.”
“So if Anon keeps pushing… she will agree.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” Chihiro added. “Something Anon told me before she got here.”
“What?”
“Right before she and you fought at RiNG, Tomori almost accepted her invitation.”
“…What?”
“Let’s just keep watching for now.”
“I won’t let Tomori get hurt again.”
“If anyone’s going to be the one to take the fall this time…”
“It’ll be a certain fool named Nagasaki Soyo.”
“Soyo…”
Looking at the girl in front of her, Taki suddenly felt as if she were seeing her in an entirely new light.
Soyo really had changed.
And it was in a way that even Taki couldn’t help but admire.
—
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!
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