“Soyo, can we talk alone for a bit?”
Just as both sides were at a standstill—Taki growing increasingly anxious while Chihiro was trying to figure out how to wrap things up—Nina was the one to speak up first.
“Wait, I’m still—”
Before Taki could finish, Nina held up her pinky finger at her again.
What… what is with this girl?
But since she was in the wrong here, and letting this Iseri Nina person talk to Soyo alone might actually help resolve things, Taki had no choice but to watch as the two stood up and walked outside.
Outside, Nina turned to Soyo, who seemed to be struggling with something, and asked outright, her voice filled with emotion,
“Soyo, you really want to be in a band with Taki, don’t you?”
“…”
“I don’t get it.” Seeing Soyo remain silent, Nina’s tone grew more urgent. “You don’t want to leave them behind. You don’t want to study abroad. So why are you just going along with this…?”
Maybe it was because she had left home herself, unwilling to back down to her family. The first person she met in Tokyo was Chihiro, who seemed to be wandering this big city alone for the same reason.
That was why Iseri Nina couldn’t accept what Soyo was doing—giving up on what she truly wanted just because her family told her to.
“Then what about you?”
“Huh?”
Tsuzuki Chihiro smiled. She didn’t have the issues Nina was talking about, so she hadn’t taken her accusations to heart at all.
In fact, from Nina’s reaction just now, Chihiro had picked up on something.
“Chihiro told me that the moment she first saw you, she could tell you were someone who had run away from home after a fight with your family. So, why did you leave?”
“I…”
Iseri Nina opened her mouth but suddenly felt herself faltering.
“Speaking of which, Momoka was the original vocalist of Togenashi Togeari, right? How did you end up meeting her?”
“I was a fan of hers…”
“Just a fan?” Tsuzuki Chihiro narrowed her eyes, immediately sensing that Nina was hiding something.
“Well… I guess I’m kind of a lead vocalist myself now?”
Nina blurted out the truth before she could stop herself, and as soon as she did, she regretted it. Saying it out loud just made it sound like her whole “coming to Tokyo to study” thing was a joke.
“Ah~ so you’re another band kid, huh?”
Tsuzuki Chihiro sighed. Seriously, what kind of grudge did she have against bands in this lifetime? When she had tried to start one, nothing had gone her way. But now, after coming back home, every new friend she made seemed to be tied to a band.
This country was doomed. Random people you met on the street were all caught up in band-related nonsense.
Some were scheming and tricking people left and right just to bring an old band back to life.
Some were so eager to perform on stage with their idol that they didn’t even care about studying anymore.
“Oh yeah, you haven’t been studying much these past few days, have you?”
“Who says that…? I’ve been going to my tutoring classes.”
“Really?”
“…”
Alright, so Chihiro hadn’t misjudged her. This girl had completely fallen under Momoka’s influence.
At this rate, Nina’s academic future was doomed. Just yesterday, she and Soyo had been joking about how Nina was so determined to study in Tokyo, nothing would get in her way.
Turns out, they had overestimated her.
“But no matter what,” Nina continued, “Soyo, deep down, you still want to keep going with the band, don’t you? You don’t actually want to move to some foreign country, do you?”
“You—just a second ago, you looked all hesitant and unsure, and now you’re attacking me like a hedgehog with all its spikes out?”
Tsuzuki Chihiro chuckled in disbelief. But either way, everyone had the right to make their own choices. If Nina had truly found something she wanted to do, that was a good thing.
And from what Chihiro could see, with Nina’s personality, she might actually stick with what she loved for a long time.
“Alright, alright, I give up.”
Seeing Nina’s face light up with a smile, Chihiro shook her head, half amused and half exasperated. “To be honest, this whole ‘studying abroad’ thing was just an excuse. I was running away. But now, I’ve decided to face things head-on.”
“Oh, by the way—where’d you even learn that pinky gesture from?”
“Ah… well…” Feeling like she had done something truly good today, Nina scratched her head awkwardly. “It was from Momoka, actually. I’ll tell you about it another time.”
“Got it. Well, thanks for today, Nina.”
“…Soyo.” Nina hesitated for a moment before lowering her head slightly. “Chihiro… still won’t see me, huh?”
“…”
“I’ll talk to her.”
Tsuzuki Chihiro didn’t know what else to say. She simply placed a hand on Nina’s shoulder.
“When she’s ready to see you, I’ll let you know.”
“And, since you helped me today, if you ever need me to go with you somewhere, feel free to ask.”
“Mm…”
…
Shiina Taki felt like something was off.
Maybe it was just her imagination. But this nagging feeling wouldn’t leave her alone, even after Soyo left.
—Something about today’s Soyo felt different from yesterday’s.
And if she thought back even further—yesterday’s Soyo didn’t quite match the Soyo from the day before that either.
“But what exactly is different…?”
Physically, there were no major changes. Even if Soyo had worn black tights yesterday for the first time ever, that alone wasn’t enough to create such a strong sense of unease.
Maybe… it was her personality?
“Now that I think about it, it is kind of weird. Yesterday, Soyo felt exactly like the Soyo from before the band—back when she used to come around asking about Sakiko.”
“But today’s Soyo feels completely different from the one who’s been talking with us about the band these past few days…”
Muttering to herself, Taki suddenly thought of a possibility.
She didn’t consider anything ridiculous like body doubles or split personalities. Instead, she analyzed what she knew and came to her own conclusion.
Right now, Soyo was trying her best to move on from the past—but she couldn’t fully let go.
She wasn’t as strong as she seemed. Even though she had been working with everyone these past few days, trying to be a reliable core of the band…
The expectations from her family, plus the pressure Taki herself had unknowingly put on her, had forced this girl—who had already struggled so much after CRYCHIC disbanded—into an internal battle against the walls she had built around herself.
That was probably why she created a new LINE account.
Because by doing so, it felt like she could keep holding onto her past self while also facing a new life with a fresh start.
Just as she thought—Soyo was Soyo. She was never a replacement for Sakiko.
“Taki? Taki!”
“Ah… Soyo.”
Taki snapped out of her thoughts to find Soyo standing right in front of her.
“Taki, I’ve decided. I want to keep going with everyone. I’ll figure out the situation with my family.”
“Mm…”
Looking at Soyo’s bright, unwavering smile, Taki felt a pang in her chest.
Nagasaki Soyo… Just how much resolve did it take for you to get here?
—
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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