Tsuzuki Chihiro narrowed her eyes, clearly considering the feasibility of the proposal.
“Relax, I won’t make you do anything illegal. At the very least, what I’m suggesting is far more human than the absurd things you’ve been up to.”
“So, you’re saying I’m inhuman right now?”
“…What do you think?” Soyo suddenly thought of something and curiously asked, “By the way, how old are you?”
“Born on May 20, 2004. You tell me.”
With a loud smack, Nagasaki Soyo suddenly slammed the table, staring in disbelief as she exclaimed, “Then that means you’re only seven days older than me?! You—you—you… You really are too inhuman!”
“Keep it down. There are other customers here.”
“Ahem…”
Soyo’s face flushed slightly as she awkwardly sat back down, but her gaze toward Tsuzuki Chihiro still carried a hint of grievance.
“By the way… that’s a wig, right?”
Nagasaki Soyo didn’t sell out Rinna, but she was genuinely curious about this Tsuzuki Chihiro, who supposedly resembled her in some way. What did she really look like?
“Mhm, wait a moment.”
Given the current situation, Tsuzuki Chihiro figured there was no need to keep secrets from someone who was, in a way, “on the same side.” So, she stood up, asked a staff member where the restroom was, and went to remove her disguise.
When she returned, Soyo, who had been keeping an eye on the entrance of RiNG, finally saw Chihiro’s true appearance.
Long, wine-red hair, the same blue eyes as hers, and indeed, a facial structure that bore some resemblance to her own—but only at a glance.
Upon closer inspection, Tsuzuki Chihiro had her own unique presence and charm. Her eyes lacked Soyo’s natural warmth, replaced instead with a certain fragility.
That’s right—despite all the utterly inhuman things this girl had done, Soyo’s first impression upon seeing her face was that of a naïve, sheltered rich girl.
It was utterly ridiculous… No wonder she was such a natural at deceiving people.
With a face like that, exuding an air of “I couldn’t possibly lie,” who wouldn’t fall for her tricks?
“What’s wrong? Staring at me like that?”
Tsuzuki Chihiro flashed an amused smile, making Nagasaki Soyo’s lips twitch involuntarily.
“Let’s just talk business,” Soyo sighed, shaking her head in exasperation, deciding not to dwell on the matter of appearances. “First, let me confirm one thing—will you accept my proposal?
“Of course, I can’t force you if you refuse. Like you said earlier, I… really don’t have any way to make you do anything.”
Nagasaki Soyo felt frustrated. As a “second-playthrough” player, this was the first time she had ever felt such a strong sense of powerlessness.
But then she reminded herself that the girl in front of her was an unexpected variable in this playthrough, and that lessened her frustration—just a little.
“I’ll do it. Of course, I’ll do it,” Tsuzuki Chihiro answered carelessly. “As long as what you need me to do is within my capabilities.”
“For you, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Soyo thought about it. Although she had failed to revive CRYCHIC in her previous life and still didn’t have a better plan this time around, the tight timeline made it nearly impossible for her to come up with one.
Right now, her only viable and safest move was to stop these people from forming a band.
“Since you’ve agreed, that means we now have a contractor-client relationship. So I’ll be honest with you—Anon and I actually have no connection whatsoever.”
“…Huh?”
Seeing Chihiro’s stunned expression, Soyo’s lips curled into a smirk, satisfaction flooding her heart.
“All I can say is that I’ve heard about her from others, but I barely know anything about her. I didn’t even know she went to the UK or which middle school she attended before that.”
“……”
Perfect. That’s exactly the reaction I wanted. Soyo was elated, feeling a rush of smugness as she spoke.
“So in reality, I have nothing to do with her. At least, not yet. As far as I know, she shouldn’t even recognize me. That’s the only thing I’ve kept from you.”
“Alright then.” Chihiro looked a bit exasperated but didn’t dwell on it. “So, what exactly do you need my help with?”
“I want to commission you—to help me reunite CRYCHIC.”
“CRYCHIC? What’s that?”
“A band I joined in middle school. There were five members in total: me, on bass; Togawa Sakiko, our keyboardist and songwriter; Wakaba Mutsumi, on guitar; Shiina Taki, on drums; and Takamatsu Tomori, our vocalist.”
“And you? The band doesn’t seem to be missing anyone.”
“…I played bass.”
“See? Not missing anyone at all~”
“Do you want me to punch you?!” Soyo almost slammed the table again but managed to hold herself back.
Bass-player jokes were nothing new to her. As a veteran bassist, she should be used to them by now, not getting riled up so easily.
“Anyway, right before graduation, the band suddenly broke up. It started when Sakiko said she was quitting, but she was basically the heart and soul of the band, so that meant…”
“You all ended up disbanding?”
“Yeah…”
Talking about it, Soyo’s expression darkened instantly. She knew she could never forget that band for as long as she lived. After all…
It was the first time she had found like-minded friends. The first time she had felt warmth.
“So you want me to bring this shattered CRYCHIC back together?”
“That’s right. It shouldn’t be too hard for you, right?”
“It’s not impossible, but…” Chihiro hesitated for a moment before finally voicing her thoughts. “I just feel like… it’s not really necessary. Band breakups are pretty normal. You should—”
“I can’t accept it.”
This time, Soyo’s voice was controlled—quiet enough not to disturb the other patrons—but her expression made it clear just how firm she was.
“I can’t accept an ending like that.”
“Everyone got along. We never had any conflicts. Our first live was a huge success. Our personal channel had just launched, and our journal had only recorded Day One of our journey.”
“I can’t accept it.”
“So that’s my request. If you agree, I’ll cover all your living expenses. If you want to go to school, I can even ask my mom to help with your enrollment.”
“But please—don’t question this decision of mine, okay?”
“…Fine.”
“Good, then let’s go over—wait, hold on. It’s starting.”
“It’s starting? What’s starting?”
Chihiro was completely confused. She watched as Soyo, who had been glancing toward the window every so often, suddenly tensed up, her expression shifting to excitement. Following her gaze, Chihiro turned toward the street outside.
“…Is that Anon?”
“Stay here. Don’t leave. I have something to take care of.”
Without hesitation, Soyo slammed a wad of cash onto the table before dashing outside.
“This girl… Whatever. Can’t say no to free money.”
Chihiro took a sip of her latte, eyes narrowing in contentment.
“Damn, this is good.”
“But that really was Anon, wasn’t it? And judging by Soyo’s reaction…”
“…Whatever. I’ll keep watching for now.”
—
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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