Tsuzuki Chihiro was in a good mood today.
Actually, she had been in a good mood for the past few days.
Aside from the occasional moments when talking with Sakiko made her think about her own past, she hadn’t really felt upset about anything.
And even then… she wasn’t at the point where she could completely let her guard down like Anon.
Not yet, anyway.
When she got “home,” the first thing she noticed was the distinct smell of something burnt.
Her nose wrinkled.
“Are you… trying to poison me?”
“Uh.”
In the kitchen, Soyo looked like a child caught red-handed. Her eyes darted around, avoiding Chihiro’s gaze.
“Why are you suddenly trying to cook?”
“I thought… I’d reward you a little.”
“You sure this is a reward and not punishment?” Chihiro deadpanned, sighing as she unceremoniously dumped the burnt thing into the trash.
“Ah… I forgot about it.”
Soyo let out an awkward laugh.
She wasn’t about to admit that she had been so focused on watching for Sakiko’s reply that she completely forgot about the stove.
“Next time, don’t step into the kitchen. Leave that to me. Just focus on your job.”
“…”
For a moment, Soyo felt disoriented.
Because those words…
Those were the exact words her mother used to say.
Her mother had always told her not to worry about things only adults should concern themselves with. Just study hard. Everything else, she would take care of.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing… You cook, I’ll just wait over there.”
Chihiro glanced at her but didn’t press.
Soyo was a strange one.
A normal person wouldn’t have hired a scammer to help them rebuild a band, after all.
A band…
Soyo didn’t want her questioning things, so she never did.
But deep down, Chihiro still couldn’t quite accept the idea of clinging so desperately to something that was already broken.
Especially when it came to Sakiko.
Balancing Anon, her little sister Raana, and her boss-mommy Soyo… That was already a challenge in itself.
Soyo might think she was on the verge of “conquering the world,” but Chihiro, who actually knew what was going on, knew better.
This was all just an illusion.
“Don’t try this again.”
“You already said that.”
“I did?” Chihiro waved her off, motioning for Soyo to grab the dishes. “So what was this about?”
“I should be asking you what you were up to today.”
“You first. You set the kitchen on fire, after all.”
“Fine…” Soyo was in a good mood, so she didn’t argue.
“Sakiko messaged me.”
“…That’s it?”
“She had me blocked for a long time. Today, she unblocked me.” Soyo deliberately emphasized the word blocked, annoyed by Chihiro’s lack of reaction.
“Why do you sound so proud? I’ve scammed a lot of girls before, and none of them ever blocked me.”
“…”
Soyo had no comeback for that.
“Anyway, I was surprised. Even if the person she mentioned wasn’t me.”
That was the only downside.
Sakiko had finally sent her a message, but…
She hadn’t asked why she blocked her.
She hadn’t asked if she was really studying abroad.
She hadn’t even brought up Crychic.
Instead, she had sent a half-threatening message telling her not to bully Tsuzuki Chihiro.
Excuse me?! That absolute menace?! I have never won a single argument against her, and you think I’m the one bullying her?!
“Oh, I see what happened.”
Chihiro casually twirled some pasta around her fork, completely unfazed.
“Okay, your turn. What were you up to today?”
“Classified information.”
“…Hah?”
Soyo was genuinely stunned.
“I hired you. I pay you. As your employer, I have the right to know what you’ve been doing.”
“That’s a completely reasonable request, isn’t it?”
“Hmm. That’s fair. I can’t argue with that.”
Chihiro nodded, acknowledging her point.
Then she smiled.
“But I’ll only tell you some things. Anything Sakiko asked me to keep private—I won’t say a word.”
“…Fine. You’re impossible to get answers out of.”
“I mean, there is one way you could make me talk.”
“…Just say it.”
Ignoring Chihiro’s usual teasing, Soyo impatiently tapped the table.
“I told her I work for you. But I didn’t tell her exactly what I do. I just said I was a part-time housekeeper.”
“And?”
“Naturally, Sakiko was suspicious. She thought it was way too much of a coincidence. She might’ve even wondered if I was sent by you.”
“Which, well… I was.”
“Cut the nonsense!”
“So I explained that I needed money for college and was looking into independent tutoring programs. That’s how I happened to meet you at a study-abroad consultation.”
“Study… abroad?!”
Soyo froze.
Then she remembered.
She had told Chihiro about that.
Back then, she had thrown it out as a random excuse while talking to Sakiko, never expecting it to actually be useful.
And yet, Chihiro had taken that meaningless detail and turned it into a perfect cover story.
Damn. I really am a genius.
Of course, she was only joking.
It was Chihiro who had made use of it.
“That way, Sakiko had no reason to doubt why I was there. And it reinforced her impression that you’re not thinking about CRYCHIC anymore”.
“Isn’t that exactly what you wanted? Stabilize Mutsumi and Sakiko first, before dealing with the others?”
“…That’s true.”
“But I didn’t expect her to actually message you. What exactly did she say? You didn’t say anything dumb, did you?”
“…That’s none of your business. I didn’t screw up.”
“Hey, you made me spill my secrets. We’re supposed to be exchanging information!”
“You didn’t tell me everything either! Hey—what do you think you’re doing?! Are you trying to steal my phone?! Traitor!”
“Isn’t ‘overthrowing authority’ a long-standing Neon culture?”
Ten minutes later, after a friendly exchange with her “ally,” Soyo finally managed to push Chihiro out of her room.
She sat down, pulling out her phone.
Sakiko’s chat window was still open.
No response yet… Should I… No, no, I have to hold back!
—
T/N: hhhemrmem Soyo is usually gentle when talking with others, but not here because hehe scammer also because uhhh she regressed uhhh yea
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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