“Chihiro… Ah, figures she’s not home.”
Returning home in utter defeat, Soyo instinctively wanted to call out inside—to find her ever-reliable strategist and discuss a countermeasure. But clearly, Chihiro wasn’t home today.
Though, if she was being honest, “discussing countermeasures” was just an excuse. What she really wanted… was to lay everything out on the table.
She wanted to know—had Chihiro ever truly considered her a friend?
Friend…
The word itself almost made Soyo laugh.
Because if she really thought about it—had she ever sought out Chihiro with the simple desire to make a friend?
No.
From the very beginning, she had merely exploited Chihiro’s difficult circumstances and her impressive talents.
By sheer luck and a fortunate information gap, she had uncovered Chihiro’s secret, then used it as leverage—offering just enough incentive to lure her into a situation where their paths, under normal circumstances, would never have crossed.
She had let Chihiro move into her home not because of friendship, but because she saw her as a necessary tool in reviving CRYCHIC. That was why she had confided in her.
That was nothing like the natural, mutual understanding that real friends shared.
So maybe—just maybe—Tsuzuki Chihiro had never seen her as a friend at all.
Not that it would be surprising. After all, why would she expect someone to consider a lying manipulator like her as the only person who truly understood her?
Soyo slumped onto the couch, staring at the ceiling with a bitter smile.
“…When it comes down to it, I barely know anything about her, do I?”
No—that wasn’t quite right.
To be precise, before that night when Chihiro came home injured and still insisted on cooking for her, Soyo had never made any real effort to understand her.
Even that night, her curiosity had been fleeting—instantly shut down when Chihiro, cold-faced as ever, refused to say anything.
And yet… after that, something had changed.
Maybe… it was because this money-scamming con artist, Chihiro, possessed something that she, Soyo, deeply, desperately longed for.
—A relentless devotion to keeping promises.
Maybe Soyo hadn’t taken Tomori’s “let’s be in a band forever” idea all that seriously at first.
But she had thought about it.
She had considered it.
She just… had never truly believed the band would last.
Yet, when it came to promises that mattered, Nagasaki Soyo was stubborn to the point of obsession.
The thing that had hurt her most wasn’t just Sakiko’s cold remark about her being selfish and self-absorbed.
It was when she said—“No one ever asked you to do this.”
But why?
They had promised to keep going together.
They had planned more lives beyond that one.
Why was she the only one clinging to that promise so desperately?
Looking at it now, she could admit—her obsession was meaningless.
Maybe she just refused to face reality, refused to let go of the past.
Maybe she needed to stop being fixated on what was lost… and start appreciating what she still had.
But when she had played Mayoi Uta for Chihiro…
For the first time, someone had recognized her stubbornness as something valid.
Even if Taki didn’t understand her.
Even if Sakiko rejected her.
Even if Mutsumi wouldn’t support her.
For the first time, she had found a comrade—someone who saw value in what she was doing.
“…No. I have to do something.”
Soyo shot upright from the couch.
Her thoughts were clear now.
CRYCHIC was her obsession.
But compared to that, there was something she wanted even more.
She couldn’t lose what she had now.
She could admit it—Sakiko was right. She was selfish.
Because right now, she didn’t want Chihiro to leave.
She wanted them to keep living together, the two of them, not alone.
And that, above reviving CRYCHIC—above any vague, distant dream—was the one tangible, achievable goal she had.
And she was the only one who could make it happen.
Her former comrade, Tsuzuki Chihiro…
Had now become her target.
“The only question is… how do I pull this off?”
She had a contract with Chihiro—one that she doubted had any real legal standing, but it still existed.
If she was going to use it, she couldn’t just outright blackmail her.
She needed a different approach.
Which meant—she had to fight against her own past self.
In simple terms?
She had to delay the revival of CRYCHIC for as long as possible.
If she could constantly put obstacles in Chihiro’s way while she tried to sabotage the band, she could not only slow her progress, but also use it as an excuse to pressure her in return.
That way—
She would stretch out the contract’s duration, giving her more time to genuinely get to know Chihiro.
To form a real friendship with her, outside of their transaction.
And—she wouldn’t have to feel guilty about it.
Because from this moment on, Nagasaki Soyo was a model citizen.
A noble protector of band harmony.
…Holy shit, I really am a genius.
Of course, it did sound ridiculous.
A contractor actively interfering with their own employee’s task?
Yeah, no matter how she framed it, it made her sound unhinged.
But she didn’t have a better plan.
Because if she let Chihiro—who was full of evil schemes—keep running wild, Taki and Tomori would definitely get hurt.
Even Anon would get caught in the crossfire.
But if she tore up the contract herself?
Aside from the insignificant matter of paying compensation, she would lose all control over Chihiro.
And on top of that, this idiot was already planning to move back home and spend her days lazing around with that cat Raana.
She was being completely abandoned.
Not only was Chihiro no longer checking in before making plans—now she wasn’t even living here anymore.
At this rate, soon, she wouldn’t even see her once a week.
And even if she put all that aside…
She did still have some attachment to CRYCHIC.
Having a strategist like Chihiro to bounce ideas off of might actually help her in the long run.
“Alright. This is the move. Now, let’s see where that idiot ran off to today…”
Just as she stood up, heading toward the balcony to call Chihiro—
The front door opened.
She quickly ducked behind the wall, ready to scare the hell out of that deadbeat traitor—
And then, the voice that greeted her froze her blood solid.
“Mutsumi, welcome to my place. Let me find you some slippers.”
…Mama mia.
Soyo nearly jumped out of her skin.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!
Mutsumi wasn’t supposed to be here! Wasn’t she supposed to be at ballet class?!
Since when did Chihiro moonlight as a damn kidnapper?!
—
T/N: OH???? SWITCHED TARGETS??? HAS THIS BECOME A ROMANCE GAME??
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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