Was this solid proof?
Before, Shiina Taki had only speculated. Even if her guess was pretty spot-on and explained almost everything, she had lacked actual evidence.
But judging from the way Soyo looked like she’d just been struck by lightning, everything seemed to be confirmed.
That said, now was not the time to bring it up.
At the very least, she couldn’t bring it up in front of everyone and expose Soyo’s emotional baggage as if she were peeling back a fresh wound for all to see.
No matter how dense Taki was about reading people, even she wasn’t heartless enough to do something like that.
So instead of meeting Soyo’s anxious gaze, she deliberately avoided eye contact and changed the subject, speaking to the others as if Soyo weren’t even there.
“Uh… about today—no, not just today. This is all my fault.”
It was a diversion, but it was also the truth.
Though, would this be the last time she apologized?
Taki wasn’t sure.
No, actually—at least for today, she was sure.
Because once the others left, she’d definitely have to apologize again to Soyo, who she’d just unintentionally upset.
Which meant that for the past few days, all she’d been doing was screwing up and apologizing for it.
“Taki-chan…”
“Tomori, I’m sorry… We won’t be able to do the second song.”
Taki looked at Tomori, then at Soyo, shaking her head helplessly.
But the moment she said it out loud, she suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Even though it was originally Soyo’s idea to perform two songs, she was the one who had turned it into a shackle, chaining not just herself but everyone else as well.
“…It’s okay, Taki.”
Even though Soyo was internally panicking beyond belief, she had no choice but to pretend like nothing was wrong and offer a reassuring smile.
“One song is more than enough. What matters is that we can perform together.”
“Yeah.”
Taki nodded.
The sky had already darkened.
She knew there was no way they’d be able to gather everyone for practice tonight.
But when Anon tackled her earlier, she had noticed something—Anon’s fingers were covered in band-aids.
She wasn’t sure if Anon had actually been practicing hard, but for now, all she could do was give her the benefit of the doubt.
Besides, even if Anon did end up dragging them down, so what?
It was better to take the first step forward than to let her own hesitation keep them from having their first live performance.
After confirming everyone’s availability for practice on Saturday afternoon at RiNG, the chaotic chase and argument outside Hanasakigawa Girls’ High School finally came to an end.
But even after the others had left, Soyo and Taki stayed behind.
The awkward, heavy silence between them stretched on.
“When did you figure it out?”
It was nearly 7 p.m. now.
Soyo figured that by this point, Chihiro and Mutsumi were already eating dinner.
Originally, she had planned to call Chihiro and rip into her for everything that happened today.
But right now, taking care of Taki was more urgent.
What should she do? Maybe… eliminate the witness?
Cough, cough. Kidding, of course. She wasn’t that far gone.
Even though her mind was a mess of complaints, when she actually spoke, her voice came out weak and unsteady.
“When I went to Tsukinomori to find you that day—you went to the bathroom, right? That’s when you called her, wasn’t it?”
“…Huh?”
Soyo froze.
Then it hit her.
That day, after seeing Taki standing outside the door, she had panicked and used stomach pain as an excuse to run to the bathroom.
Which meant…
Taki had overheard everything she said on that call?
No wonder when she came out, Taki had calmly asked if she was on the phone with someone.
At the time, Soyo had brushed it off, thinking she was just being paranoid.
But now… she realized she had already been exposed.
No—rather, Chihiro had been exposed.
But then why…
Why wasn’t Taki angry at her?
And just now, too—why did she suddenly self-reflect over a song instead of yelling at her?
Soyo felt… weirdly uncomfortable.
Because no matter what lifetime it was, she had always taken advantage of Taki, treating her like an idiot.
Yet now, looking at Taki’s expressionless face, she felt like she couldn’t breathe properly unless Taki chewed her out for once.
“Taki, can you… insult me a little? I think I’d feel better.”
“…What?”
…Had Soyo just awakened some kind of masochistic tendencies?!
Taki’s eyes widened.
But after thinking about it for a moment, she understood.
Soyo was practically a walking embodiment of negative emotions.
Right now, she was probably instinctively spiraling into self-destruction, trying to make things even worse for herself.
“Relax. I won’t tell anyone about you and… her.”
“Why?”
Soyo opened her mouth, full of questions but unsure where to start.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s you now or the ‘you’ from before—I see both as the same person.”
“And I won’t say anything to Tomori or Anon either.”
“Honestly… I shouldn’t have even told you I knew. If I had realized you’d react like this, I should’ve just pretended I didn’t hear anything.”
“…You’re not secretly planning to blackmail me with this, are you?”
“Hah?”
Taki actually lost her composure and snapped back.
“The hell is wrong with you?! How shady do you think I am?!”
“…Ah. That felt good.”
“…What the hell.”
Seeing Soyo actually relax after being yelled at, Taki felt even worse.
Sakiko, are you seeing this?
Your absence has completely broken her.
Not only had she developed weird tendencies, but she still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that another version of herself existed.
And now, thanks to Taki’s big mouth, the secret was out in the open.
Great. Now what?
“Forget it. Nothing matters anymore…”
Soyo suddenly muttered.
The way she said it made Taki’s entire body tense.
That sentence—
It sounded like she was about to say something suicidal.
But before she could panic, Soyo continued, her words only slightly easing Taki’s concern.
“I’ll just tell you the truth, Taki.”
“I never planned to form this band in the first place.”
“I asked her for help just so I could use her skills to deceive all of you… and when the time was right, I was going to break up the band.”
“Because I can’t accept it.
“I still want CRYCHIC to come back.”
Even though things had already slipped out of her control, Soyo still instinctively chose to protect Chihiro’s identity.
After all, no matter what, Chihiro was Raana’s sister.
If their conversation somehow reached Raana’s ears, it might damage their relationship.
“…Hah?”
Seeing Taki’s surprised expression, Soyo felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.
But she should have expected this.
Mutsumi’s connection with Taki, Tomori, and the others wasn’t as strong as she had imagined.
And Taki didn’t seem to care about anyone aside from Tomori.
So what had she been chasing after this whole time?
An impossible dream?
But if she let go of this dream… what else did she have left?
“Anyway, neither I nor she ever intended to build a real band. It was all just a lie.”
“It wasn’t a lie.”
“…What do you mean?”
“The ‘other’ you… I could tell.”
“She really did want this band to work.”
“…Oh.
“So, you’re saying she’s already betrayed me.”
“And now, I’m just a joke.”
Taki, you really suck at comforting people.
If you don’t have anything useful to say, maybe just shut up.
—
T/N: LMAOOO reminder that the ship for Taki and Soyo is takisoyo hehehe
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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