"Taki! Don't run!"
Hearing that distinctively recognizable pink-haired voice shouting from inside the school, Nagasaki Soyo, standing near the entrance of the main building, lowered the phone she had just hung up. Her expression darkened.
It was time to start thinking.
Even though she didn't have much information, there were already plenty of suspicious points.
There was no doubt that Tsuzuki Chihiro was hiding something from her. Even if she went home, stuck her head in the doorframe, and slammed it a few times, she would still come to the same conclusion.
That liar was definitely up to something she didn't want Soyo to know about.
At first, Soyo had assumed that Chihiro's strange behavior stemmed from reuniting with her family and wanting to return home early. But thinking about it now… maybe that wasn't the case at all.
Because today, Chihiro had gone to RiNG first—and she had seen Raana.
And the first thing Raana asked her was about Chihiro.
Which meant that last night, Chihiro obviously hadn't gone home.
Where she had been wasn't the real issue—the real issue was that Soyo had been completely blindsided by this trickster.
Raana-chan was just a smokescreen.
What Chihiro was actually doing might be something entirely different from what she had assumed.
"Dragging Mutsumi home yesterday… that wasn't a coincidence either."
Soyo glanced at the ongoing chase scene in the schoolyard, her mouth twitching slightly. Then she started pacing in circles, continuing to analyze the facts.
"And if I remember correctly, Chihiro mentioned before that Momoka and the others invited her to join their band…"
And if her memory served her right, back when Chihiro explained the situation, that incomplete band had been missing a keyboardist and a bassist.
Which lined up perfectly with Sakiko and Chihiro.
As for Mutsumi—she was obviously there because of Sakiko.
If Sakiko was starting a new band, she'd naturally bring along the person closest to her.
And what had Mutsumi said today? That she was having dinner with Awa Tendou?
And that drummer's last name was also Awa…?
Oh no. It all lined up.
Nagasaki Soyo now strongly suspected that from the skipped class yesterday to the dinner meetup tonight, everything had been orchestrated by the terrifying Tsuzuki Chihiro.
Because who would question the granddaughter of a veteran actress and the daughter of a famous celebrity spending time together?
It was the perfect cover for a secret new band members' meeting!
"This is ridiculous… I gave you food, I gave you shelter, and this is how you repay me…"
Soyo shook her head. It was still too soon to jump to conclusions.
Even though this theory neatly explained everything, she still lacked the final piece of proof.
But if Chihiro had truly abandoned the idea of reviving CRYCHIC and was simply trying to find a new home for everyone instead… should she really oppose it?
The evening breeze swept through the schoolyard.
In the distance, Taki had already been tackled to the ground by the menacing pink-haired menace.
Even though Soyo hadn't been directly involved in last week's pursuit of Taki, the way things were unfolding now seemed to be following that same predestined timeline.
She understood, deep down, that reviving CRYCHIC was far harder than forming a new, half-baked band.
Even though Raana often vanished, Anon was a burden, and Taki constantly pressured everyone…
Each member of the band had their own strengths that balanced out the others' weaknesses.
Raana, despite being elusive, was the most reliable musician in the group. Her pure love for music had influenced everyone else.
…Well, aside from that Haruhinokage stunt.
Anon was vain and a terrible guitarist, but she did bring an irreplaceable energy to the band.
Taki was the biggest problem, but she truly wanted to keep the band together—whether it was to prove that Sakiko leaving was a mistake or simply because she refused to lose.
And Tomori… without her lyrics, nothing would have even started.
"This isn't right… There's no way CRYCHIC should lose to that kind of band."
Soyo's emotions spiraled out of control.
Once again, she felt as if everyone was moving forward without her, while she was the only one trying to turn back.
Was this why Chihiro had decided her request was impossible?
Had she already given up on CRYCHIC long before Soyo even started her so-called "delaying" plan?
But… Sakiko was special.
Sakiko could compose like Taki, bring energy like Anon, and, with her sheer genius, completely overshadow Raana's place in the band.
You don't understand Sakiko, Tsuzuki Chihiro. So what gives you the right to make this decision?
"Soyo~!"
The distant figures had finally settled down.
Waving at her with a bright, cheerful grin was none other than that eternally smiling girl—Chihaya Anon.
"Ah…"
Soyo hastily wiped the moisture from her eyes and forced an awkward smile before jogging over.
"Soyo, back me up here! Taki only thanked Tomori and didn't even say anything to me!"
"…Huh?"
"This is so unfair!"
"What? Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
Soyo had absolutely no patience for these people right now.
One after another, none of them were talking about the things she actually wanted to hear.
"What are you guys even doing—"
Before she could finish, a stray cat strolled past, followed by a familiar voice.
"Raana-chan?"
Soyo turned toward the unexpected arrival of Raana and the small group of girls who had gathered seemingly on their own—without any intervention from her or Chihiro.
A strange sense of panic crept up her spine.
Why did it feel like… everything was slipping out of her control?
"Huh? A stray cat? Wait… is that our school uniform? Are you in middle school?!"
"Third-year," Raana replied nonchalantly, holding the cat in one arm while raising three fingers with the other.
"…Taki, you're so dense for not noticing~"
Taki sighed, realizing she wasn't getting away this time.
Slumping onto a nearby bench, she glanced at everyone before her gaze lingered on Soyo.
"…So what do we do about the live performance the day after tomorrow?"
"..."
"It's already Friday. We only have half a day left to practice. There's no way we'll be ready in time."
Taki avoided looking at Soyo.
She had noticed from the start that Soyo's mood was off.
Even though everyone was here together for once, her expression had remained tense.
Was she disappointed?
Did she think Taki wasn't as good as Sakiko…?
"For the second song, I still—"
"Taki~"
Anon suddenly spoke up.
"I actually wrote a song! Wanna take a look?"
"…You?"
Despite her skepticism, Anon confidently pulled out her phone and showed her the sheet music.
The girls gathered around, except for Soyo, who stood off to the side, staring blankly into space.
But… was this drum part even playable by a human?
That was Taki's first thought.
Then she noticed Anon's guilty expression—how she kept sneaking glances at Soyo.
Realization dawned.
She turned to the dazed Soyo and asked,
"Soyo… when did you write this?"
"Hah?" Soyo blinked in confusion, pointing at herself. "Wait, you don't actually think I wrote this, do you?"
"..."
Taki scoffed internally.
Soyo had gone out of her way to have someone like Anon—who was too dumb to lie convincingly—pose as the composer?
Was she afraid Taki wouldn't accept the song if she knew it was hers?
Was she really this determined to hold onto her pride?
"Thanks, Soyo."
Even if the real Soyo wasn't here right now.
"Wait! Why aren't you thanking me, too?! I've decided—I'm calling you Ricky from now on!"
"I told you I don't want that nickname!"
"Then say thank you!"
"…Thanks."
As Taki and Anon bickered, Soyo stood frozen in disbelief.
"Wait… why are you thanking me?"
What the hell just happened?
Wait a second—Anon couldn't compose.
Taki obviously couldn't either.
Which meant there was only one possible truth…
Damn it. Did Chihiro never intend to bring Mutsumi and Sakiko back from the start?!
---
T/N: ohh poor soyo you think you're so smart... you're always in your head it's cute
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf