When Wakaba Mutsumi returned upstairs, it was already around eleven o'clock at night. Nagasaki Soyo had just changed into her pajamas and was about to head back to her own room—
"You practiced for that long?"
Soyo, dressed in her pajamas, looked at the just-returned Mutsumi with some surprise.
"Anon didn't give you any trouble, did she?"
"...No, she didn't."
Mutsumi gave a negative reply.
"She was very serious, and she learns quickly."
"Is that so."
Hearing Mutsumi's evaluation, Soyo nodded without surprise.
"It's true. That girl may seem unreliable, but she's actually very bright... and she really has been practicing diligently since the live show."
Mutsumi blinked.
"...You knew Anon-san was practicing in secret, Soyo?"
"I've known since the first day she started putting in extra practice. In fact, she's the one who kept telling me not to just tell everyone."
Soyo pouted.
"Going on about how she wants to show everyone once she's gotten good, when she just wants to give everyone a surprise at the official rehearsal... What's wrong, Mutsumi? Why do you look so surprised?"
"Because I always thought you looked down on Anon-san..."
Mutsumi said in a small voice.
"I didn't expect you to know the truth all along."
"How could that be... I've never once looked down on Anon."
Faced with Mutsumi's misunderstanding, Soyo said with a laugh.
"On the contrary, I've always admired her kindness, which is just like Tetsuya's, and her dedication in taking on responsibility for the band for his sake. It's just a shame that her vanity and her tendency to be a little too clever for her own good are a bit regrettable. The moment I show her any kindness, she immediately gets a smug look on her face and wants me to praise her, so... to keep her from getting too full of herself, I have to treat her that way."
"I see."
Recalling how Anon couldn't suppress her joy after hearing her evaluation during their guitar practice, Mutsumi immediately understood what Soyo meant.
Meanwhile, Soyo glanced at the time and then said:
"Are you planning to sleep now, Mutsumi?"
"...No."
Mutsumi shook her head lightly.
"I'm not sleepy yet..."
"Then, before you get ready for bed, how about we chat for a bit?"
Soyo invited her with a smile.
"About... some girl talk."
...
"Sorry, my room is a bit plain since I just moved in not too long ago."
Soyo said as she sat down on her bed.
Just as she said, the room currently only had a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, a world apart from the luxurious style of her own home.
However... the expression on her face showed no hint of disdain. In fact, she looked even more relaxed than she had in the high-rise apartment.
"Come, sit down, Mutsumi."
She patted the spot next to her, signaling for Mutsumi to sit there.
Mutsumi hesitated for a moment before obediently sitting down next to her.
"You must not be used to this, right?"
Soyo asked with a smile, looking at Mutsumi whose gaze was wandering slightly.
"You're different from me, after all. You've probably lived in a villa for as long as you can remember. Is a small, old room like this hard for you to accept?"
"...No."
Mutsumi shook her head.
"Compared to a big room with no trace of anyone else's presence... a room like this is better."
"Mhm, I think so too."
As she spoke, Soyo shifted back a little, hugging a throw pillow she had brought from Tetsuya's home. From the practiced nature of this movement, it seemed she often did this on her bed.
"That's why I told my mother I wanted to move here... Just the thought of Tetsuya being right downstairs, that I can see him just by taking a few steps, gives me a great sense of security. Did you know? Sometimes I can even hear the sound of him accidentally dropping a book on the floor. This subtle sense of proximity is really incredible."
"..."
Although Mutsumi couldn't quite imagine the situation Soyo was describing, the impression she had gathered from her visit to his home was enough for her to understand the "sense of security" she was talking about.
Everywhere you looked, there were traces of his life, and if you called his name, you would surely get a response—
"This is basically cohabitation, isn't it?"
"Ahem... don't say that. We're upstairs and downstairs neighbors."
Faced with such a suggestive term, Soyo's face turned slightly red.
But at her rebuttal, Mutsumi tilted her head in confusion.
"But, you have a key to the Chihaya home, don't you, Soyo?"
The implication was clear: [Since you can enter whenever you want, isn't there no real difference from cohabitation?]
"Ugh..."
Faced with Mutsumi's perfectly reasonable question, Soyo was at a loss for words. She thought hard for a moment before finally saying:
"A-at least I don't just enter Tetsuya's room whenever I want... and even if I do go in, it's just to help him clean up a bit."
"..."
Mutsumi didn't say anything more after that, just quietly looking at her, seeming to let her silence be her answer.
Soyo knew her defense was a bit too weak, so she finally admitted it frankly.
"Alright, it's true that it feels a lot like cohabitation. But for now, I plan to keep things at this distance! Otherwise..."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"Otherwise, Hoshino Ai definitely wouldn't just stand by and watch, and Sakiko, who has just regained her confidence, might be affected too."
"..."
Hearing this, Mutsumi finally understood why Soyo had specified "girl talk" earlier.
It seemed they were about to get to the main topic—
"Mutsumi, could you please tell me what Sakiko is planning to do next?"
As expected, Soyo stated her request.
However, just as Mutsumi thought she was asking for the same reason as when she'd inquired about Sakiko's whereabouts before—purely for her own goals—Soyo's next words left an expression of utter astonishment on her face.
"I want to know if there's anything I can do to help."