Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [130]

“Dinner’s ready.”

Hands on her hips, apron tied around her waist, Nagasaki Soyo stood in front of the now-limp Tsuzuki Chihiro, who had flopped onto the couch the moment she hung up the phone. Annoyed, Soyo shot a glare at the girl sprawled beneath her, then slipped off a slipper, ready to step on her stomach.

But to her frustration, this shameless girl actually grabbed her by the leg with both hands, nearly making her lose her balance and fall over.

“Let go of me!”

“Oh? You’re trying to murder your master? And after I caught you red-handed, you still have the audacity to act so arrogant? Nagasaki Soyo, Nagasaki Soyo… I’ve never seen such an insolent maid in my life!”

“I am not your maid!”

“Hm?”

“……”

Nagasaki Soyo didn’t want to admit it.

But when Chihiro playfully threatened her just now, a tiny spark of joy flickered in her heart.

That so-called “insignificant leverage” she thought she had over Chihiro… it didn’t exist.

Soyo was sure Chihiro wouldn’t actually do something that outrageous—because if she did, Soyo would be mad.

But still… what if?

What if Chihiro did go through with it?

And if having some kind of “leverage” could keep them connected, Soyo didn’t actually mind that much.

But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she felt ridiculous.

She was always like this, wasn’t she?

No matter who it was, she always tried so hard to hold on.

Yet every time, the decision to stay or leave was never hers to make.

She had wanted her mother to come home more often, to spend time with her—but she had no say in an adult’s work schedule.

She had wanted to keep CRYCHIC from breaking apart, wanted Sakiko to come back—but she had no control over Sakiko’s choices.

Even with Mutsumi, she had tried so many times to get her to help.

But in the end, Mutsumi never showed any real intention of bringing those people back.

And now, once again…

How pathetic was she?

She was actually relying on a piece of blackmail just to feel secure about her bond with this infuriating girl.

…Why did she feel like she was some tragic, powerless little widow from a melodrama?

“What’s on your mind, little widow?”

“!!!”

Tsuzuki Chihiro—could she read minds now?!

“Don’t call me a little widow!”

“If you don’t like being called a little maid, and you don’t want to be called a little widow either…” Seeing Soyo’s face darken further, Chihiro only found it more amusing. “Alright, alright. I won’t push you too hard.

“How about this—when it’s just the two of us at home, you call me Big Sister Chihiro?”

“…Why are you the older sister?”

“We’re the same age, aren’t we? So, when’s your birthday?”

“May 27th.”

“And mine?”

“May 20th…” Soyo’s face stiffened.

Dammit.

She really was younger than Chihiro.

Only by seven days, but still—this girl always found a way to throw her off.

“Eh?” Chihiro’s eyes narrowed mischievously, her soft face lighting up with a devilish smirk. “Little Soyo actually remembers my birthday? I’m so touched.”

“……”

She remembered Sakiko’s birthday too.

But for some reason, saying that out loud felt weird, so Soyo decided to just pretend she hadn’t heard anything.

“Let’s eat. If we wait any longer, the food will get cold, Big Sister Chihiro.”

“Mm~”

Satisfied, Chihiro finally peeled herself off the couch and sat down at the table, picking up her chopsticks.

Dinner seemed more extravagant than usual. Chihiro glanced up, noticing Soyo watching her expectantly, clearly waiting for some praise.

But instead of complimenting her, Chihiro cut straight to the point.

“Soyo, now that we’ve made up, I should probably follow through on what I promised you.”

“…And what would that be, Big Sister Chihiro~?”

Hearing Soyo switch to a sickeningly sweet, high-pitched voice just to mess with her, Chihiro had to admit… she actually got chills.

“Actually, you know what? Maybe don’t call me that. It’s kinda terrifying.”

“Wasn’t it your idea?”

“…Cough, cough. Fine, call me whatever you want.” Chihiro cleared her throat awkwardly, then continued, “Here’s what I think—this whole situation doesn’t really hinge on Taki or Tomori."

“But… Taki’s view of Sakiko is veering further from what I initially expected."

“So the real key here is Sakiko. If we can sort her out, everything else will fall into place.”

Soyo listened quietly, but she didn’t feel as fired up as she had two weeks ago.

“I know this isn’t something that can be rushed,” Chihiro continued. “But you seemed pretty impatient last time. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have thrown me out like that—”

“I’m not impatient.”

“…Huh?”

“I said…” Unlike when she was teasing Chihiro, Soyo spoke in her usual voice this time. “I’m not in a rush anymore. The result matters more.”

No matter how she looked at it, the conclusion was the same.

Reviving CRYCHIC wasn’t something they could rush.

If this old home of hers could be rebuilt, that would be ideal.

But all the effort she had put in so far had only led to a tangled mess, proving that it wasn’t as simple as just bringing everyone back together to talk things out.

That might have worked on the day Sakiko left.

But now… people had changed.

They weren’t the same anymore.

It wouldn’t be so easy to fix things.

So she wasn’t placing her hopes on a quick resolution anymore.

Her mindset had shifted.

This wasn’t about finding an instant solution—it was about setting a goal.

Just like how some people dream of performing at Budokan, her goal was to see through the promise she made with Chihiro.

And just like how some bands lost motivation after finally reaching Budokan, she feared that if they rushed this too much, it would either end in complete failure…

Or worse—Chihiro would just disappear once it was all over.

So, in the end…

Was reviving CRYCHIC itself the most important thing?

Or was it more important that, even after she had driven Chihiro out of her house and said all those cruel words—

Chihiro still chose to stand by her?

“…Why are you looking at me like that, little widow? I’m not your dead husband.”

“……”

Fine.

Maybe this girl did mean as much to her as CRYCHIC did.

If only she didn’t have such a punchable mouth.

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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!