Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [125]

Seeing the same person from different perspectives can lead to completely different impressions.

For instance, from Soyo’s standpoint—someone who understood Chihiro’s nature inside and out—seeing her play the guitar right now only reaffirmed one thing:

This girl is a complete music freak.

But for their two guests, Rupa and Tomo—who weren’t as familiar with Chihiro’s usual behavior—what they saw was something entirely different.

Of course, regardless of anyone’s subjective feelings, Soyo had to admit one thing—

At this very moment, in this very room, Tsuzuki Chihiro was the most dazzling presence.

There had been a moment of hesitation earlier when Soyo had handed her the guitar.

But music had a way of drawing people in—especially those who truly loved it.

And for someone like Chihiro, the weight of anticipation in her audience’s eyes, combined with her own inner longing, made picking up the guitar feel as natural as breathing.

Although Soyo and Chihiro looked somewhat alike, their resemblance was mostly limited to the shape of their faces.

That similarity had made it easier for Chihiro to impersonate her, without needing much adjustment to her jawline or cheekbones.

But beyond that, they were entirely different.

Chihiro had a delicate, almost fragile appearance—so much so that Soyo had often wondered if the horrendous food in England had stunted her growth.

This girl was absurdly skinny—yet, paradoxically, somehow still had curves in all the right places.

Either way, she looked nothing like the kind of person you’d expect to see ripping it up in a rock band.

And yet—

The moment she grabbed hold of that guitar, the shift in her presence was undeniable.

The sheer contrast—the arrogance that radiated from her as her fingers glided effortlessly across the strings—was enough to make the three watching her unable to look away.

It was like she had transformed into someone else entirely.

The song Chihiro played was clearly an original, though Soyo had no idea what it was called.

That wasn’t surprising, considering Chihiro had a tendency to name things with zero rhyme or reason—like calling her cat Wagahai for no apparent reason.

Her song titles were just as ridiculous.

She had pieces named Tsuzuki Etude No.1 and No.3—but no No.2.

Then there were titles like Drum Assault, The Lead Singer Still Owes Me Dinner, and Nine Pounds, Fifteen Pence—completely nonsensical.

But somehow, that exact kind of randomness made her seem all the more like a true musical genius.

Because the song she was playing right now—

—was absolutely electrifying.

Each note burst forth from her fingertips like shooting stars streaking across the night sky—sharp, radiant, and utterly mesmerizing.

Her movements were clean and precise.

Her right hand picked so fast that her fingers blurred, while her left flew across the fretboard, shifting between intricate chord changes at lightning speed.

A swift sweep-pick sent a cascade of notes ringing through the air.

Chihiro’s entire body tilted forward slightly with the motion.

Her long, wine-red hair swayed, catching the light.

And in that moment, there wasn’t even a trace of weakness in her eyes—only pure, unshakable confidence.

"That was… insane!"

As the final note rang out, Chihiro remained still, eyes closed, as if letting the song’s lingering resonance wash over her.

Meanwhile, the two girls sitting across from her—Ebizuka Tomo and Rupa—were left completely stunned.

They didn’t even know what to say.

A genius.

This was what a true guitar genius looked like.

No—

Someone like this wouldn’t just randomly pick up a bass for fun.

She must have been forced into it!

With that realization, the two girls simultaneously turned to look at Soyo.

Their eyes filled with suspicion.

Soyo stiffened.

Wait, wait, why do I suddenly feel like I’m the villain here?!

"Tomo, are you sure you don’t want her in our band?"

"……"

Seated beside her, Rupa leaned in and whispered the question.

Soyo had a good idea of what they were discussing, but she didn’t bother to eavesdrop.

Instead, she quietly got up and headed to the kitchen to prepare a simple dinner.

There was no other choice—

They were supposed to eat at Yoshinoya, but thanks to a certain someone, they had somehow ended up dragging the restaurant staff home instead.

If she didn’t cook something now, she was going to pass out from hunger.

Still, as Soyo glanced back at Chihiro, then over at Tomo and Rupa—she couldn’t help but feel a creeping sense of unease.

People always had contradictory emotions.

And right now, Nagasaki Soyo was no exception.

She was greedy.

She wanted this, and she wanted that.

Even after getting a second chance, her desires had only grown stronger.

She no longer clung to CRYCHIC with the same desperation as before—

But now, she had new things she didn’t want to lose.

Because she had lost something once—

And then, miraculously, gotten it back.

That experience had made her terrified of losing it again.

She told herself she didn’t want Chihiro to be stuck dwelling on her problems.

But deep down, was she just afraid that once her issue was resolved, Chihiro would leave?

And now, she was personally handing Chihiro a new opportunity—

Which… in a way…

Was just giving her a reason to move on without Soyo.

Sigh… I’m such an idiot.

"Chihiro."

Back in the living room, Rupa and Tomo seemed to have reached a decision.

And when Rupa saw that Soyo was busy in the kitchen, she figured they should wrap things up quickly—before things got too comfortable.

After all, they were here to talk business, not to mooch a meal.

"Chihiro? Miss Tsuzuki?"

"…Huh?"

Chihiro blinked, finally snapping out of her flow state.

"Mm? Who are you guys again?"

"…Eh?"

"Just kidding, pfft~"

Chihiro let out a carefree, completely unfitting laugh.

Tomo, in response, rolled her eyes so hard they nearly got stuck.

Then, in an instant, Chihiro’s expression returned to its usual unreadable state.

"So… my playing’s alright, I guess?"

"Alright?! Are you serious?"

Rupa had to physically hold back Tomo—who looked like she was ready to start throwing punches.

Smiling, Rupa turned back to Chihiro.

They hadn’t known her for long, and they didn’t fully understand her personality yet—

But one thing was clear.

If someone wasn’t absolutely obsessed with music, they would never reach this level.

Talent was one thing.

Hard work was another.

But someone who had both?

That was a one-in-a-million kind of person.

"Chihiro, I’d like to formally invite you to co-manage Benishouga with us.

"You said you’re not interested in joining a band right now—"

"But I just want to confirm one thing…"

Rupa’s tone grew serious.

"Have you ever been in a band before?

"And if you have—"

"Was there anything you truly pursued during that time?"

"Like… performing at the Budokan," Tomo added, frowning slightly.

At that—

Chihiro raised an eyebrow.

"Budokan?"

She scoffed.

"Please. That’s easy."

"……"

Well.

On one hand, Tomo had to admit—Chihiro was exactly the kind of person she was looking for.

On the other hand…

She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to punch her.

"But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

Chihiro pointed across the room—

At Soyo, who had just stepped out of the kitchen, about to grab some ingredients.

"I want her to sing our songs."

"…Eh? Me?"

---

T/N: AHHH FRIG I STILL DONT HAVE A SHIPO NAME LETS MASH THE NAMES TOGETHER UHHH CHIYO? NAH SORO? NO CHISOYO EH? SOYORO AHHHHHHHH SOYORO = SLOW YOUR ROLL WHICH IS PERFECT SINCE SOYO NEEDS TO SLOW DOWN SOMETIMES

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!