Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [115]

‘Taki, are you really okay?’

‘What could possibly be wrong with me?’

‘Ah… that’s good, then. What about tomorrow?’

‘…I’ll be there.’

Walking home, Shiina Taki’s mind replayed the conversation she’d had with Anon after stepping off the stage.

She hadn’t paid much attention to Tomori’s expression at the time, but she could feel it—the weight of her self-blame.

Not singing well… that was an undeniable fact.

But this time, there was no way it was just Tomori’s fault.

Taki had been furious when she came off stage, storming up to Anon, ready to demand an explanation for her disastrous performance.

But just as she was about to snap, she caught a glimpse of someone else approaching out of the corner of her eye.

Tsuzuki Chihiro.

At least, if she remembered correctly, that was her name.

It hadn’t been easy to gauge the true musical skill of that bass-playing beauty during the performance.

But considering she was close friends with Anon and Raana’s sister…

Taki had forced herself to swallow her anger.

Instead of lashing out, she slammed her fist against a nearby table and let out a silent scream of frustration.

Thinking about it now, the one most at fault was probably herself.

Taki had plenty of resentment toward Sakiko, who had stood in the audience, watching their failure with a smile.

But what could she do about it?

Togawa Sakiko was the heiress of the Togawa Group.

A musical genius.

She and Taki weren’t even in the same league.

Sakiko had actually bothered to show up and listen to their live performance.

Shouldn’t she be grateful?

What else could she do?

Even though all these bitter thoughts about Sakiko simmered in her mind, Taki knew that some things had already changed.

Or rather, things that had always been there—things she had ignored—had now been laid bare.

And she had no choice but to face them.

To some, music was a way to express their inner voice.

To others, it was a means of showcasing their identity.

And to some, it was simply instinct.

But to Sakiko—what did music, songwriting, and being in a band actually mean?

For someone like her, was it all just a game?

And when she got bored, she could just shove the responsibility onto someone else and walk away?

Even when she did show up, she acted all high and mighty, dropping the bombshell that she was quitting—without so much as an explanation.

What the hell did she take Tomori for?

She’d left Tomori waiting for her for so long.

And now she’d left Soyo, who still clung to the fantasy of reviving CRYCHIC, in this state?

Unforgivable.

Standing in front of her apartment door, Taki no longer felt as hopeless as before.

She had found a new outlet for her emotions.

She had an overwhelming urge to write a song.

A song that would absolutely crush Togawa Sakiko.

"My paycheck came in… maybe I should invest in a better MIDI controller to make composing easier."

---

Monday, May 11th. Tsukinomori Girls' Academy.

It was lunchtime.

Soyo still didn’t have anyone to make her a bento, but after her humiliating defeat in the elevator yesterday, she’d gotten up early this morning as revenge.

She had taken the leftovers that Chihiro had brought over—now mostly eaten—and repackaged them into a lunchbox.

So technically, Chihiro had made her a bento.

Hah. She talks so much trash, but in the end, all that hard work her grandma put into cooking for her ended up benefiting me, Nagasaki Soyo.

Oh, Chihiro, aren’t you pissed?

Too bad Chihiro was just a school dropout delinquent.

With her inoffensive face but a complete lack of a middle school diploma, she couldn’t even experience the pinnacle of youth—running into someone in a school hallway like a romance novel protagonist.

"Eh? EH?!"

"It's ANON-sensei! Sensei, you're finally back! I thought you'd abandoned us… waaah!"

Wait.

What the hell?

Anon was at Tsukinomori?!

No, that didn’t seem right.

Which meant…

Just as Soyo took out her lunchbox and prepared to eat with Mutsumi, she heard the commotion from the other students.

At first, her brain didn’t quite process it.

But when she did register what the words "ANON-sensei" implied…

She slowly turned her head.

"…"

Oh-ho.

Oh-ho-ho-ho.

This brazen little con artist actually had the nerve to show up at school wearing that face?!

She was going to get it now.

Soyo’s gaze locked onto the heavily made-up face, the golden wig she hadn’t seen in a while, and the smug expression on her former sugar baby’s face.

Her dignity—her authority—as a former patron had been utterly challenged.

Today, she was not going to let this cocky little gremlin walk away unscathed.

She was going to report her to the school for trespassing—

"Soyo-san, step outside for a moment. Your mother asked me to discuss your study abroad plans in England."

"…?"

"Wait, seriously? Soyo-san’s going to study abroad in the UK?"

"Well, her grades are pretty solid. I borrowed her notes a few times before, and they were really helpful."

"Eh, I guess. I’m planning on studying in Germany later. Haven’t started learning German yet, though—just the hand gestures."

Listening to the classroom buzzing with gossip, feeling Mutsumi’s worried gaze on her, Soyo’s blood pressure skyrocketed.

I HAVE NO STUDY ABROAD PLANS, DAMN IT!

If anyone needed to experience studying abroad, it should be Anon, and Anon alone!

She was not about to exile herself to some foggy, unfamiliar land to die alone.

But if she just sat there and pretended this wasn’t happening, that traitor Chihiro would probably spout something even worse.

So she let go of her lunchbox, stood up abruptly, and smiled stiffly as she walked to the door where "ANON-sensei" was waiting.

The two of them walked all the way to a secluded rooftop corner.

Once Soyo was sure no other students would interrupt them, she dropped the honor student act, planted a hand on her hip, and gave the fake teacher a death glare.

"Spill it. What do you want this time? We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

"My, my. So cold…" Chihiro sighed dramatically, kicking off her right heel and rubbing her ankle.

"Man, high heels are such a pain."

"…I ended the contract. I even tore up the papers."

"Those weren’t legally binding anyway. Who cares?"

"Then why—"

"My contract with you is stored right here." Chihiro tapped her temple.

"Unless you wanna crack open my skull and erase it from my hippocampus, I won’t forget it."

"…Are you insane? Who even says creepy stuff like that?"

"Taki does think I’m crazy, yeah."

"Ha. Glad you’re self-aware."

"So. I’ve got some intel on Taki. Wanna hear it?"

"No." Soyo spun on her heel, not even slightly curious.

"That has nothing to do with me anymore. And—"

She glanced over her shoulder.

"If you ever show up at this school again, I’m reporting you."

---

T/N: GAHHHH WHY ARE U SO STUBBORN BUT IT MAKES THE PAYOFF SO MUICH BETTER GUASGFUASHF

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!