Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [111]

Ten minutes earlier.

Though it wasn’t yet time for Taki and the others to take the stage, it seemed like everyone in the waiting room was already struggling to contain their nervous energy.

Taki, in particular, couldn’t help but notice that Anon and Raana were acting differently than usual today.

Anon was a given—this girl never stayed still to begin with. She had been running in and out of the room, bringing back a skewer of dango the first time, and coming back empty-handed the second. But even without snacks, she was still as restless as ever, making Taki clench her fists in frustration.

"Taki, come on, let’s go watch the live show~"

"At a time like this? Can’t you just— Huh?! Noraneko, where are you going?! Don’t run off!!!"

Taki had been trying to think of a way to keep this hyperactive Anon in place. She had a bad feeling about their performance later, as if something was bound to go wrong.

Even Tomori had been on edge. At times, she looked like she wanted to say something reassuring, but the words never came out.

Anon’s presence had helped ease the awkward tension in the room a little, but no matter how you looked at it, their group didn’t seem like a band about to perform. If anything, they looked more like they were just here to have fun.

And now, with Raana getting dragged off by Anon’s suggestion, how could Taki not panic?

"Tomori… why don’t we go too?"

"…Are you sure about Soyo?"

"Soyo, huh…"

Taki hesitated. She knew Tomori wasn’t the type to be reassured by such a flimsy lie, but she also didn’t have the courage to tell her the truth about Soyo.

"There’s no problem. Soyo’s just sick—she promised she’d be back next week."

"Is that… really true?"

"I…"

Taki shook her head. What else could she say? Tell Tomori that their band had a full-on mental case? At this rate, she—Shiina Taki—was the one about to lose her mind.

She wasn’t even sure if she was still in a band anymore.

Wanting to dispel the awkwardness, and seeing that Anon had already dragged Wildcat away, Taki figured it was better to leave the waiting room with Tomori than to stay behind.

At the very least, she told herself that a change of atmosphere might help.

Normally, Taki would’ve only gone out to watch when Afterglow was performing, but she never expected that today, she’d be forced to watch a band that was technically their competition.

Strictly speaking, their band and the other nameless band weren’t exactly rivals. But still… comparisons were inevitable.

With that in mind, Taki and Tomori didn’t enter through the audience area but instead stood near the entrance reserved for performers. There weren’t many people here, and it was the closest spot to the stage.

Of course, the view wasn’t exactly the best.

By the time they arrived, Anon and Raana had already been waiting for a while. When Anon spotted them, she eagerly waved.

"Taki, you’re so slow! Chihiro-nee is about to go on!"

"Chihiro-nee?"

Taki frowned. Who the hell was this "Chihiro-nee" now?

"She’s Raana’s sister!" Anon’s excitement was getting the better of her, and she didn’t even realize she had said something she shouldn’t have.

"Raana has a sister?" Taki was even more confused. Judging by the focused expression on Raana’s face, Anon wasn’t lying. But—"Wait, Anon, how do you know about Raana’s sister?"

"Ah… Ah! I just found out, too!"

"…You think I’m going to believe that?"

Seriously, how was it that she was the most exhausted one in the band, yet also the one who knew the least? She felt like a complete idiot.

And this Anon—she was so bad at lying it was almost infuriating.

But none of that really mattered. Because when Taki followed Anon’s gaze to the stage, she caught sight of a figure that seemed oddly… familiar.

Long, wine-red hair. Light blue eyes. The stage lights had dimmed, but under the spotlight, the girl’s face was clearly illuminated.

This must be Raana’s sister.

At a glance, she didn’t look much like Raana, but her identity alone made Taki scrutinize her a bit longer.

She was certain she had never seen this girl before. Her features were flawless, her soft and delicate face unforgettable at first glance. But the smile in her eyes didn’t match that gentle appearance—like a ragdoll cat that could bite at any moment.

But the real question was… why did this stranger’s face give her such a strange sense of familiarity?

"Wait… what is she wearing?"

When Taki took in her outfit, she felt an even stronger sense of discord.

The weather was warming up for summer, so the breezy outfit wasn’t a problem. But that black punk-style shirt—leaving aside how tight it looked on her—the words printed on it, Biggest Liar (Certified), were definitely… questionable.

But then again, considering her proportions… was it really a lie?

Taki shook her head, pushing aside her wandering thoughts. She ignored the ripped tights and the jingle of her rebellious-looking boots because something else had caught her attention.

As the girl picked up her bass to play, Taki noticed something that truly surprised her.

Was it a coincidence?

Her bass was the exact same model as Soyo’s. Not even the slightest difference.

As Taki tried to make sense of it, the performance had already begun. And in that moment, she realized just how stupid she had been to drag Tomori and Anon out here to watch this live.

The moment "Voiceless Fish" started playing, the entire audience’s attention was locked onto the four performers on stage.

From Taki’s vantage point, she couldn’t see much of the drummer’s movements, but the guitarist, bassist, and vocalist were completely outclassing anything their own band had done in the studio.

Even when the performance ended and it was finally time for Taki’s band to take the stage, the shock hadn’t fully worn off.

And apparently… this band was just as new as theirs.

"Taki, it’s our turn now."

"…Yeah, I know."

Damn it.

Taki suddenly felt like her legs had turned to lead. She looked at Anon and Raana, who were as carefree as ever, and swallowed back the countless curses she wanted to scream.

Right. Soyo…

As they finished setting up and Taki stepped onto the stage, she didn’t sit at her spot immediately. Instead, she turned to scan the audience.

She wanted to see if Soyo had come. This performance was important to her, after all.

But instead of Soyo’s familiar figure, she spotted two people she definitely didn’t want to see.

Especially her—that blue-haired, twin-tailed girl.

Togawa Sakiko.

Taki locked eyes with her, glaring furiously as she clenched her teeth.

Why was she here? What right did she have to show up?!

And how did she even know about this live?!

The answer wasn’t hard to guess. The girl standing beside Sakiko—Mutsumi—was practically a dead giveaway.

Was this a provocation? Was Sakiko here to see if the band could still perform without her in it?

Taki had long expected this moment to come.

But she hadn’t expected it to come this soon.

No matter.

Shiina Taki would accept this challenge. She would prove that their band could surpass the old CRYCHIC—without Sakiko.

…And then, five minutes later—

…Okay, yeah. Challenge failed.

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T/N: LMAOOO challenge failed, we'll get them next time!

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!