Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [201]

"You, come with me."

Nagasaki Soyo suddenly grabbed Chihaya Anon’s arm and, under the surprised gazes of those around them, dragged the pink-haired girl—who was letting out a series of confused "Eh? Eh? Eh?"—out of the recording studio.

"Soyo, I still have to give Nina a lesson!"

"…Isn't that Chihiro’s job?"

"You just don’t get it, do you?" Chihaya Anon patted her modest chest confidently, flashing her cute little tiger teeth. "When it comes to cutting corners and teaching a beginner to level up as fast as possible, I have way more experience than Chihiro."

"Besides, Nina has a performance tomorrow, and today is the only time she can practice with me. Soyo, if you don’t have anything else—"

"I do have something else."

Nagasaki Soyo cut Anon off. The reason she pulled her aside wasn’t about guitar lessons, nor was it because she was jealous of the pink-haired girl or Chisato.

She wanted to use Anon, who attended Haneoka, to find out what Chihiro had been up to at school these past few days.

Of course, she could just ask Chihiro directly. But this involved that somewhat ridiculous promise between the two of them. Since Chihiro refused to tell her anything until the issue with Sakiko was resolved, there was no way she’d answer honestly.

And asking outright would only pressure Chihiro, making her feel like… Soyo was rushing her.

But in truth, Soyo was simply worried about Chihiro. She didn’t want her own problems to become Chihiro’s burden, especially if it meant putting her in harm’s way.

"Anon, have you seen Chihiro at school these past few days?"

"Of course!" Chihaya Anon answered without much thought, casually recounting recent events. "We have lunch together every day. Ugh… Chihiro’s bentos are so good. They must be carefully prepared by her family. I can never resist asking her to share a little with me."

"…You’re not allowed to eat her bento anymore."

"Eh?" Anon looked confused—and a little displeased. "Why not…?"

"It’s annoying, that’s why. If you’re hungry, eat your own food!"

What nonsense—those were her bentos for Chihiro. And this pink-haired girl thought she had any right to taste them?!

"That’s not what I’m here to ask. I meant… hasn’t Chihiro invited Sakiko to eat lunch with you guys?"

"Sakiko?" Anon blinked. "Oh… you mean Togawa-san."

The girl scratched her head, looking a little puzzled as she explained:

"Nope, it’s always been the three of us—me, Tomori, and Chihiro.

"But… are Chihiro and Sakiko that close? I know they’re in the same class now, but—"

That close? Nagasaki Soyo frowned.

Not long ago, Chihiro and Sakiko were very close.

Just like… how Soyo once believed her own bond with Sakiko was unbreakable.

And then, one day, without warning or reason, that connection was severed—just like that.

And it had stayed that way ever since.

To be honest, after she let her anger get the better of her and drove Chihiro out of her house, Soyo had been terrified. Because she felt like this was just her fate—once she lost something, it was gone forever.

But in the end… she got Chihiro back.

And the process had been so easy, so natural—like…

Like they had never fought at all. Like they had always been inseparable.

Now, even though she and Sakiko still weren’t speaking, she and Chihiro had stepped into a relationship from which there was no turning back. They had even done things… that must never be seen by others.

Thinking of this, Nagasaki Soyo couldn’t help but press her legs together, crossing her arms over her chest as her face grew slightly warm.

"What about other times?" To avoid letting Anon notice anything unusual, Soyo flicked her hair back and turned her head away. "After school, during club hours—has Chihiro ever been seen with Sakiko?"

"Chihiro isn’t in any clubs."

Chihaya Anon pouted. Though, technically… neither was she. To this day, Tomori’s Astronomy Club still only had one member—Tomori herself.

"They’ve never been seen together?"

"I did see them once, after school. Chihiro was following behind Sakiko and trying to talk to her, but Sakiko completely ignored her… So I figured they must not have been that close to begin with."

That’s familiar.

Nagasaki Soyo could already picture Sakiko’s cold, emotionless gaze—the way she looked at her like a total stranger.

That look gave her the same feeling as running thousands of meters to reach a friend, only to be told, “We don’t know each other.”

She remembered, in the last timeline, how she got off the train at Asukayama, went to Sakiko’s house, and apologized.

And in the end… she had grabbed Sakiko’s hand, fallen to her knees, and begged her to come back.

Soyo had never hated herself in a moment more than she did then. It was like she had trapped herself inside a cage called “the past.”

And the key to that cage had been in her hand all along—she had just thrown it away.

If she ever got another chance, she swore she would never kneel before Sakiko again.

Because in this timeline, she had already knelt once—only that time, Chihiro’s skirt had been beneath her knees.

It was Chihiro who had kept her from losing herself again.

At least… that’s how Soyo saw it.

As for why the skirt had fallen in the first place… ahem—she certainly wasn’t going to edit that precious memory.

After all, if she—the director—said her memories with Chihiro were beautiful, then they were beautiful. No doubt about it!

"I understand… Thanks, Anon."

She’d have to find a chance to see Sakiko.

Though Soyo still didn’t know what excuse to use, or if she would just end up making things harder for her Chihiro.

---

"Welcome… Ah, it's the young lady!"

Inside Sunkei Music, store manager Kujo Azuki was diligently handling her duties. She had just finished reorganizing next week’s work schedule when she heard the automatic doors slide open.

And in walked an adorably familiar figure—Tsuzuki Chihiro, the beloved granddaughter of the store’s owner, Tsuzuki Shifune.

But beside her stood another petite girl, one Azuki had never seen before.

Hmm… she seemed even shorter than Sakiko, who had worked here for a while.

"Wait, this place belongs to your family?"

Feeling a little uncomfortable under the gaze of the tall store clerk, Ebizuka Tomo took a step back and tilted her head toward Chihiro.

"Yeah. Since I’m buying a keyboard anyway… might as well do it here and support the family business."

"…"

Are you sure you’re not just taking one for free?

Ebitsuka Tomo rolled her eyes. She wanted to say it out loud but decided against it.

"My dear teacher Tomo, what kind of keyboard do you think I should get?"

"You could try a Roland or Yamaha. They both have solid entry-level models. Since you’re planning to just—uh, cough—I mean, since you're just starting out, you should go with something simpler."

Tsuzuki Chihiro tapped a finger against her lips. With her soft, doll-like features, the gesture made her look almost comically naive.

"Then what about your keyboard, dear teacher Tomo?"

"…Can you not call me ‘dear teacher Tomo’?"

"Nope."

"…Fine." Tomo crossed her arms, looking as if she were magnanimously letting a student off the hook.

"My keyboard is more professional—it’s not really for beginners."

"Then I’ll get the same one."

"What? Were you even listening to me? I just said—"

"I heard you."

Chihiro smiled sweetly, but her words were anything but.

"But I want to get good enough to make Sakiko regret rejecting me on stage. Of course, I need a professional keyboard."

"Or… what? Did Sakiko’s words cut so deep that even you have no confidence in your ability to teach me?"

Her tone was lighthearted, but the provocation was blatant.

"And just so you know—I’m not making this up to manipulate you~ If you don’t believe me, go ask Sakiko yourself. See if she denies saying those things about you."

What. The. Hell?!

Hearing this, Kujo Azuki’s inner gossip-fueled fire exploded.

Had she just stumbled upon an absolutely insane scoop?

Sure, the Chihiro x Sakiko ship she had been rooting for seemed to have sunk…

But this? This was something even better.

A bitter ex left drowning in regret? A borderline revenge-fueled performance? And on top of that, a new flame who just so happened to resemble the ex?

The layers of drama were insane.

Ex-girlfriend attacking the new girlfriend.

New girlfriend’s personality and vibe just happened to resemble the ex.

Meanwhile, the young lady herself was fully backing her new lover—openly plotting to make her ex regret it for the rest of her life.

Even yuri manga wouldn’t dare write something this over-the-top!

And yet… it was happening right in front of her.

Kujo Azuki, a humble store clerk, could now die without regrets.

"Alright then, fine."

Tomo, oblivious to the nearby store employee mentally combusting, only knew one thing: Chihiro had just goaded her—using an insult from Sakiko, of all things.

And it was a cheap trick, at that.

But somehow… it still got to her.

Because when it came to the piano, she did have her own pride to reclaim.

And, unfortunately for her, her opponent this time just so happened to be Toyokawa Sakiko.

"Manager, we need a Nord Electro 6 HP. Do you have one in stock?"

"Of course. Nord is one of the mid-to-high-end brands we carry, but we don’t keep them on display. If you need one, I’ll have the staff arrange for direct shipping from the warehouse. Just fill out your address here."

When it came to business, Kujo Azuki was professional and efficient. She quickly ran through the necessary steps, making sure everything was in order.

Of course, except for the final step—payment.

"Wait, Kujo-san, you haven’t charged me yet… That keyboard costs 320,000 yen, right?"

"You’re buying a keyboard from your own family’s store and still expect to pay?"

Tomo smirked, looking at the "pretentious" young lady with a teasing expression.

"What nonsense!" Kujo Azuki puffed out her chest, swiping Chihiro’s card with ease.

"Alright—charging the young lady 320,000 yen… and handing her 640,000 yen in change—"

"???"

"Heh… just kidding." Kujo Azuki let out an easy laugh.

Of course, she wasn’t actually going to suck up that much.

After all… getting firsthand access to prime yuri gossip was the true reason she worked here in the first place!

"Kujo-san, can I ask you something?"

After the transaction was complete, Chihiro murmured something to Tomo. The smaller girl frowned slightly but eventually nodded and walked off alone.

Once Tomo had left, Chihiro turned to Azuki.

"When did Sakiko quit working here?"

"Ah… Let me think."

Kujou Azuki had a vague idea of why Chihiro was asking this, but she still responded quickly.

"It should have been the 14th… No, wait—the 15th.

"On the 14th, she actually came to me and asked if the reason she got this job… was because of you."

Azuki paused for a moment before continuing.

"But before we could finish our conversation, she suddenly got called away by her family.

"Then, the next evening, she came back and officially resigned."

The 14th…

Chihiro remembered—that was the day Sakiko abruptly left their group chat.

It seemed that was also the day she met with her grandfather.

That sleazy old man must have said something misleading, making Sakiko think Chihiro had been toying with her all along.

…Well, okay, technically speaking, Chihiro was lying to her.

But the one who had sent her to deceive Sakiko wasn’t the Togawa family's old man—

It was the Nagasaki family's widow.

"I see. Did Sakiko say anything before she left? Something about me?"

She still can’t let go of Sakiko!

Kujo Azuki mentally screamed at the sheer messy drama of it all.

But outwardly, she answered as normal:

"She said… she’s not so weak that she needs someone’s pity just to survive."

"She thanked me and you for looking after her these past few days."

"But from now on, she won’t be the kind of fool who lets pity pierce her fragile heart ever again."

"Hah… Is that so?"

Chihiro let out a soft chuckle.

"And yet she says she’s not an idiot."

"If she’s not an idiot… then who is?"

---

T/N: WHY IS KUJO ME??? also NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE RTAWS (last chap)

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!