Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [200]

The Togawa and Tsuzuki families had always maintained a decent relationship, and Togawa Teiji got along reasonably well with Tsuzuki Shifune.

So, to Teiji, Tsuzuki Chihiro was more than just his granddaughter’s classmate.

If she were merely Sakiko’s friend, he wouldn’t have personally invited her over for dinner.

Of course, he couldn’t be too casual when dealing with Tsuzuki’s granddaughter—

Otherwise, the next time he saw his old friend, he’d never hear the end of it.

The dinner was pleasant, and after Chihiro finished eating, Teiji arranged for his driver to take her home.

After all, he couldn’t possibly let such a pretty girl walk home alone.

That wouldn’t be responsible.

...

"President, about Miss Tsuzuki…"

"Hm? What, are you wondering why I suddenly invited the little rascal over for dinner?"

"…A little."

The man standing before Togawa Teiji was his personal secretary—an efficient and level-headed young man in his early thirties.

Teiji had always been rather fond of him.

"She’s my good friend’s granddaughter. She’s also close with my own granddaughter."

"And… haven’t you noticed? That little one is quite interesting."

"Do you mean… you enjoy the way she speaks?"

"Something like that."

Teiji did genuinely like Chihiro.

And it wasn’t just because she was Shifune’s granddaughter—

It was because she had a way of talking and carrying herself that made her… pleasant to be around.

She followed his conversational flow like a little adult—

Never overstepping, but also never revealing too much of her personal opinions.

She always left herself room to maneuver.

And somehow, despite her composure, she still knew when to make lighthearted jokes—

When to act just a little cute, in that way that only young girls could.

How could you not like a child like that?

And when the conversation had shifted to Sakiko’s misunderstanding—

How she had accused Chihiro of being his spy but never bothered to clarify the truth—

Chihiro hadn’t seemed angry about it at all.

Instead, she had helped him smooth things over—

Which only further proved that in handling people, Chihiro was leagues ahead of Sakiko.

Sigh…

Teiji exhaled, sounding almost tired as he muttered:

"If only Sakiko were as sensible as Chihiro, I wouldn’t have to make things so difficult for her."

"Right now, she sees me as her biggest enemy."

"If anything doesn’t go her way, I’m suddenly a cold, heartless grandfather who doesn’t care about family."

…Being a grandfather like this was a little pathetic, wasn’t it?

Every time he thought about it, he remembered Shifune bragging about her granddaughter over the past month—

About how happy she was to have Chihiro back in her life.

"Seito," Teiji said, rubbing his temple, "Sakiko’s performance is scheduled for Sunday, right?"

"Yes, President."

"Get me a ticket."

"I want to see how my granddaughter does on stage."

"Sir, I thought—"

"This is different."

"The test is one thing."

"The performance is another."

"I won’t mix the two."

The secretary wisely shut his mouth.

He knew better than to argue at this point.

But just as he turned to leave, Teiji called out again—

"There’s one more thing…"

Teiji had been thinking.

He wanted to put Sakiko through a trial, but if he rigged the situation too much, it would be too obvious.

And knowing her personality—if she found out, she’d definitely run away from home.

So, he had come up with a compromise.

He wouldn’t directly interfere.

Instead, he would have certain people subtly guide and influence the situation from the sidelines.

If Sakiko had surrounded herself with competent people, nothing would happen.

It would be a shame, but it would at least prove she had good judgment.

But if her choices had been poor—

If she had invited walking disasters into her band—

Then, under just the right amount of pressure, someone was bound to snap.

And when that contract dispute inevitably exploded—

Then, and only then, would he see if Sakiko could truly live up to her own words—

That she could solve any problem on her own.

If she came to her senses and returned home, so be it.

At that point, he would just have her learn from Chihiro—

That way, even if he didn’t have time to personally watch over her, he would know she was in good hands.

Having a good friend is important…

Come to think of it—

Sakiko had only really had one close friend growing up—

That little Wakaba girl.

Wakaba Mutsumi was a well-behaved child, sure—

But she wasn’t even in the same school anymore.

And frankly, the girl’s personality was too introverted.

Shaking his head, Teiji dismissed his secretary and turned toward his study.

Time to call up his old friend Shifune—

And complain about their granddaughters.

---

Saturday, May 23rd.

Since it was only a half-day at school, Shiina Taki—a rare example of a “good student” leaving on time—headed straight for RiNG.

But the moment she stepped into the recording studio, she was greeted with a frustrating sight.

A red-haired girl sitting smugly in the corner—

And beside her, Anon, acting all high and mighty as she boasted about her guitar skills.

Taki’s head throbbed.

How did this happen?

For some reason, ever since yesterday, their practice space had gained an unexpected visitor.

Right when they were wrapping up practice—at almost the same time both days—

A girl calling herself Iseri Nina would show up, wearing a T-shirt that basically screamed “I REFUSE TO GO TO SCHOOL.”

She even claimed she was here to learn guitar.

Which would have been fine—

If their best two guitarists weren’t:

• Raana—a socially awkward shut-in who had zero ability to teach.

• Chihiro—who might be able to teach, but had disappeared to study piano.

So who stepped up?

Who boldly declared themselves an approved guitar instructor?

…

Chihaya Anon.

Taki had almost spat out blood on the spot.

Seriously?! YOU?!

"Anon," Taki groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are you sure you haven’t completely ruined her?"

"Are you kidding? I’m a pro."

Anon huffed, slapping Nina on the back like she was some kind of proud mentor.

"Ignore her, Nina. Drummers are just nosy."

"She’s right. Our drummer is a total drama queen."

"…WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DRAMA QUEEN?!"

"Ahem…"

"…What an idiot," Soyo muttered, watching with an expression that suggested she had lost all faith in humanity.

"Soyo, you too?!"

"…Do you really have the right to ask that?"

Soyo’s girlfriend was off in some secret location—having a private music lesson with Tomo.

How could she not be stressed about this?!

She had been hoping to team up with Anon and punish Chihiro for this traitorous exchange student nonsense—

But no.

Anon had been distracted by Nina’s flattery—

And now she was showing off like she had just gained a disciple.

…

Stupid pink-haired showoff.

---

T/N: huehuhe

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!