Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [195]

So cute!

The moment Nagasaki Soyo saw Tsuzuki Chihiro’s expression and pose, her mental filter maxed out, completely ignoring the meaning of Chihiro’s words. Instead, her heart pounded wildly, and she couldn’t help but take out her phone to snap a picture of this adorable moment.

But then, she remembered just how feral Chihiro could be at home—how she only acted this cute when everyone else was around.

That… kind of annoyed her.

Especially because among this "audience," there was also an annoying pink-haired menace.

"Wait… you really can’t play at all?"

"Yup, not even a little. Never touched a piano before."

"Are you saying… you don’t even own a piano at home?" Taki’s composure cracked slightly. She pressed her fingers against her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Why would I buy something I can’t play?"

"You…"

"But starting today, I am going to buy a keyboard. And I’ll start learning piano from now on."

…Is this really going to work?

Shiina Taki scanned the room, gauging everyone’s reactions.

Raana was a given—she had absolute trust in her older sister. In fact, the only reason Raana had been attending practice at all lately was because her beloved big sis was in the band.

As for Tomori… she was looking at Chihiro with a gaze full of admiration. No, wait—this isn’t the time to blindly trust a former compulsive liar!

Soyo and Anon seemed a bit more grounded, at least. Their expressions weren’t exactly confident. But… neither of them objected, either.

So… they were leaving it to her to be the bad guy, huh?

"Chihiro, it’s not that I don’t believe in you. It’s just… piano isn’t something you can learn in a day or two."

"Isn’t Anon the same? She was bragging about playing a C chord just the other day."

"Chihiro-neesan!"

Watching Anon practically bristle like an offended cat, Tsuzuki Chihiro chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand. Then, like a mischievous older sister teasing her little sibling, she reached out and ruffled the pink-haired girl’s head.

Of course, the moment she did, Chihiro swore she could feel the waves of jealousy radiating from Soyo’s direction.

"But I do have a foundation!" Anon protested. "I’ve played guitar before! I even performed on stage back in middle school!"

"You can’t compare me to you, Chihiro-neesan—someone who only knows the basics and has never actually played before!"

"How about this, then?" Chihiro suggested, smiling. "I’ll play guitar, and you, my brilliant fast-learner Anon, can switch to piano."

"…You know what, Chihiro-neesan? I have always believed in your genius. I’m sure you’ll master the piano in no time."

This embarrassing pink-haired traitor!

That was the exact same thought running through both Shiina Taki and Nagasaki Soyo’s minds.

After a moment of silence, Taki sighed in defeat. Realistically speaking… she didn’t have any other choice.

Aside from this guitar prodigy who had somehow picked up bass in a week and also happened to be a composer, there was no one else she could rely on for keys.

It just meant that for the next few days, Chihiro would have to sit out while the rest of them practiced new songs without a keyboard part.

"Today’s Thursday. There’s probably not enough time to set up a live show this week, so let’s aim for next weekend."

"And if, in the meantime, Chihiro… miraculously makes some kind of breakthrough, we can also rehearse an old song."

"An old song?" Tomori blinked, confused.

"Yeah. ‘Haruhikage.’ " Taki answered as if it were obvious. "I know you guys said there were licensing issues before, but if it’s just being used to test Chihiro’s piano skills, it should be fine, right?"

"That song…"

"Fine. Haruhikage it is."

Tsuzuki Chihiro was caught off guard. She had just been about to step in and reject the idea—mostly to save her poor little maid from another emotional meltdown.

But before she could even speak, Nagasaki Soyo had already nodded and agreed.

Their eyes met across the room.

And because they had already shared so much between them, in that moment, Chihiro understood exactly what Soyo was thinking.

Soyo… no longer saw that song as an untouchable memory.

"You don’t have to start with it right away, Chihiro. I don’t know what your learning method is, but… once you’ve mastered the basics, then we can try Haruhikage."

"After all… everyone here already knows it pretty well."

Taki paused. And then, all at once, guilt settled over her.

Not because learning this song meant temporarily sidelining Raana—Taki figured she could probably bribe her with a parfait later.

But because she realized… somewhere in the back of her mind, she had been thinking about Chihiro as a replacement for Togawa Sakiko.

She had suggested using Haruhikage as a test piece—not just to measure Chihiro’s progress, but as a way to erase Sakiko from their memories altogether.

And for someone like Sakiko—someone Taki already had little fondness for—she felt no guilt.

Sakiko herself had already made it clear she wasn’t coming back. She had just left behind a mess for everyone else to clean up.

But for Tsuzuki Chihiro—the one who had once taken on Soyo’s name, who had helped them through such a difficult time, who had gently given her the strength to move forward—

Wasn’t that… just too cruel?

"It’s okay, Taki."

"…Huh?"

"Whether or not you’re thinking about me and Sakiko… I don’t mind."

"I’m just grateful to be here."

"To have the chance to play in a band with everyone again… That alone makes me happy."

"You lying little succubus…" Soyo muttered in a low voice from the corner, watching as Taki looked visibly moved.

But… even if Chihiro was the type to say misleading things, Soyo could tell—her emotions were genuine.

And maybe… just maybe… the piano was the safest option for her right now.

Because unlike guitar—where she had the potential to shake up the entire band—her piano skills weren’t developed enough to steal anyone’s spotlight.

The more Soyo thought about it, the more a tiny smile crept onto her face.

Just imagining a scenario where a bassist got to bully a keyboardist instead…

That was kind of a nice feeling.

In fact, the more she pictured it, the more her cheeks started to turn pink.

"Alright, let’s wrap things up for today…"

Taki checked the time. She figured Chihiro had probably been delayed by school matters—it was her first day at Haneoka, after all.

Before Chihiro, Tomori, and Anon had arrived, she and Soyo had already gone through the melody for ‘Hitoshizuku’ with Raana.

Lamp still needed practice, and Anon hadn’t even looked at the sheet music yet.

But… they had time.

This time, MyGO!!!!! wouldn’t fail.

Even if Sakiko or Kaname showed up, Taki wouldn’t let their presence throw her off.

She packed her iPad into her bag, getting ready to leave with Tomori—

And then, she saw something that made her stop in her tracks.

Tsuzuki Chihiro—

Her left hand held by Anon, her right hand held by Soyo—

And wrapped around her waist…

A wild cat.

"Looks like nobody minds Chihiro joining, huh?"

Such a warm, harmonious band atmosphere…

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T/N: LMAOOO

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!