Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [184]

The more one tries to hide something, the more suspicious it appears.

Yuutenji Nyamu even suspected that this Miss Togawa Sakiko had deliberately shown her that photo to test whether she recognized the person in it.

Of course, she really didn’t know this girl.

But what if this beautiful red-haired girl was someone important, with a powerful background? And in the photo just now, the red-haired girl was leaning against Togawa Sakiko, her arm seemingly wrapped around Sakiko’s waist.

Clearly, their relationship wasn’t just a casual acquaintance.

Yet now, Sakiko was acting as if they were unfamiliar—maybe even hostile. It was just too deliberate.

"So? Joining us should bring you plenty of benefits."

Togawa Sakiko had no idea what bizarre theories were running through Yuutenji Nyamu’s head. If she did, she would probably be so angry that she’d walk out on the spot.

"Well, you say that, but I don’t know anything about this band of yours, Sakiko-san. How can I just agree right away…?"

"I see. Then let me give you a simple introduction."

Togawa Sakiko nodded, feeling that, as the organizer, she had a responsibility to explain the details of the band to this girl who was clearly here chasing clout.

So, over the next stretch of time, she went over the roles of each band member (including Wakaba Mutsu, whom she already considered a part of the group) and explained the band's core philosophy.

She covered everything she could think of—the band’s name, its musical and stage style—detailing it all thoroughly.

However, what irritated her was that, from start to finish, Yuutenji Nyamu didn’t seem to care much about any of these musical aspects. The purple-haired girl just lounged there with her legs crossed, grinning at her in silence.

It wasn’t until Sakiko finished speaking that she finally gave a token nod and said:

"Seems like a band with a lot of potential for buzz… But from what you’re saying, every member has to wear a mask on stage?"

"That’s right."

Sakiko had decided on this early on. If she wanted the band to stand out in the current industry, it needed something visually striking.

Covering their faces wouldn’t just spare Hiyori and Mutsu some trouble; it would also align with the doll-like aesthetic she envisioned.

From a business standpoint, performing with their faces concealed would create intrigue, drawing audiences in with curiosity about their real identities.

But, as expected, the woman in front of her didn’t seem all that impressed by this explanation.

At least, this time, she didn’t raise any further objections.

"So… are you willing to entrust your entire future to me?"

"My entire future, huh~"

Yuutenji Nyamu adjusted her sunglasses, gazing at the blue-haired girl with amused interest. "Well then, I’ll be looking forward to our collaboration."

---

"Soyo, did you and Chihiro have a fight?"

"Huh?"

At the dinner table, Nagasaki Soyo was busily messaging Chihiro on her phone while eating—something quite "impolite"—when her mother suddenly asked the question. She blinked, momentarily dazed.

"She hasn’t come home in days. Don’t you know what’s going on?"

"I… she told me she’s been staying at a friend’s place."

As she said this, Nagasaki Soyo was inwardly cursing that awful girl who had just started dating her and already abandoned her.

And honestly, even though Chihiro hadn’t explained in detail, Soyo had a strong suspicion about where she was staying.

Most likely, at that pink-haired person’s house.

After all, in Tokyo, Chihiro didn’t have that many close friends.

As for Momoka and the others… Soyo had already done some indirect digging. Momoka’s band had been busy rehearsing for their five-member performance, leaving them no time to entertain Chihiro.

Of course, the most important thing was that Soyo had been going to RiNG every day. The band’s problems weren’t entirely resolved, but at least everyone had committed to training again—each member working hard in their own roles, just like CRYCHIC once did.

Everyone… except for one person.

The one who never took practice seriously and got "military drills" from Taki every day.

The one with that ridiculously pink head of hair, who somehow managed to make playing the guitar sound like Chihiro’s laugh—Chihaya Anon.

What was she so happy about these past few days?

Most people might assume she had been scolded so much that she’d gone numb and lost her mind.

But Nagasaki Soyo didn’t see it that way.

She could feel it—Anon’s quiet sense of superiority, her smug satisfaction.

Just then, her phone buzzed.

[Soyo, I’m home… Come massage me.]

With a loud thud, Soyo abruptly set down her chopsticks and stood up, startling her mother, Nagasaki Rina.

"Soyo?"

"Mom… Chihiro’s back. She seems to need me for something."

Nagasaki Soyo felt like she was doing something terribly forbidden.

Yet, at the same time, she felt strangely exhilarated—lying so boldly right in front of her own mother.

She was falling into a deep abyss.

"You two really didn’t have a fight?"

"Of course not!"

"Alright, alright." Nagasaki Rina chuckled. She had no concerns about her daughter’s friendship with Chihiro, so she just waved her off with a smile. "Go on then. Need me to come along and say something?"

"No way!"

"Soyo, what’s with you—"

"N-Nothing." Soyo bit her lip. "I’m heading out now."

"…What a strange child."

As Nagasaki Rina sighed, her daughter had already thrown on her shoes.

Within three seconds—barely leaving the sound of the door opening and closing behind her—Soyo had vanished.

A few quick strides outside, and she was at Chihiro’s door.

Since she already knew the passcode, she let herself in smoothly, even without a keycard.

The room was dark.

That worried her.

Even though Chihiro had still been messaging her these past few nights, the frequency wasn’t that high—mostly just before bed.

If it weren’t for her habit of sleeping early, Soyo would have loved to chat with her until morning.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Because this ghost of a girlfriend who had run off and abandoned her had finally come home.

"Chihiro, your birthday is tomorrow. Is that why you finally decided to—"

The moment she stepped into the bedroom, she froze.

Lying on the bed, Tsuzuki Chihiro looked like she had just crawled out of hell.

She was the type of girl who didn’t need any makeup to have an enviable beauty, but right now, dark circles faintly rimmed her eyes.

What had she been doing all night instead of sleeping?

Wait—could it be…

"Soyo… I’ve finally escaped the abyss. Come here and let me hold you—I need to experience the refreshing breeze of someone with an IQ desert."

"…What happened to you?"

"I’m taking the entrance exam for Haneoka tomorrow."

"Haneoka?" Soyo was stunned. Then, suddenly, she got upset. "Wait—why Haneoka? Why not Tsukinomori?!"

"Huh?"

Chihiro froze for a moment.

Right.

She had completely forgotten about that.

Her freshly-official girlfriend, Nagasaki Soyo, hearing that she wasn’t going to Tsukinomori—her first reaction was not excitement.

It was jealousy.

But Tsuzuki Chihiro knew Soyo well enough by now. Manipulating her emotions was practically second nature.

So, with a hesitant, pained expression, she looked at Soyo and, under the intensity of her tea-haired girlfriend’s questioning gaze, she said something even she was beginning to believe:

"Because I can’t forgive Sakiko for leaving without a word. Because she left, Soyo was stuck in place for so long… So I’m going to her class to confront her directly."

"I even got Anon to tutor me. I’ve been studying my ass off these past days just to pass Haneoka’s exam and finally uncover CRYCHIC’s unsolved mysteries."

"But you, Soyo—you’re just scolding me!"

---

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!