Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [183]

"First, let me check if your academic history is legit, Chihiro-nee."

"What the hell?"

"Ahem. This is a carefully prepared test for you. You have… one hour. Finish it quickly."

Ever since they got back from Raana’s place, Chihaya Anon had thrown herself into her role as Chihiro’s personal home tutor.

While Chihiro sat off to the side, plucking at her guitar and producing a chaotic mess of sound, Anon was busy searching for standard middle school graduate-level test questions on her laptop.

"Do I have to do this? Can’t we just skip to targeted review sessions?"

"Less talking, more writing!"

There was no way Chihaya Anon was letting go of this rare opportunity to have the upper hand over Chihiro.

But when she saw Chihiro staring blankly at the practice questions, tapping her pen against the paper in deep thought, she couldn’t help but imagine the beautiful future ahead—walking to and from school with both Tomori in one hand and Chihiro in the other.

Speaking of which, while Haneoka wasn’t labeled as a "private" school, its entrance exams did differ slightly from standard public schools.

Generally, the requirements weren’t too strict, and the test subjects were limited to Japanese, Math, and English.

There was also a mandatory interview, but Anon felt that would be where Chihiro truly shined.

When it came to self-promotion and shamelessly hyping herself up, no one could compete with the girl sitting in front of her.

"Sensei Anon, I’m done~"

"Already?!"

Chihaya Anon was shocked, but as soon as she picked up Chihiro’s answer sheet, she realized just how much of a hopeless case she was dealing with.

"Why are there so many blank answers?! Are you waiting for me to fill them in for you?!"

"Do you have any idea what’ll happen if you keep slacking off like this? You’ll end up as a nobody in society, stuck working some cheap, dead-end job, barely scraping by!"

"Oho~ Look at you, Anon-sensei, really getting into character~" Tsuzuki Chihiro smirked at her exaggerated lecturing, spreading her hands out as if she had already accepted her fate. "I don’t really care, though. Worst case, I just won’t go to school. Besides, I can always inherit my family’s business~"

"…Damn rich people."

"Your family’s not exactly poor either. If your mom heard you badmouthing her hard work as a parent, she’d be heartbroken."

"Anyway, I’ve made up my mind! Starting today… I’ll go to school during the day, and you will study at home according to my schedule!"

"I’ll even have my mom supervise you. Then, when I get back at night, I’ll check your progress."

"I’ll turn you into a model student in just one week!"

"…Sounds more like you’re trying to skin me alive."

---

May 19th, Tuesday.

It had been about four days since Togawa Sakiko and Chihiro’s falling out.

As the final class of the afternoon ended, Sakiko stood by the classroom door, watching Tomori and Anon walk out from the class next door, chatting and laughing together.

A complicated mix of emotions swirled inside her.

After she failed to meet Soyo at Tsukinomori that day, she hadn’t gone back there since.

It was almost as if she were deliberately avoiding her past, avoiding any contact with the people she used to know—including even her closest friend, Mutsumi.

But after today, if she managed to recruit the promising drummer she had her eye on, she would have no choice but to face Wakaba Mutsumi head-on.

She wasn’t sure what reason Uika had used to persuade Yahata Umi, but the end result was that this bassist from the long-established band DISRUPTION had agreed to join their project.

"So then… Yuutenji Nyamu-san, how will today’s meeting go?"

Togawa Sakiko had arranged to meet Yuutenji at a high-end café on the first floor of a luxury hotel in the heart of Shibuya—a fair distance from Haneoka.

She had chosen this place carefully.

To gain the upper hand in negotiations, to present herself as the leader of a serious, commercially viable band project, she needed a fitting venue.

Her outfit remained consistent with her usual style, but as she checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror, her thoughts drifted to another set of clothes—ones of similar value—that were currently sitting in someone else’s wardrobe.

How ridiculous…

Thinking back now, she couldn’t believe how quickly she had let her guard down, how easily she had opened her heart to someone she had barely known.

It was… regretful.

She had been too weak.

Because of her weakness, because she wasn’t strong enough, she had sought comfort in another person.

She had wanted someone to share her burdens, a perfect partner who would understand her completely.

Perhaps such a person could exist.

But it was definitely not Tsuzuki Chihiro, who had conspired with Soyo to deceive her.

Looking back, Sakiko even started to suspect that Chihiro running into her father that day wasn’t a coincidence.

If her grandfather had been helping from behind the scenes, then it would make perfect sense why Chihiro knew who her father was, and even where he lived.

She patted her cheeks, pushing away those fragile thoughts.

Her focus now was the fashionable young woman seated near the hotel lobby, wearing sunglasses and waiting for her arrival—

Yuutenji Nyamu, or as she branded herself, "Meowmuu", a beauty influencer.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Ah~"

The first thing Yuutenji said made Sakiko frown slightly.

"It wasn’t too long of a wait, but…"

The violet-haired girl lifted her sunglasses slightly, giving Sakiko a once-over.

Then, in a voice laced with amusement, she remarked—

"But choosing this place for our meeting… don’t you think that puts a little too much pressure on you?"

"…I’ll be fine."

If it had been Chihiro, even at their first meeting, she would never have said something so rude.

"So? You’re here to invite me into your band? But… why me?"

"Because of your numbers and your face."

"Oh?"

"Yuutenji Nyamu-san, you have an outstanding appearance. You’re also ambidextrous, aren’t you? I’ve seen your videos—you have a unique drumming style that combines flair and charisma."

"That’s why I want you in my band."

"Of course, your drumming still needs refinement."

"…"

Yuutenji Nyamu didn’t seem bothered by the remark, which could be interpreted as either a subtle insult or a power move.

Instead, she asked, with a perfectly neutral expression—

"And what’s in it for me?"

"Take a look at this."

"This is…"

Yuutenji Nyamu’s eyes suddenly widened.

The moment she saw the person in the photo, her entire expression changed.

"What a gorgeous girl… Who is she?"

"Eh? You don’t recognize—"

Sakiko was caught off guard.

Then, she glanced at her phone screen and saw the photo she had forgotten to delete.

Long, wine-red hair. A flawlessly delicate face.

Gently arched brows, carrying a softness that seemed to hold the warmth of spring.

Damn it…

How did I forget to delete this photo?

"Apologies. Not her—I meant this one."

Sakiko quickly swiped to the intended picture.

"Wakaba Mutsumi—our band’s drummer. And our vocalist is Uika from sumimi."

"I see…"

Yuutenji Nyamu furrowed her brows, recognizing the potential in this lineup.

But it was clear she hadn’t forgotten about the red-haired girl in the photo.

"That girl from earlier… would she also—"

"Absolutely not."

"But you and her seem to be clos—"

"That’s absurd. Forget you ever saw her."

---

T/N: heh haven't deleted the photo yet huh

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!