Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [182]

Tsuzuki Chihiro wanted to refuse.

But at this moment, she saw Kaname Raana sitting to Uta’s right—just a meter away from her.

Raana had once chosen to skip school and stay at SPACE to play guitar… because of her influence.

No one had ever explicitly told her this—her grandmother never scolded her for it, and her aunt and uncle had never brought it up in front of her.

But Chihiro understood.

Raana had always liked imitating her—whether it was the way she played guitar or her reckless, free-spirited attitude.

Because she had dropped out of school to chase her dream of playing in a band abroad, she had set a bad example.

She had become the bad older sister.

And Raana had followed in her footsteps.

That was the reality of it.

So, if she were to refuse school now, she really couldn’t bring herself to say it.

"Anon really understands our Chihiro," Uta said with a smile, clearly pleased that her niece had surrendered so quickly. "Chihiro, you don’t have to worry. Your uncle and I aren’t outsiders. To us, you’re our daughter—so don’t overthink things."

"Exactly…"

Her uncle, Kaname Takeshi, put down his chopsticks and looked at her with a complicated expression.

"We were devastated when we heard about your parents…"

"Hey, did you really have to bring that up?"

"Ah, my bad." Takeshi scratched his head awkwardly. "What I meant to say was that we feel the same way as your aunt. From now on, you’re our daughter. Whether it’s school or anything else, we’ll always support you."

"I…"

Tsuzuki Chihiro’s lips trembled slightly.

She was deeply moved.

Her parents’ deaths had never been an insurmountable wall for her. She loved them dearly, but she had never shut herself off from the world because of their loss.

Back in England, she had her bandmates—like Mizushima Ayano, who had personally taught her how to be a scheming mastermind, or the adorable pink-haired Chihaya Anon, who brought warmth and sunshine into her life.

Now that she was home, she had her grandmother, Raana, and her aunt and uncle.

And, of course, her little tsundere girlfriend, Nagasaki Soyo—who was endlessly fun to tease.

Chihiro had never lacked people who cared about her.

And she couldn’t ignore the love that surrounded her.

If she had let her grief consume her—if she had become obsessed with her tragedy and only cared about her suffering—then she might not have noticed the love that was everywhere.

She might have thought… she had lost everything, that all she had left was music.

But thinking that way would have been a mistake.

And, in time, it would have only hurt the people around her.

After all, there was a saying—

"When some people leave, they take out the sharpest blade. Because they once stood so close, they know exactly where to cut deepest."

"I understand," Tsuzuki Chihiro finally said. "I’ll go back to school."

"That’s great!"

Chihaya Anon let out an excited cheer—only to immediately let out a hiss and clutch her side after getting elbowed in the ribs.

Wait.

Wasn’t she helping Chihiro?

Why was she getting hit?!

Uuu… so unfair!

"But there’s a bit of a problem," Tsuzuki Chihiro said, rubbing her chin as if deep in thought.

"What kind of problem?"

"Wouldn’t I have to take an entrance exam? Especially since I dropped out before…"

"Oh, yeah!" Chihaya Anon scratched her head. "When I applied to Haneoka, even though my grades were fine in middle school, I still had to take a placement test after enrolling.

If it’s you, Chihiro, they’ll probably test you before letting you in."

"Then… do you think you’ll pass?" Uta asked, a little worried.

"Auntie… I went to England to play in a band, not to study abroad."

"But your English should be fine, right? You did live there for a while, so your proficiency must be pretty high."

Pffft.

Chihaya Anon suddenly felt like she had just been stabbed.

But she quickly composed herself.

After all… her test-taking English skills were still solid.

"English should be fine, but there are other subjects too."

"That is a bit tricky."

"Wait!" Chihaya Anon’s eyes suddenly lit up. A brilliant idea had struck her. "I can help Chihiro with her studies!"

"Anon, you…"

You really want me to suffer through school that badly, huh, my dear Anon…

"Hehehe." Chihaya Anon puffed out her chest with pride. "Don’t underestimate me! I’ve always been a good student!"

"And if Chihiro-nee is enrolling at Haneoka, I can give her all the inside tips—nobody understands the entrance exams better than me!"

At some point, this girl had even pulled out a pair of glasses from somewhere and perched them on her nose.

Now, sitting next to Chihiro, she casually flicked her hair back with one hand and pushed her glasses up with the other—radiating the smug confidence of an academic genius.

"Wow, Anon-chan, you’re amazing!"

Uta beamed at her, delighted.

The last major concern was now solved—her niece’s education was secured.

After a few intensive tutoring sessions, Chihiro’s school enrollment would be all set.

She had to tell her mother this good news. The old lady would definitely be overjoyed.

"I… I guess I have no choice?"

"Hehehe~ Chihiro-nee is my student now!"

"Anon, wipe that drool off your face."

"Eh?" Chihaya Anon blushed, quickly touching the corner of her mouth—only to realize she’d been tricked.

But no matter what, this was her moment.

Chihaya Anon’s era had arrived.

She had been bullied enough during those two guitar lessons—this time, she would pay Chihiro back with interest.

Of course, she had to hold it in for now.

She couldn’t let her excitement show.

"Anon, you’re really struggling to keep a straight face, aren’t you?"

"Ugh… No, I’m not."

"Oh?"

Under the table, Tsuzuki Chihiro nudged Anon’s thigh with her leg and leaned in close, whispering—

"You don’t seriously think that becoming my teacher means you get to slack off in guitar lessons, do you?"

"Or are you planning to challenge me head-on… and see which one of us has less shame?"

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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!