Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [176]

Sometimes, no matter how much you think about something on your own, it’s impossible to find an answer.

But if you sit down and open up to a friend you trust, even if there’s no immediate solution, at least some of that unease in your heart will fade away.

Like tonight.

After finally waiting for Chihiro to finish whatever mysterious work she had been so focused on—and after sacrificing her own backside—Chihaya Anon finally managed to spill all the weirdness that had been going on in the band lately.

"So, Anon… why are you so dead set on this band? Wouldn’t it be easier to just find a different one?"

"Chihiro-neesan… Are you seriously the one saying this?"

Anon puffed up in frustration, placing her hands on her hips as she shot back, "Who was it that said I lacked patience? That I was always looking for excuses to slack off when practicing guitar?"

"And now, when I actually run into problems, instead of encouraging me to stick with it and work through them, you’re telling me to run away?"

"Oh, I see what’s happening. You’re testing me, aren’t you?"

"Am I?" Tsuzuki Chihiro chuckled. "Seems like little Anon has grown a lot. You’re still as stubborn as ever, but that determination of yours is looking solid.

"Meanwhile, the people I know… The moment things get difficult, they immediately start thinking about giving up."

…Of course, that included herself.

And honestly, she was a little surprised.

She had thought that both Anon and Soyo would have chosen to walk away.

But instead, they were both unbelievably stubborn.

Then again, Soyo’s case was probably because she still didn’t realize that the Sakiko she imagined wasn’t the same as the one who actually existed anymore.

But bringing back the old Sakiko…

That was part of Chihiro’s job.

"But seriously, I’ve got such a headache…"

"Because you’ve never dealt with weirdos like Tomori and Taki before?"

"Exactly."

Hearing that, Anon glanced at the girl who still had her arm draped over her shoulder.

If only all bandmates could be as easy to talk to as Chihiro.

But of course that was impossible. Everyone had different personalities.

And even Chihiro must have her flaws—Anon just had a habit of only seeing her good points and ignoring the bad.

For example, the biggest flaw:

Chihiro loved to bully her.

"Oh, and your precious little sister, Raana-chan…"

"What about Raana?"

"…Never mind. If I say anything, you’ll probably just spank me again for insulting your sister."

"I wouldn’t—"

Just as Chihiro was about to defend herself, her phone chimed with a new message.

It probably wasn’t the best time to check her phone while she was still cuddling with Anon, but old habits and everything that had been happening lately made her pause and pull it out.

"What is it?"

"Hmm… It’s from Taki."

"Taki?" Anon blinked. "Wait a second—why are you getting messages from Taki?!"

Chihiro rolled her eyes. She really couldn’t be bothered to deal with this overgrown pink-haired puppy’s nonsense.

But the contents of the message…

That was what made her pause.

Because the very first thing Taki said was an apology.

An apology?

Had she even done anything to Taki that warranted an apology?

…Wait.

If she really thought about it, there were probably quite a few things.

Right after that sorry, Taki explained herself:

[I ran into Sakiko, but I couldn’t control my emotions and lost my temper at her.]

[I know this goes against what Soyo wanted, but Chihiro, as Soyo’s friend, you must realize that this whole plan of yours and hers isn’t fair to anyone, right?]

[So, I want everyone to sit down this Saturday and finally talk things out properly. Because in the end, the reason everyone fell apart before was because we never did.]

[So, Saturday at 2 PM—I’ll be waiting for you.]

…What was this supposed to mean?

For a moment, Chihiro couldn’t quite wrap her head around it.

According to the information Soyo had given her, this wasn’t how Taki was supposed to act.

How had she changed so much in just a few days?

But if she had to choose between the past version of Taki and this one…

This version—the one who wasn’t constantly picking fights with Anon—was much better.

"Let me see~"

"Quit it."

"How do you even know Taki? Don’t you think you owe me an explanation, Chihiro?"

"…You’ll find out soon enough."

That was all Chihiro said.

Though, to be honest…

She wasn’t quite sure when this "soon" would be.

And she wasn’t sure when exactly her "flawless" plan had started going off track.

At this point, she couldn’t even be confident that she’d reach the perfect ending she had envisioned.

Sakiko was still a mess.

She hadn’t had time to deal with Mutsumi’s situation either.

Sure, she had changed two people’s perspectives so far…

But Soyo was still difficult to read, and Taki—while seemingly more agreeable now—was growing more and more hostile toward Sakiko.

Wait a second…

A sudden thought struck Chihiro.

"Anon, what day is it today?"

"Friday. Why?"

"…So that means tomorrow is Saturday?!"

"…Chihiro-neesan, are you stupid?"

"…"

Time had passed way too fast.

Tomorrow’s band meeting was definitely going to be a storm.

Maybe even a bloodbath.

"Huh? I just got a message from Taki too! Let’s see… 'Everyone meet at RiNG tomorrow at 2 PM, and if you don’t show up, you die?' Jeez, that Ricky really doesn’t know how to talk like a normal person!"

"…"

"This is great, Chihiro! Looks like everyone does want to work things out after all!"

Anon bounced on the bed in excitement, completely oblivious to the slightly awkward expression on Chihiro’s face.

"Since you know Taki, why don’t you come with me tomorrow?"

"I think I’ll pass…"

"Why?"

"Well… Ahem. It’s not really any of my business, is it?"

"Says who? What if we all end up in a band together? I mean, if you joined, then—"

"Then you wouldn’t be in it, dummy."

"Eh?" Anon froze.

And then, she suddenly remembered how, in the eyes of the Tsuzuki sisters, her skills were absolutely terrible.

"…You’re right. You should probably stay home."

"…You little brat."

---

At the same time, across the city, Shiina Taki put down her phone, masking the hint of excitement in her eyes.

Looking at Nagasaki Soyo—who was all smiles, looking as if she was in a great mood—Taki spoke up:

"Soyo, can you come to RiNG tomorrow afternoon?"

"Tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah. Just the two of us."

Taki smoothly lied.

"Since you’re planning to leave Tokyo at the end of this semester, I figured I’d prepare a parting gift for you before you go."

"You? Giving me a gift?"

"…Are you coming or not? Tomorrow at 2:30. Be there."

"Fine." Soyo rolled her eyes.

At this point, she was too tired to argue with this idiot anymore.

If this was Taki’s way of graciously sending her off, then she might as well accept it.

Besides…

She had done unfair things to Chihiro before. She had even driven her away without knowing the full picture.

So now that she was the one being replaced…

That just meant that she and Chihiro were finally even.

---

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!