Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [174]

She… ran?

Shiina Taki stared in disbelief as Togawa Sakiko shot her one last sharp glare before turning on her heel and leaving.

She hadn’t even started laying into her yet. She still had plenty of things to say about that spoiled rich girl—so why had she just run off like that?!

"Whatever… If she’s running, then let her run. Just don’t ever show your face in front of Tomori or Soyo again."

But now, Taki had no idea how she was supposed to explain all this to Soyo and Chihiro.

About ten minutes later, she finally spotted a familiar figure walking out of the school gates.

Soyo was with a few of her friends, but the moment they spotted Taki, they looked like they had just seen a ghost—immediately panicking and scurrying away.

Only Soyo remained, her brows furrowing as the forced smile on her face froze the instant their eyes met.

"Wait, Soyo—"

"…"

Soyo had planned to walk right past Taki and pretend she hadn’t seen her.

Because even now, she still didn’t know what Chihiro had said to Taki yesterday.

She had thought she could trade a maid outfit for information—but instead, she had been completely strung along by Chihiro all night. Either teasing each other under the covers or focusing on singing practice…

In the end, she had completely forgotten about the whole Taki situation.

But now that Taki had stopped her, there was no escaping.

Her only option was to trust that Chihiro had handled it.

…But wait.

Hadn’t Chihiro just said she was planning to break their deal?

"I’ve been waiting for you. I think… there are some things we need to talk about face to face."

"Y-Yeah… I see."

"Chihiro told me everything yesterday."

"Wait… yesterday? Chihiro?"

What did that mean?

Had Chihiro’s disguise been blown?

It made sense—her attempt had been pretty rushed. Anyone observant enough would have noticed the inconsistencies.

And Taki wasn’t just anyone. She wasn’t some random stranger. Of course she would have spotted the few strands of red hair peeking out from under the cap.

So that’s what happened…

"You figured it out, huh…" Soyo lowered her gaze, unsure how to face Taki. "How much did Chihiro tell you? Our agreement… Did she tell you everything?"

"Yeah."

Taki nodded, then glanced toward the street.

"Why don’t we go sit down at a nearby café?"

"…Alright."

There was a café close to the school—after all, students were an excellent source of revenue.

After ordering their drinks and finding a table, their real conversation finally began.

And the first to speak was Taki—the one who had just done something she probably shouldn’t have.

"Soyo… I know this isn’t my place to say, but I really think you should drop this idea of reviving Crychic."

"How could she do this…"

"What?"

"…"

Nagasaki Soyo was frustrated.

But she wasn’t the type to be blindly stubborn.

Instead, she immediately considered the possibility that there had been a misunderstanding.

There was no way Chihiro had betrayed her.

Soyo trusted her completely.

If Chihiro had really sold her out, there was no way she would have acted so casual about it last night.

"Sakiko came looking for you just now."

"What?!"

"But I chewed her out pretty good. She got pissed and left."

"Sh-She did?"

"You’re not mad?"

Taki was a little surprised.

She had thought Soyo cared about Sakiko.

Before their band had even officially formed, back when Soyo used to talk to her at RiNG under the pretense of coffee shop chit-chat, most of their conversations had been about Sakiko.

But now, hearing that Sakiko had been angry…

Soyo’s reaction wasn’t as intense as she had expected.

Then again, Soyo wasn’t the same person she used to be.

If she didn’t genuinely care about everyone, she wouldn’t have gone this far.

Still… This meant Taki had to rethink some of the things she had dreamed about.

"Am I… allowed to be mad?"

"Huh?"

Taki wasn’t quite sure what Soyo meant, but she brushed past it.

"Anyway, I think this whole thing is unfair—to both you and Chihiro. I know you want Chihiro to take your place, but—"

"Take my place?! Not a chance! She’s her own person, and I’m me!!"

At the word "replacement," Soyo reacted like a cat suddenly hissing in warning—completely lashing out.

Her reaction caught Taki off guard.

She had no idea what was going through Soyo’s head.

…Until, suddenly, it clicked.

Soyo didn’t want Chihiro to be anyone’s replacement.

She genuinely wanted her to be recognized.

Not as a substitute.

Not as a stand-in.

But as herself.

Now that the truth was out, now that their plan wasn’t a secret anymore…

If Taki still treated Chihiro like an outsider, like a temporary placeholder…

Then how could Soyo possibly accept that?

So really, what else could she say?

Taki had already made up her mind—when the time was right, she was going to make sure both Soyo and Chihiro stayed in the band.

And really, if she thought about it, Chihiro was the one suffering the most in all of this.

She had no identity of her own in this plan.

She had to use someone else’s face and name just to participate in the band.

She had to watch everyone mistake her for Soyo instead of recognizing her for who she really was.

That must have hurt.

Taki could tell—Chihiro had genuinely been trying to connect with them these past few days.

She wasn’t just going through the motions.

Otherwise, Taki wouldn’t have changed because of her.

And if she could see that, then of course Soyo—Chihiro’s closest friend—could see it too.

That was why she had reacted so fiercely to such an irresponsible remark.

"No, Soyo… I wasn’t saying she should replace you."

Taki reached out and grabbed Soyo’s arm, speaking as calmly as she could.

"Chihiro is incredible. She’s kind, gentle, and everyone in the band really likes her."

"Wh-What?"

"I’m not lying. You can ask them yourself."

Taki assumed Soyo was doubting her, so she quickly added, "Really. Even though she’s been pretending to be you, I think everyone can feel that she’s different from you.

You’re you. And Chihiro is Chihiro.

I was an idiot before… thinking you two were the same person."

She didn’t notice the way Soyo’s face twisted into an expression of sheer disbelief.

She just kept talking.

"Don’t worry, Soyo. I won’t treat her as your replacement. Because you’re both irreplaceable."

"Ha… Haha… Is that what you really think? That’s great… That’s really great."

"Yeah. Everyone feels the same way."

Soyo smiled.

Perfect.

Shiina Taki had just done something truly wonderful.

---

T/N: im gonna crash out

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!