Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [170]

Ever since that LIVE, things had been awkward.

Chihaya Anon could see it clearly, but she had no idea how to fix it.

She had been talking to Tomori more often lately, but every time the topic of the band came up, Tomori’s entire demeanor would shift—her reactions becoming tense and off-kilter.

So this "break" they were supposedly on… wasn’t that just a lie?

Today was no different.

As soon as school ended, Anon’s first thought was to talk to the girl sitting in front of her.

She wanted to ask when they would start practicing again.

But when the words reached her lips, she hesitated.

Should she ask Chihiro for help?

It felt like every time she ran into something she couldn’t handle, she would always turn to her best friend for advice.

At some point, she had even developed a habit of relying on Chihiro.

But this time, she really didn’t want to bother her.

Chihiro had her own band now.

She was busy.

If Anon made her take time out of her schedule to clean up her mess, wouldn’t that just make her look completely useless?

"Tomori…"

"?"

At the classroom door, Anon stepped in front of Takamatsu Tomori, blocking her way.

She smiled awkwardly, scratching her cheek before cautiously suggesting:

"How about we go to RiNG today? If we keep skipping, Taki is definitely going to be mad!"

"Taki…"

"Yeah! And when she’s mad, she’s scary! I bet she’s already furious at us—"

"Furious at me, you mean."

"…Huh?"

Tomori didn’t seem to be listening to her.

Or rather, she had only latched onto one part of what she said, ignoring the rest entirely.

Why hadn’t Taki said anything after the LIVE?

Why hadn’t she mentioned anything in the group chat about what went wrong?

That silence terrified Tomori.

Because she knew—the one responsible for their failure…

Was her.

But what scared her even more…

Was the possibility that they would never practice together again.

That Soyo would never come back.

Last night, Takamatsu Tomori had a terrible dream.

In it, she was alone with Anon.

And in front of her, Nagasaki Soyo was walking away, chatting and laughing with a group of completely unfamiliar Tsukinomori classmates.

She had tried to chase after her.

She had called out, over and over—

But no matter how much she shouted, Soyo never turned around.

She never heard her.

Just like that night on stage…

When her voice had been so small—so insignificant.

The scene shifted.

Suddenly, Tomori was back at the LIVE.

And in the audience, she saw Sakiko, watching her performance.

But unlike the real Sakiko, who had smiled and cheered her on—

This Sakiko looked… devastated.

Then, as if she couldn’t bear it anymore—she burst into tears and ran out of the venue.

Why…?

Tomori couldn’t understand.

Was it because she had joined a new band?

Because she had left Sakiko behind?

If that was the case…

Then had she made the right choice?

Or the wrong one?

"Tomori? Tomori?!"

"Ah…"

Oh, right.

Anon-chan was still here…

As she looked at the girl in front of her—her ever-optimistic, always-smiling friend—another vision flashed through her mind.

It was a memory.

A normal school day.

Anon was sitting behind her, just like always.

Her eraser rolled off her desk and fell to the floor.

But Anon…

Didn’t pick it up.

The girl who had always been there to comfort her, to give her courage…

Had suddenly become a stranger.

And the reason for that…

Was the final scene in her dream.

A recording studio.

A fight.

She couldn’t hear the words anymore, but she could tell—Taki’s anger was directed at her and Anon.

Because in that room…

It had only been the two of them.

A simple process of elimination.

"I’m sorry. I… I don’t want to go."

"What?"

"I said I don’t want to sing."

Tomori shook her head.

She knew she was running away.

"Anon-chan… can you give me more time?"

"Tomori…"

"…"

"Are you avoiding this?!"

"I…"

Guilt flashed across Tomori’s face.

But rather than being accused of avoidance…

She just wanted to believe that her dream wouldn’t come true.

That as long as she avoided those scenes from happening, she, Anon, Soyo, and Taki could still be friends.

"Ahhhh! What is even happening?!"

Anon groaned, clutching her head in frustration as she watched Tomori walk away, her expression filled with regret.

Then—

She suddenly remembered something Chihiro had asked her before.

Back when she was learning guitar from her, Chihiro had casually thrown a question her way.

At the time, Anon had assumed she was testing her determination.

But looking back now…

Had Chihiro meant something else?

"Wait, wait… was she trying to tell me something?!"

"Chihaya-san?"

"Eh?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Anon turned toward the voice.

And froze.

"You’re… Togawa Sakiko, right?"

If she remembered correctly, this girl had only crossed paths with her twice.

And altogether, they had exchanged maybe ten words.

The first time they met was when Anon had just started forming the band.

She had been looking for bandmates, and after seeing Sakiko’s skills in the music room, she had felt a strong urge to approach her.

But in the end, Sakiko had turned her down.

Anon had been a little disappointed at the time.

But after learning that she was a former member of CRYCHIC, she had a feeling there was more to the story than she knew.

And now, standing face to face with her, Anon felt… nervous.

"Chihaya-san… were you just arguing with your bandmate?"

Togawa Sakiko had just stepped out of her classroom when she caught sight of Tomori leaving.

And right before that, she had heard a name.

A name she knew.

"Chihiro."

The moment she heard it, something clicked in her mind.

How could I have been so blind?

Looking back now…

It seemed like everyone she had met recently was somehow connected to Tsuzuki Chihiro.

In one way or another, she had managed to insert herself into every part of her life.

Chihiro was everywhere.

And everywhere she went, she left behind a legend.

If that was really the case—

Then Sakiko needed to get some answers.

And the best place to start…

Was with this pink-haired girl standing right in front of her.

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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!