Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [163]

"It's raining."

Nagasaki Soyo sat alone on the living room sofa, staring at the downpour outside.

Countless raindrops streaked down the window like strands of thread in an abstract painting, sliding lower with every blink of her eyes.

It reminded her of that unforgettable night—when Sakiko left.

What had Mutsumi said to her back then, when she chased after her with an umbrella?

"Just leave everything to Chihiro..."

…Was she relying on Chihiro too much?

All she wanted was to make sure the band wouldn’t break apart because of her.

But as long as she threw that responsibility onto someone else, it felt like she could sit back and relax—just waiting at home for good news to arrive.

Maybe she never should have gone down this path at all.

One lie needed countless more to keep it standing.

By now, Chihiro had probably turned Taki into a complete idiot with whatever she had fed her.

And when Taki finally did find out the truth…

Oof.

Soyo could practically see herself being torn limb from limb.

Knock, knock~

Hearing a knock at the door, Soyo’s eyes lit up with joy.

Like a wife eagerly awaiting her husband’s return, she hurried over to open it.

"Chihiro—oh, Mom."

Nagasaki Rina blinked, momentarily stunned.

Then, with a wry smile, she sighed.

"Is Chihiro all you think about now?"

"Of course not…! But you’re home early today, Mom."

"The rain’s pretty heavy. I had a business dinner scheduled, but we decided to reschedule."

"So, naturally, I got home a lot earlier~"

Rina gently patted her daughter’s head, choosing not to comment on the odd expression she had just made.

Since it was right around dinner time, Rina—after shooing Soyo out of the kitchen—began preparing their second homemade meal of the week.

"Soyo, are you sure your friend is coming?"

"She should be."

"Should?"

"…She’ll definitely come."

Soyo finally answered with certainty.

She might not believe in much, but she knew one thing for sure—

Tsuzuki Chihiro would never pass up the chance to make her wear a maid outfit and massage her legs.

That alone guaranteed she’d be here.

"In that case, I’ll cook for three, then."

Rina nodded, practically beaming with anticipation.

But when Soyo opened the door for the second time that evening…

What she saw caught her completely off guard.

"Chihiro… why are you soaked?"

"Why are you acting so surprised?"

Chihiro’s hair was damp, sticking slightly to her forehead.

Unlike Soyo and her mom, who had driven into the garage and taken the elevator up, she had walked—through the pouring rain.

"If you went out for a stroll, you’d be wet too."

"Uh—"

"What’s with that look? Am I not welcome?"

Soyo suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Now, she was actually dreading tonight’s dinner.

"Um… I forgot to tell you. My mom’s home tonight."

"Hm? Are you talking about me?"

Chihiro flicked Soyo’s forehead.

"Did you think sucking up to me like this would get you out of being my maid?"

"I’M NOT JOKING!"

...

Ten minutes later.

Soyo sat across from her mother at the dinner table, Chihiro seated beside her.

Something about this setup felt off.

The only small mercy?

Raana hadn’t tagged along.

That was literally the only thing Soyo was grateful for.

Still, she was dying to ask Chihiro what exactly had happened between her and Taki.

"Mrs. Nagasaki, I’m Tsuzuki Chihiro. It’s nice to meet you… I didn’t realize you’d be home, so I didn’t bring a gift."

"Oh, no need to be so formal! I’ve heard so much about you, Chihiro~"

"Soyo’s been relying on you a lot lately."

Rina’s expression softened as she glanced at the girl who was, frankly, too beautiful.

So this was the one her daughter had tricked into pretending to be her?

Impossible.

No way someone this pretty would ever agree to something that ridiculous.

"…And I heard you two started a band together?"

"Ah, that—"

Soyo opened her mouth to explain, but Chihiro beat her to it.

"Yes, we did, Mrs. Nagasaki! Soyo and I are very close partners."

"She plays bass, I play guitar—but I also make sure to learn bass from her whenever I can."

"Oh~?"

Rina smiled warmly.

She was so glad to finally get a glimpse into her daughter’s life.

"You girls have been through a lot, huh?

"Your band started back in middle school, didn’t it?"

"I actually wanted to start a band when I was a student too, but I never stuck with it."

"…Mom, about that band—"

"That’s right! And I believe we’ll keep going for a long time."

"???"

Soyo turned to stare at Chihiro.

She was cutting her off again.

At first, she was surprised.

But a moment later… she realized it made sense.

Maybe she should find a way to explain things to Chihiro later.

Just as she was thinking that—

She felt a warm hand slide over hers under the table.

Fingers gently enclosing hers, radiating heat against her skin.

Then, as Chihiro’s soft, shampoo-scented hair brushed against her cheek, a breathy whisper reached her ear:

"Soyo, don’t worry your mom, okay?

"If something’s on your mind, you can talk to me."

"I—"

Before Soyo could fully process that, Chihiro continued,

"After all, I am basically your second mom—ow!"

"Chihiro-chan, are you alright?"

"N-No, it’s nothing… Just stubbed my toe on the table leg."

Chihiro winced.

Wow.

Soyo’s patience was really short tonight.

But Soyo was satisfied.

Despite Chihiro’s usual nonsense, her mom hadn’t been put off by her personality.

In fact…

During the entire dinner, Chihiro—combining her flawless disguise with her flawless looks—successfully charmed Rina.

To the point where Soyo barely got a word in.

By the end, her mom had almost started telling Chihiro about the embarrassing things she did in elementary school.

Thank god she stopped her in time.

"Rina-chan, I’ll head home now. Thanks for dinner."

"Chihiro, are you sure you don’t want to stay over?"

"I still have so much to talk to you about."

"You wouldn’t believe how annoying my coworkers are…"

Excuse me.

Since when did you start calling her “Rina-chan”?

Was she seriously trying to claim seniority over her mom now?!

And why were they talking about work?

Mom, you’re a corporate executive.

Why are you discussing office politics with a 16-year-old girl?!

…Then again, knowing Chihiro, she could probably keep up.

Dinner had lasted nearly two hours.

And after the food was gone, the conversation kept going.

Honestly, Soyo was feeling a bit inferior now.

If Chihiro hadn’t been tied down by her, she could probably be doing way better things with her talents.

"Soyo, Chihiro’s helping you with music, right?"

"Go on, then."

"…Huh?"

"What do you mean, ‘huh?’"

Rina smiled.

"I’ll finish the chores and head over in a bit to watch you two perform."

Soyo stiffened.

She slowly turned to Chihiro—

Who simply winked and mouthed:

"Give it up. You’re not escaping tonight."

---

T/N: ITS OVER SHES RIZZING THE MOM TOO

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!