Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [146]

In May, the temperature differences between day and night in Tokyo were still quite noticeable.

During the day, it could be over 20 degrees Celsius, but by night, it would drop to around 14 degrees.

Especially for Shiina Taki, who had fallen asleep slumped over her desk. Waking up like that always left a lingering chill in her body.

She grabbed a jacket and threw it over her shoulders, taking a sip of the drink she had left unfinished.

That phone call with Soyo just now… it had actually eased a lot of the unease she had been feeling.

Just a dream, huh…

The dream had felt vivid and real, but at the end of the day, it was still just that—a dream.

Like most dreams, the setting was drawn from real life, yet twisted and far removed from reality.

Not to mention, in that dream, she couldn’t even hear what she and Soyo had been arguing about. All she could see was herself—someone she hated.

So, deep down, am I actually afraid of becoming that person?

Afraid that because of her own incompetence, because she couldn’t lead everyone beyond Sakiko, she would start blaming others?

Lately, she had been showing signs of that.

She found herself complaining about her bandmates—Anon’s lack of skill, Raana’s laid-back attitude.

And if things continued this way… would she start blaming Tomori?

Blaming Soyo?

Maybe that dream had been a reflection of that future self—one who, after breaking down completely, turned on Soyo.

Blaming her for dragging Tomori into forming this new band.

Blaming her for making Tomori’s self-doubt even worse.

"I…"

A pained expression crossed Taki’s face.

Her brows furrowed as she turned her gaze toward the unfinished song on her computer screen.

She had started working on it yesterday, right after leaving the shop where Sakiko worked.

She had even gone to another store to buy some new equipment before heading home to start a new composition project.

But the more anxious she got, the harder it was to find inspiration.

Yesterday, nothing came to her.

Today, she had drifted through school in a haze, finished her shift at work, then sat down in front of her computer…

Still completely blank.

Shaking her head, Taki minimized the window.

Right now, the last thing their band needed was more anxiety.

And a lack of inspiration probably just meant she had been outputting too much and hadn’t been inputting enough.

Sometimes, the best way to get inspired was to listen to other people’s work.

To hear new songs, explore different ideas.

Taki’s YouTube account followed quite a few independent musicians.

Compared to well-established bands, she actually preferred looking for inspiration from smaller groups that hadn’t blown up yet.

Mainstream, commercialized bands tended to follow a formula—replicating past successes rather than experimenting with new ideas.

Not that their music was bad, but to Taki…

It just didn’t hit the way she wanted it to.

Instead, she often found that lesser-known creators had these rare gems—sounds and styles she couldn’t find anywhere else.

And one of her top recommendations?

Benishouga.

This account was supposedly run by two people.

They had a brief surge in popularity at one point, but their hype had faded quickly—just like most internet trends.

Still, Taki had a habit of checking their page whenever she was out of ideas.

And tonight… she saw something unexpected.

Not a new song, but a teaser for one.

It wasn’t a full release—just a preview.

But the real shocker?

Benishouga had expanded.

From two members… to five.

That alone was surprising.

But what really caught her off guard—

Was the voice at the end of the video.

They had included a short clip of their new vocalist.

Singing Benishouga’s signature song—"Fractal of the Mind."

And that voice…

"I must still be dreaming… No way I just heard Benishouga’s vocalist as Soyo."

"…"

"…No way, right?"

Taki dragged the progress bar back, listening again.

Then again.

Over and over.

At first, she wanted to convince herself she had just misheard it.

After all, the voice was a little different from how Soyo normally spoke.

Other people might not even notice the similarity.

But the problem was…

Sakuyo had a habit of dropping her fake voice when talking to her.

And without that high-pitched clipped tone, her natural voice…

Was exactly like this.

A cold, sinking feeling spread through Taki’s chest.

A new thought crept into her mind—

Could it be…?

Had Soyo already decided to leave?

Had she already given up on their band?

Had she already found a new group to replace them?

That was a terrifying thought.

Because Soyo had never once hinted at wanting to quit before.

But the more she thought about it…

The more it made sense.

Hadn’t her split personality symptoms gotten worse after forming the band?

Before that, she had visited RiNG plenty of times.

Back then, she hadn’t shown any signs of mental instability.

But after they formed the band, her condition had spiraled.

The suffocating pressure—so different from CRYCHIC’s dynamics.

The disastrous LIVE performance.

It had all dragged Soyo into a deeper abyss.

And the one who caused it all…

Was her.

Shiina Taki.

She had pushed everyone too hard.

Taken on too much.

And because of that, their band had become a high-stress environment.

Because of that, their performance had collapsed.

And it was her fault.

Ding.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she picked it up.

It was a message from Soyo.

Sent to their band’s group chat.

It was just one sentence.

The same thing she had said over the phone.

But now, after hearing that song…

Seeing these words made her stomach drop.

[Can everyone meet at RiNG this Saturday at 3 PM? I have something important to announce.]

…Leaving.

It had to be leaving.

Taki’s grip tightened around her phone.

She exhaled a shaky breath—then let out a dry, bitter laugh.

"Haha… This is really it, huh."

---

T/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM GONNA DIE

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!