Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [137]

"Mom… do we really have to go to the UK…?"

Even though her mother hadn’t driven to pick her up today, Nagasaki Soyo wasn’t thinking about that. In her mind, it was probably because they hadn’t had a chance to walk and talk like this in a long time, so her mother had chosen to forgo the car.

Of course, the real reason was simple—Chihiro didn’t have a car. Even if she did, she didn’t have a license.

But right now, Soyo was conflicted. She had never expected that coming back this time would lead to so many changes. The butterfly effect had even reached the point of influencing her future education plans.

And worst of all… her mom wanted her to leave as soon as this semester ended.

"Soyo, do you not want to go?"

Tsuzuki Chihiro smiled at Soyo, not revealing the truth right away. Instead, she wanted to use this opportunity to see what Soyo truly wanted.

"I…"

"Is it because of those two kids at the café?"

"Eh?"

"You kept sneaking glances in their direction. Do you think your mom is blind? They’re your good friends, aren’t they?"

"Mm…" Soyo nodded. Since her “mom” already knew, there was no point in hiding it.

Some things weren’t convenient to talk about—like her agreement with Chihiro—but most of it, she could share while they walked after dinner.

However, what surprised Chihiro was that after a moment of hesitation, Soyo added:

"Mom… actually, I have a friend who’s been staying at my place recently."

"Huh? A friend?"

"Mm. Her name is Tsuzuki Chihiro," Soyo said, her voice noticeably downcast. "I haven’t known her for long, but… she’s a really good person."

"Ah… is that so?"

Being praised so sincerely made Chihiro feel a little embarrassed. And since this was a rare chance, she couldn’t help but probe further into the topic.

"Is she a student at Tsukinomori too? How did you two suddenly get to know each other?"

"Uh… she’s not in school anymore."

Maybe she was afraid her “mom” would think Chihiro was a bad person. Well, in some ways, Chihiro was definitely not a good girl. So Soyo quickly added, "But it wasn’t her choice. She spent the past few years in the UK and only recently returned."

"I haven’t asked for the details, but… she’s really important to me. I… don’t know how to tell her about all this."

Why was fate always playing tricks on her?

She had already been through a band breakup before, and now, she was being forced into the same position Sakiko had once been in.

But this time, she would make things clear. Everything.

No matter how hopeless things seemed for crychic, no matter what misunderstandings had piled up—Chihiro’s presence, the misconceptions about her mental health—she was going to explain it all.

And just then, Soyo heard a familiar phone ringtone.

She frowned, watching as her “mother” took out a phone identical to Chihiro’s, then casually answered the call right in front of her.

And that wasn’t even the most shocking part.

The next moment, her “mom” dropped the act entirely, reverting to that infuriatingly smug voice—but with an added, uncharacteristically soft and coy tone—as she spoke into the phone:

"Ah, Sakiko~ … Mmm? What’s up?"

"Eh? You’re asking about Soyo?" Chihiro said, glancing at Soyo, whose face had gone completely blank with shock. She even threw in a playful wink before continuing, "Sorry, Sakiko, but… I can’t tell you."

What the hell was going on?

Soyo had already been on the verge of grabbing Chihiro by the collar, but just as she was about to lash out, Chihiro caught her wrist and gave it a small, firm squeeze.

She didn’t say a word, but Soyo could tell what she meant—Don’t speak just yet.

"Sakiko, don’t you have things you’re keeping from Soyo too? It’s the same for her. She and I made a promise. There are things I can’t say. Sorry, Sakiko…"

"No, no need to apologize to me. Mhm, I won’t mention to Soyo that you called about this. I promise."

After hanging up, Tsuzuki Chihiro—still wearing the face of Nagasaki Rina—turned to look at her "obedient daughter," who was now radiating murderous intent.

"Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"

"Wow, Soyo, you’re actually willing to listen to my explanation? Last time, you didn’t even give me a chance before kicking me out. Looks like you’ve grown."

"……"

Soyo, who had been glaring fiercely just moments ago, suddenly faltered. Her expression shifted to one of embarrassment and frustration.

Could she not have brought that up?!

But… Chihiro wasn’t wrong.

She was still angry, but this time, she also had a lot of questions. Like—how did Chihiro even know what her mother looked like? And were all the things she said earlier, both at the café and during dinner, actually true?

Of course, the most important question was… was Chihiro just messing with her for fun, or was there some deeper reason behind this whole act?

"Let’s start with my good daughter’s first question—"

"Try calling me that again, I dare you."

Seeing Soyo standing there with her hands on her hips, looking ready to throw a punch, Chihiro rolled her eyes and relented.

"Your mom ran into me while I was in disguise. I didn’t know how to handle it, and I was worried she’d figure something out…"

"So, I went along with it and pretended to be you through an entire meal."

"When?"

"The day after you kicked me out, I think? Not totally sure."

"And? What did my mom say to you?"

"Aside from trying to convince you to study abroad, everything else she told me… I passed on to you, word for word. Including her expressions and tone."

"…Is that so."

For some reason, Soyo suddenly felt… a lot less angry.

After all, hadn’t she done something similar before?

But… she had a feeling that Tsuzuki Grandma might have already seen through everything back then.

"Wait… No! Forget everything I just said!"

Soyo suddenly realized—she had just spent the last few minutes praising this annoying person, right to her face, with the most heartfelt sincerity.

Crap. Nagasaki Soyo, you just gave her another piece of blackmail material! This is something she can hold over you for the rest of your life!

"Eh? What did you say?" Chihiro grinned and played dumb.

"……"

Just as Soyo was scrambling to take back her words, she suddenly found herself pulled into an embrace.

For a brief moment, she didn’t even know who she was being held by.

"Soyo, I was wrong to deceive you. How about this… not only will I tell you why I did it today,"

"I’ll also go buy a maid outfit and wear it at home all day as punishment."

"R-Really?"

"Of course."

God, she’s so easy to fool.

Buying a maid outfit for herself? Please…

She and Soyo were practically the same size.

Buying one for herself was no different from buying one for Soyo.

Once she had it in hand, all she had to do was pressure Soyo into wearing it someday.

It was only a matter of time.

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T/N: Sasuga Aiz- Chihiro-sama

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!