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Tokyo, Japan—Sunday, April 26, 2020, 3:20 PM.

A fading contrail stretched across the sky at an altitude of 10,000 meters, like a severed thread of longing.

Tsuzuki Chihiro squinted slightly, her brief rest interrupted by a voice—one that came even before the in-flight announcement.

"Chihiro, we're here~"

"Mm…"

Reluctantly, Tsuzuki Chihiro opened her eyes and reached out to push away the eager face of a certain pink-haired girl who seemed way too excited about landing.

Not that she needed the reminder—just pulling up the window shade would have been enough to confirm their location.

Her wandering days in London… really had come to an end.

Unlike the enthusiasm radiating from Chihaya Anon beside her, Chihiro only felt a deep melancholy. Orphaned and adrift for years, she had finally reached her breaking point and was now returning to Japan.

As a child, people had called her a guitar prodigy, the pride of her grandmother, Tsuzuki Shisen. But now, that so-called "pride" had turned into nothing more than a shameless con artist scamming her way through life just to survive.

Truth be told, she hadn't wanted to come back.

But when her good friend Anon suddenly said she needed to return home due to family matters—and considering that Chihiro herself had been wanting to visit her grandmother and younger sister—she had, on impulse, spent the last of her savings on a one-way ticket from London to Tokyo.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tokyo! The local time is 3:30 PM, with a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and clear skies. Please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the seatbelt sign is turned off."

As the announcement played, the moment the plane landed smoothly, passengers in the cabin began to rise, retrieving their luggage and various belongings.

Chihiro didn't have much. Her suitcase was smaller than Anon's—who had, after all, been studying abroad. The only item taking up significant space was her guitar.

It was the only possession she could truly call her own. Though not particularly valuable, it carried the teachings of her grandmother from her childhood.

After pulling her suitcase from the overhead compartment, Chihiro also helped Anon with hers, the scene almost resembling an older sister taking care of a mischievous younger sibling.

"Isn't your family coming to pick you up?"

"Ah…"

For a split second, Anon's expression stiffened, but since she had her back to Chihiro, the reaction went unnoticed.

"Nope! I actually came back early without telling them. Thought I'd surprise them, haha~"

Surprise, my ass. If anything, it'd be more like a shock.

Fleeing back home because she couldn't adjust to life at a London university was hardly something she wanted to admit. She hadn't even expected Chihiro—who had been doing fine over there—to actually come back with her.

She felt touched, yet at the same time, incredibly guilty.

Stealing a glance at the girl behind her, with her long, wine-red hair and striking blue eyes—the kind of natural beauty meant to shine on stage—Anon felt even more uneasy.

"Um… Chihiro…"

"Hm?"

"I'll take my suitcase."

"Sure." Chihiro handed it over, sensing that Anon had something she wanted to say.

They made for a striking pair at Tokyo Haneda Airport, turning heads as they walked. But neither of them paid much attention to the curious gazes, especially Anon, who hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"Chihiro, you probably have performances to prepare for, right? My house, uh…"

Before she could finish, Chihiro cut her off.

"What's this? Little Anon can't wait to go home? Already tired of me hovering around and nagging you?"

"That's not it!" Anon bared her little tiger teeth in a grin. "We'll still be in the same city, it's not like we won't see each other. And aren't you going to school in Tokyo too?"

"Who knows, we might even end up in the same class."

Anon felt like she was about to break. She was already feeling complicated enough, and the last thing she wanted was to show weakness in front of such a dazzling friend.

"Alright, alright, it's settled then. I'll come find you at school tomorrow."

"Mm… You better!"

The pink-haired girl nodded firmly, as if steeling herself, before turning toward the exit with her suitcase. But after taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back.

"…Chihiro, thank you."

Thank you for staying with me through those difficult days in London.

She didn't say it out loud, but just by looking at Chihiro's expression, it was clear that everything had already been understood.

As Anon's figure disappeared from sight, Chihiro let out a helpless sigh.

"Performances, school in Tokyo… Ah, Anon, I don't have your kind of unlimited funds."

"Sigh, I must be getting old. My eyesight is failing. I just opened my wallet, and—oh no! I can't see any money! Terrifying."

But while Chihiro had a habit of being unreliable, there was one thing she took incredibly seriously—her promises.

No money? So what? No food for tomorrow? So what? Nowhere to stay? So what?

She had promised Anon she'd meet her at school. That meant she would, no matter what it took.

Even if… she never should have agreed in the first place. She wasn't some up-and-coming rock star—she had spent her entire journey spinning lies upon lies just to get by.

But if she had no other choice, she'd just have to go back to her old ways. Anything was better than letting someone's expectations crumble because of her.

"…Wait. I forgot to ask Anon which school she goes to."

Oh well. A surprise visit might be fun.

Let's see… the richest school in Tokyo is…

"Tsukinomori Academy? Seriously? A school with its own garden and swimming pool? Tsk, tsk. Corruption."

Based on what she knew about Anon, this was a girl whose family had funded her entire solo stay in London. That kind of wealth ruled out some random, mid-tier private school.

And given that Haneoka Academy had mixed reviews, Anon's parents likely wouldn't have sent her there either.

That left only one possibility…

She had to infiltrate Tsukinomori Academy.

"…But before that, I need to figure out where I'm staying tonight. Ugh, what a headache."

"Ah—ow!"

Wandering aimlessly through the subway, Chihiro had just gotten off at a random stop when someone crashed into her from behind, knocking her straight to the ground.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going."

"You—"

Huh?

Looking up, she saw a girl in a red jacket, black tights, and dragging a massive red suitcase—a girl who wasn't particularly tall but certainly looked… gullible.

Well, well. Seems like an easy mark just fell into my lap.

"Oww… My leg… I can't stand up…"

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T/N: oooh a scammer I shee also red hair? hmm hmm hmmm red hair a guitarist... KITA? jk jk hmm a scamming red hair guitarist...