12

"Sensei, wait a moment…"

Tsuzuki Chihiro paused for a second. But after hearing that somewhat familiar voice, she wasn't too surprised.

She turned around slowly and saw Nagasaki Soyo running toward her with her backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Soyo-san? What's the matter? Do you need something from me?"

"C-can I walk home with you?" Soyo was already out of breath from such a short run, making her realize that she really needed to work on her stamina.

"Doesn't Tsukinomori have a lot of club activities? Shouldn't you be heading to one now?"

"I took the day off. Though, to be honest, I probably won't be going much from now on anyway."

That piqued Chihiro's curiosity. She glanced at Soyo with a somewhat puzzled expression. A rich girl… who actually wants to study hard?

Huh. Kinda touching, actually.

"Well, it's good that you're thinking about your studies. But you don't have to give up your extracurriculars completely—it's all about balance."

"Sensei, I just really want to talk to you more about studying English. After all, the closer my hands are to a bass, the farther I am from studying abroad."

Soyo felt a little shameless saying that out loud, but at this point, she didn't care.

Sure, she might've exaggerated a little. But as the saying goes, even dogs don't play in bands anymore. Starting today, Nagasaki Soyo was officially reformed.

Or at least, that's what she told herself.

Yet no matter how much she insisted, she still couldn't erase the memory of that final moment she had shared with Shiho in her past life.

Was it because she had truly let go? Or was it just a case of smashing the broken pieces beyond repair after all her hopes had crumbled?

Soyo didn't have an answer. And she didn't want to think about something that could shake her resolve.

"Well, in that case, let's talk while we walk. I'm heading toward Tokyo Station—are you headed that way?"

"Oh, yeah, totally."

It was still early, so even if she wasn't going that way, Soyo would've said yes. She was way too curious about this unexpected wildcard standing in front of her.

As she followed alongside Chihiro, the latter was mulling over a different issue.

Should she try to find out if Soyo had any way of contacting Anon?

Based on what she had gathered so far, if the two of them had been former bandmates, chances were they weren't in touch anymore. If she could confirm that, she could steer the conversation more naturally.

Chihiro had suspected for a while now that Anon's return to Japan wasn't just because of family matters like she claimed. As her best friend for the past few years, Chihiro wanted to understand the pink-haired puppy a little better.

"Soyo-san, did you tell Anon about what happened at lunch today?"

"Ah… no." Soyo froze for a second, then quickly shook her head. "Didn't you say you wanted to keep it a surprise?"

"Yeah, but Anon used to mention you sometimes when she was in the UK. So I thought maybe she would've reached out after coming back, and—"

"Hold on."

Soyo suddenly stopped in her tracks, her expression shifting through a series of emotions.

Realizing she had reacted too strongly, she quickly forced her usual composed demeanor back in place. But when she looked at Chihiro again, there was a new glint in her eyes—something amused, almost mischievous.

"You're saying… Anon mentioned me while she was in the UK?"

"What, did I get the name wrong?"

The atmosphere grew tense in an instant. And just like that, the battle between two schemers officially began.

"I'm just surprised. We haven't seen each other in a long time, and we've never really kept in touch."

Perfect. Soyo was winning.

Everything was playing out exactly as she had planned. With the knowledge and experience from her past life, she was unstoppable. She was already laughing inside.

Whoever came up with Nagasaki Soyo was an absolute genius.

It seemed like her deliberate effort to make herself seem like Anon's friend was finally paying off.

There was no way Anon had known her beforehand. There was no way she had mentioned her while studying abroad.

Which meant the only possible truth was…

The woman in front of her was lying.

But why?

That was the one thing Soyo couldn't figure out. No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't come up with a reason for the lie.

"Oh, by the way, Sensei." It suddenly dawned on Soyo that she still didn't know this woman's name. "I don't think I've ever heard your actual name. It feels a little weird just calling you 'Anon.'"

"Iseri Nina."

"Iseri-sensei, huh…" Soyo nodded. The name wasn't familiar to her at all.

The only thing she was certain of now was that this Iseri-sensei probably wasn't all that close with Anon. Maybe they had met abroad, but beyond that, it didn't seem particularly relevant to her plans.

Still, Soyo couldn't shake the feeling that if it weren't for this Iseri-sensei, she wouldn't even have to do anything. Just by staying out of it, she could probably prevent Taki and Tomori from forming a new band.

Tomori had seemed reluctant about the whole band thing from the start. And Taki? She had outright been hostile toward Anon in the beginning.

If it weren't for herself…

Yes. If she, Nagasaki Soyo, hadn't stupidly tried to bring them together, none of this would've happened.

With how fragile their bond had been, they never would've even made it to their first live.

You really thought you were clever, huh, Nagasaki Soyo?

"...Soyo-san?"

Chihiro had noticed that Soyo had been acting very off throughout their entire conversation—especially whenever Anon was mentioned.

And that only confirmed her suspicion that something had happened between them.

Maybe it was guilt over deceiving Anon before, but Chihiro found herself offering a little unsolicited advice.

"You know, misunderstandings between friends should really be talked out properly. I heard about your band breaking up—it wasn't anyone's fault. But if you want to fix things, I think having an honest conversation with your former bandmates would be a good place to start."

"…Huh?"

Soyo, who had just been basking in the glow of her victory, nearly collapsed on the spot. She stared at the mysterious Iseri-sensei, suddenly feeling a very real sense of danger.

"Of course, I'm just saying this as an outsider," Chihiro continued. "It's up to you guys to work things out. But as Anon's friend, I'd love to see you all come together again and form a band."

"No way!"

"Hm?"

"Ah—n-no, nothing." Soyo realized she had blurted that out way too forcefully. She was this close to losing it.

She was starting to get scared.

She had been given a second chance at life, and the moment she decided not to form a band, fate had sent her this lunatic to do the exact opposite.

If this woman was serious, then even if Soyo stayed out of it, she would probably push Anon in that direction anyway. And without Soyo around to play mediator, she might even succeed.

Because this woman… she was clearly more than capable of acting as the glue that held a band together.

"Well, this is my stop. See you later, Soyo-san." Chihiro gave her a small wave before stepping off the train.

Soyo stared at her for a moment. Then, before she could even think about it, she clenched her teeth and followed after her.

…Wait.

"Isn't this technically stalking?"

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T/N: hmmm i wonder, is Chihiro gonna masquerade as Soyo? hmmm hmm huhian,ewam hermmm