13

Tsuzuki Chihiro was well aware of the little shadow trailing behind her.

But she didn't call out Nagasaki Soyo, who was quietly following a short distance away. Even if she did turn around to confront her, Soyo would probably just come up with some excuse.

Besides, Chihiro didn't really mind. In fact, she hoped Soyo would take her words from earlier to heart and seriously reconsider both the band and Anon.

Truth be told, Chihiro had mostly given up on forming a band herself. Whenever she played, she couldn't help but lose herself in the music—always trying to outshine everyone else.

It was a kind of pride, even arrogance, she had in her musicianship. In that sense, she was actually somewhat similar to Anon.

Anon wanted to be center stage, but that poor pink-haired girl had ambition without skill.

As for the whole band thing, Chihiro figured she just wasn't meant for it. Circumstances, her personality, and reality itself all seemed to work against her ever forming one.

But people like Anon and Soyo? They still had a shot.

She didn't know much about Soyo, nor did she fully understand her personality. And even though she wasn't entirely sure she had Anon figured out either—sometimes even teasing her for not having a pure love for music—Chihiro had a gut feeling.

Anon might try to avoid practicing, but if she ever experienced a real sense of belonging in a band, she could end up showing a whole different kind of drive.

With those thoughts swirling in her mind, Chihiro made her way toward the hotel.

...

"Welcome back, Tsuzuki-san!"

As soon as she stepped into the lobby, the receptionist greeted her enthusiastically. Judging by her warm reception, Chihiro guessed that Ayano must have pulled some strings for her again.

On her way upstairs, she casually glanced toward the entrance and saw that Soyo hadn't followed her inside. Which made sense—entering a place like this would make her way too easy to spot.

Chihiro didn't really care either way. Some things couldn't be hidden forever. She had long since stopped planning for a clean escape.

Back in her room, she removed her wig and hairnet, letting her natural, silky, wine-red hair cascade down. With some makeup remover, she washed away the last traces of her disguise.

The face staring back at her from the mirror looked noticeably different from the one she had worn at school. Of course, if someone examined her closely, they would still see the resemblance.

She did know a little about disguise techniques, but it wasn't like in novels—there were no hyper-realistic masks involved.

It was mostly about using malleable materials and makeup tricks to alter certain features within a realistic range.

But as Chihiro studied her own reflection—her facial structure, height, and proportions—an odd thought crept into her mind.

Why do I… look so much like Nagasaki Soyo?

With that in mind, she put her hairnet back on and started applying makeup again, comparing herself to the student roster photo of Soyo.

After about an hour of careful adjustments…

The person in the mirror was almost identical to Nagasaki Soyo.

"…This is messed up."

She had never managed to disguise herself as someone this perfectly before, yet somehow, she and Soyo had an uncanny level of resemblance.

And come to think of it, while she wore heels to school, if she switched to flats like Soyo, their heights would probably be the same too.

Her last recorded height was 162 cm. Maybe she should ask Soyo how tall she was.

Wait, no—what the hell am I doing? It's not like I need this for anything. What, am I supposed to knock Soyo out, lock her in a basement, and steal her inheritance or something?

That'd be insane.

Feeling ridiculous, Chihiro shook her head and wiped off the makeup again. She flopped onto the bed, finally able to relax now that she had shed all disguises.

The hotel bed was plush and comfortable, but what truly put her at ease wasn't the luxury—it was the thought that she might finally be done with living as a con artist.

But before she could move on, she needed a way to survive in Tokyo. And that meant getting a job.

She had no diploma, no work experience. She wasn't an outstanding singer. All she had was her guitar—something that seemed useful, but only if someone was willing to pay her for it.

Besides, she had no clue how to teach music. Her playing style was too unpredictable, too instinctive for beginners to follow.

And honestly? She was too proud of her guitar skills to stoop to making money off of them.

God, I'm pathetic.

I wonder if there are other people in this city clinging to their fragile pride, pretending they're fine when they're barely holding it together.

Sighing, Chihiro picked up her phone and started searching for ways to make money without sacrificing her dignity too much. After scrolling through job listings for a while, the best option she found was…

"Customer service? Seriously? That's so humiliating…"

Her immediate reaction was to reject the idea. She had spent years surviving through deception and manipulation—why the hell should she subject herself to this kind of suffering?

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she needed to take this step.

If she kept choosing the easiest, most convenient path, she'd just keep making the same mistakes. And if she wanted to make it through the days before finding her family again, she had to try doing things the right way.

Checking the time, she realized that since high schools in Japan finished classes early due to club activities, many offices were still open.

Alright… let's see. Closest place hiring customer service reps… got it.

One thing Chihiro was good at was finding information quickly. In no time, she locked onto a moving company not too far from the hotel that happened to be hiring female customer service representatives.

She dialed the number.

"Hello? Yes, I'd like to apply for the customer service position."

"Ah… I dropped out of middle school. Would that be a problem? But I did live abroad for a few years, so my English is pretty solid."

For the first time in her life, Chihiro felt truly humbled.

The old her would've hung up the moment she felt disrespected, then gone out to find some naive, gullible girl to scam into buying her food and letting her crash at their place.

But now that she was actually trying to get a real job, she was realizing just how hard it was to do things properly.

"Really? You're still considering me? Oh—would it be possible to come in for an interview now? I saw that your office closes at 8 PM, and right now it's… oh, okay, great! I'll be there in about ten minutes.

"Thank you so much."

Hanging up, Chihiro took a deep breath.

Since she was applying under her real name, she decided not to bother with disguises.

Of course, to avoid drawing attention at the hotel, she still threw on a face mask and a blonde wig before heading out.

Has Soyo already left?

Well, makes sense… she's probably busy trying to dig into what Anon went through in the UK by now.

Perfect. I, Tsuzuki Chihiro, am out here committing acts of kindness left and right before officially retiring from my life of crime!

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T/N: hmm i wonder if its chihiro x soyo... hehehe