Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [29]

On Thursday, April 30th, the temperature in Tokyo felt like a sleeping child—calm for now, though everyone knew an inevitable "eruption" was just around the corner.

Nagasaki Soyo walked through Tsukinomori's campus, noticeably more relaxed than she had been the day before.

Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't still cringing at the memory of last night's "special training session" on using a fake high-pitched voice. If it weren't for the fact that her one and only student had taken it so seriously, she might have completely lost it in embarrassment.

Then again, looking at it from another angle… didn't this also prove just how professional Tsuzuki Chihiro was in her craft?

Soyo hadn't really thought about it that way before, but after hearing Chihiro's deliberate imitation of her voice—practically indistinguishable from the real thing—she had to admit it was impressive.

With skills like that, why wasn't she a voice actress or an actor instead?

Of course, that wasn't even the most baffling part. What truly left Soyo speechless was the fact that Chihiro had, under the pretense of "needing a disguise," shamelessly raided her wardrobe and taken several outfits.

Even her spare school uniform had been conveniently whisked away.

At least those clothes had already been washed. If they had been, uh, unwashed… Nagasaki Soyo's flawless reputation might have been completely ruined at the hands of that scoundrel.

"Everyone, settle down. I have an announcement."

Just as Soyo walked into the classroom and pulled out her books for morning self-study, the homeroom teacher, Kimura, entered the room.

Other students might have been confused, but Soyo already had a good idea of what was coming.

"As of today, your English class… will once again be taught by your previous teacher, Ms. Nagai. As for Anon-sensei… she has some other work to attend to and will no longer be substituting."

"No way…!"

Just as Soyo expected, the entire class erupted into groans of disappointment. It was so ridiculous that she didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed.

A girl the same age as them had somehow managed to waltz into their prestigious all-girls' academy as an English teacher—and in just three days, she had earned the admiration of so many students?

How was that even fair?!

Still, what really surprised Soyo was how the school had chosen to handle the situation. It seemed Chihiro had been right after all—the administration, unwilling to lose face and seeing that no major harm had been done, had decided not to expose the truth.

Whether that meant they knew they had been duped but chose to stay silent, or they had yet to realize what had happened, was beyond Soyo's knowledge.

I wonder what kind of stunt Tsuzuki is pulling today…

---

At exactly 4 PM, inside the café just outside RiNG.

Shiina Taki stood at her usual post. There weren't many customers at this hour, so aside from occasionally wiping tables and cups, she didn't have much to do.

Which left her mind free to replay the conversation she had with Nagasaki Soyo yesterday.

What exactly is Soyo trying to do?

From what she knew of Soyo, ever since the incident where Sakiko left CRYCHIC, she had been the last one holding on.

Even in the months since middle school graduation and their transition into high school, Soyo still occasionally came to RiNG to find her.

Maybe the first time was just a coincidence, but after that, it became clear that Soyo was deliberately seeking her out—not for any casual reason, but entirely because of CRYCHIC.

Sometimes she would reminisce about the good old days. Other times, she would subtly ask about Tomori's and Sakiko's recent activities.

Taki had always dodged those questions. To her, Sakiko had abandoned the band. The night it rAnond was the night the band died.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a band member… Wait, you?!"

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Taki stopped what she was doing and looked up.

Standing in front of her was the pink-haired girl who had been pestering Tomori just last night.

Her expression immediately darkened.

If Soyo hadn't lied, then this girl was someone with ulterior motives trying to drag Tomori into forming a band.

With that in mind, Taki's attitude toward Anon shifted from mere disinterest to outright rejection.

"There's no one here for you," she said flatly.

"Hah? What's that supposed to mean? I never even said I wanted you in my band. Why are you so worked up?"

Chihaya Anon felt like she'd been unfairly targeted by this girl ever since yesterday. Had she done something to offend her?

Was it because of Tomori?

"…I don't care who you try to recruit, but you cannot involve Tomori." Maybe realizing she had been too harsh, Taki softened her tone slightly.

"Why not?!"

"There's no reason."

"You're not her guardian—"

"I said no, and that's final."

"Taki?"

The last voice didn't come from Anon. It came from someone standing behind her.

Taki looked past Anon and saw a tea-haired girl in a Tsukinomori school uniform.

If it wasn't Soyo—whom she had just spoken with yesterday—then who else could it be?

Though… was it just her imagination, or did something feel off about Soyo today?

The odd sensation quickly faded, and since someone else had arrived to take over the conversation, Taki gladly stepped back. She shot one last glare at the pink-haired girl before turning away to do something else.

"Hey, what the—?"

"Excuse me, did something happen just now?"

"Uh…" Anon turned to look at the girl in front of her and, for some reason, immediately felt a strange sense of goodwill toward her. "Well…"

"I'm friends with Taki. If there's been some kind of misunderstanding, you can talk to me."

Taki rolled her eyes. Yup, it's still Soyo.

Even if she trashed someone behind their back, she would still maintain a warm and approachable front when speaking to them directly.

Not that Taki particularly minded. She knew she tended to be too blunt for her own good.

"Still going with Earl Grey?" she asked.

"Ah… Yeah, two cups," Tsuzuki Chihiro answered, caught slightly off guard. She recovered quickly, though.

As she sat down across from Chihaya Anon, she found herself musing—

It had only been a few days, yet this pink-haired girl was still just as cute as ever.

Sure, her contract required her to stop Anon from forming a band with Tomori and the others.

But it never said she couldn't just hang out with Anon and Raana.

A win-win situation—she could repay the kindness she owed this little pink-haired glutton from her time in England and still get paid by her rich-girl employer.

What could be better than that?

---

T/N: ifiashis im already curling my toes for when the truth comes out...