"Sakiko, don't go!"
With an emotional shout, Nagasaki Soyo jolted awake at the dining table.
Still groggy, she glanced around at her surroundings. From the kitchen came the crisp ding of the microwave signaling that her convenience meal was ready, adding to her dazed expression.
"…Wait."
Soyo grabbed her phone from the table and stared at the date displayed on the screen.
"April 26th?!"
So… she had returned to over a month ago?
The tea-haired girl rubbed her slightly muddled head, looking around the room and out at the setting sun in disbelief. After a moment, she simply chose to get up and retrieve her dinner from the microwave.
A dream? No way…
Soyo was certain—what she had experienced was far too vivid to be just a dream. No dream could be that logical, that rich in detail.
And now, even as she quietly ate her meal, the memories of the "future" showed no signs of fading. If anything, they only became clearer, overwhelming her with helplessness.
It had all started in late April.
One day, she had happened upon Chihaya Anon arguing with Raana on the street.
The next day, curiosity led her to the café inside RiNG, where she once again encountered Anon—a girl who claimed she wanted to form a band, yet it was painfully obvious she was only doing it to satisfy her own vanity.
That was when Soyo came up with a plan.
Using Anon and Tomori as bridges, she could bring in Raana—who clung to Tomori like a keychain. Then, at their first live performance, she could invite Sakiko and Mutsumi. If Sakiko saw that as long as she returned, the band would never truly fall apart, maybe she would—
Except… an unexpected variable disrupted everything.
Her well-thought-out plan crumbled the moment Haruhikage was played.
By the time she finally found Sakiko and tried to explain the misunderstanding, she realized Sakiko had already become a stranger to her.
It wasn't just LINE—Sakiko had likely blocked her in real life, too.
Faced with that cruel truth, Nagasaki Soyo fell into utter despair.
And then, inexplicably, she had returned to the past—to the very beginning.
"…But so what if I did?"
Soyo let out a bitter chuckle as she picked at her bento.
At this point, getting a second chance wouldn't change anything.
CRYCHIC had truly fallen apart.
On that rainy night, the five of them had gone their separate ways, never to reunite.
If she could, this time, she just wanted to quietly stay by Mutsumi's side, growing cucumbers, occasionally killing time in the wind ensemble club.
Reviving CRYCHIC? Rebuilding the band?
…She was exhausted.
---
"Eh? But I barely bumped into you?"
Iseri Nina felt like she was being scammed.
But the way things were playing out, she couldn't even argue back. In fact, looking at the other girl's reaction, she started wondering if she really had caused a major accident.
The girl sitting on the ground before her had tears welling in her eyes. Her outfit was all designer labels, her wavy, wine-red hair draped elegantly over her shoulders. Beneath long lashes, her deep blue eyes shone like gemstones. With a striking figure and an almost ethereal beauty—there was no way she was some wandering vagrant trying to extort money.
"N-no, it's fine… Just help me up."
"Oh, uh, okay."
Nina, after all, was just a teenage girl arriving alone in an unfamiliar city. She was cautious about everything she did, still adjusting to being on her own. Seeing that the other girl wasn't actually trying to scam her, she even felt a tiny bit grateful.
"…Careful."
But just as Nina helped the girl up, she nearly stumbled forward again.
"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go to a hospital… I-I can give you money if you need it."
At this point, Nina was close to tears herself. She hadn't even begun her new independent life in Tokyo, and she was already getting tangled up with some random stranger.
Meanwhile, Tsuzuki Chihiro hesitated for a split second. Damn, this kid's so naive, I almost feel bad.
Almost.
But only almost—because first, she needed to secure dinner and a place to stay for the night.
Despite her high-end outfit, all her designer clothes had been bought with painstakingly saved money—an investment to craft an image.
After all, if you look like someone who doesn't need money, who would ever suspect you of trying to take theirs?
"It's nothing. I just had surgery on my leg recently, so I need to rest it a little." The shameless girl lied without hesitation. "And really, this isn't your fault. I was standing there, distracted, about to call my family and ask why they froze my bank account. I didn't even see you coming."
Perfect.
Chihiro clicked her tongue inwardly, satisfied with her delivery.
Maybe a seasoned con artist would think it was a bit too on-the-nose, but to a clueless little kid? It was a direct hit.
First, she planted guilt by mentioning her "recent surgery."
Then, she crafted a persona—an upper-class runaway, rebelling against her wealthy family.
Why? Because Chihiro had sharp eyes.
One look, and she could tell this girl was younger than her—probably still school-aged.
The fact that she was dragging around a massive suitcase meant she was staying in Tokyo for a while. But since they were nowhere near a tourist area, it was more likely she was here to live rather than just visit.
Plus, Chihiro had caught a glimpse of the Tokyo subway map on the girl's phone screen—she was clearly navigating the city for the first time.
She couldn't be 100% sure the girl had run away from home.
But setting up this story at least lowered her guard.
And, most importantly, it would work in her favor later—letting the girl think she'd dodged a financial bullet would make her more likely to accept a request for food or a place to crash.
"…But it was my fault for not looking where I was going," Nina muttered, feeling even guiltier.
"Ugh, you're so annoying."
Chihiro crossed her arms, scowling like she had a headache.
"Fine. If you really feel bad about it, then treat me to dinner. That'll make us even, yeah?"
"Eh?" Nina blinked, confused. "Wait… shouldn't I be treating you?"
"What are you talking about? You think I, Tsuzuki Raana, need your charity?"
Chihiro struck a confident pose, as if about to whip out her wallet and prove her wealth.
But when she opened her tiny purse, her expression suddenly froze.
Panic flickered across her face.
"…Where's my money?!"
Her voice rose in disbelief.
"Did—did someone steal my wallet?!"
---
T/N: giving a fake name too... surname is the same though hmmm