"I'm home."
Even though there was no one else in the house, Nagasaki Soyo still called out habitually before taking off her shoes.
The first thing she did after returning wasn't preparing dinner—after all, cooking was out of the question for a lazy person like her. It was either takeout or a convenience store bento, no in-between.
What she really wanted to do was take a nice, long bath. She wanted to strip off her clothes, sink her entire body into the warm water, and indulge in a comfort that felt like it had been lost for a lifetime.
Figures… I've been blocked.
Lying in the bathtub, Soyo stretched out an arm to grab her phone. Using a little trick she had learned before, she tested whether she had been blacklisted by sending a paid sticker as a gift.
As expected, the transaction failed. She had seen this coming, but it still left her feeling deeply disappointed.
Her fingers scrolled through the chat history, seeing message after message she had sent every few days. Sometimes, she had even left little diary-like updates about her life.
She suddenly felt a bit resentful.
I've always had such a deep sense of insecurity, haven't I…?
If that whole messy band breakup hadn't happened, all of them should still be together at this time of day—maybe even hanging out at her place.
Soyo had really wanted to invite CRYCHIC over. This house always felt so empty.
Why did Sakiko quit back then…?
The question popped into her head out of nowhere.
She had always wanted to ask. In the beginning, she had actually sent messages to Sakiko, but maybe she had been too persistent, too desperate for answers. Eventually, Sakiko just stopped replying altogether.
Thinking about it now, figuring out the reason behind it might actually be crucial.
Whether or not they could mend their friendships, Soyo felt like she had already made peace with things. Instead of clinging to the impossible, maybe she should focus on not letting her relationship with Sakiko collapse entirely.
"I need to find a way to make Sakiko lower her guard around me… to get rid of that disgust she feels toward me."
Soyo muttered to herself but came up empty-handed.
"And at the same time, I need to keep an eye on what's happening with RiNG."
Both things needed to be done, but while she had no idea where to start with the first, the second required urgent attention.
And the key to that? Anon and Iseri-sensei.
Just earlier, she had tailed Iseri-sensei all the way to the entrance of the Tokyo Four Seasons Hotel. Since it was easy to get caught inside, she hadn't gone in.
But that didn't mean she had just turned around and left.
She had hidden herself in a blind spot near the entrance, waiting until she was sure the substitute teacher was no longer in the lobby before stepping inside.
Unfortunately, five-star hotel receptionists were ridiculously tight-lipped. No matter how much she probed, she couldn't get a single useful piece of information.
Utter humiliation.
Soyo had a strong feeling that this Iseri-sensei was hiding something, but she had no concrete evidence.
She couldn't even find an opening to investigate further.
And to think she had considered herself a cheat player—believing that her desperate prayers had moved the heavens, that fate itself had granted her a second chance to fix everything.
Yet here she was, accomplishing absolutely nothing.
After her bath, Soyo put on one of her casual outfits—the kind she usually wore when going out on weekends.
Tonight, she just couldn't bear to stay in this cold, empty home.
Maybe it was the lingering trauma of her past life, but now, more than ever, she longed to live among people.
Even though her apartment was on the top floor of a luxury complex, making it a hassle to go downstairs—even ordering takeout meant she had to go down and pick it up herself.
But tonight, she didn't mind.
The late April night air was pleasantly cool, free from the stifling heat of summer. Dressed in a light skirt, she strolled down the bustling streets, passing by beautifully decorated storefronts.
What should I eat…?
As she walked, she stopped in front of a Yoshinoya—a fast-food chain known for its beef bowls.
It had been ages since she'd eaten one.
In fact… had there always been a Yoshinoya near her home?
Eh, whatever. Maybe I just never paid attention before.
Shaking off the thought, Soyo smiled to herself and pushed open the door.
The interior wasn't particularly spacious. The open kitchen was positioned right in front of the customers—a common design in Tokyo. Above the counter, the menu displayed pictures of dishes that looked surprisingly appetizing.
Maybe it was because the location was slightly out of the way, but there weren't many customers. Besides Soyo, there were only two other girls seated inside.
She barely glanced at them before picking a seat with her back turned toward them.
After placing her order for a signature beef bowl, she sat in silence.
I should've brought my phone…
With nothing else to do, she found herself involuntarily eavesdropping on the conversation behind her.
"You're telling me you wandered around the subway all night and almost got off at the wrong stop?"
"Yeah… I didn't know the train system here."
The voices belonged to the two girls at the next table. Soyo wasn't particularly interested, but without her phone, there was nothing else to focus on.
"Couldn't you have just checked your phone?"
"My battery was dead… But luckily, Chihiro-neesan ended up helping me unlock the door."
"Chihiro-neesan? Is she a real estate agent? Or your landlord?"
"Ah… neither. Just a stranger."
"A stranger?" The slightly more mature-sounding girl let out a dry laugh. "Don't tell me she picked your lock and let you in?"
"…"
"…Wait, seriously?"
"Mm."
"So you let a random lock-picking woman into your house, let her stay the night, and then she took your money when she left in the morning?!"
"Ah… I wouldn't say 'took.' Chihiro-neesan seemed like she was in a rough spot, so I just lent it to her."
"…I don't even know what to say to you. At least your real estate agent wasn't a total scammer. Your rent is way overpriced for what you're getting, but at least they didn't dump you in Kawasaki."
"…"
Soyo listened in stunned silence.
She even felt a little urge to interrupt them.
This girl was just… too naive.
Seriously, she trusted a random, suspicious woman that much? If she had been the one in that situation, she would've turned the tables and made that scammer regret ever crossing her.
But in the end, it wasn't her problem. She had no reason to get involved.
Forget it. I actually kinda like her innocence.
"Oh! I really admire Momoka-san." The younger-sounding girl sounded excited. "By the way, I have an extra ticket for Diamond Stardust's show back in my hometown. Can you sign it for me?"
"Eh~" The girl named Momoka made an amused noise. "Alright, let me think of what to write… How about 'Wishing Iseri Nina success in getting into her dream university'?"
BANG!
A sudden slam on the table startled both the two girls and the waiter bringing over Soyo's beef bowl.
Momoka turned her head and found herself face to face with a girl slightly taller than her, long tea-brown hair framing her sharp, intense gaze.
"You just said…" Soyo's voice was low and serious.
"Your name is Iseri Nina?!"