"Soyo, if you don't have any plans today, just stay home."
"…So that's why you went ahead and washed all my going-out clothes last night, leaving only the one you're wearing?!"
Nagasaki Soyo was certain—unless she completely lost her mind—there was no way she could ever be good friends with someone as scheming as this. Someone who thought ten steps ahead, and every single step was meant to screw her over.
She had initially assumed that her so-called strategist had taken over all the housework and even prepared her bath last night purely for the sake of keeping up appearances.
Now, looking back, she realized she'd been far too naive. She never expected this woman to have an even more ridiculous plan in mind.
"It's not like you have nothing to wear. I have a few outfits you can borrow."
"…Your clothes? Clean ones?"
"Haven't washed them yet. But if you don't mind—"
"I do mind!" Soyo rolled her eyes, cutting off Chihiro's shameless remark. "Wait a second. The outfit you're wearing right now—I can't remember. Was it one I wore before, or did you just take it?"
"…Take a guess."
"Wait—get back here!"
Soyo, still in her pajamas, scrambled toward the door when she saw Chihiro already slipping on her shoes, grabbing her bass bag, and getting ready to leave. But before she could reach her, the girl had already bolted out of the apartment, making a playful face at her from the elevator.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me the little rich lady's too embarrassed to run outside in her pajamas?"
"Just you wait…"
Soyo glanced around and weighed her options. If she rushed into the elevator dressed like this and ran into someone going up or down, it would be humiliating. In the end, she stomped her foot in frustration, slammed the door shut, and sulked at home.
...
Meanwhile, Chihiro hummed a tune as she checked her phone. Taki had sent her a message confirming their meetup time. Now, she just had to think about how to handle the conversation once all four band members were together.
Since it was the weekend, students didn't have school, so the subway wasn't too crowded with them at this hour. Most people, whether students or office workers, preferred to sleep in after a long week.
But for certain restless, hot-blooded girls, the sooner they could sort out what was on their minds, the better.
By the time Chihiro arrived at the café inside RiNG, a LIVE house in Ikebukuro, the weekend crowd had picked up. Most people headed straight inside for the performances, so the café itself wasn't too packed. Aside from Anon and the others, there weren't many customers.
At a table near the counter, Taki seemed to be locked in a silent battle with Anon. However, due to the presence of a certain someone, both were holding back.
The silver-haired girl, who hadn't spoken much since Chihiro walked in, only lifting her head upon seeing her—that must be Takamatsu Tomori, the so-called weirdo Soyo had mentioned.
She… didn't seem like the easiest person to talk to.
Of course, there was also someone else who caught Chihiro's attention. But out of guilt, she deliberately avoided looking in Raana's direction, where she was quietly eating her parfait.
"Soyo."
Taki was the first to speak. Right after, Anon's voice followed, sounding almost competitive as she chimed in, "Soyo-chan's here~!"
And then there was Tomori's soft greeting. "It's been a while."
"Since Soyo-chan is here too, why don't we just clear everything up? Otherwise, Tomori will keep hesitating forever."
"…And what does that have to do with you?"
"Well, if things aren't resolved, Tomori will never move forward, right?"
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Taki groaned, rubbing her temples. Why is it that the one thing I don't want happening always ends up happening? Soyo's prediction had been spot on—this pink-haired menace's persistence was beyond ridiculous. If only she could channel this kind of determination into something actually useful.
"…So, how much have you guys talked about?"
"Nothing."
It was Tomori who answered, casting a helpless look at the others.
"In other words, you've been arguing the whole time, huh?"
Chihiro sighed, but in reality, this was all within her expectations—including the situation with Sakiko.
As long as she kept up her act and didn't slip up, everything would unfold just as planned. When the perfect happy ending arrived, she could quietly fade out of the picture, ensuring that no one got hurt.
Soyo, Soyo… You should be thanking me. Where else could you find a fixer as good as me?
"Well then, since we're all here and Taki called me over, why don't we just lay everything out from the start?"
The moment Chihiro spoke, the others fell silent, giving her full control of the conversation.
"Tomori still can't let it go… because of that night, right?"
At the mention of it, Tomori's expression dimmed. But before her self-appointed guardian Taki could jump in, Chihiro beat her to it.
"When it comes down to it, there's only one person who's at fault for that night—Sakiko."
"…Huh?"
The surprised voice didn't come from Tomori, but from Taki, who had been cut off mid-sentence.
She stared at Chihiro in shock, stunned by the fact that the girl who had once seen only Sakiko now seemed to have changed completely.
It wasn't just an act. Soyo really had been right—this person had become the first among them to truly see things clearly.
"Of course, Sakiko probably didn't think her leaving would cause a chain reaction. Maybe in her mind, even without her, we would've just found other people and formed a new band—nothing would've changed."
"But I did mess up my performance at the LIVE," Tomori interjected. "That's why Sakiko was disappointed in me. That's why she didn't come back—"
Before she could finish, Chihiro cut her off.
"Tomori, you sang great. I've never doubted that for a second."
"If this is about that negative comment on the message board, then let me tell you—whenever there are enough people, you'll always find a few idiots. Some people just want to feel superior, to make themselves seem important by tearing others down."
"They don't realize that, to most people, they're the real joke."
Smack!
Taki slammed her hands on the table, unable to hold back any longer.
"Exactly! Those kinds of people are the worst! They don't even know the person they're talking about, but they act like they do, passing judgment and making cruel remarks—hurting someone and then walking away like it's nothing… uh."
"…Why'd you stop?"
Anon looked at her with an amused expression, as if she had just found her chance to turn the tables. "I seem to recall someone doing something very similar just a few days ago?"
"…Didn't I already apologize? You really hold a grudge."
"Hmph. If Soyo-chan weren't here, I'd have already bitten you."
"Oh yeah? Try it! If you don't bite me, you're a dog!"
"And if I do?"
"Then you're definitely a dog."
"…Hah?!"