"Little Soyo~ Mama’s ho!"
Wearing a sharp business suit, Mrs. Nagasaki playfully called out as she entered the house, instantly throwing herself into her daughter’s warm arms. It was the kind of clingy greeting where their roles as mother and daughter felt completely interchangeable.
All the exhaustion from the day lted off her as she flopped onto the couch, not wanting to move an inch more.
"Welco ho, Mama~"
With her soft brown, slightly wavy long hair, Soyo smiled gently the mont she saw her mother. Holding a spatula in one hand, she casually brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her face glowing with warmth.
Soyo quickly untied her apron and settled beside her mom, letting her rest her head on her lap.
To help her mother unwind, the high schooler had picked up a pretty solid massage technique. She gently rubbed her mother’s temples to ease the fatigue.
As a daughter, Soyo was the very image of grace and care—so thoughtful and mature that her mother never needed to worry.
While she massaged, Soyo spoke in a syrupy sweet voice, almost too tender: "Dinner’s already ready~ Would you like to eat first, or take a bath and relax, Mama?"
"Uuuu... Little Soyo, you’re just too thoughtful! Just thinking about you getting married soday already breaks my heart!"
Mrs. Nagasaki let out an overly dramatic whimper as she hugged her daughter tightly, leaving Soyo flustered and unsure how to respond.
"It’s way too soon for that kind of talk! I haven’t even thought about—"
Her refined face instantly turned lobster red with embarrassnt. But then she noticed her mother’s teasing grin—the tone might’ve been sad, but the smile was all mischief.
She was clearly ssing with her.
"Mama!"
"Oh, co on~ I was just joking a little~"
Mrs. Nagasaki laughed behind her hand.
Still, the ntion of her daughter marrying soone reminded her of the handso boy she ran into earlier that evening. She rembered how he’d politely helped her when she nearly fell. Her voice took on a wistful note.
"Mama actually ran into a super handso boy today. I almost tripped after bumping into soone, but he caught , what a gentleman~ He was really good-looking too!"
"It’s such a sha he left so quickly, or I might’ve introduced little Soyo to him right then and there."
A boy?
"Mama, really..."
Soyo just frowned slightly, her pink lips pursed. She didn’t believe her mom’s teasing words and brushed them off as another joke.
Still, when her mother ntioned a "handso" boy, a vague image ca to mind—a black-haired silhouette.
Having attended all-girls schools her whole life, Soyo hadn’t interacted much with boys. But Kazami Haru , the keyboardist, was easily the most attractive boy she’d ever seen. Just looking at him lifted her mood.
But then she shook her head quickly, as if trying to fling those thoughts away.
"Soyo? What’s wrong?"
"N-nothing at all~ Mama, shouldn’t we eat dinner soon?"
With her usual sugary voice, Soyo slipped back into her mask, her "persona," the one she always wore at school. For her, hiding her true emotions had beco as natural as breathing.
That was proof of the "shadow", her fake self.
To fit in at Tsukinomori and keep relationships smooth, even if she felt lonely or resistant inside, she’d always smile and say yes to others.
Over ti, pretending beca second nature.
"Your cooking is just too good!"
"I’m glad you like it, Mama~"
Though she smiled brightly, her fingers were subconsciously fiddling. Ever since thinking about Haru, her emotions had felt unsettled.
Her feelings toward Kazami Haru were complicated.
Soyo had only wanted to revive CRYCHIC, that was all. But now, tangled emotions about her current bandmates muddied her heart. She couldn’t make a clear decision.
If she really brought Sakiko back to rebuild CRYCHIC, that would an casting aside Anon, Raana, and even Haru.
But... could she really do that?
"..."
Holding her chopsticks and tasting her food, Soyo’s eyes began to dim.
Nowadays, Takamatsu Tomori and Shiina Taki were already starting to rely on Haru without realizing it. Even the shyest one, Mutsumi had recently refused her for his sake.
All without caring about the past friendships they once shared.
Why had it co to this? Did Mutsumi really think talking with Sakiko was a bad thing? Did she not care if CRYCHIC was never revived?
Had everyone already forgotten CRYCHIC?
No!
If this continued, all those warm, beautiful mories they shared would be erased!
"Mama, I’m full."
"I’ll clean up the dishes later, so go ahead and take your bath first."
Soyo smiled as she set down her chopsticks and picked up her phone, flipping through LINE ssages. When she opened her private chat with Sakiko Toyokawa, an endless stream of "unread" ssages glared back at her.
She had already asked Mutsumi privately to invite Sakiko to the upcoming Live.
At this point, there was no turning back.
She had to resolve things with Sakiko properly this ti!
Everything that happened before, it had to be a misunderstanding. Everyone still had strong feelings for CRYCHIC, just like her.
If they could bring back CRYCHIC, everything would be okay again!
Nagasaki Soyo had to fight for that with all her might.
...
Several Days Later – RiNG
After stepping off the stage from a rehearsal, everyone looked visibly stiff.
Shiina Taki, usually perfection-obsessed, wore a stone-cold expression as she dropped her drumsticks. Arms crossed, she radiated tension—as if hugging herself was the only way to stay grounded.
Even the ever-stable Taki was nervous.
So it was no surprise that Anon Chihaya, who was never confident to begin with, felt like her legs were shaking as she walked offstage.
"Uwaa! I’m so nervous..."
"Everyone else’s bands seem so good. Compared to them, we’re totally out of our league..."
She sat slouched on the break room couch, her cute fang peeking out from parted lips. Her voice trembled slightly, a far cry from her usual energetic bravado.
"Well, so really experienced bands are performing this ti. It’s okay, just try to stay calm~"
Soyo smiled, comforting Anon with a voice that showed no sign of nerves.
"If that was just the rehearsal, what are we supposed to do during the real thing?"
Shiina Taki muttered, clearly anxious. Her eyes drifted to Haru.
"Didn’t we all practice a lot already? As long as we perform like we rehearsed, we’ll be fine."
"Honestly, I think the rehearsal went pretty well. We’ve only had, what, less than two weeks of practice?"
Haru casually sipped a can of KISS-brand coffee and popped a cookie into his mouth from the table, like he wasn’t even performing later.
Kazami Haru didn’t look the least bit nervous. When Shiina Taki questioned him, he just casually shrugged it off.
"...Haru, you really aren’t nervous at all, are you?"
Hearing his nonchalant tone, Taki couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Everyone in the band was visibly tense. After all, they’d had less than two weeks to rehearse after all three songs were finalized. Even though they’d practiced at RiNG every day, they still hadn’t reached the level of confidence they wanted.
The rest of the group was a bundle of nerves, yet Haru remained relaxed as ever. Seeing that, even Taki’s own anxiety from ssing up the drum timing during rehearsal began to ease a little.
"Haru-san’s right~ I think the rehearsal actually went pretty well! Everyone doesn’t need to be so tense."
Soyo clasped her hands together, speaking in a gentle tone to try to lift the group’s spirits. But Chihaya Anon was still restless. Without security, she instinctively looked to Haru—
"I can’t do this! I’m seriously too nervous..."
"Haru-haru~ lend so of that chill of yours, please!"
She pouted, half-joking, and even tried to snuggle up beside him to soak up his calm energy.
But as the sweet scent of her drew closer, Haru couldn’t help but rember that ti she’d hugged him while he was sick and those mories stirred his emotions again.
In a panic, he quickly shifted his focus and turned toward Takamatsu Tomori.
Earlier, during rehearsal, Tomori had been visibly off. As the lead vocalist, she kept making mistakes, and now she was curled up in a corner of the break room, looking pale and overwheld.
"Tomori, co sit over here."
Haru patted the spot next to him, flashing her a warm smile.
"Mm..."
She hesitated for a mont, then slowly walked over.
Feeling uneasy, she sat next to him, sandwiching herself between Haru and Anon, who had followed close behind. Now Haru was flanked on both sides. Shiina Taki, sitting alone, suddenly had a very complicated expression on her face.
"Looks like everyone’s feeling a bit nervous, huh? But it’ll be okay~"
"We’ve worked hard together for so long, there’s no way this won’t go well!"
Standing nearby, Soyo reached out and gently stroked Tomori’s soft gray hair. While it looked like she was simply comforting Tomori, the gesture also brought warmth and calm to the room.
Haru, sipping his canned KISS coffee, looked up at her.
As expected from their "band mom," Soyo-san was always gentle and caring.
Even if she still couldn’t let go of the idea of reviving CRYCHIC, she was always the first to comfort and support everyone. Honestly, Soyo was just a pure-hearted, soft, kind woman.
Even her little bits of scheming sohow ca off as cute.
Not wanting to waste her efforts, Haru suggested cheerfully:
"Since we’ve got so ti, why don’t we play a ga to kill ti?"
"Huh? We’re this close to performing and you want to play gas? Haru, your nerves must be made of steel."
Taki folded her arms, looking completely unconvinced.
"Mm, what about the King’s Ga?"
Anon’s eyes lit up, clearly interested.
"You’re way too into this already! And what King’s Ga?! You think this is a mixer?!"
Normally the one doing the scolding, Taki looked worn down. One by one, her chaotic bandmates were derailing the mood, and she was this close to retreating to water bottle duty.
Her tightly coiled nerves kept unraveling, and it was hard to stay serious anymore.
"...Oh! I know a ga~ I think it’s called Sachiko Ever After?"
"They say that if you play it, your friends will always stay together—"
Soyo suddenly spoke with a sparkle in her eyes, recalling sothing from the past. She’d always been curious about gas that strengthened friendship. She’d wanted to try it long ago.
But the mont she said it, Haru nearly choked on his coffee.
No way. He was definitely not going back to Heavenly Host Elentary School.
"You guys~ It’s ti to go on!"
Matsugi Ririko, dressed in RiNG staff uniform, suddenly burst through the break room door.
Her cheerful voice was like a lifeline to a drowning man. Haru imdiately stood up. Just then, Raana pushed through beside Ririko, already holding her guitar.
"Ehh?! Already?!"
Anon, who had just relaxed, started to panic again. But she was clearly less tense than before.
After a few deep breaths, the pink-haired bundle of nerves quietly grabbed her guitar and followed the others out. Taki also gripped her drumsticks tightly and took a deep breath.
Tomori balled her fists at her chest and swallowed audibly.
"Alright, let’s go."
Seeing how worried Tomori looked, Haru gave her a warm smile and gently tucked a stray strand of her gray hair behind her ear.
Feeling that familiar, tender touch, Tomori slowly looked up at him. His dark, soft eyes glowed faintly like morning sun through gauze. The curve of his smile, genuine and warm, stirred sothing deep within her.
It felt familiar.
Once, a beautiful blue butterfly had lifted her from a sea of flowers, guiding her from confusion. But that butterfly, having outlived its ti, faded like spring itself, flying far into the sky—
Leaving her lost in a fog that had no end.
Until now. Until a bright "guiding light" appeared in front of her, like the dawn breaking through the forest. That warmth gave her the courage to move forward again.
She was slowly learning to stand on her own.
Even if she felt lost, as long as he was beside her...
"Mm! I’ll... do my best!"
Tomori gripped the black mic tightly and nodded.
In truth, she had already changed.
No matter what happened—she would never let go of his hand!
"Then I’m relieved."
Seeing her eyes sharpen with focus, Haru finally relaxed.
He realized that, right before going on stage, everyone held their instrunts like soldiers heading into battle. Guitars and basses in hand, even Taki held her drumsticks like weapons.
Only he, the keyboardist, had nothing to carry—just walked up empty-handed.
Maybe next ti, he should carry so takeout chicken rice or sothing. That way, it wouldn’t feel so awkward.
From behind, Soyo watched Haru ascending the tal steps to the stage. In her deep blue eyes, a complex, unreadable light flickered.
Cradling her bass, she turned toward Tomori and softly spoke:
"Tomori."
"No matter what happens with this Live... let’s keep playing together."
Whether it was to reassure Tomori, or herself, Soyo couldn’t be sure.
"Mm..."
Tomori blinked slowly, a little dazed.
With her sensitivity to emotion, she sensed sothing in Soyo’s complicated gaze. But she gripped her mic tighter, and in her trembling amber eyes, a new resolve began to bloom.
"I want to be in a band together forever—"
"With Soyo-chan, Taki-chan, Raana-chan, Anon-chan... and Haru too!"
- - -
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