She had truly thought that way at first.
Togawa Sakiko frowned slightly, her delicate brows knitting together as she cast a glance toward Nagasaki Soyo, who wasn’t far away.
Even though they had already "said goodbye," they sohow ended up walking the sa path. From the mont they turned that corner, their routes had matched perfectly. It was almost as if they were headed to the exact sa place, what a coincidence.
No, no, no. That couldn’t possibly be.
Today, Togawa Sakiko had picked a very specific ti to co here. Besides, Sakiko’s house was tucked away in a remote area that few people knew about. With her personality, it was hard to imagine her casually giving soone like Soyo her address.
There’s no way Soyo ca here with the sa intention.
So then, what exactly is going on here?
Feeling increasingly uneasy, Sakiko finally drew in a deep breath. She lifted her amber eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, and her voice ca out crisp and cool, laced with a chill like frost.
"You’ve been following for a while now. Are you seriously telling you also need to go this way?"
Of course. This woman still hadn’t given up on CRYCHIC, had she?
What did Soyo think she was, anyway?
"Eh? But I wasn’t following you, Saki-chan. I just happen to need this route too."
Nagasaki Soyo reached up and gently rubbed a few strands of her smooth brown hair near her temple. Even in the face of Sakiko’s cold tone, her expression didn’t falter. She smiled lightly, eyes half-lidded as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Her sweet, lilting voice had an odd way of brushing under your skin, subtly irritating.
As if sothing amusing had just crossed her mind, Soyo clapped her hands together softly and said in a breezy tone, "Since you’re so convinced I’m following you... how about I take the lead? That way, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
"Uh..."
Sakiko blinked at the unexpected suggestion.
Now that she thought about it, it kind of made sense. If Soyo walked in front, then she couldn’t be following her anymore...
Unless, of course, Soyo knew where she was going all along.
But lately, Sakiko had noticed sothing strange about Soyo. She no longer had that subtle, fawning deanor when she looked at her. Instead, there was sothing else, sothing more distant, as if she were trying to keep her space on purpose.
It left Sakiko with a strange feeling she couldn’t quite shake.
Still, once she realized Soyo truly wasn’t trying to cling to her, Sakiko’s tone softened, just a little. She kept her expression composed, but her voice ca out more level this ti. "Fine. Let’s do that, then."
In the blink of an eye, the two of them switched places.
Soyo walked ahead, her blue eyes calm and unflinching. Her steps were steady, not the least bit hesitant. Watching her, Sakiko couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. But since they’d already switched positions, she had no choice but to keep going.
In less than five minutes, the two of them ca to an unspoken stop at the sa apartnt building.
"...?"
Sakiko’s eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief crossing her face as she turned to look at Soyo.
Just then, the faint smile on Soyo’s lips seed to crack, gone for the briefest second before it returned like nothing had changed.
Was this so kind of joke? Were they actually headed to the sa place?
"Well, what a coincidence," Soyo said with a soft giggle. "I didn’t expect you to walk all this way with , Saki-chan. For a second, I really thought we’d end up having the sa destination too."
Still caught between confusion and surprise, Sakiko said nothing.
Soyo, now holding a paper bag in her hand, let her smile fade a little more as she spoke.
Her waist-length brown hair slid off her pale shoulder with a smooth grace as she moved. That sweet, gentle voice lingered in the air like perfu.
"But this is where I stop, okay? Let’s talk again soti, if we get the chance."
Nagasaki Soyo gave her a cheerful wave, then turned and walked into the apartnt without so much as a glance back.
Togawa Sakiko was left standing in place, a bag of groceries in hand, caught off guard. She could only stare helplessly as Soyo headed straight toward Haru’s apartnt. A vague sense of unease began to stir within her.
"No way. Absolutely not..."
Even if Sakiko wanted nothing more to do with the old mbers of CRYCHIC, she couldn’t just stand by and let Soyo be alone with Haru.
She liked Haru. If Haru ended up with Soyo in the end...
"I’d never be able to accept that."
Faced with such an impossible choice, Sakiko finally made up her mind.
"...!"
With eyes sharp and fierce, the blue-haired girl clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on the plastic bag. Without hesitation, she stepped forward. Her soft, pale blue curls fluttered through the air, tracing a graceful arc behind her.
Just like her heart—pounding, determined, unyielding.
She wasn’t going to lose.
...
"So, what’s going on here?"
Kazami Haru stood at the doorway, hand still on the knob, wearing a bewildered expression as he looked at the two girls standing in front of him. One, Soyo-san, smiling sweetly with narrowed eyes. The other, the ever-cautious and glaring "Saki-san."
Was this real?
What were the chances of these two oil-and-water girls showing up at his door at the sa ti? About the sa as pulling Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon and Dragonic Overlord from the sa prison cell, probably. (1)
More importantly, how was he supposed to deal with this?
"I already made plans with Haru earlier," Soyo said with a breezy tone. "He invited over? I even brought so essential oils and scents I really recomnd. I’ll show you how to use them later, okay?"
Her ocean-blue eyes glimred gently as she smiled and held up the gift bag in her hands.
Togawa Sakiko turned, stunned, to look at Soyo. When she followed her up the stairs just monts ago, Soyo had gradually beco colder, distant.
But the second Haru opened the door, it was like flipping a switch, her entire expression shifted into the sweetest, most radiant smile imaginable. Like so kind of emotional counterattack system had activated on cue.
Wait, what was that she just said?
Soyo had been invited by Haru himself? Was she implying that she was the guest of honor, and herself had just shown up unannounced?
That was seriously infuriating.
Suppressing her rage, Sakiko tightened her fists. With a face of forced indifference, she handed the groceries over to Haru and spoke with quiet poise.
"Haru, I’m here to have dinner again today. I hope that’s not too much trouble?"
Would he seriously dare say otherwise?
Kazami Haru’s expression stiffened as he looked at her tightly pressed lips. If he so much as muttered sothing vague like "it might be a bit inconvenient," Sakiko’s pride would likely shatter on the spot and she’d run away crying.
Just imagining it made him shudder.
How had it co to this?
They could’ve just co at different tis, anything but this. But no, they had to show up together.
Both Soyo-san and Saki-san were like wives, each with a temperant as volatile as a minefield. A single misstep and everything might explode.
All he wanted was a quiet day at ho to write music, and now even his temples were throbbing. Still, in reality, he quickly took the groceries from Sakiko’s hand and gave a resigned sigh.
"Of course it’s not a problem. Anyway, co in, both of you."
At those words, Sakiko felt a slight sense of relief.
But beside her, beneath that seemingly gentle smile, Soyo was hiding her own anxiety. She hadn’t expected Sakiko to beat her here. Could it be that Sakiko had already fallen for Haru?
She was supposed to be first.
As Haru turned and went into the kitchen to prepare tea, Sakiko quietly lifted her gaze.
"Then I’ll excuse myself."
With aning behind her eyes, she gave Soyo a lingering glance. Then, with practiced ease, she opened the cabinet on the right, pulled out two pairs of pristine white slippers, and placed them neatly at the entryway.
She followed up with a soft, level voice, like a counterstrike.
"Nagasaki-san, no need to be shy. Please, co in."
Soyo: ?
Still rubbing her fingertips, Soyo narrowed her darkening blue eyes. Even the usual gentleness in her smile had begun to falter. A wave of jealousy and irritation shot through her like a missile, forcing her to take deep breaths to steady herself.
Then, as if flipping a switch of her own, she returned to normal and said sweetly, "Thank you, dear Saki-chan. But I think I’d rather handle it myself, if that’s alright?"
What a joke. Acting like she was the lady of the house?
Nagasaki Soyo was his true wife. She knew his tastes, his aversions, all his little habits, even the positions he liked: everything.
And yet Togawa Sakiko had the audacity to put on the airs of the rightful partner? Soyo had never been this furious. Her smile nearly cracked with strain.
Fortunately, she had long since learned how to wear her mask. With practiced restraint, she swallowed it all down and kept her face serene.
"..."
Smug. Overwhelmingly smug.
The fiery frustration that had boiled inside Togawa Sakiko just monts ago vanished like smoke. Her earlier anxiety was now replaced by a wide, clear sense of satisfaction.
That seemingly simple act of setting out slippers had once been a move used by Wakaba Mutsumi. Now that Sakiko had learned and used it on soone else, it felt unexpectedly satisfying.
With their own thoughts swirling, the two girls entered the living room. By then, Kazami Haru had already brewed tea and brought it out.
Noticing the clear distance they were keeping from each other, Haru narrowed his eyes slightly. Just as he placed the tea and snacks on the table, Nagasaki Soyo spoke up in a gentle tone.
"I noticed your computer was still on in the room earlier. Were you working on a song for the school festival performance?"
Kazami Haru didn’t hesitate. He nodded lightly and replied, "That’s right. The festival isn’t far off now, so I thought I’d finish composing quickly to give you all more ti to practice."
Composing?
At that word, Sakiko’s eyes lit up just a little. She had always worked well with him when it ca to writing music, so with a smile and a cup in hand, she began,
"Haru, if it’s about composing, then—"
"Ohh, is that so~?"
Before she could even finish, Soyo had already cut in with a smile.
Her eyes sparkled faintly as she folded her hands and stood up with a sweet and graceful smile. She walked straight to Kazami Haru and gently pushed him down onto the sofa.
Her slender fingers moved to his stiff shoulders and began to knead with a soft, comforting touch.
"I ca here today to make sure Haru actually gets so rest. Staying in a constant high-strain state isn’t good for the body, right? It’s not ti for dinner yet, and while I don’t know much about music... I can still help in other ways."
"So today, just leave things to and rest, alright?"
As she eased him down onto the couch, her massage skills took over. Having looked after her mother for years, Soyo’s ability to care for others and her massage technique was second to none.
The way she gently worked his temples had an imdiate, relaxing effect.
Crap, she’s really good at this.
Feeling himself slipping into her rhythm, Haru’s eyes widened. He tried to take back control and quickly said, "But I still need to prep dinner and clean up later. I’ll rest properly after that."
"Nooope~"
Soyo refused with a bright smile.
"When it’s ti to eat, I’ll let you show off your cooking skills. But for now, you have to rest—otherwise, if Tomori finds out, she’ll be upset, you know?"
"Leave the cleaning to . After all, you’ve always been helping when I was being selfish, and I never really got the chance to repay you..."
There was no getting around it. Even Kazami Haru couldn’t co up with a good excuse to turn her down after that.
Unable to suppress his inner grumble over how tricky Soyo was to handle, he exhaled and said softly, "...In that case, I’ll leave it to you."
"Please do."
Togawa Sakiko’s wide eyes locked on Nagasaki Soyo, who, with her gaze full of warmth, had eyes only for Haru. It was as if nothing else in the world existed.
The sheer purity of that feeling, that overflowing affection, was practically bursting from her.
"Ah! Since we’ve got the ti... why don’t we try out the aroma oils?"
Acting as if the idea had just struck her, Soyo pulled a delicate bottle of scent from her bag. The rich musk of the fragrance wafted into the room as she uncapped it.
She then deftly pulled out a smaller bottle of essential oil, her eyes shimring with a trace of excitent as she smiled.
"I think I can take Haru’s shirt off, right? A massage like this really helps with circulation."
Take his shirt off?!
Sakiko, who’d already been dragged along by Soyo’s pace, froze in disbelief. She stared at the brown-haired girl with intensity, shocked that she could say sothing like that so casually.
Wasn’t just a drop or two of essential oil in a diffuser supposed to work? Why the need to undress him? Clearly, Nagasaki Soyo had ulterior motives!
If she hadn’t co by for dinner today, this shaless woman might’ve had her way with him!
"You. Co here for a mont."
Sakiko stepped forward with a frosty expression, grabbing Soyo’s wrist. She led her into Haru’s bedroom and carefully closed the door behind them.
Once she was sure it was just the two of them, she furrowed her brows and said bluntly,
"Shaless."
"No matter what you’re trying to do, there’s no reason to take Haru’s clothes off."
But Soyo only tilted her head slightly, as if she’d expected this reaction all along. She answered with a sweet, deliberate gentleness,
"It’s just a regular essential oil massage. I only suggested taking off his shirt to avoid getting it wet. That’s all. I just wanted him to relax and rest a little..."
"Unless, Sakiko... were you imagining sothing else?"
Soyo’s completely unflinching response left Sakiko montarily speechless.
"I..."
Her eyes wavered. Honestly, she didn’t know much about aromatherapy. Maybe it was because Soyo had cut her off earlier and claid that Haru had "invited" her, which had thrown her off balance. That, and seeing her act so brazenly now, had made her jump to stop her.
But as things stood, Soyo hadn’t really done anything out of line. It did seem like she was just trying to help Haru relax.
"Haru’s been handling the work of two bands by himself for a while now and with the school festival coming up, he’s rushing to finish compositions again. That’s why I ca to help with the housework."
"But really, Sakiko... have you even thought about whether Haru’s getting enough rest?"
Her calm words, spoken with the slightest frown, made the already flustered Sakiko go pale.
She suddenly realized, Haru had been composing for three bands, not just two. Even when she was busy managing the band’s plans alone, he always ca to help her out without a word.
The pressure he was under... it was far more than she had noticed and she’d been so focused on the band that she hadn’t seen it at all.
That realization hit her hard. Guilt and regret welled up inside her.
Soyo, observing her carefully, noticed the subtle change. Her usual gentle smile (the one she reserved for Haru) was gone.
And with a voice calm and cold as frost, she spoke, her words cutting through like high-pressure water jet.
"So it’s true, Sakiko."
"In the end, you’re really just soone who thinks only about herself."
---
(1) (T/L: YuGiOH and Cardfight Vanguard Ref.)
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