Sakiko never expected that she would hear Haruhikage coming from Soyo.
What… what does this even mean?
She had thought she understood Soyo well enough.
But faced with the girl's completely baffling actions, she suddenly felt like she was still too naïve.
Chiru koto shika shiranai haru wa.
Seeing the change in Sakiko's expression, Soyo thought her plan was working, and sang with even more enthusiasm.
Mainen tsumetaku ashirau.
Kuragari no naka ippō tsūkō ni.
Songs were the language of a band.
At this moment, Soyo felt like she finally understood that phrase.
As long as she poured her feelings into the song, she believed Sakiko would definitely understand her!
However, all Sakiko felt was the past—one she could never return to—relentlessly crashing into her.
Seriously, she had already run away, so why was Haruhikage still chasing after her?!
"Enough,"
Sakiko couldn't help but cut off Soyo's singing.
"Stop singing!"
At this moment, "Sakiko-sensei" had completely lost her composure.
"Huh?"
Soyo, who had been getting more and more into it, didn't react immediately.
"The past is already the past,"
Sakiko took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions.
"CRYCHIC is already over."
"You already have MyGO!!!!! now, don't you?"
"So why do you keep clinging to it?"
Yeah… why?
In truth, that was a question Soyo had been asking herself all along.
Because Saki-chan is irreplaceable, indispensable—without Sakiko, it absolutely wouldn't work… right?
The images of Kamijou Mutsuki and everyone from MyGO!!!!! appeared in Soyo's mind, and for a moment, the girl couldn't help but feel lost.
Seeing this, Sakiko directly shook off her hand and ran away.
Soyo didn't chase after her. She simply stood there, staring blankly at her departing figure.
She knew—her final plan had already failed.
Today, my hands tremble. Today, my heart aches.
Sakiko… I clearly care about you so much!
I tried everything to bring you back—so why…
Maybe it was because all she had been thinking about… was herself.
A self-mocking smile appeared on the girl's face, and all she felt inside was endless emptiness.
In truth, she had already noticed the changes in her feelings during this time.
She had already felt that warmth… from MyGO!!!!!.
And even…
A certain boy's figure flashed through Soyo's mind.
Perhaps now, what she felt toward Sakiko was nothing more than lingering obsession.
But once… she had truly cared about Sakiko.
She cared so much that she would stop at nothing to revive CRYCHIC.
She cared so much that she staged that shocking kneel.
She cared so much that she even used Anon—who treated her as a friend…
Maybe she had never truly considered Sakiko's feelings.
But then why was Sakiko so cold—why wouldn't she show her even a little bit of warmth?
When facing Misumi Uika, Sakiko could be so gentle!
Soyo felt like she might have let go… yet at the same time, she felt unwilling to accept everything she had done in the past.
She stared in the direction Sakiko had left, biting her soft lip.
On the other side, after finally losing sight of Soyo, Sakiko stopped again, standing there and catching her breath.
She admitted it—Haruhikage could still hurt her.
So could it please stop chasing her already?
It had to be said, Soyo's actions today had completely exceeded her expectations.
But now that she had run this far, she should be safe, right?
Thinking that, Sakiko raised her head.
And then she saw that the electronic billboard above her was showing sumimi—Uika and Mana.
Seeing this strangely familiar scene, even Sakiko couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.
Then, as that familiar intro began to play, the expression on her face completely froze.
Yatsureta kokoro furueru manazashi.
Sekai de boku wa hitoribocchi datta.
"?"
Back when Uika's manager rear-ended Kamijou Mutsuki's black luxury car, he had said he would punish Uika by making her sing Haruhikage.
Sakiko, of course, didn't know the inside story—she only felt completely numb.
So it really wasn't going to let her go, huh?!
At this moment, she even began to question reality itself.
It felt like Haruhikage was everywhere—like she was completely surrounded by it.
"Saki-chan?"
At that moment, a boy's voice saved her.
"Mutsuki…"
Seeing Kamijou Mutsuki appear beside her at some unknown time, Sakiko was like a lost child who had finally found her parent—she threw herself straight into his arms.
"Please… make me forget everything!"
Clinging tightly to him, she said this with a trembling, tearful voice.
Damn… I've become Uika.
Also, where's Soyo? She didn't come with Sakiko?
Still, looking at the girl in his arms, Kamijou Mutsuki decided to take her to the car first.
After getting into the car, he didn't idle around either—he sent a message in the LINE group to let the girls know he was safe.
"Sakiko-sensei" was currently in his custody, so there was no need to worry.
He also asked about Soyo's situation, just in case.
However, because all his attention was focused on the girl in his arms, he didn't notice the girl nearby who had followed him after seeing him.
"So… Saki-chan also feels that way about Mutsuki-kun…"
Watching Sakiko throw herself into Kamijou Mutsuki's arms and then be carried into the car, Soyo murmured softly.
Recalling all the signs she had deliberately ignored before, Soyo finally realized—even Sakiko had feelings of that kind toward Kamijou Mutsuki.
As the girl was lost in thought, her phone suddenly rang.
Taking it out, she saw it was a message from Kamijou Mutsuki.
Seeing this, Soyo curled her lips slightly into a smile. After replying, she also sent a message in the LINE group to let everyone know she was safe.
Thinking back to what she had just witnessed, a bold idea suddenly formed in her mind—about how to "repay" the person who had completely ignored all her feelings.
If it were Mutsuki-kun…
Driven by her emotions, Soyo made a decision.
She first informed everyone in the group that she would be heading home early today.
Then, she stopped the private car that Kamijou Mutsuki had arranged for her, opened the door, and got in.
As for her destination—the big house that once belonged to Sakiko, and now belonged to Kamijou Mutsuki.
Meanwhile, inside Kamijou Mutsuki's car, he had already put away his phone.
Beside him, Sakiko had barely regained some composure and was no longer clinging to him.
However, her face was still flushed with embarrassment.
What exactly had she just said to him…?!
"Saki-chan,"
At this moment, Kamijou Mutsuki suddenly looked at her and spoke.
"Tonight, when we get back, how about we make something delicious to celebrate?"
"You—"
Sakiko, who had still been feeling shy just a moment ago, immediately frowned, a hint of anger rising.
What did he mean by that?
"…After all, isn't this what you've been hoping for all along?"
Hearing this, the girl was left speechless, her mood turning somewhat downcast.
"I don't know…"
For the first time, she didn't stubbornly argue back with Kamijou Mutsuki on this matter.
.......................