"If I were to part ways with you like this…"
"I'd rather die."
"I'd rather die."
That's a confession.
That's definitely a confession, right?!
Shiina Rikki screamed internally.
She had completely misunderstood what Matsueda Azusa actually meant.
Instead of grasping his intention, she resonated with the emotions he had originally written for Toyokawa Sakiko.
Wait… wait…
Is he… confessing to me? Right here? Disguised as a street performance?
Her mind went completely blank.
Her fingers twisted tightly into the hem of her clothes.
Should I accept…?
No—wait—should I refuse first?
But there are so many people watching… wouldn't rejecting him be too harsh?
Then… should I just accept?!
20. World-Shaking "Truth"
All of this—
Was witnessed from the shadows.
Nagasaki Soyo stood at a distance, hidden from view.
After school, she had rushed to RING, intending to find a way to destroy Matsueda Azusa's so-called Crychic.
But unexpectedly—
Not long after arriving, she saw Matsueda dragging Shiina Rikki out of the studio.
Luckily, she reacted fast and hid immediately.
Neither of them seemed to be paying attention to their surroundings.
They didn't notice her at all.
Something felt off.
Soyo quickly noticed—
Hachiman Karin wasn't there.
She didn't care about Karin herself.
To Soyo, Karin was irrelevant.
What mattered was—
Why were Matsueda and Rikki together alone?
Did the band already fall apart?
A fake band like that—
Something forcibly stitched together—
Of course it wouldn't last.
Only the original Crychic mattered.
But then—
A thought struck her.
If they really had a falling out…
Then this is my chance.
She could make them kick Karin out—
And take her place back.
Last night, she had stayed up, reflecting.
Her performance had flaws, yes—
But abandoning the band?
That had been a mistake.
If she had stayed—
There would still have been a chance to fix everything.
She had regretted it all night.
And now—
A perfect opportunity appeared.
Luck is on my side.
With that thought, Soyo followed them.
Keeping her distance.
They were walking quickly.
They must've had a serious argument.
Maybe it's already falling apart.
If so—
Then she just needed to step in.
Comfort Matsueda.
Persuade Rikki.
Fix the conflict—
And naturally, she could return.
Perfect.
But—
All those expectations—
Shattered instantly.
They weren't arguing.
Not even close.
Matsueda took out his guitar.
And started singing.
"…What?"
Soyo froze.
A street performance?
No… that's not it.
No equipment.
No stage.
Then—
The lyrics reached her.
"…A love song?"
Her eyes widened.
This is a confession.
It has to be a confession.
To Shiina Rikki?
In public?!
How dare he…
Her breathing became sharp.
No.
If Sakiko finds out about this—
That would be a disaster.
Then—
Another realization hit her.
Wait…
If they weren't arguing—
If they came out just to sing—
Then that means—
There was never any conflict.
Karin's absence—
Wasn't because of a breakup.
It was—
To give them time alone.
Her entire plan—
Collapsed.
Soyo clenched her fists.
Why does Rikki look so natural?
Why aren't they surprised?
How many times have they done this already?
Then—
A chilling thought formed.
What if…
This didn't just start recently?
What if it's been like this… for a long time?
Even when Sakiko was still in the band?
Her breath caught.
She grabbed onto a nearby lamppost.
Everything suddenly made sense.
That's why Sakiko left.
That's why she cut everything off.
She wasn't the one who abandoned them—
She was betrayed.
By these two.
Soyo's expression darkened.
No wonder she never replied.
No wonder she refused to come back.
With them still there—
How could Sakiko ever return?
She gritted her teeth.
So this is the truth.
"They fooled me…"
Matsueda—
Acting righteous.
Playing the victim.
Liar.
They were probably laughing behind her back.
"They destroyed Crychic…"
And she hadn't even realized.
Her nails dug into her palm.
But—
She forced herself to calm down.
She couldn't confront them now.
That would ruin everything.
No—
She needed a plan.
She would expose them.
Punish them.
And show Sakiko—
That she had always been on her side.
Then Sakiko would come back.
She just needed to remove these two.
Find Tomori.
Find Mutsuki.
And Crychic would be whole again.
Her thoughts accelerated.
Faster than ever.
Then—
A perfect plan formed.
If Matsueda is a scumbag—
Then I'll use that against him.
If he could betray Sakiko—
He could betray Rikki too.
All she needed—
Was a little push.
And when he falls—
She would destroy Rikki emotionally.
Then dump Matsueda in front of her.
Let them tear each other apart.
Perfect revenge.
For Sakiko.
Her eyes sharpened.
This—
Was a gift from fate.
And she would use it.
Matsueda suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Like something was watching him.
But—
The performance went smoothly.
For his level—
It was actually pretty good.
Some pedestrians had stopped to watch.
Too bad—
He didn't bring a tip jar.
"Rikki, your turn."
Matsueda looked at her.
"What do you want to sing?"
Rikki snapped back to reality.
…So he wasn't confessing.
Right.
This wasn't the place for that anyway.
She patted her chest.
Half relieved.
Half… disappointed.
With just a guitar—
Some songs wouldn't work.
And she hadn't really practiced singing seriously.
She didn't want to embarrass herself.
"…Then…"
She hesitated.
"Let's do 'Love 2000.'"
Matsueda blinked.
"Oh? Didn't expect that."
He smiled.
"Got it. Leave it to me."
Then—
He started playing.