After confirming that Raana had indeed left in the direction of the school, Ririko finally felt at ease and returned to the café.
By this time, Kikukawa Kyo had already finished her cup of cappuccino. She had adjusted her emotions back to normal, and since she hadn't let Ririko notice anything earlier, she now appeared even more composed—almost as if that awkward moment had never happened in the first place.
"Sorry, Kyo."
Regardless of the situation, Ririko couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about Raana's behavior toward Kikukawa Kyo, which could be considered quite rude. After all, she saw Raana as practically her own child.
"I told you, it's fine, Ririko-san." Kikukawa Kyo flashed a bright, reassuring smile. "I'm not that sensitive."
She walked over to the keyboard, eyeing the instrument with curiosity before casually pressing a few keys.
"Even though I only practiced piano for a short while, I can already tell there's a huge difference between a keyboard and a piano."
The topic shifted instantly. Since Kyo wasn't bothered by it, Ririko gladly went along with the change in conversation.
"As an electronic instrument, a keyboard naturally can't replicate the acoustic quality of a piano, which relies on the mechanics of hammer action. But in exchange, a keyboard can produce a wide variety of sounds—something other instruments simply can't achieve."
"It seems a lot simpler than playing the piano." Kikukawa Kyo flexed her fingers, eager to try playing something—only to suddenly realize something embarrassing.
She had come here precisely because she wanted to learn how to play the keyboard.
Noticing Ririko's expectant gaze, Kikukawa Kyo cleared her throat. "Uh, Ririko-san, does RiNG have any books on learning the keyboard quickly? Or maybe I could borrow your phone to look up some tutorials?"
"So you really don't know how to play at all, huh?" Ririko chuckled at Kyo's sheepish expression. "I'll find something for you. If you want, you can take your time learning here. And once you've got the hang of it, you can try performing live as a test of your skills!"
---
Haneoka High, Class 1-B
Sakiko stared at the empty seat in front of her, her mind wandering—a rare moment of distraction, especially so close to the end of class.
She was thinking, of course, about Kikukawa Kyo, who had taken the day off today.
The teacher had said that Kyo was only out due to a mild fever and cold, nothing serious. But when Anon messaged her on LINE at noon, she never got a reply.
Figuring that Kyo might have just been asleep at the time, Sakiko tried messaging her again during the afternoon break—only to be met with silence once more.
Is it really just a small illness? She can't even spare the energy to reply?
No matter how she thought about it, Sakiko felt uneasy. Maybe instead of heading to the music club after school to practice piano, she should go check on Kyo first before heading to work.
But what if Kyo just needed rest…?
As she wrestled with her thoughts, the teacher suddenly spoke from the front of the classroom:
"Does anyone know Kikukawa's home address? We need someone to drop off today's class materials for her."
Although the teacher asked, they weren't really expecting anyone to volunteer. After all, Kikukawa Kyo was sick, and it wasn't reasonable to force her to keep up with her studies while recovering. However, given the academic pressure at Haneoka, the teacher still hoped that someone could at least deliver the materials to her home.
For Sakiko, this was the perfect excuse—an opportunity to visit Kyo's house without raising any suspicions.
She raised her hand. "Sensei, I can bring the materials to Kikukawa-san."
This will be my second time going to Kyo's place.
Having made up her mind, Sakiko stopped overthinking and simply waited for the school day to end. Today, for some reason, she was especially looking forward to it.
When the final bell rang, Sakiko headed toward the classroom door—only to run into two familiar faces. Anon and Tomori had come looking for her, just as they had at lunchtime.
As soon as they saw her, Anon spoke up first. "Sakiko, Kyo hasn't replied to any messages all afternoon. She hasn't even read them. Do you know anything about her?"
Tomori, standing beside her, hesitantly added, "I'm kind of worried about her…"
"No, I don't have any new updates…" Sakiko considered their anxious expressions for a moment before offering, "I'm heading to Kyo's house now. Do you two want to come with me?"
Then, almost as an afterthought, she quickly added, "The teacher asked me to deliver her class materials."
"...Yes!" Tomori agreed almost immediately, clearly relieved at the idea.
Anon's reaction, however, was far more interesting. At first, she lit up—excited, maybe even a little thrilled—at the chance to visit Kyo's house. But then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, her expression twisted in confusion.
"Wait… Sakiko, you know where Kyo lives?"
Sure, Sakiko and Kyo were in the same band, so knowing each other's home addresses wasn't that strange. But in that case… why didn't Tomori know?
Anon shot Sakiko a suspicious look.
She had suspected it for a while now—ever since the very first day of school, in fact. There was definitely something going on between these two.
It wasn't just that Sakiko treated Kyo differently compared to other band members. Look at how she acted around Tomori—there was concern, sure, but it was subtle, almost distant. With Kyo, though…
That day, she even helped fix Kyo's clothes with her own hands!
Anon, self-proclaimed detective, had reached her final conclusion—something was definitely up between these two!