"Gokigenyo." (A very formal "Good day" used by upper-class girls).
"Gokigenyo~"
The next day, Mutsumi Wakaba, having accepted the invitation, went to Tsukinomori Girls' Academy as usual.
Amidst the sea of formal greetings, none were directed at her.
Until a frantic set of footsteps sounded behind her.
A girl with long brown hair in the same school uniform rushed to her side.
"Mutsumi-chan..."
Mutsumi turned her head to see her former bandmate, Soyo Nagasaki.
Her long brown hair was curled at the tips, and her gentle, mature face was now clouded with an urgency that broke her usual calm.
"Did you get the message from Tomori-chan? She says she wants to restart the band."
Mutsumi nodded.
"That's wonderful." Soyo pressed a hand to her chest, letting out a breath of relief.
"Taki-chan got it too. Tomori invited us to meet at Ring after school to form a band. Let's go together..."
Before Soyo could finish her invitation, Mutsumi cut her off.
"I'm not going."
"Eh? W-why? You have to come. We can find a way to convince Sakiko together. We can definitely rebuild Crychic. We can go back to how things were."
"It's not needed," Mutsumi stated, her face expressionless. "Crychic... is no longer needed."
"!???"
Soyo's eyes widened in shock. Her gentle smile shattered completely.
Her lips trembled, but she couldn't find a single word to make Mutsumi stay.
She could only stand there, frozen, as Mutsumi walked away without a second glance.
Crychic... is no longer needed?
...
Crychic is no longer needed...
Crychic is no longer needed...
Crychic is no longer needed...
Mutsumi's words echoed relentlessly in Soyo Nagasaki's mind.
She spent the entire school day in a daze, barely aware of her surroundings until a message from Tomori snapped her back to reality.
Soyo stood up and began packing her bag with trembling hands.
Leaving the building, Soyo spotted Mutsumi just ahead of her.
She wanted to run up and demand to know what "Crychic is no longer needed" meant, but her fear kept her back.
As they exited the school gates, Soyo noticed that Mutsumi wasn't heading home like she usually did.
Instead, she walked straight up to a man waiting by the gate and left with him.
Soyo wanted to follow them, but she had already promised to meet Tomori.
If she missed this chance, who knew when she'd get another?
After the breakup, Soyo had tried to find Tomori several times, but the girl would always run away before Soyo could say a word.
This was the first time Tomori had reached out to her since the collapse.
I have no choice... I'll have to ask about Mutsumi tomorrow.
Her mind a chaotic mess, Soyo headed toward Ring. Her naturally melancholic face was now twisted into a mask of deep sorrow.
Before, Soyo's maturity made her look like a college student.
Now... she looked like a grieving widow.
But Soyo had no room left in her heart to care about how others saw her.
There's still hope. If we all try to convince her together, there's still hope.
"Gokigenyo, Tomori-chan... Taki-chan, it's been a while. And she is...?"
Arriving at the Ring cafe, Soyo found Tomori and Taki, but they were accompanied by a pink-haired girl in the same school uniform as Tomori.
"The Tsukinomori ladies really do say 'Gokigenyo'! I'm Anon Chihaya, just call me Anon! I just transferred to Tomori's class a few days ago."
"I was struggling to find people for a band, and then Tomori just dragged me here... I had no idea she used to be in a band!"
"I'm Soyo Nagasaki. I was... their teammate," Soyo said, sitting across from Tomori.
After the band fell apart, Soyo had tried to talk to Tomori multiple times, but the girl would bolt on sight.
When Tomori messaged her yesterday, Soyo was overjoyed, assuming she wanted to rebuild Crychic.
But now...
Why?
Why did Tomori bring Anon?
Soyo began to pick at her nails, her hands shaking. The gentle smile on her face was on the verge of a total meltdown.
"Tomori-chan... you called me here to rebuild the band, didn't you? Then why is she...?"
"Mmm, it's for a band. I..."
SLAM!!
Soyo slammed her hands on the table and stood up, her smile gone, replaced by a dark shadow.
"Then why, Tomori-chan, did you bring an outsider!?"
"..." Anon Chihaya froze. So I'm just 'an outsider'?
"Hey! You're scaring her!" Taki barked back, shielding Tomori.
Soyo took several deep breaths, forcing herself to maintain her facade of gentleness.
"What about Crychic? Tomori-chan, aren't we rebuilding Crychic? We'll go convince Mutsumi-chan, and I'm sure Sakiko-chan will find a way... and then we can be together again..."
Looking at Soyo's desperate face, Tomori wanted to tell her the real reason Sakiko had quit—the reason Rin had analyzed.
But... no. If she said it, it would hurt Sakiko.
Sakiko must have been so sad when she left. Tomori couldn't hurt her any more.
I'm sorry... Soyo-san, I'm sorry.
Just like he said—there is no such thing as a "lifetime band," but they could still be friends for a lifetime.
"It's over," Tomori said softly, her head down. "Crychic... is over. We can build a new one..."
The moment the words left Tomori's mouth, the tears Soyo had been holding back for hours flooded out.
Unable to accept the reality, Soyo turned and bolted from the cafe.
Tomori watched her back, instinctively wanting to chase her, but her own cowardice held her back.
Did I... did I say something wrong again?
Faced with Tomori's pleading eyes, Taki let out a sigh and ran after Soyo.
She caught up to the sobbing girl as she was staggering down the street.
"Wait!" Taki used her drummer's strength to grab Soyo's arm, blocking her path. "You've always wanted a band, haven't you?"
"..." Soyo kept her head down, her face dark with gloom.
"Why...? Mutsumi-chan said the same thing... and now Tomori-chan too... Am I the only one who wanted Crychic back?"
Taki didn't answer, her silence confirming Soyo's fear.
"It's so strange..." Soyo's voice was broken by sobs. "Everyone should have wanted to be together after the breakup, right? So why... why is this happening? Why... why did Tomori-chan suddenly decide she wanted a new band?"
As she spoke, Soyo realized something.
Every other time she tried to talk to Tomori, the girl avoided the subject of bands and Crychic entirely.
But today, she had proactively reached out to start a new one.
"And Mutsumi-chan... she suddenly told me 'Crychic is no longer needed'... Taki-chan, you find it strange too, don't you?"
"Mmm... it is a bit weird." Taki was on Tomori's side regardless of the band's name, but she had to admit Tomori's sudden shift from avoidance to active recruitment was bizarre.
"Mutsumi-chan has no friends besides us. Today after school, I saw her leaving with a man..." Soyo spoke like a woman clutching at a lifeline.
It's not that they've changed their minds. They've been tricked. They've been brainwashed. If I can just snap them out of it, they'll come back to Crychic with me.
Yes, that has to be it!
She gripped Taki's shoulders tightly.
"I... I'll investigate Mutsumi-chan. You go talk to Tomori-chan... Find out who is behind this. They must have been tricked."
Who would bother to trick Tomori into starting a band?
Taki thought this, but she was equally curious about the change.
Given Tomori's isolated nature, she never would have transitioned from avoidance to active formation without a catalyst.
And if Mutsumi was really in the same situation as Soyo suggested, it was too big of a coincidence.
Their personalities weren't the type to change on their own. There had to be an external force.
"Fine... I'll ask Tomori-chan," Taki agreed. "But... she was really hurt when you left, Soyo."
"I... I won't go back in there. Tell her I'm sorry. I don't want her to see me like this."
Soyo turned and walked away. Taki watched her with a complicated look but didn't stop her.
Returning to Ring, Taki shook her head at Tomori and Anon before sitting down.
Anon had clearly been comforting Tomori, as the girl seemed a bit more composed now.
"Soyo said she's sorry. But... Tomori, why do you suddenly want to start a new band?" Taki asked.
"Because... I want Sakiko-chan to know. That... that we... that we are happy, even without her..."
"..."
Taki was speechless. Since when did Tomori become so petty!?