"Don't make a sound no matter what we see... what is he up to?"
In the hotel hallway, Taki whispered her suspicion.
Following Rin's signal, Mutsumi, Soyo, Tomori, and Taki all walked toward the room.
"Shh!" Tomori held a finger to her lips. "Don't let Saki-chan find out."
Taki glanced at Tomori... Is it because Sakiko is here? The usually quiet Tomori was vibrating with excitement.
But it wasn't just her. Even Taki and Soyo were looking forward to this.
They never imagined the first "reunion" of the five Crychic members would be an orgy at a hotel.
Mutsumi and Soyo are one thing, but how did he get Sakiko and Soyo? Sakiko is a Toyokawa; even if she's poor now, her pride is insane. How could she agree to a group party?
Hmph... he must have used some despicable scheme!
Taki brooded over Rin's methods, while Tomori and Mortis were focused solely on the upcoming event.
None of them noticed Soyo slowing down to drop behind them, discreetly messaging Anon and Rana.
Soyo: [You guys aren't coming today?]
Anon: [????]
Anon: [Didn't we say no practice today?]
Anon: [Are you at Ring? I'll head there now.]
Soyo: [No... Tomori didn't invite you?]
Soyo: [Sorry, I'm going to be busy soon. Can't reply.]
Soyo stared at the screen as a barrage of messages from a panicked Anon rolled in. She smirked with pure delight. Plan half-success.
As for the other half... Why hasn't Rana replied? Wait, has she ever actually sent a text in this group?
Before Soyo could dwell on it, they reached the door.
Without knocking, Mortis used her keycard to open it. She led the way with light, silent steps, with the other three creeping along behind her.
Inside the living room, Sakiko heard the door click. She tensed, her hands clasped on the floor before her head as she maintained her dogeza.
Her heart was hammering. She didn't even realize that her body was becoming wet with anticipation.
The four girls stepped into the room, and the reason for Rin's "silence" order became instantly clear.
"!!!!!"
In the center of the room, a blue-haired girl was kneeling in a perfect dogeza. Her long blue hair cascaded down her back, exposing her smooth, pale spine. Though they couldn't see her face, that shade of blue was a color they knew by heart. The sight of her burning-red ears, however, was a first.
Rin sat on the sofa directly behind Sakiko's rear. From their angle, they could see her exposed vertical crack and the neatly folded pile of her intimate clothing. They could only imagine the view Rin had from his seat.
Despite their preparation, Soyo and the others instinctively covered their mouths. Sakiko didn't notice; her mind was a whirlwind of the words she needed to say.
In her mind, this pose was a mercy. It allowed her to hide her face against the floor so she didn't have to look at Mutsumi's expression.
"You're here." Rin stood up and walked to Sakiko, giving her rear a light pat. "You can begin now."
"I... I'm sorry." Sakiko's voice was thick with a tremor of pure guilt. "Mutsumi... I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you, and I'm sorry to Crychic."
"I was selfish. I only thought of myself, and I hurt you, and I hurt the band... We promised to be a shared destiny, but when I faced hardship, I chose to hide it. I let my pride override everyone's feelings... I'm sorry. I betrayed Crychic."
With her head bowed, Sakiko offered a sincere confession, repenting for the damage she had done. Mortis, however, was already "over it." Her purpose now was to take the hits when Mutsumi couldn't handle the breeding.
Soyo had already vented her frustration after the live show.
But Tomori...
Tomori, who had been clutching her mouth, could no longer contain herself. She ran to Sakiko, knelt down, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Mutsumi... eh?"
For a second, the tear-blinded Sakiko thought Mutsumi had forgiven her. But as she lifted her face and saw the two Tsukinomori skirts and a shock of grey hair in her periphery, she realized it wasn't Mutsumi. It was Tomori.
As for the others... she didn't even need to look up to know who they were.
"I... I AM SO SORRY!!!!"
Sakiko clung to Tomori. Faced with her former band, with the memories of everything they had shared, words failed her. She could only wail her apologies over and over.
In truth, Mutsumi, Soyo, and Tomori had forgiven her long ago.
Even Taki... though she still held a grudge for the pain Sakiko caused Tomori, seeing her former idol naked on the floor begging for forgiveness was enough.
After all, to Taki, Sakiko had once been a "white moonlight" too.
Watching the two embrace, Soyo's facade broke. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled them both into a group hug, mourning the "happy days" they could never return to.
"Seriously... why is everyone crying? You're making me want to start too." Taki pouted, trying to look tough in front of Tomori.
But looking at the three of them, she was swept up in the emotion and joined the pile.
Mortis wisely handed control back to Mutsumi, who joined the embrace in her own quiet way.
They weren't just crying for the pain or the misunderstandings. They were crying for Crychic.
The band hadn't truly disbanded until today. It had just been empty.
But now... today... Crychic was finally, truly gone.
A long time passed before the five girls gradually released each other.
Sakiko sniffled and wiped her eyes, a radiant, happy smile finally touching her lips.
"I... I apologize for the scene. I was... Mmm?"
Sakiko was about to say more when she realized all four pairs of eyes were fixed on her chest. Only then did she remember the two apology tags still clipped to her nipples.
"Ahem." Rin cleared his throat to regain control of the room. "Sakiko has apologized, but a physical penalty is still required. As punishment... everyone, grab a tag."
Mutsumi switched to Mortis in a heartbeat. Mortis stepped forward and used her thumb and index fingers to grip the tag on the left, lifting the flattened "cherry" along with it.
"You guys too," Mortis urged expressionlessly.
"Since it's a penalty... I suppose there's no choice," Soyo said, reaching out with both hands.
"Mmm. A penalty is a penalty." Taki wasn't about to be left out; she gripped a tag and lifted it even higher.
The serrated teeth of the clips bit deep into her most sensitive flesh. Cold sweat broke out on Sakiko's forehead, but she steeled herself.
"Tomori... you too." Sakiko forced a smile.
".....Okay."
With Sakiko's blessing, Tomori joined in. All four girls held the tags hanging from her chest, and then...
PULL!
Sakiko: "EEEEE-IIIIIIII!!!!"