"Saki-chan…"
Watching Sakiko—Sakikio-sensei—run off in tears, Soyo finally snapped out of it, stood up, and chased after her.
The scene felt exactly like a replay of what had happened back in that Houbun-era anime.
Why does this feel like I've seen this plot before? Anon scratched her head, thinking that.
After hearing Sakiko's "I wish you happiness," Tomori completely broke down. She covered her eyes with her arm and started crying softly.
"Tomori!"
Seeing Tomori like this made Rikki's heart ache unbearably.
"That Sakiko… she's gone way too far."
"Tomori shouldn't have talked to her at all. What kind of attitude was that?!"
"..."
Watching Rikki unload nonstop on the Sakiko who had already left, even Mutsumi—the one who sided with Sakiko the most besides Soyo—couldn't find a way to defend her.
After all, even if she understood Sakiko's hardships, the hurt she caused Tomori and the others was real. So Mutsumi could only remain silent.
"Tomori, don't mind that person."
Looking at Tomori crying so hard she looked like a pear blossom in the rain, Rikki pressed her hands on Tomori's shoulders and comforted her anxiously, her voice soft.
"You still have us. We'll stay by your side, always!"
"That's right, Tomori—you still have us!"
Anon sat down on Tomori's other side and spoke gently.
"Rikki-chan, Anon-chan… thank you…"
Listening to the two girls comfort her, Tomori gradually stopped crying, sniffling as she spoke.
"Mutsuki—"
Then, right in front of Anon and Rikki's slightly stiff gazes, she suddenly threw herself straight into Kamijou Mutsuki's arms.
We're the ones comforting you—why are you jumping into his arms?!
"Please… don't leave me…"
To Tomori, Kamijou Mutsuki and Sakiko were far too similar in certain ways.
Both of them had reached out a hand to her when she was lost in the past.
And so, after what happened with Sakiko, she was terrified that Kamijou Mutsuki would leave her too.
On the other side, Anon and Rikki, sitting on the sofa, exchanged silent looks and suddenly felt like unnecessary third wheels.
I should be under the car, not in the car, watching how sweet you two are.
But Tomori seemed to finally remember them. She loosened her hold on Kamijou Mutsuki, turned around, and took the two girls' hands.
"And Anon and Rikki too—thank you."
Tears still hadn't dried on Tomori's face, yet she did her best to force a smile.
"And Raana as well…"
The cat sitting off to the side tilted her head slightly.
'I have lines too?'
The cat was confused, but the cat didn't ruin the mood. Like a real cat, she simply leaned in and pressed herself against Tomori.
"…Let's form a band together—for our whole lives."
Seeing this, the last traces of resentment in the two girls' hearts completely melted away.
Faced with Tomori like this, what else could they do?
Of course—they chose to forgive her.
"Tomori, I'll stay by your side for my whole life—forming a band with you forever!"
Rikki grabbed Tomori's hand excitedly, tears welling up in her eyes.
"A whole lifetime, huh…"
Anon's voice, on the other hand, carried a hint of helplessness.
Even after spending some time together, she still wasn't quite used to these girls who casually went straight to 'a lifetime' at the drop of a hat.
But once she'd already been captured by the gravity of a black hole, what else could she do?
"Fine… a lifetime it is, then."
"Interesting~"
That was the cat, still snuggled up against Tomori.
What had originally been a band barely held together now looked more harmonious than ever before.
Sakiko's escape had hurt Tomori, but it had also strengthened the cohesion of this new band, making the four girls within it closer than ever.
…Wait, four?
So, take a guess—who's missing?
At the same time, perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, Mutsumi couldn't help but glance at the boy beside her.
A lifetime…
Would she spend a lifetime together with him too?
But just then, a sudden cry shattered the harmonious mood, and Mutsumi's expression changed instantly.
Because if she hadn't heard wrong—that was Sakiko's voice.
"Saki-chan…"
Tomori recognized it too and murmured softly.
"Tomori, why should we care about her?"
Rikki was clearly still holding a grudge.
"What does that person have anything to do with us?"
"But…"
Even though Sakiko had just hurt Tomori deeply, with Tomori's personality, there was no way she could truly resent her.
"Even if you say that… what if something really happened to Sakiko-chan? We can't just ignore her completely, right?"
Anon voiced exactly what was in Tomori's heart.
This time, Rikki didn't respond.
After all, even if she was angry at Sakiko, she obviously didn't want anything bad to happen to her either.
"Then I'll go check downstairs."
In the end, it was Kamijou Mutsuki, the homeowner, who went down to see what was going on.
But the moment he reached the stairs, he ran straight into Sakiko, who was rushing toward him in tears.
Sakiko was barefoot on one foot. As if she hadn't even seen him, she brushed past him, covering her face with one arm, limping as she ran back upstairs.
That overwhelming sense of déjà vu immediately gave Kamijou Mutsuki a strange premonition.
He took a few steps forward—and sure enough, he saw the culprit responsible for all this.
That's right. Who else could it be but Madam Soyo?
Judging from the shoe in her left hand and the stocking in her right, it wasn't hard to imagine what had just happened.
No, seriously—sis, I was just joking. You actually went through with it?
Even Kamijou Mutsuki was having trouble keeping it together this time.
And on top of that—didn't I only tell you to take off her shoes?
Why did you even pull off her stockings too?!
Seriously… as expected of you, Madam Soyo.
He had once thought that Mutsumi and Rikki possessed the power to threaten her position.
But now it seemed that in an era ruled by Soyo, they were nothing more than ordinary mortals.
"Liar."
Soyo finally noticed Kamijou Mutsuki. Her eyes, devoid of any light, turned toward him.
"You lied to me."
Then he watched as Madam Soyo—who just moments ago looked on the verge of going full dark mode—completely broke down.
"I did exactly what you said, and it didn't work at all…"
No—who knew you'd actually believe it?!
"It's all your fault…"
Seeing that Kamijou Mutsuki didn't respond, Soyo didn't seem to care.
She wiped her tears with her arm, sobbing as she spoke.
And although she really did look pitiful…
With one shoe in one hand and a stocking in the other, it was genuinely hard to feel sad for her—if anything…
There was a strange sense of comedy to it.
"You're laughing?!"
Hearing Kamijou Mutsuki's chuckle, the still-crying Soyo instantly went red with rage.
"Ahem."
Kamijou Mutsuki dodged Madam Soyo's attacks while desperately suppressing the expression on his face.
"Madam Soyo, please rest assured."
"I've received professional training. No matter how funny something is, I won't laugh."
"…Unless I really can't help it."
...............