Although Kamijou Mutsuki was in poor condition and probably couldn't even beat a goose in a fight, Soyo was holding a shoe in one hand and a stocking in the other, which made it hard for her to fight properly as well.
With one side weakened and the other restricted, the result was predictable—Soyo swung her fists until she was out of breath, yet didn't land a single effective hit.
"It's all your fault…"
Seeing it was pointless, Soyo stopped attacking and began complaining outright.
"I seriously believed your nonsense!"
Thinking about it now, even Soyo herself found it unbelievable.
How could she have done something like that?
Had she been infected by the sheer absurdity of the guy standing in front of her?
Her thoughts drifted back to just a few minutes earlier.
Just like always, she had been waiting for Sakiko to come back.
But perhaps because of what had just happened, Sakiko's attitude was even worse than before.
Even Soyo—someone who had endured so much—couldn't help but feel wronged.
She had done so much for Sakiko.
She had given up so much… even Mutsumi—
At this point, Soyo's sunk cost was simply too high. There was no turning back anymore.
If she couldn't make Sakiko change her mind, then everything she had done up to now would become a joke, and she herself would be nothing more than a complete clown.
And it was at that moment that she remembered the idea Kamijou Mutsuki had mentioned earlier.
Looking back on all her past efforts and devotion, all she had ever received in return were cold words and rejection.
In that instant, dark emotions overwhelmed her reason.
She couldn't remember what happened after that.
All she remembered was coming back to her senses—
the shoe and stocking in her hands, and the shocked, humiliated expression on Sakiko's face.
And in that very moment, Soyo experienced a feeling she had never felt before.
The gentle and considerate "White Sakiko" was certainly tempting, but the Sakiko standing in front of her now—showing an expression she had never seen before—wasn't she another kind of irresistible as well?
But only for an instant.
The girl quickly erased that dangerous thought from her mind.
"What if Sakiko ends up hating me because of this…" She worried quietly.
"You don't need to worry about that," a certain scumbag rare enough said something reassuring.
"If Sakiko were going to hate you, she wouldn't need today as a reason."
Reality proved that the girl was still too naive.
"You—!"
Miss Soyo instantly overheated again.
This bastard—was he trying to piss her off to death and inherit her duplex apartment or something?
"Forget it. I'm not talking to you anymore."
Soyo never expected comfort from Kamijou Mutsuki in the first place. She had only been venting instinctively, and quickly realized that if the conversation continued, she'd die of anger.
"Give these back to Sakiko…"
She stuffed Sakiko's shoe and stocking into Kamijou Mutsuki's hands, speaking with clear disinterest.
"Give them back to Sakiko?"
Hearing that, Kamijou Mutsuki's expression turned subtle, as if he didn't quite believe she'd made that choice.
"What do you mean by that?"
Soyo immediately understood what he was implying and flushed bright red.
"What, do you think I'm some kind of pervert?!"
Kamijou Mutsuki reserved judgment on that.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Soyo regained her composure, crossed her arms, and snorted coldly.
"I'm going back."
With that, she turned to leave.
"Hey, wait—"
Kamijou Mutsuki quickly shoved the items occupying his hands into his pockets and grabbed her arm.
"How are you getting back?"
"I'll walk back myself!"
She said it stubbornly, turning her head away like she was sulking.
"None of your business!"
"…If you're really that upset, you could just come to a hotel with me. No need to do this."
"What did you just say?!"
"There's a car right here and you're choosing to walk—what, are you a masochist?"
The area was usually very safe, but it was already late.
Better safe than sorry.
In truth, Soyo's arm strength far exceeded Kamijou Mutsuki's current condition.
Yet as he pulled her toward the car that had brought her there, she didn't resist at all.
Somehow, it felt like this scumbag was a little angry.
Was he… worried about her?
At that thought, her cheeks inexplicably grew warm.
Wait—what was she even thinking?
Miss Soyo hurriedly shook her head and forced herself back to her senses.
By the time she realized it, she had already been stuffed into the car by Kamijou Mutsuki.
"Then, good night, Miss Soyo."
"Who's saying good night to you?!"
Soyo shot back instinctively, yet she still let Kamijou Mutsuki close the car door and watched as the sedan carried her away.
Only after that did the girl come back to herself.
She stared blankly at the scenery flashing past the window, while the figures of Sakiko, Mutsuto, and even… Kamijou Mutsuki appeared in her mind one after another, overlapping and shifting.
"What am I… supposed to do?"
She buried her face in her arms and murmured softly.
On the other side, after watching Soyo leave, Kamijou Mutsuki turned around and headed back upstairs.
Sakiko's problem was still waiting for him to deal with.
When he reached the living room, the expressions on the girls' faces were filled with confusion.
After all, Sakiko had already been upstairs for quite a while—what exactly had he been doing down there?
Kamijou Mutsuki had no intention of explaining. He simply asked where Mutsuto and Sakiko were.
As expected, she was in her own room.
More precisely, the room that used to belong to her.
Although he had bought the entire house from the Togawa family, he hadn't changed the layout of Sakiko's room at all.
At this moment, Sakiko was curled up on her bed, the blanket puffed up into a large mound.
"Saki-chan?"
Kamijou Mutsuki called out tentatively, but there was no response.
"Sakiko? Sakiko-sensei? Customer Service Saki-chan?"
"Soyo-chan, Sakiko is inside—"
"Don't let her come in!"
The moment she heard Soyo's name, Sakiko reacted as if she'd been shocked by electricity. She immediately threw off the blanket and shouted in panic.
Then she realized there was no Soyo at all—only Kamijou Mutsuki standing by her bed, looking at her with a teasing expression.
"Is it really that fun to mess with me?"
Sakiko's cheeks were slightly red, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction.
"…Looks like Soyo left you with quite a psychological shadow."
"I really never imagined it,"
The moment Soyo was mentioned, Sakiko became visibly agitated.
"That Soyo would actually…"
She had never hesitated to assume the worst about Soyo, but even so, she hadn't expected her to go that far.
"I only mentioned it casually. I didn't think she'd actually take it seriously."
So it was you who suggested that awful idea?
No wonder.
Soyo might like to cling and pester, but she wouldn't normally do something like that.
Sakiko's face darkened as she spoke coldly.
"Should I be thanking you for this?"
"No need to thank me!"
Kamijou Mutsuki had never lacked the virtue of modesty.
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P.S.: Quite a few readers have said they don't like supernatural abilities appearing in this story. If it's really unacceptable, the author will just treat the "realistic Madoka" setting as ordinary people—just assume the protagonist didn't know there were no magical girls before.
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