Hanadasaki Ame guessed that when Nagasaki Soyo was home alone, she probably spent many nights scrolling on her phone until well past midnight.
There was something in her heart she could not let go of, something that made her gloomy and trapped her in a narrow kind of despair.
Hanadasaki Ame was a little curious about what it was—
but only a little.
He had no intention of interfering.
He and Nagasaki Soyo were not yet close enough for that.
Besides, Nagasaki Soyo also needed to learn how to… speak in her own voice.
To stop simply drifting along with the current and echoing others, and to actually do something by her own free will.
Whatever the outcome, good or bad, it would help her grow.
For now, her own problems should remain hers to face. If she truly could not handle them, she could always ask him for help later.
Hanadasaki Ame thought it over slowly and sent Nagasaki Soyo a few replies.
Lying on the soft bed, he grew sleepier and sleepier.
[Soyo: The band performing tomorrow is exactly the kind of style Mutsumi likes. I'm wondering if she might come too, so I'd like to invite her along.]
[Soyo: Oh, right—Mutsumi is a friend of mine from Tsukinomori. She's a very cute girl, and I want her to meet you too.]
[Ame: Mm…]
Hanadasaki Ame replied with his eyes closed.
Nagasaki Soyo seemed to say something more after that, but he treated it as if it were a lullaby and soon drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
…
Early the next morning, just as dawn was beginning to lighten the sky, Wakaba Mutsumi woke to the soft call of a maid and rose to wash up.
Even though it was vacation, she did not actually have much free time.
She still had many supplementary lessons to attend, and a great deal of daily practice to do as usual.
Guitar, piano, ballet, flower arrangement…
Her parents, both entertainers, had worked hard to cultivate her into a child of many talents, laying out a path for her future.
Looking at herself in the mirror at the washstand—a doll-like, exquisitely made image—her expression remained calm to the point of indifference, as though nothing in the outside world could truly stir her.
She was as cute as a doll, and as flat as a doll in her reactions, giving nothing away and making it impossible for others to read her thoughts.
That was simply who she was.
Once she had finished washing and dressing, she changed into a white one-piece dress. A maid neatly combed her long pale-green hair and applied a little skincare product.
During that brief pause, Wakaba Mutsumi picked up her phone and glanced at it.
There was a Line message.
It was from Nagasaki Soyo.
She opened it immediately.
Nagasaki Soyo was inviting her to go watch a live performance, and, while they were at it, she wanted to introduce her cute little brother.
Mutsumi had already heard earlier that Nagasaki Soyo's mother was remarrying, so she was not surprised that Soyo now had a younger brother.
But because they were going to meet in person, Soyo had written a little more than usual in her message so Mutsumi could form a clear impression beforehand and avoid too much awkwardness when they met.
Hanadasaki Ame, soon to enter Inaba High…
"...!"
Wakaba Mutsumi's pupils contracted slightly, and a faint sound escaped her nose.
The maid brushing her hair paused and asked,
"Miss, is something wrong?"
"Nothing…"
Wakaba Mutsumi answered softly, her voice thin and clear, like a sheet of ice under sunlight—fragile enough to melt and vanish at any moment.
She stared at the name of that high school for a long time in silence.
Nagasaki Soyo had always wanted to find Toyokawa Sakiko. She wanted to know why Sakiko had withdrawn from their band, and she had even hoped to pull her back in and reform CRYCHIC. She still believed that as long as Sakiko returned, they could reclaim the happiness they once had.
But that was impossible.
There was no way for them to return to the past.
Soyo had asked Wakaba Mutsumi many times about Sakiko's whereabouts, and every time Mutsumi had either refused to answer or dodged the issue.
But now, for Soyo's younger brother to be attending the same school as Sakiko—
what if, when Soyo went to see her brother, she ran into Sakiko directly!?
Just imagining that scene made Wakaba Mutsumi feel suffocated.
Sakiko was far too proud, far too stubborn. She would never want to see Soyo again—or any of the others from the band. The happy days of CRYCHIC were already unreachable. If she were forced to remember them, all it would do was stab her with pain again and again.
She had fallen from being a carefree, well-provided-for young lady into the depths, to the point where she now had to work part-time just to live. That pride of hers had become the very pillar supporting her through this dark stretch of life.
If even that were broken, she might truly collapse.
No.
This had to be prevented!
Wakaba Mutsumi thought seriously for a moment, then sent Nagasaki Soyo a reply.
[Mutsumi: I'll go.]
She needed to confirm how close this brother and sister actually were—whether Nagasaki Soyo had told Hanadasaki Ame everything about CRYCHIC, and whether Hanadasaki Ame might recognize Sakiko.
She had to find a way to make Hanadasaki Ame keep quiet!
And if Sakiko could be warned in advance, then she could avoid Nagasaki Soyo and continue living in peace.
After thinking through it all, Wakaba Mutsumi suddenly felt a little pain, a faint sort of torment.
Things were never supposed to end up like this.
She had wanted to protect Sakiko's pride, yet at the same time she had been unable to let go of the warm, almost maternal kindness Soyo gave her. Because of that, she had never managed to tell Soyo the truth—that CRYCHIC was completely over, that there was absolutely no possibility of reuniting it.
By continually putting it off, Soyo's expectations had only deepened, her obsession growing heavier and heavier. And when that imagined "sin" she had built for herself swelled to its limit and collided with the absolute fact that Sakiko could never return, then Soyo's "punishment" would come—every effort she had made would turn into the very force that struck her down.
Wakaba Mutsumi did not know how all of this—already beginning to swell out of control—would end in tragedy.
After thinking for a long while, a thought suddenly came to her.
The appearance of a new family member was bound to bring major changes to Soyo's life.
Perhaps…
perhaps it could also dissolve Soyo's obsession.
She had to try. She had to steer things in that direction as much as possible.
After a piano lesson in the morning and an illustration class in the afternoon, Wakaba Mutsumi hurried through them without truly engaging, then made her way alone toward the meeting place mentioned in the Line messages.
She always wore an expressionless face, so even when she was merely going through the motions, nobody could tell. They would only think she was her usual self.
The meeting place was Minami-Funabashi Hamacho Station, not far from the live house.
Stations with convenient transport connections tended naturally to develop into busy commercial areas, and live houses—places that depended heavily on foot traffic—were often located in just such spots.
Once she arrived at the station, Wakaba Mutsumi took out her phone and checked the time.
It was only five-thirty.
She had come very early.
Then she looked again at the messages Soyo had sent on Line, as well as the messages from Hanadasaki Ame, whom she had only recently added. Based on the travel times they had mentioned, she confirmed that she would be able to meet Hanadasaki Ame first and speak with him before Soyo arrived.
After waiting a short while, she saw a cute, long cherry-pink-haired boy—so lovely it was hard to tell male from female—step off a train that had just arrived and make his way out of the station.
When he looked in her direction, Wakaba Mutsumi raised her hand and gave a small wave to show that she was there.
Hanadasaki Ame immediately walked over and greeted her politely.
"Hello, I'm Hanadasaki Ame. You should be Miss Wakaba that Sister Soyo mentioned, right? I'm very glad to meet you."
"Hello…"
Wakaba Mutsumi bowed slightly, but remained sparing with her words.
"Sister Soyo might be a few minutes late. Let's wait here for a bit. Do you want something to drink?"
Seeing how this child kept her head lowered and barely spoke, Hanadasaki Ame felt a bit speechless inside.
Soyo's friend is another problem child too, huh?
…
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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