Kikukawa Kyo's unexpected revelation filled Soyo with excitement, though she was careful to keep her emotions in check. The joy of reuniting with an old friend provided the perfect cover, ensuring no one could find fault in her reaction.
But soon, a question arose in her mind—why had Kyo brought Anon into this?
Kyo believed that Soyo longed for the sense of family that came with being in a band. Because of that, she assumed Soyo would eventually be willing to join.
But Kyo had overlooked one thing—Soyo didn't just want to join a band.
What she truly wanted was to bring CRYCHIC back together, whole and unbroken. She wanted to return to the days when Sakiko led them forward, when they moved as one, bound by fate.
That was why she was so determined to find Sakiko.
Was it because she valued Sakiko so much? Of course. After all, Sakiko was the one who had introduced her to the band in the first place. But what truly saved Soyo wasn't just Sakiko—it was CRYCHIC itself. She loved the band as a whole, which was why she had always taken on the role of the mother figure, working tirelessly to maintain harmony among its members.
And now, on the road to rebuilding CRYCHIC, an outsider had appeared—someone who shouldn't have been part of this.
Soyo's fingers once again reached for her hair, gently twirling a strand as she mulled over Anon's presence.
But before she could figure out the reason, there was something more pressing to take care of first.
Bringing her hands together, fingertips lightly touching, Soyo softened her voice further.
"May I join your band?"
It was Anon who answered.
Since the current band consisted of just her and Tomori—and with Tomori not present—the decision naturally fell to her.
"Huh? Really? You'd want to?"
Though Anon was still a little irritated about Soyo holding Kyo's hand earlier, she quickly realized that she herself wasn't exactly innocent when it came to doing the same.
After all, Kyo was incredibly nice to the touch.
Especially during the hot summer—her skin was always refreshingly cool, like pressing against a slowly melting ice cube.
And besides, Soyo was a Tsukinomori girl.
That meant their band lineup would be incredible—an actual high-class rich girl, a beloved local favorite like Tomori, and herself, a future shining star!
And if she and Tomori could somehow manage to rope Kyo into joining as well…
Now that would be the ultimate dream team.
"Of course! We'd love to have you, Soyo!" Anon agreed enthusiastically, only to realize something a second later. She had no idea what instrument Soyo even played.
"Hehe, wait—what do you play?"
Silly me. The person I actually wanted an answer from was Kyo. Why did this noisy, shameless pink-haired brat have to jump in first?
Soyo thought to herself, though none of her annoyance showed on her face.
"I play the bass," she replied with a flawless smile.
Given Anon's rather shallow understanding of bands, she wasn't entirely sure about the role of a bassist. The only thing she remembered from middle school performances was that the bassist was usually the least noticeable member. At least they won't steal my spotlight.
"That means we'll be adding two members all at once! That should be enough for a full band, right?" Anon turned to Kyo, asking, "Guitar, bass, drums, and vocals—most bands I've seen have this setup."
"A keyboardist is also really important," Soyo interjected smoothly before Kyo could answer. "A skilled keyboardist can enrich a band's overall sound, enhance harmonies, and even cover missing tonal ranges. Sometimes, they can even take on the lead melody when needed. Having a keyboardist would add a lot of depth to the band."
Anon, who had no idea about any of this, was completely taken in by Soyo's explanation. Wait, keyboards are that important?
Kyo, on the other hand, instantly saw through Soyo's true intentions.
She might as well have written Find Sakiko across her forehead.
At that moment, Kyo confirmed something: the idea that Soyo might calm down and let go of her fixation on Sakiko had failed completely.
"So, what about you, Kyo? Do you think I can join?"
Even though Anon had already agreed, it was Kyo's opinion that truly mattered to Soyo.
"If Anon decided, that's fine," Kyo replied with a smile.
But Anon sensed something was off. Kyo suddenly seemed a little quieter, a little less engaged than before.
"I see," Soyo responded, accepting Kyo's answer but also picking up on something else in her words.
It felt as though Anon was the one making the decisions, while Kyo was just going along with whatever she said.
Was this band really Kyo's idea? Or had Anon's presence been the driving force that led Kyo back to the idea of forming a band?
Soyo adjusted her perception of Anon slightly—she wasn't someone who could be dismissed easily. It seemed she wouldn't be as simple to remove from the equation as Soyo had initially thought.
Though all three of them had their own separate thoughts, they maintained a surface-level harmony as they headed upstairs together to RiNG's small café.
By sheer luck, Taki was right there at the front counter, seemingly in the middle of cleaning the tables.
As soon as she heard the café door open, she looked up—and immediately froze in place.
"Why are you all here together?" Taki frowned.
The directness of the question left Anon momentarily at a loss. She tugged at Kyo's sleeve, muttering under her breath, "She's so scary…"
"She's just confused about why Soyo and I came here together," Kyo replied at full volume, making no effort to lower her voice. "She just looks like she's in a bad mood. That's just how Taki is."
Even Soyo, standing beside her, heard everything clearly. So did Taki.
"Hah?"
Taki let out a short, incredulous laugh, clearly not amused.
"See? That's just her personality," Kyo added.
Deciding Taki wasn't worth the trouble, Kyo left it at that and casually found a seat.
Soyo, who had been concerned about whether Kyo and Taki might argue, subtly exhaled in relief.
The three of them picked an empty table and sat down, while Taki continued working, clearly not interested in engaging with them any further.
Unbothered, Kyo simply raised a hand and called out, "Taki, take our order!"
Taki's hands briefly paused as she heard Kyo's voice.
For some reason, the first image that flashed through her mind wasn't Kyo as she was now—it was Kyo from before.
Crying, utterly broken.
She quickly shook the thought away, grabbing a notepad and pen before approaching their table.
Her face remained completely expressionless, failing every standard of customer service as she asked in a clipped tone, "What do you want?"
Now that Taki was closer, Anon finally got a good look at her face.
Wait, she's actually really pretty…
Up close, she found herself drawn to Taki's deep violet eyes and the small beauty mark near the corner of her eye.
Did CRYCHIC pick their members based on looks, too?
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