"What do you mean 'no way'?"
Looking at Soyo, who seemed unable to accept reality, Sakiko frowned.
"And also, Soyo—why are you here?"
Who would have thought that the moment she entered the fitting room, Soyo would be standing right there in the corner?
It had given her quite a fright.
If it weren't Soyo, she probably would have already called for help.
"Were you… following me?"
"And why did you think it was Mutsuki…"
At this point, Sakiko suddenly recalled Nyamu's somewhat abrupt suggestion earlier, as well as how she had guided Kamijou Mutsuki toward this fitting room. A realization dawned on her.
"Could it be… Nyamu too…?"
Not only had Soyo followed her and Kamijou Mutsuki on their date, but even Nyamu approaching them earlier had been arranged by Soyo?
Such planning—Soyo actually had this level of cunning?
"That's right."
Seeing that Sakiko had already figured it out, Soyo couldn't be bothered to deny it anymore.
"Since Saki-chan has guessed it, then I won't keep up the act!"
"That's right—while you were on your date, I've been following you the whole time."
"Even that 'cheating cat's' actions were all arranged by me!"
"Soyo… every time I start to respect you, you pull something like this."
Sakiko looked at Soyo, her expression complicated.
Previously, she had thought that Soyo had already changed.
But now it seemed that Soyo was still the same Soyo—she had merely shifted her obsession with Sakiko onto Kamijou Mutsuki.
And that deep emotion had even grown far beyond what it was before.
"If you go this far without scruples, you'll only make Mutsuki hate you."
"Mutsuki-kun is much gentler than you,"
Soyo said, not particularly concerned.
"And who says what I'm doing is wrong?"
"As long as I can become the girl Mutsuki-kun likes the most and receive his affection, how could I be wrong?"
"That would only be the mistake of the losers! The mistake of you self-righteous people!"
"If not for my astonishing wisdom, hmph…"
"And besides, compared to me… Sakiko, didn't you say you didn't like Mutsuki-kun? Then what are you doing now?"
As she spoke, Soyo suddenly countered.
"I…"
For a moment, Sakiko didn't know how to respond.
"Saki-chan,"
Seeing her like this, Soyo seemed to realize something.
"You wouldn't want Mutsumi to find out that you, her childhood friend, have improper thoughts toward her fiancé, would you?"
"What do you mean 'improper thoughts'?!"
Hearing this, Sakiko instantly panicked.
What followed was a flustered string of excuses like "we just came out together" and "we didn't do anything out of line so it doesn't count," which made even Soyo unable to hold back her laughter. The fitting room was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"…Soyo, what exactly are you trying to do?"
In the end, calming down, Sakiko looked at Soyo with a wary expression.
"Don't think you can threaten me like this!"
"How could I?"
Soyo hadn't intended to push Sakiko too far anyway. If hard tactics didn't work, she'd switch to soft ones.
"Did you forget what I said before? Keeping everything to yourself isn't good…"
Meanwhile, as Soyo's plan failed and she had to change strategies to persuade Sakiko, over on Kamijou Mutsuki's side, the moment he entered the fitting room, he was pressed directly against the wall.
"Mutsumi?"
Looking at the girl in front of him, Kamijou Mutsuki revealed an expression of "just as expected."
"Soyo rushed over after seeing the livestream."
Mutsumi explained.
"I was a bit worried, so I followed as well."
"Soyo, huh…"
That made sense.
"She was just trying to trick you into the fitting room, but I stopped her."
"Got it. I'll be more careful about that."
Saying that, Kamijou Mutsuki was about to change into the clothes in his hands. However, the girl in front of him showed no intention of letting go.
"Mutsuki, since we're already in here, then…"
As Mutsumi said this, a faint, unnatural blush appeared on her face.
Since they were already here, it would be a waste not to make use of such a good opportunity, right?
Without waiting for Kamijou Mutsuki to respond, she directly leaned in and kissed him.
However, a slightly different taste made the girl frown faintly.
Even so, she didn't say anything, instead immersing herself even more in the kiss.
On the other side, despite the unexpected situation with Soyo, Sakiko had already finished changing.
The fitted and delicate long dress perfectly highlighted her gentle yet slightly aloof temperament. Bathed in sunlight, she looked like a dreamlike spirit stepping into reality.
Even Nyamu had to admit that Sakiko was naturally beautiful, her eyes filled with amazement. However, after changing her clothes, Sakiko realized that Kamijou Mutsuki still hadn't come out.
Logically speaking, shouldn't boys change clothes faster than girls?
Not to mention, she had been delayed by Soyo for quite a while.
After waiting for a bit, she couldn't help but walk over to Kamijou Mutsuki's fitting room.
"Mutsuki, not done yet? Did something happen?"
"…Nothing, I just accidentally put my clothes on backwards. Wait a bit longer."
Although Sakiko found it a little strange, she didn't grow suspicious because of it.
She just felt that Kamijou Mutsuki's voice sounded a bit off.
It sounded hurried, as if he hadn't steadied his breathing.
Inside the fitting room, when Mutsumi heard Sakiko's voice, she separated from Kamijou Mutsuki as if shocked by electricity, her face instantly flushing red.
Sakiko and Kamijou Mutsuki's date had actually been tacitly approved by her—she also hoped Sakiko could change.
So all she needed to do was stop Soyo from interfering.
But after dealing with Soyo's scheme, she herself couldn't hold back…
Even though she was Kamijou Mutsuki's fiancée, Mutsumi now felt a subtle sense of guilt, along with a strange feeling.
Watching Kamijou Mutsuki finally start changing clothes after Sakiko's interruption, and sensing Sakiko waiting outside the fitting room, Mutsumi suddenly found herself unable to control her actions.
She stepped forward and gently bit the boy's earlobe.
"Mutsuki?"
Sensing movement inside, Sakiko couldn't help but call out.
"…What is it?"
"…Nothing, just got bitten by a bug."
More precisely, bitten by a "cucumber."
"Are you okay?"
Although she felt Kamijou Mutsuki's tone was a bit strange, Sakiko still asked with concern.
"…I'm fine."
Looking at the restless Mutsumi beside him, Kamijou Mutsuki's expression turned somewhat odd.
Since when did his pure little "cucumber" become this… abstract?
Who did she learn this from?
Meanwhile, outside, Sakiko felt like there were some strange noises coming from inside the fitting room.
But she wasn't Soyo—she wouldn't just barge in.
Still, a faint irritation rose in her heart, as if something precious to her was being carelessly touched and played with by someone else.
As for Mutsumi, although she had been getting a bit bold with Kamijou Mutsuki recently, at her core she was still very conservative, and wouldn't truly do anything out of line.
So in the end, after kissing him for a while, she let him finish changing his clothes.
.........................