"Tomorrow... what should I do."
In her room that night, Mutsumi muttered to herself while facing the dress on the hanger.
"Speaking of which, if Ai and Uika, as models, need to leave early, then the rest of them can just share a single taxi..."
Anyway, [TGC] had a live broadcast and recordings; if she wanted to watch it, she could watch it online anytime. And truth be told, she wasn't actually that interested in this [TGC] event herself.
For someone who had never cared about fashion and trends, if it weren't for Tetsuya, she wouldn't even pay attention to this so-called fashion event aimed at young girls. Considering the insignificant contribution she had made to [Starry Sky], she didn't have the qualifications to accept Tetsuya's so-called reward.
...
"Mhm, as expected, I'd better not go."
Thinking of this, Mutsumi immediately solidified her decision. She stood up from the bed, preparing to move the dress on the hanger to a place where she wouldn't see it the moment she looked up.
However, the next second, before she could even touch the dress, a knock on the door made her suddenly stop her movements—
"Mutsumi? Are you asleep?"
"...Not yet."
Soyo's call made Mutsumi look toward the door in slight surprise.
"Is something the matter, Soyo?"
"I wouldn't say it's anything important, I just simply wanted to chat with you."
Soyo said this in a half-joking tone:
"Besides Sakiko, share some secrets with me occasionally too... is that not okay?"
"That way of putting it is truly quite cunning..."
Faced with such an obvious rhetorical tactic, Mutsumi had no choice but to helplessly open the door for her guest.
"Please come in."
"Mhm! Pardon the intrusion then!"
Soyo, who had already changed into her pajamas, walked into Mutsumi's room with a smile just like that. And as she walked past Mutsumi, a wisp of an incredibly familiar scent made Mutsumi pause slightly.
"...Chihaya-san's shampoo?"
"Mhm, because I was slightly curious about what it feels like to use men's shampoo, I purposely borrowed it."
"How does it feel?"
"Honestly speaking, there's no difference, it's just that the sea salt and mint scent is a bit more suited for boys."
Soyo said as she sat on Mutsumi's bed.
"Speaking of which, your nose is quite sharp too, Mutsumi. I feel like it can already be compared to Ai's."
"It's just because I'm relatively familiar with the scents of the shampoos you all normally use."
Mutsumi also sat down beside her.
"As housemates, something to this extent is very normal, right?"
"Not necessarily. Like how Anon still hasn't realized that I secretly swapped out the body wash in Tetsuya's house for my favorite brand!"
"Rather than saying she hasn't realized, it's more like she just completely handed over these daily life matters to you..."
Mutsumi shook her head and said:
"After all, she is very clear about her position as the mascot in the house, so she wouldn't care too much about this kind of thing either."
"Clear about her position, huh... Mhm, that is indeed a very important thing."
Regarding Mutsumi's assessment, Soyo said this with a smile:
"Then, what about you, Mutsumi? Have you figured out your position in this house?"
"...Me?"
Hearing this, Mutsumi was first slightly taken aback, then answered in her usual flat tone:
"Naturally, it's a guest. If I had to be a bit more specific, you could also say a closely-related guest."
"...I see."
Upon hearing Mutsumi's answer, Soyo didn't immediately make an evaluation. Instead, she raised her head to look at the dress that Mutsumi hadn't had time to put away.
"Even though you keep a close eye on everyone else's affairs, Mutsumi, as expected, you really aren't very good when it comes to your own affairs."
"?"
Hearing this, Mutsumi immediately looked at Soyo with a confused face. That pretty little face was currently written full of a "please explain" expression.
And Soyo didn't keep her in suspense, opening her mouth very straightforwardly:
"Do you still remember what happened when [CRYCHIC] disbanded? To help Sakiko cover up her lie, you purposely said some rather harsh words to everyone."
"..."
Although by now everyone had long since cleared up their past misunderstandings and reconciled under Tetsuya's lead, whenever this matter was brought up or recalled, Mutsumi would still feel somewhat regretful and depressed because of those memories.
Meanwhile, Soyo completely ignored the complicated expression on Mutsumi's face and continued:
"At that time, I was completely overwhelmed by unease and confusion, and for a time, I transformed those negative emotions into resentment toward you. For a very long time, I blamed you for the band's disbandment and used it to blackmail you into revealing information about Sakiko to me..."
Saying this, Soyo let out an incredibly emotional sigh.
"But thinking about it carefully, even if you hadn't said those words back then, would [CRYCHIC] really not have disbanded? Or rather... back then, could anyone really have stopped Sakiko, who had just directly faced the pressures of life and made up her mind to shoulder everything?"
"..."
Hearing this, the expression on Mutsumi's face eased up a bit.
Just as Soyo said, on that gloomy rainy day, that afternoon which could be called a nightmare for everyone, no matter what answer she gave, she couldn't have changed the ultimate outcome of the band disbanding—
"That's why, back when I first tried to use the band's matters as an excuse to blackmail you, you should have properly recognized this point and retorted against me."
Soyo said:
"If retorted against, I probably would have gotten very angry, perhaps even directly gotten into a huge argument with you... But once I got tired from arguing, I probably still would have listened properly to what you had to say. Because, no matter what the actual reason for [CRYCHIC]'s disbandment was, at least one thing is certain: the reason this band was able to be formed and leave behind so many beautiful memories is because there was a guitarist named Mutsumi there. In other words... to me, just like Sakiko, you are an indispensable existence."
"!"
Hearing such blunt words, Mutsumi immediately looked at Soyo with an expression of disbelief, and unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand.
As for Soyo, probably because she had interacted with Tetsuya for too long, even though these were such embarrassing words, they completely failed to make even the slightest hint of shyness surface on her face.
"Although you yourself might not remember it clearly anymore, think about it carefully. While you've always been silently paying attention to Sakiko and Tetsuya, they might have also always been noticing your existence and receiving your help. For example, he first learned about the Sakurakouji family's matters through you, and he also first learned about Sakiko's past through your mother's disclosure. As for Sakiko's current band and the matters regarding the Joint Exhibition, those go without saying."
Having said that, Soyo stood up, walked over to the dress, and reached out to slightly adjust the ruffles on the hem.
"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say... Right, about tomorrow's taxi, so that our dear company president can sit a bit more comfortably, I booked an extended commercial vehicle... Mhm, that's how it is."
Not asking Mutsumi to make a response, nor planning to force Mutsumi to express any stance, after saying everything in her heart, Soyo immediately prepared to turn and leave just like that.
And just as she opened the door, preparing to leave, Mutsumi finally asked the question she hadn't had the chance to ask just now:
"...Did Sakiko ask you to come persuade me?"
"Mhm? Sakiko?"
Faced with Mutsumi's question, Soyo's expression appeared very perplexed.
"No, it's just because I wanted to persuade you to come watch [TGC] with us... is that not okay?"
"That's why I said... isn't this rhetorical tactic of yours a bit too cunning?"
"But you just don't have any way to deal with this kind of cunning tactic, right, Mutsumi? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been 'kidnapped' by me for so long back then."
Soyo waved her hand.
"Alright, in order to watch [TGC] with a more energetic mental state tomorrow, I'm going to sleep... Goodnight, Mutsumi."
Stepping out the door, she added one more thing a split second before the door closed:
"See you tomorrow."
"...Sigh."
Therefore, people who are prone to worrying about gains and losses and are bad with words are the type most easily manipulated.
Since this person had already gone so far as to say all that, did she really even have a second choice?
"...At least in this house, I probably have no way of winning against you either."
Listening closely to the footsteps outside the door that had still not sounded as they walked away, Mutsumi couldn't help but say this.