The glass door of the cafe closed behind them, temporarily sealing the lingering aroma of coffee and the warmth of the girls' first gathering.
The afternoon sun generously bathed the shopping street, gilding the newly formed band with a fuzzy, golden edge.
Togawa Sakiko walked in front, her light blue twin tails bouncing with her light steps.
Behind her followed Takamatsu Tomori, still a little timid—the super-talented lyricist, whom Sakiko had praised, was being swept along by everyone towards the rehearsal room.
"Speaking of which, is she really okay?"
Shiina Taki slowed her pace, her gaze falling on Mutsumi's still somewhat pale profile.
She rarely spoke up on her own, her tone carrying a stiff concern, sounding more like a routine inquiry.
Sakiko, hearing this, also looked back at Mutsumi, a hint of worry flashing in her golden pupils.
This was the first time she had seen her childhood friend show such an expression, as if instantly seized by an invisible fear, her entire body stiff as if frozen.
Although when faced with everyone's concern, Mutsumi quickly lowered her eyes and softly said "I'm fine," she had been completely silent ever since, immersed in a line of thought inaccessible to outsiders.
'Should I ask Fuuki?'
This thought surprised even her.
Since Fuuki woke up that day, Mutsumi seemed to have formed a peculiar connection with him. They often stayed together, sometimes conversing in low voices in a corner of the garden, sometimes just leaning against each other, silently reading their own books.
That atmosphere… it was as if they formed a small world of their own.
Although it seemed like they had a small disagreement yesterday, and the atmosphere was a bit tense, their relationship had actually improved during breakfast this morning.
A subtle sense of crisis quietly crept into Sakiko's heart.
Her most important other half was being drawn by some invisible force, about to be taken away. And that "taker" was her own brother.
'No, no!'
Sakiko shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off this small emotion.
Concern for her friend immediately overshadowed that tiny possessiveness. She decisively pulled out her phone, her slender fingers rapidly tapping on the screen, preparing to send a message to the guy hiding in the shadows, inquiring about the situation.
[Mutsumi suddenly felt very unwell just now, her expression was terrifying. Do you know what happened?]
Almost as soon as the message was sent, her phone vibrated with a "buzz," the reply astonishingly fast, with only eight cold words:
[No need to worry, I will handle it.]
Sakiko stared at the screen, her eyebrows instantly twisted into a knot.
"Sure enough, he's still keeping an eye on things here…"
This was not unexpected. But… "What do you mean, 'no need to worry'?!"
"Mutsumi's face was as white as paper! And why do you have to handle it? Mutsumi is my good friend too; I'm clearly the one who understands her best!"
A wave of feeling belittled and dissatisfaction surged up, her fingers flying, typing with a bit of vengeful force.
Send!
At this moment, Fuuki leaned in the shadow beside a shop's rolling shutter, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the backs of the group of vibrant young girls in front, but his focus was on his phone screen.
Just as he quickly finished replying to Sakiko's concern about Mutsumi and was about to continue reading the latest intelligence sent by [Spider], his phone vibrated "buzz-buzz" twice, and a new message popped up.
[How high and mighty you are, Fuuki-nii.:)]
"???"
============
After sending that thorny message, Sakiko felt as if a large part of the stuffiness in her chest had been exhaled.
She pressed the phone screen off with force, took a deep breath of the warm spring air, and a cheerful smile reappeared on her face.
She turned, tightly grasping Mutsumi's slightly cool hand, and with her other hand, she also took Tomori's wrist, her voice so light it seemed to float: "Alright! Don't be slow, the rehearsal room is waiting for us! Let's go!"
"Eh? Wait, wait…" Takamatsu Tomori hadn't even reacted before Sakiko pulled her into a trot.
Her notebook almost flew out of her arms; she quickly hugged it tight, stumbling to keep up with Sakiko's pace. Her grayish-purple short hair was messy in the wind, like a dizzy little penguin.
Wakaba Mutsumi, being held by Sakiko, passively trotted along, the chill on her face also dispelled by Sakiko's sudden action.
"Is it really okay…"
Shiina Taki, lagging behind, watched the trio that had suddenly turned into the [Sakiko Express Train], especially Tomori who was being dragged along, and an invisible cold sweat dripped from her temple.
The future of this band… felt a bit fraught with difficulties.
She sighed, resignedly quickening her pace.
Just as she was about to catch up to that "express train," a gentle presence quietly approached.
"Taki-chan~"
A sweet voice sounded in her ear.
Nagasaki Soyo had, at some point, walked side-by-side with her, her brown long hair gently swaying in the wind, wearing a perfectly appropriate, slightly apologetic gentle smile.
Taki paused, feeling somewhat surprised.
"Can we talk for a moment?" Soyo tilted her head slightly, her gentle, watery blue eyes filled with pleading "please" waves, accurately capturing Taki's weakness of "not being good at refusing others' requests."
"…Oh." Taki turned her face away, vaguely assenting.
The two maintained a not-too-far, not-too-close distance, walking side-by-side on the gradually livening street, creating a subtle distance from the energetic trio ahead.
"Actually," Soyo's voice became even softer and gentler, "I wanted to apologize for what happened just now."
She lowered her eyelids slightly, her long, thick eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyes, appearing incredibly sincere.
"…Huh?" Taki was stunned, not understanding.
"I'm sorry," Soyo looked up, her gaze sincerely meeting Taki's, "Even though Taki-chan is such an important drummer in our band, a unique presence. I was only concerned with talking about your sister at the time…"
She paused at just the right moment, her tone carrying just the right amount of self-reproach.
"It must have made you very uncomfortable, right? I'm truly sorry."
Taki's steps faltered for a moment.
Sister… this topic was like a tiny thorn; although she was used to its presence, being suddenly touched still brought a familiar sting.
"Well… I'm used to it by now, this kind of thing…" She turned her face away, looking at her slightly blurry reflection in a shop window on the street, and said in a muffled voice.
Used to being compared, used to being overshadowed by that name.
This feeling of powerlessness had almost become a part of her.
The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment, with only the sound of their footsteps and the bustling street.
Soyo keenly caught the weariness hidden beneath Taki's forced "habit" in her tone, and she subtly shifted the topic.
"Speaking of which," her voice became light again, with a touch of perfectly appropriate emotion, "it was Mutsumi-chan who first noticed Taki-chan's mood at that time."
"She immediately went over to comfort you and had you sit down."
Taki recalled the slightly cool, soft little hand that had suddenly covered the back of her own hand, and did not deny this point.
"It's truly incredible…" Soyo's voice was full of exploratory meaning, as if sharing an interesting discovery, "At school, Mutsumi-chan has always been a very, very quiet child, almost taciturn. Besides Sakiko-chan, I rarely see her actively talk to anyone else, let alone… physical contact."
She deliberately emphasized "actively" and "physical contact," her gaze scrutinizing Taki's face.
"It's the first time I've seen her be so… proactive with someone she just met."
Taki frowned.
The Mutsumi Soyo described indeed matched her impression for most of today—quiet, aloof, like a delicate doll. But in the cafe, she had held her hand, and that whispered remark that floated to her ear… "She does seem like the type you described…" Taki said, carefully choosing her words.
"However…"
She paused, the man's spell-like whisper flashing through her mind.
"You can't define a person just by their outward appearance, can you?" Taki's voice carried a bluntness she herself hadn't noticed.
"The important thing is what her true 'self' is like."
Just like herself, using outward stubbornness to hide her inner insecurity and longing.
"That's true~" Soyo's eyes widened slightly, seemingly completely unprepared for Taki's answer.
The smile on her face remained perfectly maintained, cleverly moving past the topic.
Her well-manicured hands, clasped in front of her, unconsciously fiddled with her neatly rounded fingernails.
The groundwork was sufficient; it was time to get to the main point.
"Speaking of which…" Soyo's voice became even softer, with a casual, almost incidental tone.
"On the day of the Tsukinomori Music Festival, I think I saw Mutsumi-chan walking with a strange blonde young man… in the corner behind our school's old building."
"Blonde?"
Taki's steps abruptly halted, her purple eyes suddenly turning to Soyo, a clear trace of shock flashing deep within her pupils.
Soyo took in Taki's obvious reaction, and another crucial piece of her vague mental puzzle clicked into place.
The smile on her face remained gentle and harmless, like the warm spring sun.
"Yes~" Soyo said in a normal tone, as if only discussing the weather.
"He was a rather tall, somewhat dark-skinned blonde young man, with a… hmm, a rather peculiar aura. The atmosphere between them at the time… how should I put it?" She frowned slightly, as if trying hard to find the right adjectives, but her gaze was fixed on Taki's expression.
"It felt… a bit ominous? I was worried something might happen." She timely showed a hint of lingering fear and concern.
"But now it seems they must just be acquaintances, right? Mutsumi-chan seemed fine after that day."
"Is that so…" Realizing that Soyo's description didn't match the "person" she knew, Taki relaxed and shifted her gaze.
"But this matter has nothing directly to do with our band, does it?" Taki took a deep breath, trying to bring her attention back to the present.
"That's true," Soyo nodded compliantly, her smile gentle.
"I just happened to see it and was a little curious."
Then she changed the subject, her tone carrying a subtle hint of gravity.
"However, Mutsumi-chan is also an important guitarist in our band. She's so pure and quiet; I'm genuinely a little worried that she might get entangled with some… unpleasant things or people."
Her words were brief but effectively caught the other person's attention.
"I understand. I'll keep an eye on this." Taki's voice deepened, with a characteristic certainty.
"How reliable you are, Taki-chan~"
Soyo's smile instantly bloomed, as if she had received the most satisfactory answer.
Then, her gaze subtly swept over Sakiko's back ahead.
"But back to the band matters~, today was really lucky!"
"CIRCLE and RiNG were both fully booked, and I heard even tomorrow and the day after are packed. It's a miracle we managed to find such a good rehearsal room." Her tone became light again, as if the heavy topic just now had never occurred.
"Hmm," Taki nodded, following the topic, "I heard Sakiko's brother helped arrange it. Not only did he book the place, but it seems there are also specialists to help move and tune the equipment, much more reliable than I imagined."
She recalled Sakiko mentioning it briefly, her tone carrying an objective evaluation.
"Eh~?" Soyo let out a soft exclamation of surprise and curiosity.
"Sakiko-chan has a brother?" Her eyes widened slightly, sparkling with the light of "seeking knowledge."
'Brother!'
This keyword, like the last puzzle piece, slammed into Nagasaki Soyo's rapidly working brain with the force of thunder, "Boom!"
In the cafe, Sakiko's anxious gaze searching around for someone… the out-of-place empty chair at the gathering… the name "Fuuki" frequently appearing in Sakiko's phone chat log… and that figure, always like a ghost, faintly visible and indistinct behind the girls… Mutsumi's sudden, startling abnormality today, as if foreseeing disaster… Taki's extreme sensitivity to the characteristic "blonde"… Plus, "Sakiko's brother"!
All the clues instantly connected into a tightly linked logical chain, a terrifying yet incredibly "reasonable" deduction, like lightning breaking through dark clouds, exploded in Nagasaki Soyo's mind, illuminating the darkest scenario she could conceive.
That "brother" named Fuuki, on the surface, was diligently helping Sakiko, paving the way for her, realizing her pure dream of forming a "Community of Destiny" band.
He provided the rehearsal room, arranged personnel, playing the role of a reliable brother.
But secretly… he contacted Wakaba Mutsumi through some unknown means, influencing her, and possibly even causing today's abnormality!
He also secretly contacted Shiina Taki, doing something that caused her to react intensely!
He had always been hidden in the shadows, like a patient hunter, using "help" as a sweet bait, coldly watching this group of unsuspecting girls, full of dreams, step by step into his carefully woven trap.
Everything he did was not for the future of some band at all!
His goal was to quietly corrupt, dismantle, and utterly destroy this newly born band, still wrapped in the swaddling clothes of hope, from within!
'For what?'
'Jealousy? Control?'
'Hostility between family heirs?'
'Or some more twisted, darker purpose?!'
Soyo felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, her fingers gripping the guitar case strap turning white from the force.
The smile on her face remained perfectly maintained, but beneath the mask, her heart was pounding wildly, trembling at this terrible "truth."
'Sakiko-chan truly wants to form a 'Community of Destiny' band; her invitation to me that day was full of sincerity and warmth, without falsehood.'
'Mutsumi-chan must also have been coerced by that man, which is why she's been so uneasy.'
'Although I don't know what bad things he did to Taki, such a strong reaction to a not-uncommon hair color—it must have been caused by that despicable guy.'
'What about Tomori-chan? Has she also suffered at his hands?'
'No, this cannot continue…'
Thinking this, a certain determination rose in Nagasaki Soyo's eyes.
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