Since today was the official performance, the scene was even more exaggerated than yesterday.
It could almost be described as a sea of people—a crowd of chaotic figures dancing wildly.
Of course, Kamijou Mutsuki believed that the security guards' riot shields and batons would make them calm down.
Moreover, as internal personnel, he and Sakiko had access to a special passage, so they didn't run into any trouble.
After seeing the members of MyGO!!!!!, Sakiko realized that her worries might have been unnecessary.
If it had been earlier, if MyGO!!!!! had gone through something like that, not to mention disbanding on the spot, the band would at least have become unstable.
But the girls on stage—even Soyo, who had been tied up the whole night—didn't seem affected at all.
[...うたう手と手をつなぐうた.]
I sing, a song that connects our hands together.
[ほどきたくないんだずっと一緒にいよう.]
I don't want to let go—we'll stay together forever.
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A somewhat ambiguous Utakotoba echoed across the stage—a cry belonging to all the MyGO!!!!! band girls of this world.
What they received in return was the fans' almost frenzied cheers.
However, as Sakiko looked at the girls on stage, her expression grew somewhat dazed.
She saw that, at this moment, Tomori seemed to truly be shining!
And not just Tomori—all of MyGO!!!!!'s members were shining!
It was as if some invisible force connected them together, forming an inseparable whole.
In MyGO!!!!!, Sakiko saw something that the former Crychic never had.
Only now did she finally realize that Crychic's disbandment had perhaps been inevitable.
Had Crychic once been extremely united?
That didn't even count as a real band.
They had merely been forcibly held together by her alone!
And now, Tomori had found her true place.
…Then what about her?
Although Sakiko had already come to understand her own feelings, still…Did Tomori even need her anymore?
Perhaps Tomori had indeed misunderstood her intentions, but she had already moved on from the past—would it really be right for her to interfere again?
As for herself…
The girl instinctively looked at the boy beside her and grabbed his hand.
Even though it wasn't appropriate, Sakiko found herself unable to control her thoughts.
At least, she still had him!
Recalling everything this boy had done for her—especially that violin performance of Haruhikage—she couldn't help but smile faintly.
The emptiness in her heart seemed to be filled by something, and Sakiko suddenly felt that it didn't hurt as much anymore.
You changed my life, so you have to…
"Take responsibility properly!"
"Hm?"
"I didn't say anything!"
Her cheeks flushed red as she frantically shook her head.
Seeing that Kamijou Mutsuki didn't grow suspicious, she finally let out a small sigh of relief.
But then, a wave of guilt flooded her heart.
After all, Kamijou Mutsuki was Mutsumi's fiancé—what on earth was she even thinking?!
But no—she absolutely couldn't betray her good friend.
However, even as Sakiko thought this, her body didn't listen. She instinctively moved closer to Kamijou Mutsuki, almost leaning against him.
And this unconscious little movement of hers was seen by Soyo on stage, who had been paying attention to Kamijou Mutsuki the whole time.
Her hand trembled slightly, and the bass went off-key for a brief moment.
But since she was the bassist, no one noticed.
Seriously—Mutsumi being his fiancée was one thing, but now even Sakiko was coming to bully her?
She might not be able to deal with Mutsumi, but did she really have to lose to Sakiko too—someone who couldn't even face her own feelings honestly?
Still, Soyo knew the situation and suppressed her emotions, focusing on playing.
After finishing Utakotoba, MyGO!!!!! went on to perform all of their remaining songs except Haruhikage.
And under the fans' frenzied demands, they even played more than once.
In the end, just like last time, it took security to calm the crowd down.
"Mutsuki-kun~"
As soon as they got backstage, Soyo ignored her bandmates' surprised expressions and threw herself directly into Kamijou Mutsuki's arms.
"How was my performance?"
"It was amazing. After all, the bassist is the soul of the band!"
Seeing the girl in his arms looking like she was asking to be praised, Kamijou Mutsuki replied.
Receiving his praise, her eyes curved into crescents with happiness.
She subconsciously glanced at Sakiko nearby—Mutsuki-kun definitely liked her more!
"Soyo,"
Just as she was about to say something, Anon's voice suddenly came from behind.
"The backstage staff just said the bass amp seemed to have been unplugged."
Soyo: ?
The smile on her face froze instantly.
"…But that amp seems to have its own power source, so it didn't need to be plugged in."
Seriously—was she just messing with her?
Anon responded with a perfectly polite, business-like smile.
At that moment, Sakiko noticed Tomori approaching. Not knowing how to face her, she quickly excused herself and left.
Kamijou Mutsuki could tell at a glance—it was Sakiko's awkward personality acting up again.
But Sakiko had already come to understand her own feelings; she just couldn't get past that mental hurdle.
She just needed someone to give her a push from behind…
Wait—why was he worrying about all this?
Though, this could probably count as… a manager's job?
Seeing Sakiko leave, Kamijou Mutsuki said a few words to Tomori and the others, then prepared to head back as well.
Although Soyo was a bit reluctant, in order not to affect her image in his eyes, she didn't stop him.
"Saki-chan…"
Tomori stared blankly in the direction Sakiko had left.
In truth, she was also worried about Sakiko, but she trusted Kamijou Mutsuki.
As for Anon…
"Soyo,"
She frowned as she walked over to Soyo's side.
"What exactly is going on between you and that Kamijou guy…?"
After all, Kamijou Mutsuki was Mutsumi's fiancé.
And yet Soyo had just hugged him so openly—that was way too enviable…
No—that was way too shameless!
Where was the line as a friend? And what was the strategy to win him over…
Wait, scratch that last one.
Meanwhile, Taki, who rarely took her attention off Tomori, was also unusually concerned about Soyo's earlier behavior.
Finally, there was Raana, munching on snacks with a slight curl at the corner of her lips.
Today's band was, as always, just as interesting as ever!
-----------------------------------
MyGO!!!!!'s second performance was, as expected, a huge success.
Utakotoba became extremely popular, its popularity even catching up to Haruhikage.
However, since the girls were already quite popular to begin with, it didn't really have much impact on their lives.
The only slight regret was that, due to Tomori's misunderstanding, Sakiko was once again emotionally shaken by Haruhikage.
But that wasn't entirely a bad thing—at least because of it, Sakiko could finally face her own feelings, instead of being tsundere like before.
It could be said that she was only one step away from reconciling with her past.
Of course, before that, there was still something relatively important.
After the girls' performance, it was time for the broadcast of the MyGO!!!!! anime.
Because there had been a lot going on that week, they had delayed the voice recording until the very end.
But since they were essentially playing themselves, the dubbing process went very smoothly without any issues.
Soon after, it was time for the latest episode of the anime to air.
Perhaps having learned from last time—and also wanting to use the opportunity to get closer to Kamijou Mutsuki—Soyo accepted his invitation again, just like before.
But unlike before, now she couldn't help but feel…
Weren't there a bit too many girls during these group gatherings?
Before she could think further, the latest episode of MyGO!!!!! began airing.
However, to everyone's surprise, the character appearing on screen wasn't any of the familiar band girls, but a cute brown-haired little girl. The name written in her notebook revealed her identity.
This was…A younger Nagasaki Soyo?!
........................