Time quickly passed to the next day, and the refined young ladies at Tsukinomori Girls' Academy noticed something unusual.
Today, Wakaba Mutsumi seemed to be in exceptionally good condition—radiant and full of life.
Had something good happened?
On the contrary, Sakiko Togawa looked as if she hadn't slept well at all.
She hadn't expected to have that kind of dream again… and her cheeks couldn't help but flush red.
Mutsumi, I'm sorry!
However, Sakiko also noticed that Kamijou Mutsuki was yawning while eating breakfast.
Did he not sleep well last night either?
Sakiko felt puzzled.
"Oh right, Saki-chan, take the day off today."
After breakfast, Kamijou Mutsuki suddenly spoke to Sakiko.
"There's something I need you to handle today."
"…Understood."
Although a bit surprised, Sakiko didn't refuse.
With her academic ability, missing a day of classes wasn't a problem at all.
And as a "young lady," taking a day off was naturally very easy.
The only thing that puzzled her was that this kind of request was a first.
…Had something happened?
On the other side, Nagasaki Soyo also looked in great condition today.
It could only be said that after resolving her inner knot, she truly felt much lighter.
Sakiko, CRYCHIC—those things that once weighed on her heart no longer troubled her in the slightest.
Right now, the only thing bothering Soyo was how to get past Mutsumi and do whatever she wanted with Kamijou Mutsuki.
However, she wasn't in a hurry—there was plenty of time.
But just as the cheerful Soyo stepped into the classroom, the room suddenly fell into complete silence.
Seeing this, the girl couldn't help but feel a little flustered. Just as she began to wonder whether she had done something wrong…
"Pfft~"
No one knew who started it, but someone couldn't hold back a laugh. Then, as if laughter were contagious, everyone else burst out laughing too, and the classroom was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
A typical comedian would have to give it their all just to barely make the audience laugh.
But Soyo only needed to stand here to completely surpass them all!
"Hey, you guys!"
Coming back to her senses, Nagasaki Soyo's cheeks flushed so red they almost looked dark.
"…Don't go too far!"
What was with these people?
Laughing this happily the moment she showed up—weren't they making it seem like she really was some kind of comedian?
"Sorry,"
A girl with long, straight black hair wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, trying to rein in her smile.
"As students of Tsukinomori Girls' Academy, we all come from well-disciplined families."
"Normally, we wouldn't laugh… unless we just can't help it."
"Let me personally bring this to an end… pfft~"
Looking at Soyo, quite a few people recalled the famous scene from episode ten yesterday—especially since the person from that very scene was standing right in front of them. They instantly couldn't hold back their laughter.
At first glance, it might not seem like much, but paired with Soyo's later "face-slapping" reversal, it was just too hilarious.
You could say that this one scene alone was enough to make Soyo legendary.
Yes—the god of comedy!
"Don't make fun of me, don't make fun of me!"
Hearing their words, a blush of embarrassment instantly spread across Soyo's face.
Even though the final outcome had been good, that scene really had been way too humiliating.
"I did it for the harmony of the band—for everyone in MyGO!!!!!…"
"I saw it with my own eyes—Soyo stood up to Anon, her gaze firm,"
A blue-haired girl at the side suddenly chimed in.
"…and said she would personally bring an end to the MyGO!!!!! band,"
Another girl picked up the line.
"But the moment she got there, Tomori and Anon dragged her onto the stage."
"And there she was, playing and crying at the same time—it looked so emotional~"
"You guys, stop mixing up the anime with reality!"
Soyo's ears were flushed red from holding it in.
"How can you just make things up and smear my reputation like that?"
What followed were phrases like "you can't take anime seriously" and "it was all for the band," things that sounded half-understandable at best, making everyone laugh even harder.
"Sorry, Soyo-chan,"
Feeling that it had gone far enough—and to avoid actually making her angry—a more mature-looking girl spoke up.
"The latest episode was just too interesting. Everyone couldn't really hold back."
"But Soyo-chan… in real life… was it really like that?"
Hearing this question, the girls around them all revealed curious expressions.
"Of course not!"
Facing everyone's gaze, Soyo hurriedly replied.
"Ano-chan and the others and I already made up a long time ago… you should know that, right?"
"Anime is anime, reality is reality—those two can't be mixed together!"
As she said this, however, Soyo couldn't help but feel a faint sense of guilt in her heart.
If it weren't for Kamijou Mutsuki—or rather, if her thoughts hadn't already been exposed ahead of time in episode eight—
What would have happened… was really hard to say.
"Oh, that's good then."
The young ladies didn't doubt Soyo's reply at all.
"Um, Soyo-chan,"
Just then, a girl with black hair and brown eyes suddenly leaned closer.
"I'm really sorry about what happened before."
"Huh?"
Soyo was a bit confused. She remembered having a pretty good relationship with this girl usually.
"Well… even though Soyo-chan wasn't interested in the wind ensemble club, you still went along with it because of me…"
"It's really not that exaggerated~"
Only then did Soyo realize what she was referring to. Seeing the guilt on the girl's face, she quickly spoke up.
"I might not have been interested in the wind ensemble club at first, but it wasn't that big of a deal~"
"And besides,"
Soyo's expression suddenly became incredibly gentle.
"If I hadn't joined the wind ensemble club, I might not have had the experiences I have now… so thank you, really!"
If she hadn't joined the wind ensemble club, Soyo probably wouldn't have caught Togawa Sakiko's attention and joined CRYCHIC.
Although the final outcome hadn't been great, without that experience, would she have met Kamijou Mutsuki?
So, Soyo truly was grateful to this friend.
"Really?"
Hearing that, the black-haired young lady put away her guilty expression and asked somewhat uncertainly.
"Really."
"Really really really?"
"That's right."
"Really really really really really really?"
"…There's no need for me to lie."
Soyo's smile was starting to strain.
"Soyo-san, love!"
The black-haired girl excitedly hugged Soyo directly.
"I knew it… Soyo-chan really is the best!"
"Hey, go easy!"
Soyo was startled by the sudden move.
Watching this warm scene, the girls around them all couldn't help but smile.
.........................