[Soyo: Kyo, have you seen Sakiko?]
Kyo glanced at the LINE notification on her phone but didn't open the app right away. She didn't want Soyo to see that the message had been read.
Her mind worked quickly.
Sakiko obviously didn't want others to know about her situation. And since she and Sakiko had now formed a mutually beneficial deal, it made sense to help cover for her.
As for Soyo's perspective… judging by Sakiko's earlier state, she had likely left without even offering Soyo a proper excuse. Right now, Soyo was probably desperate to understand why Sakiko had quit and whether there was still a chance to bring her back—keeping CRYCHIC intact.
But Kyo, who arguably had the most information at this point, was certain of one thing:
CRYCHIC was beyond saving.
Each member of CRYCHIC either had solid skills or natural talent, but at the end of the day, they had only ever treated the band as something casual, something done for fun.
Sakiko no longer had the luxury to play in a band.
Turning CRYCHIC into a professional, debut-worthy band? Unlikely. The rest of them simply weren't prepared for that responsibility.
At its core, CRYCHIC had always been just a group of middle schoolers messing around.
Sakiko, on the other hand, was facing the crushing weight of reality.
So yes—Kyo had to hide Sakiko's situation.
No matter how much Soyo cared about the band members, if enough time passed without answers, she would eventually move on.
Besides, it wasn't like CRYCHIC had died. It had lost one member—there were still five of them left, including Kyo herself. The keyboard wasn't even essential to the band. Worst case scenario, she could just practice playing it herself. It probably wouldn't take long to reach a level where she could fill in for Sakiko.
—SHWAAA—
The sudden rush of water echoed through the phone speaker.
Her ringtone.
Soyo was calling her directly.
She wasn't expecting that.
Kyo had planned to finish washing the teaware before replying on LINE, but apparently, Soyo was more impatient than she thought. Normally, wouldn't someone assume an unread message just meant the other person was busy?
Placing the tea set aside, Kyo picked up her phone.
She let it ring for a few seconds—just enough to make it seem like she was answering in the middle of something. Then, finally, she accepted the call.
"Ah, Kyo, you finally picked up! Have you seen Sakiko?"
A tense, anxious voice came through the receiver.
To Kyo's ears, Soyo's usual carefully controlled tone wavered, unsteady.
"Sakiko? I just saw her take a cab and leave," Kyo answered evenly.
"What…? Did she say anything?"
"She said she's quitting CRYCHIC."
Kyo spoke unhurriedly, preparing to craft a reasonable excuse for Sakiko's departure. Something that could gently ease Soyo into acceptance—make her realize CRYCHIC wasn't coming back, so she wouldn't hold onto false hope.
"Sakiko told me her decision to quit was because of family pressure." Kyo continued. "It wasn't because of us."
"Eh…?"
Soyo's voice dropped noticeably.
Using family pressure—especially from a powerful household like the Togawa family—instantly shut down any thoughts of 'maybe we can fix this together.'
It also conveniently redirected any blame onto her family rather than on Sakiko herself, protecting her reputation from the fallout of such a sudden, firm departure.
And it wasn't technically a lie.
Sakiko had quit because of issues stemming from the Togawa family.
As silence stretched over the line, Kyo could tell Soyo had fallen into deep thought.
Now's my chance.
She was about to steer the conversation, shifting Soyo's focus toward the rest of the band—reassuring her that the others were still here, that CRYCHIC could continue, even without Sakiko—
"Kyo… Can we talk about this in person?"
Soyo cut in first.
"Sure, it's hard to explain everything properly over the phone. Are you still at RiNG? I'll head over and meet you there."
Kyo wasn't particularly surprised that Soyo wanted to talk in person. Some things were simply more convincing when said face-to-face.
"Alright, I'll wait for you here. You'll just order something random as usual, right?"
"Mm-hmm, thanks, Soyo."
After hanging up, Kyo quickly rinsed and wiped down the teaware before heading out for the second time that day.
The air after the heavy rain carried the distinct, earthy scent of damp soil. Puddles of various sizes had collected in the cracks between bricks and in small depressions along the road. As Kyo walked past them, her reflection flickered across the water's surface for just a moment before vanishing, leaving behind only ripples.
A downpour would always make her feel exhilarated, but the aftermath—this moist, lingering atmosphere—filled her with a different kind of quiet joy.
In such an environment, she felt rather optimistic about her upcoming conversation with Soyo.
Kyo still wasn't sure why Soyo always carried that deliberate tone of voice, as if she were putting on a performance, but at the end of the day, actions mattered more than intentions.
Regardless of whether her kindness was natural or calculated, the fact remained—Soyo did care about the band members.
Look at that. She even remembers to order me a drink. How bad could she possibly be?
It didn't take long to reach RiNG. After all, if it were far away, she wouldn't have been able to drag Sakiko home so easily earlier.
As she approached, she spotted Soyo sitting at the bar counter—and next to her was… Mutsumi?
"Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, Soyo, Mutsumi!"
Feeling cheerful, Kyo's greeting came out slightly offbeat, but she still kept her expression composed.
"Good afternoon, Kyo."
Though Soyo still carried some tension between her brows, she greeted her with a smile nonetheless.
"This is your Earl Grey tea."
Something was off.
Kyo blinked.
Soyo's voice was even more affected than before. It had always been on the high-pitched side, but it usually sounded cute. Now, it was almost grating—sharp enough to be unpleasant.
She's thickened her mask?
Was she that affected by Sakiko's departure?
Kyo glanced over at Wakaba Mutsumi, who sat quietly beside Soyo.
As expected, she remained completely still—expressionless, motionless, and silent.
Yeah, I shouldn't expect to get any clues from her.
Kyo took the tea and sipped it slowly, waiting for Soyo to speak first.
"Kyo, did Sakiko say anything specific about why her family won't let her stay in the band?"
"No. Even when I pressed her for details, she only said it was 'family pressure' and told me not to ask any more questions."
"But we've already been playing together for over a month, even holding a live show… Why would they suddenly forbid it now?"
"I don't know."
Kyo stuck to the golden rule—the more you say, the more chances you have to slip up. A firm, consistent answer was best.
"But if we lose Sakiko, what happens to the band…?"
So Sakiko really was the centerpiece in Soyo's mind.
This wasn't going to be as easy as she'd hoped.
Maybe I should bring up the other members—remind her that she's not alone.
"By the way, what about Tomori and Taki? Did they already go home?"
"Tomori… When Sakiko announced she was quitting, she started crying, saying it was all her fault before running off."
"—Huh?"
"And then Taki ran out after her. She probably went to comfort her."
"But after all that conflict… why couldn't we just sit down and talk it through properly? No one actually did anything wrong."
…What?
What the hell was this?
One person quit, and now the entire band was actually falling apart?