For a moment, the only sound in the vast living room was the hum of the hairdryer, its noise jarringly out of place.
Soyo stared at Kyo, who was pinning her down, each and every word Kyo had spoken ringing clearly in her ears. When she heard the word "disgust," it felt as if something had clenched tightly around her heart.
Soyo's lips parted slightly, as if to speak, but when she saw Kyo's expression, the words died in her throat.
Why? Why is Kyo making that face? Soyo couldn't understand why Kyo was so resistant to returning to the band. Wasn't she doing this for everyone's sake...?
But Soyo no longer had the luxury to think about that. There was something more important right now.
She didn't want Kyo to hate her. She didn't want Kyo to leave her. She had just barely gotten a taste of something that could quench her thirst—was it really going to slip through her fingers just as she reached for more?
"...Kyo..."
Please, don't hate me. Please, don't leave me. Please...
That was all Soyo could manage to say, her voice trembling. But the words barely left her lips before something large and suffocating lodged itself in her chest, making it hard to breathe. Her breaths turned shallow and uneven, and whatever else she wanted to say dissolved into an ugly, rasping sound.
Under Soyo's pleading, pitiful gaze, Kyo couldn't see the desperation or struggle in her eyes. But she could see the way their depths grew misty with unshed tears.
And what do those tears even mean? Kyo thought bitterly. Soyo only ever thinks about herself—yet after upsetting me, she acts like she's the one who should be crying.
Soyo's selfishness drained Kyo, making her feel parched despite knowing she had just taken a long shower.
Her body was already satisfied with water. But her mind—her heart—was not.
That contradiction tore at Kyo's emotions, leaving her uncertain of what she even wanted to do.
She wanted to lash out, to rip apart Soyo's selfishness and greed and lay them bare before her. But at the same time, she didn't want to hurt this girl—this lonely girl who was only desperately reaching for the kind of love that should have been hers all along.
And so, all Kyo could do was utter those powerless words:
"Stop talking about this, Soyo. It disgusts me."
She looked down at Soyo, still pinned beneath her, and hesitated, caught between the urge to scold, to comfort, to expose, to embrace...
In the end, she simply reached out and took the hairdryer from Soyo's hands.
Her cold fingertips brushed against Soyo's palm. Instinctively, Soyo tried to grasp at them—but there was nothing to hold onto. Even the hairdryer, which had been drowning out her thoughts with its steady hum, was taken from her.
"You should remember to turn it off. It could start a fire."
The words were dry, devoid of any real concern. They did nothing to ease the tension in the air.
But that didn't matter.
Kyo carelessly tossed the hairdryer onto the sofa. Then, finally, she moved, sitting up properly—but instead of getting off, she straddled Soyo's thighs.
"Soyo once said, 'As long as we sit down and talk, everything will be solved,' didn't you?"
Her voice was sharp, her repetition of Soyo's past words precise—word for word, without a single mistake.
Hearing them thrown back at her, Soyo's heart pounded erratically.
For a moment, she actually wanted to shake her head—to deny it.
No—!
Soyo had no idea what Kyo was about to say to her, but every possibility that crossed her mind filled her with fear.
"You disgust me."
"CRYCHIC will never come back."
Or even...
"Those happy times in CRYCHIC were nothing but an illusion. I never enjoyed being in the band."
No matter what it was, if Kyo actually said it out loud, something inside Soyo would surely shatter beyond repair.
"Soyo, get up."
Kyo had already started to shift, preparing to move off of Soyo completely. But Soyo remained lying there, unwilling to sit up.
Instead, this time, it was Soyo who reached out—grasping Kyo's wrist, refusing to let her leave. Because if Kyo moved away, Soyo would have no choice but to sit up and listen to whatever unknown, terrifying words she was about to say.
Right now, she would rather Kyo stay right where she was, pressing down on her. Maybe then, it wouldn't hurt as much.
"This is just running away, Soyo. Weren't you the one who said we should talk things out properly?"
Kyo tried to pull free, though she didn't use much force. Even so, Soyo's stubborn grip made it clear she had no intention of letting go.
"This is only making me angrier, Soyo."
Still, Soyo refused to release her. She didn't even dare meet Kyo's gaze from above, turning her head to the side and squeezing her eyes shut—like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
"I'm going to use force now. Be careful."
Kyo wasn't about to let her escape like this. After giving a fair warning, she leaned down, bringing her free hand to Soyo's waist.
Blinded in the darkness behind her eyelids, Soyo couldn't see Kyo's movements—so when she suddenly felt a touch on her side, she flinched in surprise.
Her waist and stomach were sensitive areas, private in their own way. Being touched there so suddenly made her shudder involuntarily.
For a brief moment, her back arched slightly, creating a small gap between her body and the sofa.
And that was all Kyo needed.
She slipped her hand into the space and wrapped it around Soyo's lower back.
Then, with one swift motion, she exerted force with both hands—one still caught in Soyo's grasp and the other securing her waist—
Kyo's cocktail-shaking skills hadn't gone to waste. Her arms, which looked delicate and slender at first glance, could easily mislead someone who only brushed against her skin. The smooth, supple feel gave the illusion of softness, of fragility.
But the moment she actually applied strength—
Soyo was pulled upright in an instant, offering little resistance.
Of course, Kyo was careful not to yank her up by the wrists—she didn't want to risk hurting Soyo's arms.
And so, Soyo found herself unexpectedly experiencing a smooth, effortless lift-off.
The only issue was… there had been no brakes prepared for the landing.
While Kyo's arms were strong enough for shaking drinks, she didn't often use that strength elsewhere. This time, she had overestimated her own force.
And now, she was facing the consequences.
The momentum sent Soyo crashing straight into her.
Before Kyo could react, she found herself knocked backward, flipping the situation completely—now it was Kyo who was pinned down beneath Soyo.
And things had just become very awkward.
A moment ago, Kyo had still been straddling Soyo's waist—since Soyo had stopped her from getting up.
Now, with their positions reversed, her legs were spread apart, caught on either side of Soyo's body, unable to close.
And since there was no firm support beneath her lower back, she had no leverage to push Soyo off.
Meanwhile, Soyo, overwhelmed by everything that had happened in quick succession, was completely at a loss for what to do next.
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