"Hah? What right do you have to talk to Tomori like that?"
Even though she'd just been pushed outside the yuri triangle and was hurting badly, the moment Taki felt that Tomori was being bullied (at least in her own view), she immediately applied pressure.
"If it weren't for you back then, Tomori wouldn't have—"
Among the former members of CRYCHIC, the one who disliked "The Sakiko-sensei" the most was probably Taki.
"Alright, Taki."
Seeing Taki about to dig up old grievances, Soyo immediately stepped in to smooth things over.
"What's already in the past doesn't need to be brought up again."
The future of CRYCHIC's revival was right in front of her—there was no way she'd let Taki ruin her great plan to revive C.
"And besides, what happened back then can't be blamed entirely on Sakiko."
As she said this, Soyo seemed to feel something herself, her voice turning a little heavy.
"Everyone was at fault…"
"But back then it was clearly her—"
"Taki!"
When it came to handling Taki, in the end it still had to be Tomori.
With just a single look, Taki—who had been about to continue firing—shut her mouth, sat back down resentfully, and stopped talking.
"…"
Facing the hostility from her former teammates and friends, The Sakiko-sensei still wore that professional, businesslike smile, as if she didn't care at all.
Only Mutsumi, standing nearby, looked at her childhood friend with worried eyes.
Sakiko… she's forcing herself.
"If everyone is ready, then let's begin."
Ironically, Soyo—who had been the most resistant to playing Haruhikage—was now the most proactive, calling out to the other girls.
"Just like… we did back then!"
And then, as the gentle prelude sounded, the performance officially began.
What was worth noting was that Sakiko—usually the most serious and most capable—was half a beat slow when she started playing.
It wasn't until Mutsumi's guitar came in that she seemed to suddenly snap back to her senses, belatedly beginning to play the keyboard in front of her.
[Kajikunda kokoro furueru manazashi.]
[Sekai de boku wa hitoribocchi datta.]
[Chiru koto shika shiranai haru wa.]
Listening to these familiar yet somehow unfamiliar lyrics coming from Tomori's mouth, the girls' feelings were incredibly complicated.
Ever since CRYCHIC disbanded, none of them had imagined that one day they would gather like this again, to play the very first song.
As the music flowed on, Taki gradually let go of the hostility in her heart.
Soyo was probably the most excited of them all—she forcefully squeezed out thirteen or fourteen tenths of performance from her full ten tenths of ability, plucking the bass strings so hard they were practically smoking.
Unfortunately, since she was the bassist, no one noticed her overperformance.
As for Tomori, her performance could only be described as desperate.
While she wasn't like Soyo, who wanted to reverse M and revive C, "White Sakiko" was still an unforgettable white moonlight in her heart.
Even though she had formed a new band now, just like Soyo, she had so many things she wanted to say to the other girl.
But she was clumsy with words and couldn't express what she was thinking.
However, Sakiko had once said that her singing voice was the cry of her heart.
So she wanted to use her singing to convey her feelings directly to Sakiko's heart.
Of course…
The figure of a certain boy also entered the girl's field of vision.
…It wasn't only Sakiko anymore.
…
[Kumoma o nutte kirari kirari.]
[Kokoro mitashite wa afure.]
[Itsushika hoho o kirari kirari.]
-----------------------------------
The girl sang as if she were shouting her heart out.
Sakiko was her past, and the boy before her was her present.
Because of him, she had found the courage to sing.
Just as she once sang for Sakiko, now she sang for Kamijō Mutsuki!
So this time, she absolutely would not let him down again!
She was the one who came first!
Listening to Tomori's singing from the side, Anon didn't know why, but her head felt slightly heavy.
Of course, compared to Anon, The Sakiko-sensei's emotions were probably far more complicated.
"..."
As she played the electronic keyboard in front of her and listened to the singing beside her, she felt as though she had been dragged back to the days when CRYCHIC had just been formed.
Back then, she had been so carefree, so relaxed and happy…
Those fragments of past happiness slowly surged up, but once the girl came back to her senses, all that remained was endless pain and emptiness.
When a beautiful dream bubble is popped, the pain of reality becomes all the more obvious and cruel.
She… had long since lost the chance to go back.
Happiness and joy belonged to them.
And what belonged to her…
Were only endless overtime shifts, uncountable beer cans to pick up, a damp and gloomy room, and her father's drunken scolding and complaints.
Sakiko felt moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes, but she clenched her teeth and forcibly suppressed the urge to cry.
The weak her from back then was already dead!
The girl stubbornly lifted her head and instinctively looked toward the gray-haired girl who was singing.
But from Tomori's side profile, she noticed that Tomori's gaze was fixed on Kamijō Mutsuki—her eyes seemed unable to hold anyone else but him.
"..."
For some reason, Sakiko felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Why did this feeling arise?
She thought about it for a long while before finally remembering.
It seemed that once upon a time, Tomori had looked at her the same way—her eyes filled with nothing but Sakiko.
And now, the figure reflected in those eyes had become another man.
The girl who once had only her in her heart was now completely occupied by someone else.
[Kimi no te wa dōshite konna ni mo atatakai no?]
Why are your hands so warm?
[Nee onegai.]
Hey… please.
[Dōka kono mama hanasanaide ite.]
Please, just stay like this and don't let go.
Hearing Tomori's singing, Sakiko unconsciously reached out her hand—only to see Tomori extend her hand toward the boy in front of her instead.
[Zutto zutto hanasanaide ite.]
Forever, forever—don't let go.
Haruhikage was a song you wrote for me, but the hand you want to hold tightly now… is no longer mine!
Only at this moment did Sakiko suddenly realize it.
Somewhere along the way, without even noticing, she had lost the girl who once looked at her with nothing but love in her eyes.
In that instant, sorrow and pain surged like a tide, crashing down and shattering the emotional defenses she had believed to be strong.
One drop, two drops, three drops…
Tears fell onto the keys in front of her, yet the girl seemed completely unaware.
She watched as Kamijō Mutsuki took Tomori's outstretched hand.
She watched as Tomori fell into Kamijō Mutsuki's arms.
And just like that, her tears burst forth uncontrollably, her sobbing breaking loose.
"Sakiko…"
Mutsumi, who had been worrying about her all along, immediately noticed something was wrong. Just as Haruhikage finished playing, she didn't even have time to put down her guitar before stepping forward to comfort her childhood friend.
"I'm fine!"
Seeing Mutsumi approach, Sakiko fiercely wiped away the tears on her face and said so stubbornly—though her voice was trembling with sobs.
...................