Nagasaki Soyo had come here many times before with friends, and even her own bittersweet first performance was held here.
The brown-haired girl pushed open the door, and instinctively glanced toward the counter, but did not see a certain familiar figure.
"Ririko not here?"
But she didn't mind too much, 'Maybe she just took a day off?'
Bringing Little Mutsumi behind her, they sat by a window-side corner. Soyo expertly ordered a hot Earl Grey tea, then looked at the green-haired girl in front of her, "Mutsumi, what would you like?"
"Mango juice."
A predictable answer.
"One hot Earl Grey and one mango juice Got it, I've noted it, please wait a moment," As she watched the short-haired, flaxen-haired waitress leave, Wakaba Mutsumi withdrew her gaze, silently lowered her head, and stared blankly at the short reply on her phone screen.
She didn't know why
Since just a moment ago, there was a faint bad feeling in her heart.
As if things were moving in the wrong direction.
Seeing her distracted look, Nagasaki Soyo found it a little funny.
'Should I say as expected, girls in love have lower IQ?'
Even Mutsumi had become anxious and hesitant because she liked someone.
Just inviting him out for a drink, and she was this nervous.
Soyo had completely forgotten how she herself once agonized and tossed and turned when arranging an outing with Kaito.
The brown-haired girl simply gave a serious assurance, "Don't worry, I'll help you."
With that promise, Wakaba Mutsumi calmed down a little and gently nodded, "Soyo thank you."
"After all, Mutsumi is my friend," Soyo returned a gentle smile. Perhaps out of guilt for once having used Mutsumi, she genuinely hoped that this doll-like beautiful girl could get what she wished for.
Of course, the premise was that the man was truly worthy of entrustment.
Hiding the emotion of contemplation in her eyes, her blue gaze unintentionally glanced toward the entrance, 'It seems a new guest had arrived?'
'Wait, that figure why does it look familiar?'
'Is that Kaito-kun?'
Soyo was a little surprised and happy, even forgetting Mutsumi in front of her. She was just about to greet him when she noticed that beside Kaito, there was a strange pink-haired girl she didn't recognize?
But that wasn't even the most outrageous part.
The most outrageous thing was, that unknown pink-haired brat, was actually clinging to Kaito's arm.
'That is supposed to be MY exclusive spot!'
Vixen radar activated.
The gentle smile on Soyo's pretty face vanished without a trace, replaced by a sharpness as intimidating as an unsheathed blade.
But a moment later, the girl gently let out a breath and returned to her usual warm demeanor.
The reason was simple.
Her gaze had paused for a moment on the pink brat's chest, and her lips curved up slightly in an unmistakably disdainful arc.
'Another flat-chest freak. Nothing to worry about.'
If the soldiers come, block them with generals. If water comes, cover it with earth.
Soyo quickly adjusted her mood, preparing to call over Kaito.
When Mutsumi, Who had been looking down at her phone this whole time,suddenly looked up, turned toward the entrance, waved, and called out in a slightly excited voice, "Kaito-kun, please come this way."
Soyo: ""
Soyo: "?"
"Chihaya-san, we're already inside."
Stepping into RiNG's entrance, Kaito let out a small sigh, "Could you please let go of my arm now?"
Back in the school building, this girl, he had no idea what wires in her brain had shorted, suddenly grabbed his arm, made a show of intimacy, and whispered strange things like "please please, this is urgent" and "let me borrow your arm for a bit, just for a moment."
"Eh heh~", Chihaya Anon stuck out her tongue a little sheepishly, pressing her palms together, "Sorry sorry, I saw some annoying people just now, so I wanted to get under their skin a bit."
Anon never expected that the girls who had cornered her in the bathroom earlier still hadn't given up and had followed her all the way here.
Luckily, with Kaito around, they didn't dare come close, just stared at her from afar.
With such a golden opportunity, of course Anon wouldn't hold back. Even though she hadn't completely captured Kaito yet, and couldn't do things like kissing or hugging in front of them
But collecting a bit of interest in advance was totally fine.
In fact, she had definitely succeeded.
After seeing her wrap herself around Kaito's arm with their own eyes, those three girls' expressions could only be described as mourning a lost parent.
Just thinking about it now made Anon want to laugh.
"Forget it," Kaito didn't argue with her. He had high tolerance for all kind people, and Anon, who had once bravely spoken up on the train, clearly fell into that category.
'Just an arm hug, isn't going to cost me anything.'
After texting Mutsumi to let her know he'd arrived, he immediately heard someone calling his name.
"Kaito-kun, please come this way."
"Mutsumi, and also"
Kaito looked toward the corner in response to the voice, a little surprised, "Soyo-san, you're here too?"
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Chapter 112: Just Think of It as Him Practicing Skills
Nagasaki Soyo's heart was in chaos.
Before the boy Mutsumi liked pushed open the door and walked in, she had imagined many possibilities.
Maybe it would be a cold and aloof academic achiever with gold-rimmed glasses, or a tall and sunny sports-type, or even a gentle and considerate younger puppy-like guy she even imagined a delinquent in a leather jacket and studded pants.
She had sketched ten thousand different appearances in her mind, but not once did she think that the boy Mutsumi liked would be Kaito.
'How can it be?'
'Clearly, I just found the boy I want to spend a lifetime with'
'And has also made friends I truly care about'
'The overlapping of two kinds of happiness should have resulted in a dreamlike, blissful time'
'But why why did it turn out like this?'
"Soyo?", Mutsumi paused. The chestnut-haired girl couldn't even maintain the gentle smile on her pretty face. Her blue eyes had long lost their shine, completely lifeless and hollow to the point of being frightening.
Mutsumi felt a little worried and instinctively grabbed her hand, ice cold to the touch.
"Soyo, are you okay?", She couldn't help but call again.
Chihaya Anon also looked somewhat puzzled at the strange brown-haired girl in front of her, 'She was just lively and cheerful a moment ago, why does she suddenly look like she has lost her soul?'
Her expression was as ugly as a husband returning home after working three days and nights of overtime, only to find his boss's shoes at the entrance.
"If you're not feeling well physically, should we go to the hospital for a check-up?", Kind-hearted Saint Anon suggested sincerely.
"I'm fine," Nagasaki Soyo finally broke free from the chaotic thoughts and forced a faint smile.
"It was just a bit unexpected. I didn't think Mutsumi would know Kaito-kun That's all, really."
Mutsumi lowered her gaze and stayed silent for a moment before cautiously explaining, "Earlier, I encountered some trouble and was helped by Kaito-kun."
She didn't go into too much detail, her explanation was rather vague.
Because if she were to go over the entire story of how she and Kaito met, she couldn't avoid mentioning Sakiko.
Soyo's current state already seemed unstable, like gunpowder with a fuse almost burned to the end, on the verge of explosion at any time.
If Sakiko's name was brought up again, it might provoke her even more.
Mutsumi was expressionless, but not emotionless.
Although she often delivered verbal blows that hit hard without meaning to, that was never her true intention.
If possible, she just wanted to be like a cucumber vine, growing with the passage of time, harming no one.
"I see," Nagasaki Soyo's lips slightly curved, her voice sweet at just the right pitch, but no smile reached her eyes.
'Even at this point, Mutsumi is still hiding things.'
At this point, the unfamiliar pink-haired vixen spirit beside Kaito no longer mattered in Soyo's eyes.
Although the other girl's face was admittedly cute, she exuded a strange air of silliness, like a pitiful paperboard easily manipulated, not worth worrying about.
'Instead, it is Mutsumi'
'Why why do you always do things that makes everyone unhappy?'
'Back then, it was you who added the final blow to the already fragile CRYCHIC, causing the band to disband, with each member going their separate ways.'
'Now, I've finally walked out of the shadows, let go of everything in the past, and just want to chase after my own happiness.'
'Why why must you'
'Become an obstacle to me again?'
Betrayal from someone close always hits the hardest.
Not long ago, Soyo genuinely hoped that Mutsumi would find happiness, even thought about lending her a hand.
'But no one told me the boy you liked was my boyfriend!'
Although she and Kaito didn't yet have an official relationship status, they had already met each other's parents. Her mom was quite satisfied with this future son-in-law and had even hinted that she could be bolder in her behavior. If she got pregnant, her mom would help raise the kid
And their relationship had been steadily progressing. All that was left before marriage was a confession, so calling him her boyfriend in advance wasn't a problem.
Now, every time Soyo recalled her promise to Mutsumi, saying things like "I'll help you", her head throbbed painfully.
'Help, help, help help my a*s!'
She didn't have any weird fetishes, and definitely didn't have the broad-mindedness to say "Just think of it as him practicing his skills", how could she calmly let herself be cheated on?
Forget Mutsumi, even if it were Sakiko, it wouldn't fly.
"Hmm Why does the atmosphere feel kind of strange?", Anon couldn't help but mumble under her breath.
But this was clearly someone's personal matter, so it wasn't her place to comment.
She waved to the waitress, ordered a 70%-sweet milk tea and a fruit sandwich, then looked at Kaito beside her and said generously, "If there's anything you want to eat or drink, go ahead and order. Everything's on me."
"One taro ball milk tea, extra taro balls please," Kaito handed the menu back to the dazed waitress, "Also one matcha parfait, thanks."
"Ah? O-okay!", The waitress, named Ririko, finally snapped out of her daze and absentmindedly took the menu, seemingly by accident, her fingers brushed the back of his hand.
This obviously intentional gesture didn't escape the sharp eyes of the three girls.
Soyo's beautiful eyes looked like they were about to spit fire, 'Mutsumi trying to steal my man is one thing, but even the waitress is getting ideas?'
'Secretly groping a male customer, is this the so-called RiNG staff's service spirit?', Anon puffed her cheeks in displeasure, 'You dare hit on my future boyfriend right in front of me, how bold are you in private, then?'
Only Mutsumi looked unfazed, as if used to it, and didn't seem angry.
She never intended to monopolize Kaito's heart, just being able to catch a bit of light slipping through Sakiko's fingers was already enough to satisfy her.
"S-sorry," Ririko smiled awkwardly and mumbled guiltily, "My hand slipped"
Of course, that was just an excuse, and a very poor one.
But faced with such extreme beauty, she held back and held back, and still failed to suppress her heart's flutter. As if possessed, she stretched out her hand and did something like a crazed fangirl. She was too ashamed to stay.
The waitress practically ran off.
Once her figure disappeared completely behind the counter, Nagasaki Soyo finally picked up the black tea in front of her and took a light sip, using it to cover up her true feelings.
'Truly not a moment's rest.'
Nagasaki Asuna had once patiently taught her daughter: first turn raw rice into cooked rice. As for feelings, those can be grown later.
At that time, Soyo had always felt such a method was too bold and risky. She preferred slowly building up affection, waiting for the right time.
But after Mutsumi's backstab, she could no longer sit still.
Even Ririko, who had only seen Kaito-kun once, lost her composure like that
If she delayed any further, her rivals would only increase.
'Perhaps it is time to resort to some special tactics.'
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Chapter 113: Nagasaki Soyo: I have a bold idea
Soyo had worries on her mind, but no matter how her thoughts turned a thousand times, she never showed them.
"Speaking of which, this girl beside Kaito-kun is", The brown-haired girl pretended to be curious and turned her attention toward this unfamiliar pink-haired vixen.
Although in her eyes, the one with the highest threat level was Wakaba Mutsumi sitting beside her, considering the two were friends, Soyo decided to speak frankly with her to avoid accidental harm.
As for this pink-haired intruder in front of her?
A stranger with ulterior motives, no need to show mercy.
"Chihaya Anon, just call me Anon~", Anon waved her hand, her smile energetic and dazzling.
"My name is Nagasaki Soyo," Soyo also returned a gentle smile, "Anon-chan, how did you get to know Kaito-kun?"
Love is war, and war also requires strategy.
In war, the most important thing is gathering information. Only by knowing oneself and the enemy can one fight without peril.
"Hmm", Anon extended a slender white index finger and lightly tapped her cherry blossom-pink lips, saying thoughtfully, "If I have to say, it's probably a hero saving a beauty, great kindness hard to repay, so I offered myself in return?"
"Why is it getting more and more exaggerated?"
Kaito tapped her little head, "Chihaya-san is a transfer student who just joined our class and sits behind me, so the teacher asked me to look after her a bit."
"Hehe, just joking~", Even after being exposed, Anon didn't get angry. She stuck out her tongue a little sheepishly, looking even more like a mischievous pink-haired big dog begging for affection from its owner.
'A joke?'
Soyo's blue eyes dimmed for a moment.
