"Soyo, are you really taking her with us?"
Taki and Tsuzuki Chihiro stood together, watching the girl a short distance away, who was fully engrossed in her parfait. Just looking at her gave Taki a headache.
"Is that a problem?"
"It's not that it's a problem... I just feel like... never mind, it's your decision."
Taki rubbed her temples. She didn't actually know much more about Raana than anyone else did, but one thing was clear—when Raana came here to play the guitar last time, her skill level had far exceeded expectations.
Her technique was undeniable. But her personality…
She was just too unpredictable.
"Is it good, Raana?"
As Taki was still debating internally, she realized that "Soyo," who had been standing right next to her just moments ago, had already made her way over to Raana and sat down in front of her.
And the wild cat, who usually seemed uninterested in just about everyone, was acting surprisingly different today. With an obedient nod, she replied:
"Thank you, Sis."
"If you like it, I'll buy it for you every day."
Is she coaxing a child or something?
Taki rolled her eyes. She had no idea what made Soyo so special that this stray cat was being this affectionate with her right from the start.
"Soyo, let's go. We should head back."
Watching Soyo naturally take Raana's hand and lead her along, Taki felt an inexplicable sense of annoyance.
By the time the three of them returned to the recording studio, Anon was sprawled out on the couch without a shred of dignity. But the moment she saw Taki walk in, she jolted upright in alarm.
"I was just... taking a break from reading. My eyes were getting tired."
Taki's mouth twitched. Did I start trusting her too soon?
Just then, she noticed Raana, standing beside Tsuzuki Chihiro, already starting to plug in her equipment.
Under the watchful eyes of the others, the wild cat nonchalantly made her way over to the drum set where Taki had placed the sheet music. She stared at the paper in silence for a long ten seconds.
Just as Taki was about to tell her that Anon was responsible for that part, Raana had already begun playing.
The moment her fingers touched the guitar strings, melodies burst forth like sparks, dazzling and alive. The sheer energy of the notes filling the room gave Taki a so it really is like this kind of feeling.
Kaname Raana—she was a genius when it came to guitar.
Taki had always had an instinct for recognizing geniuses.
And what was almost laughable was how it seemed like fate had deliberately placed her in these situations time and time again, surrounding her with these incomprehensible monsters.
First, her sister.
Then, Sakiko.
And now, Raana.
But at least Soyo had shown her a new possibility—a possibility that even without natural talent, one could still become a reliable musician through sheer effort.
Of course, Raana's talent wasn't just about instantly playing the sheet music as written.
In those mere ten seconds, she didn't just extract the lead guitar's melody from the composition—she also made subtle optimizations to it, all while maintaining a flawless performance.
This level of ability… out of everyone present, Raana was probably the only one capable of pulling it off.
The pink-haired girl beside them was, naturally, already stunned. But Taki wasn't too concerned about the nervousness and disappointment on Anon's face. What caught her attention was "Soyo's" reaction—it made her feel oddly conflicted.
Because she saw something in "Soyo's" gaze as she looked at Raana.
It was as if she was staring into the past.
And of course, after spending two and a half years painstakingly composing a song, only to have a prodigy casually play around with it like a toy, who wouldn't feel a sense of disparity?
For the first time, Taki felt a kind of kinship.
She had once been the same way—trapped in that suffocating despair of never being able to catch up, no matter how hard she tried.
With that thought, Taki quietly walked over to "Soyo" and lightly patted her arm.
"Soyo, you okay?"
"Huh...? I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
Tsuzuki Chihiro was startled by Taki's concern. She quickly shook her head, trying to suppress the overwhelming urge to just confess and reunite with her sister already.
"Raana really is amazing."
"Yeah..." Tsuzuki Chihiro nodded. She was only now realizing just how much her little sister had grown.
"Last time, you said her technique seemed a bit rough. How come you're not saying that today? Did you finally realize the gap between you two?"
"I'm a bassist. There's nothing for me to be insecure about."
"...Fair point. But Anon, on the other hand..."
Taki glanced over at Anon, who had been sulking ever since Raana started playing. She frowned slightly, worried that the pink-haired girl might back out at this point.
"Don't worry. Anon isn't that fragile. She just feels a sense of urgency. That's a good thing."
"Let's hope so..."
Perhaps because she knew that Anon quitting now would affect Tomori, Taki spent the rest of the day fulfilling her promise—seriously teaching Anon the basics of reading sheet music.
There were several times when Anon's sheer ignorance had her rolling her eyes so hard she almost lost patience. If Soyo hadn't been watching from the side, she might have already fought Anon out of sheer frustration.
But in the end, Taki managed to hold back. She really was trying to control her temper.
Meanwhile, the other three continued practicing their own parts. Despite their ragtag nature, they were at least making progress together.
By the time 5 PM rolled around, practice for the day had come to an end.
Taki knew that some things just couldn't be rushed—just like how she wanted to learn from Soyo's qualities, she couldn't expect herself to break bad habits overnight.
As the last one to leave the studio, Taki glanced at the now-darkened room behind her. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Maybe it was because saying things out loud was too difficult, but on the way home after dropping Tomori off, Taki took out her phone and sent Soyo several messages.
[Soyo, I didn't just want to apologize for the misunderstanding before. I also wanted to say thank you.]
[I won't go into details, but as a way to make up for my mistakes and express my gratitude, I'll do my best to teach Anon how to read sheet music. Consider it my small contribution to the band for now.]
The two short messages were quickly typed and sent.
But only after sending them did Taki realize—she had sent them to Soyo's old account.
"...Oh well. It's the same person anyway. She'll see it."
---
Meanwhile, across town, Nagasaki Soyo was sitting at home, staring at her phone, waiting for a certain "stand-in" to come back.
The moment her phone lit up, she immediately unlocked it.
"Wait, Taki sent me a message?"
Soyo was confused at first, but as she read the texts, her eyes widened in shock.
Wait—wasn't the plan to push Taki and Tomori out?
Why is Taki...
"I see!"
Soyo suddenly understood everything. But then, her expression turned a little strange.
"So, she's teaching her biggest rival everything she knows, only to be replaced and kicked out in the end... Yeah, only a former bandmate could truly comfort her after a blow like that."
Feeling like she had already secured victory, Soyo was in a fantastic mood.
Just then, there was a knock at the front door.
Tsuzuki came back already?
Soyo had a lot of questions for her, so she excitedly ran to the entrance, unlocked the door, and pulled it open.
But when she saw the person standing outside, her entire expression froze.
"...Mom? W-why are you back?!"
---
T/N: will mom approve of this ilicit relationship!