Tsuzuki Chihiro suddenly understood why so many Japanese dramas featured those dramatic running scenes.
On one hand, they heightened the audience's emotions, drawing them into the characters' struggles, dreams, and heartfelt moments.
On the other hand… when someone really wanted to get somewhere, their legs would just move faster on their own.
And as she ran, another mystery in her mind was solved—
Why did so many anime heroines trip whenever they ran?
"Hhss… damn it."
Chihiro felt like this was her own fault. She always wanted to do things perfectly, to juggle everything at once—so was it any surprise she ended up like this?
She had hoped to make it back before 7:30, but by the time she checked the clock after getting off the train, it was already past 8:00.
And then, because she hadn't been paying attention to the uneven pavement, she lost her balance and went flying forward.
The groceries she had bought from the supermarket, along with the meat buns she had taken from Momoka's place, all went soaring through the air.
Luckily, the plastic bags containing the groceries were sealed shut, so nothing spilled out.
But the meat buns weren't as fortunate. Several of them rolled away, tumbling across the ground as if they were desperately trying to escape her grasp.
"I knew I should've worn pants…"
Even though she said that, Chihiro knew that even if she had worn pants, she still would've scraped her knee on that fall.
Looking at the now-dirty meat buns, she felt a pang of regret. She had always believed in not wasting food, and seeing perfectly good food ruined like this really hurt her heart.
Still, after a moment of hesitation, she sighed, picked up the ones that had fallen, and tossed them into the nearby trash bin.
"At least I still have a few left…"
---
Meanwhile, Nagasaki Soyo was still lying on the couch in the living room, the entire house shrouded in darkness.
After all, when her mother had left, the sun hadn't completely set yet.
She stared at her phone screen, though she wasn't really paying attention to the time. Instead, she was scrolling through her last few chat logs with the other members of CRYCHIC.
Ever since the band had disbanded, she had only kept in touch with three people.
Or rather… if she removed her one-sided attempts at contacting Sakiko, that left only Taki and Mutsumi.
Even Taki had only recently reached out, and Soyo hadn't responded yet.
Because realistically speaking, Taki had probably just sent that message to the wrong account.
If she replied now, it might cause unnecessary trouble for Tsuzuki Chihiro later.
"Seriously… why am I even thinking about this?"
Soyo let out a bitter chuckle.
It felt like she had made another mistake.
Maybe she had wanted to stop the formation of a new band, but in the end, she was still lying to everyone.
Had she really hated Anon and the others?
Not exactly.
She had just lost all hope after Sakiko left.
And at the same time, she couldn't bear to face Anon and Raana, knowing that she had used them.
From beginning to end, she had never done a single thing right.
Knock, knock~
The sudden knocking at the door made Soyo flinch.
She wasn't sure who it could be.
If it was her mother, she would usually knock first to see if Soyo would answer. If no one did, she would use the passcode or her key card to unlock the door.
But Tsuzuki Chihiro…
That woman never cared whether Soyo was home or not—she always just barged in like she owned the place.
So then… was it really her mom?
Did something else go wrong with work?
Soyo quickly ran to the entrance, flipping on the lights as she went.
As soon as she opened the door, she blurted out—
"Mom, you—"
"Mom? Oh my, I didn't know our dear Soyo had a thing for roleplaying~ Yes, Mommy's home to cook for you!"
SLAM.
The moment Soyo saw who was actually standing outside, her expression went ice cold.
Before Chihiro could even react, she slammed the door shut.
"Hey! Soyo, what the hell?!"
"Who are you? I don't know you. If you keep bothering me, I'll call the cops."
Her voice was sharp and prickly, though she didn't realize how childish she sounded.
"Disguising yourself to look like me? Suspicious as hell. I bet the police would love to arrest you and investigate."
"…Soyo, are you mad?"
"Mad? Oh no, I'm starving to the point where I don't even have the strength to fight back against a criminal. So obviously, I had to close the door for my own safety. Isn't that perfectly reasonable?"
"…So you are mad."
Chihiro fell silent for two seconds before sighing, her voice tinged with guilt.
"So, can you leave now? Since this is your first offense, I'll consider not reporting you."
"Then go ahead and report me. Once I'm in jail, I'll just have Sakiko come visit me."
"…What?"
Unbelievable.
Did this woman seriously not have a single shred of shame?!
Shouldn't she at least apologize after messing up?
And now she was even bantering like this?!
Soyo felt like she was going to lose her mind.
Why had she ever let this person stay in her house?
Why had she let her sleep in her mom's room?!
If she had known things would turn out like this, she would've shoved Chihiro into the barely-used, half-furnished guest room instead!
But just as Soyo was planning her next counterattack, she suddenly heard a click.
The door unlocked.
And there stood Chihiro, smugly holding up her key card, her grin practically saying: Aren't you glad you gave me this?
At least… at least she hadn't told her the door's passcode.
If Chihiro ever found out that February 14th wasn't just Valentine's Day but also Sakiko's birthday, Soyo would probably die of sheer embarrassment.
"Wait… what happened to you?"
Soyo hadn't immediately noticed what Chihiro was holding in her hands.
What caught her attention first was the scrape on Chihiro's knee.
It wasn't bleeding too much, but the red mark stood out starkly against her otherwise perfect legs.
"Tripped while running back here."
"Hah. Divine punishment. Too bad you didn't fall into a ditch."
"Maybe your so-called 'divine forces' were too hungry to bother tossing me into a sewage drain."
"..."
Soyo could hear the teasing in Chihiro's voice, but she didn't have the energy to argue anymore.
After confirming the injury wasn't serious, she just stopped caring altogether.
And to be honest… it was kind of satisfying to see Chihiro suffer a little.
"You're hungry, right, Princess Soyo?"
"What do you think?"
"I've got some meat buns. You can have one while I cook."
"..."
Soyo wanted to refuse.
But her hand moved on its own.
And as she cursed herself for being so easy to bribe, she told herself—I'm not about to starve myself just because of some scammer.
She bit into the meat bun.
"…It's good."
"Right? This filling—"
"It's so good, I bet you used your own meat for it."
"..."
---
T/N: HUH??????????? SHE A FREAK FERAK