For Nagasaki Soyo, the situation before her was a perfect opportunity.
What was the most important thing for a band?
She didn't even need to think—the answer was simple. The memories made together on stage.
Good or bad, a flawless performance or an absolute disaster—the first LIVE was something that would never fade from a band's history.
Unless the show was so catastrophic that it shattered everyone's confidence and drove them apart completely, any shared experience would inevitably leave a lasting impact.
In her previous life, if she set aside the Haruhikage incident, could she say their first performance was perfect?
Of course not.
From the chaos during rehearsals to Anon freezing up mid-performance—then just when they resolved that, their vocalist, Tomori, hesitated and couldn't let go. It was a complete disaster.
But the crucial part was that they overcame those problems right then and there.
The five of them turned things around and transformed a broken performance into their most precious starting point.
A starting point doesn't need to be flawless—it just needs to give people the hope to keep running forward.
Which meant… she had to stop this.
If she didn't go along with Tomori's reluctance now, by the time they built up their confidence, it would be too late.
"Soyo, what did you just say?!"
As expected, as soon as Soyo said those words, the hot-tempered Taki immediately jumped in to oppose her.
"I feel like you're totally off today. You were excited to hear Tomori sing, weren't you? So why are you backing out now?"
"I…"
Was she excited to hear Tomori sing? Well… technically, that wasn't a lie.
But how much damage had that damn liar Chihiro done to her reputation over the past few days?
Even if she wanted to play the long game, did she really have to make Taki this fond of her?
Wait…
Maybe this is my chance to start climbing the ranks on my own after that power boost.
"I am looking forward to Tomori's singing, but I think we shouldn't rush things. Tomori and Anon aren't ready yet, are they?"
"Yeah, I think so too—"
"You don't get a say in this!"
Taki cut off Anon's agreement without hesitation, glaring at her before shifting her focus back to Tomori. Seeing the uncertainty in her expression, she turned back to Soyo.
"Soyo, come outside with me for a minute."
"…Ah."
The two of them stepped out of the studio into the hallway.
There weren't many people around, making it the perfect place for them to have a private conversation about the band.
To be honest, something about Soyo felt… off.
Had something happened after they split up yesterday?
The only possibility that came to mind was that Sakiko had reached out to her again.
"I thought you had given up on Sakiko."
"…What do you mean by that?"
Soyo frowned slightly, discomfort creeping into her chest, but she forced a smile.
"She messaged you again, didn't she?"
"…"
"So I was right." Seeing Soyo's silence, Taki knew she had hit the mark. "Guess you're not as decisive as I thought."
"This has nothing to do with Sakiko. Tomori is just scared right now. If we push her into a LIVE before she's ready, can you guarantee there won't be any problems?"
"…Is that so?"
Taki studied Soyo, a strange feeling settling in her gut.
She knew what Tomori was afraid of.
Truthfully, she wasn't entirely without fear herself.
Reforming this band wasn't just a new beginning—it was a test for all of them.
"So you think… just practicing in a studio forever is enough?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I just think we should wait until everyone is ready—"
"What if we're never ready? If we keep practicing aimlessly like this, when exactly will we reach this 'ready' you're talking about?"
"…"
Soyo fell silent again, and this time, Taki felt something close to disappointment.
She had believed this new band would be a fresh start.
She had believed Soyo was different now.
She had even been confident that, this time, she could change all the things she had ignored before.
She had expected Tomori to hesitate. She had even anticipated Anon's reaction.
But she hadn't expected Soyo to react like this.
She never thought of Tomori's fear as an insurmountable obstacle.
She never saw Anon's hesitation as an unsolvable issue.
She had believed that, once Soyo arrived, they would find common ground—
That together, the two of them would hold this fragile band together.
"…I'm disappointed in you."
Taki looked at Soyo, who was staring at the ground, lost in thought.
She didn't hold back her frustration anymore.
"All you care about is Tomori, isn't it?"
"…Huh?"
Soyo's head snapped up, her expression darkening.
Had she… just exposed herself?
"For you, does no one else in the band matter? As long as Tomori meets your expectations—gets on stage and sings the songs you want to hear—you're satisfied?"
Soyo's emotions were in turmoil, just like her expression.
On one hand, she felt like the band was only one step away from falling apart.
On the other hand, she was furious that Taki had never cared about Crychic in the first place.
"Have you even considered what would happen if Tomori got on stage and failed? If she gets hurt, have you thought about what that would do to her?"
"…You really haven't changed at all."
"What?"
Taki hadn't planned to be so blunt.
But when she realized that Soyo not only refused to see her own mistakes but was turning the blame on others, she couldn't hold back anymore.
"Tomori needs to overcome her past."
"She needs another chance to step onto a stage."
"Even if she fails, I won't hold it against her."
"But you?"
"You keep saying you're doing this 'for everyone'—when really, you're only doing it for yourself."
"What did you just say?!"
Taki flinched at Soyo's sudden outburst.
Had she… hit a nerve?
After a long silence, she exhaled slowly, her expression unreadable.
"…If you never intended to form a band, then forget it."
"I—"
"Raana-chan, where are you going?"
At that moment, Anon called out toward the entrance, interrupting them.
Taki turned in the direction of the voice—
And sure enough, there was their stray cat, already making her way to the door.
She hadn't even noticed when Raana had arrived.
"Looks like even Raana's had enough of this."
"But that's fine."
"I'll take Tomori and find someone else."
"Trusting you and Anon was clearly a mistake."
"…Is that so."
Soyo's lips curled into a bitter smile—one that could have been either relief or regret.
Why did it feel like… even though she got what she wanted…
She couldn't shake the feeling that she had just screwed everything up?
"…Taki."
"Don't concern yourself with us anymore."
"Isn't Sakiko the only thing that matters to you?"
"…"
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T/N: oooooooo