First, she took over the arrangement work for [Ave Mujica] from Sakiko, and then she won the finale position for the [TGC] over Ai.
It all came so suddenly, yet it all made so much sense.
On Sakiko's side, it was because of a lack of time and her personal desire to spend some of her time studying fashion design. As for Ai, it was because she had already secured the [First Look] gig, and her runway walk was slightly inferior to Uika's.
Although it seemed like these were all just personal reasons, thinking about it carefully, behind all these personal reasons was the influence of that man.
Sakiko was trying to enter [Starry Sky] as soon as possible to help him, and Ai's slight drop in runway proficiency was because she spent too much time and energy on him.
...
Come to think of it, hadn't she herself come to where she was today under his influence as well?
If it weren't for her yearning for that sparkling performance outfit, if it weren't for her longing for the trust between him and Sakiko, she definitely wouldn't have actively involved herself and worked hard alongside the two of them...
"But even if we're comrades who advance and retreat together... aren't those two being a bit too relaxed and letting their guard down around me?"
During the break in the recording session, Uika looked at Ai again, as if wanting to see if her mood had changed compared to the morning. As for the result... apart from Ai returning a curious and slightly puzzled look, Uika got nothing. She really seemed not to mind that Tetsuya had stayed over at Uika's place last night, and had absolutely no intention of getting to the bottom of what happened between them...
It seemed Ai's attitude wasn't going to change.
Then what about Sakiko?
Had she also realized the truth like Ai, and would she express dissatisfaction with what Uika had done?
Coincidentally, [Ave Mujica] was starting a new round of rehearsals tonight. She would pay attention to Sakiko's reaction then.
With that thought in mind, Uika quietly waited for evening to arrive...
...
"Regarding our band's second original song, I've decided on the style... We're going to play 'melodic metal' this time!"
Togawa Sakiko said with brimming confidence, "Since we'll be using orchestral instruments again this time, I've already asked Soyo to speak with the brass band and orchestra clubs at Tsukinomori Girls' Academy. As soon as the arrangement is done, they can come help at any time!"
Hearing this, Yuutenji Nyamu raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Heh... The young ladies of the prestigious school are surprisingly easy to talk to."
"Well, the completion and results of our first original song were very good. Plus, the compensation we offered is very generous. Even for these well-off young ladies, there's no reason to refuse," Sakiko explained. "More importantly, the drum arrangement this time will probably be much more complex than the first song. You better be mentally prepared."
"Okay~"
"..."
While Sakiko was talking with the other band members, Uika silently observed her every action.
At least from the way she was giving orders, her state seemed no different from usual—
"Uika."
Just as Uika was still trying to analyze Sakiko's current mood and thoughts, Sakiko called her name first.
"Before we start practicing, could you come with me for a moment? I have something I want to talk to you about alone."
"Eh?"
Here it comes.
As if finally waiting for a long-anticipated scene, Uika felt more of a satisfaction that her expectations were being answered rather than panic.
So, what exactly is waiting for me?
A interrogation..?
Uika couldn't yet predict from Sakiko's calm expression.
But when she followed Sakiko out of the recording studio and saw what she pulled out, her heart rate immediately spiked.
"This is one of the design sketches Tetsuya-kun gave us this morning."
Sakiko took a neatly folded design sketch from her pocket. Then, under Uika's watchful eye, she slowly flipped it over to reveal the discarded music score on the back.
"And on the back of this sketch... I found a rather interesting melody."
At this point, she looked up, seeking confirmation with her eyes.
"This score... it's your discarded draft, isn't it, Uika?"
I see. Sakiko discovered the truth through the music... As expected of Sakiko, this is much more normal than Ai's method.
While inwardly commenting, Uika asked back with a calm face, "...What makes you say that?"
"Because this melody is very familiar. When we were arranging together before, I heard you play it, so I have a deep impression of it."
Sakiko calmly stated a reason that moved Uika slightly.
However, since the reason was already so clear, there was naturally no point in Uika acting tough. So, the next second, she simply nodded and admitted it.
"That's right. It is my discarded draft."
"I knew it. I knew my memory wasn't wrong."
Getting a positive answer, Sakiko patted her chest in slight relief.
"So that's how it is. Tetsuya-kun went to your place last night..."
After muttering this softly, she continued, "Alright, back to the score. I thought about the new song a bit during the day, and I realized the melody in your discarded draft could perfectly be used for it. So I thought, if [Summer Zodiac] isn't going to use this part, we might as well use it for [Ave Mujica]. What do you think?"
"Of course, that's fine..."
"Mhm, as long as you agree! Well, that's all I wanted to say!"
Seeing Uika agree to her proposal, Sakiko smiled and nodded.
"Let's go back and continue rehearsing!"
With that, she folded the score again and prepared to turn back into the studio.
Seeing this, Uika hurriedly grabbed her.
"...Wait, wait! Isn't this too weird?!"
"Hm? What's weird?"
Sakiko turned back with a confused expression.
"This melody really is quite good. It would be a waste to just discard it..."
"I'm not talking about the new song!" Uika shook her head. "What about the topic of Tetsuya-san staying over at my house last night? Are we just skipping over that?"
Faced with Uika's persistent questioning, the confusion on Sakiko's face deepened.
"Hm? Is there anything to talk about?"
"You've already confirmed your relationship with Tetsuya-san, haven't you? Your boyfriend runs off to stay the night at another woman's house, and you don't have any particular thoughts about it?"
"What do you mean, particular thoughts... He just spent the whole night drawing design sketches there, right?"
Sakiko tilted her head in confusion.
"And judging by his reaction, he doesn't seem to have done anything else worth mentioning."
"Well, that's true. After Tetsuya-san got tired from drawing, he immediately went to sleep on the sofa..."
"So he ended up sleeping on the sofa anyway..." Sakiko muttered softly before continuing, "I really can't think of anything to talk about."
"But... eh? What's going on? Could it be that I'm the weird one here?!"
Faced with Sakiko's matter-of-fact and open attitude, Uika began to doubt her own common sense and perception.
"Is your attitude toward Tetsuya-san really okay? No matter how you look at it, you should be more concerned in a situation like this, shouldn't you?!"
"..."
Hearing this, Sakiko's reaction was very similar to Ai's. After taking a deep look at Uika's expression, she asked back instead, "Speaking of which, I'd rather ask you, Uika... Are you really okay?"
"Eh? Me?"
Uika was made even more confused by this baffling question.
"What could be wrong with me?"
"...I see. Nothing's wrong, then."
For some reason, Sakiko shook her head.
"Let's just leave it at this for now. Let's go in and rehearse, Uika. Don't let the others wait too long."
"..."
For some reason, even though Sakiko hadn't shown even a hint of hostility or suspicion towards her throughout the entire conversation, it actually made Uika feel a bit uneasy.
Both Ai and Sakiko seemed to show unconditional understanding and tolerance towards Tetsuya staying over at her house.
This was simply too strange! Even though they maintained an incompatible level of vigilance towards those French fashion models who had basically zero interaction with him, they had absolutely no reaction towards her.
Was it out of complete trust in her and Tetsuya, or did they simply think her threat wasn't enough to arouse their vigilance?
[If he had gone to someone else's place, I probably would have asked a few more questions. But since it was you...]
[Speaking of which, I'd rather ask you, Uika... Are you really okay?]
Recalling the two's meaningful answers, Uika's lingering frustration was further stimulated. She desperately wanted an answer, but judging from their indifferent attitudes, asking them directly would feel like admitting defeat, like acknowledging her own stupidity and narrow-mindedness...
...
"As expected, I'll have to start from Tetsuya-san's side."
Uika said softly, in a voice only she could hear, "If I take it a step further, what kind of reaction will they have..."
...
To confirm this, Uika made many preparations afterwards.
She bought the slightly firmer pillow he had mentioned before, and prepared another set of toothbrush and toothpaste in a different color but the same style as her own.
Then she prepared a lot of blank paper, pencils, and other tools commonly used for fashion design, so that he would have more convenient drawing tools the next time he came.
After everything was ready, she waited silently for a week, and prepared to send a text message to him as agreed, inviting him over again.
However, the night before the agreed day, she proactively received a message from him.
[Actually, after that, their punishment for me stopped.]
He honestly confessed his situation over the past week.
[Not only did they stop pestering me all the time, they even made proper rules with each other, giving me enough time to rest.]
Even without seeing him face-to-face, just from his voice, it was obvious that he was in a much better state than a week ago.
But precisely because of this, he said the line that Uika could not accept no matter what.
[It seems I won't have to trouble you anymore, Uika. Thank you for being willing to talk to me about this.]
He said in a grateful tone, [Do your best on the "TGC" work-]
"No."
Before he could finish, Uika blurted out.
However, when she realized she hadn't yet thought of a reason why she interrupted him, her tone became slightly panicked.
"Um, didn't I say before? My new song isn't finished yet, so your outfits will likely have to be altered along with it—"
[In that case, can't you just send it to me online after you make progress on the new song?] he asked. [If there are any other problems, we can just contact each other by phone like we are now.]
"Ugh..."
It was true. Simply using the new song as an excuse to invite him over was indeed insufficient. But besides that, could she really find another excuse—
Ah, that's right!
"The [TGC]!"
She hurriedly blurted out the name.
"It's already been decided that I'll be the finale for this [TGC]!"
[Mhm, I heard from Ai,]he said. [She's the "First Look", and you're the finale.]
"Exactly! So before that... I need you to confirm my outfit and styling for the day!"
Uika spoke much faster than usual.
"Because the styling for the day of the [TGC] has to be kept completely secret beforehand, so to prevent any leaks to the outside... doing the confirmation at my house is the most convenient and safest option!"
[Th-This is...]
With only a week left until the [TGC], it seemed like now was the only time to do the final confirmation of the outfits. Plus, the non-disclosure agreement Uika mentioned seemed to be true...
Mmm...
[I understand...]
He said in a slightly hesitant tone, [I'll tell Sakiko and the others later...]
"No, don't tell them!"
Although Uika's tone was still a bit panicked, it was filled with a firmness that he found hard to refute.
"I want to give everyone a surprise on the day of the [TGC], so... you're the only one who can know about this!"
Under the urgent mood and panicked situation, Uika, who had no way back, told a lie on par with one of his.
"So, please do as we agreed before... come to my house alone tomorrow night."
Uika said, "This time, I absolutely must get a clear answer!"