The next day, lunch break.
After sleeping in Rin Ito's arms all night, Mutsumi went to school as usual. During lunch, she carried her watering can to tend to her beloved cucumbers.
Water droplets slid down the golden cucumber blossoms... much like she had the night before.
Footsteps approached from behind, and a second watering can appeared at the edge of her vision. Soyo was the only person who would join her in this task.
"..."
"Mutsumi-chan..." Soyo's voice broke the silence. "I... I'm not here to ask you about the band. I... I'm just curious. Who was that man you left with after school yesterday?"
"The manager."
"I see... I've never seen him before. I was afraid you were being tricked..." Soyo's voice held a trace of disappointment she didn't even recognize.
If Mutsumi were being scammed, Soyo would have a righteous reason to "help" her and drag her back to Crychic. But if he was a manager, she had no leverage. It could be Mutsumi's choice, or her parents' orders.
Utilizing their resources to find her a professional band after her amateur one failed made sense.
And it wasn't a group of girls playing house like Crychic; it was a professional outfit with an agency.
In that case... Soyo was no longer useful.
Mortis: [She seems disappointed that you weren't being scammed~]
Mortis: [She looks like she's about to break. Your comment about Crychic not being needed really hurt her.]
"I'm sorry."
Hearing Mortis, Mutsumi apologized to Soyo.
Not just for yesterday, but for everything with Crychic... If she hadn't said she 'never had fun in the band,' maybe they wouldn't have collapsed.
"No, I... I didn't mean it that way." Soyo bit her lip but quickly put on her gentle "Mama" mask. "Why would you say Crychic isn't needed? if you care about the name, Tomori said she isn't rebuilding Crychic, she's making a new band."
Whether the name was Crychic or not didn't matter, as long as Mutsumi joined... then she could find a reason to kick out that girl, Anon.
"No." Mutsumi paused. "I joined a new band. He is the manager for that band."
"Eh?" Soyo went dazed, her watering can hitting the floor with a clatter. She could no longer maintain her gentle facade and instinctively grabbed Mutsumi's shoulders.
Emotionally compromised, Soyo began to shake Mutsumi. In some ways, they were similar—they both had a hollow where a heart should be.
Soyo's parents had divorced when she was young. Unlike Sakiko's father, who only talked about hard work, Soyo's mother actually did the work, earning enough for a luxury apartment and tuition at Tsukinomori.
The cost was Soyo's childhood. She rarely saw her mother. The Nakano sisters had each other, but Soyo was alone... She felt like a child her mother didn't actually need.
Soyo played the role of the "Gentle Mother" at school because she craved being needed; she wanted a home. Crychic had been that home.
Crychic was a gift from a wicked god; the moment she got used to the sunlight, it was ruthlessly snatched away.
"Why... why would you join another band! Why won't you rebuild with us? Crychic's collapse was your fault, so why won't you help me fix it!?"
Joining a band was one thing, but why join a different one instead of Crychic!? Was Crychic really not needed anymore?
Mortis: [Whoa... this person only thinks about herself.]
Mortis: [But you can't lie to save your life... maybe we should just tell her about Sakiko's situation?]
Mutsumi: [No. We can't tell her about Sakiko. And... it was my fault. If I hadn't said that, maybe we wouldn't have broken up.]
Mortis: [Would you have stayed if Sakiko left anyway?]
Mutsumi: [....But she looks so pained.]
Mortis: [Want me to handle it?]
Mutsumi: [Mmh.]
After a split-second internal exchange, Mutsumi handed control to Mortis. Previously, they could only swap under extreme pressure, but now that Rin had broken the barrier between them, they could communicate and swap at will.
Having seized control, Mortis's lips curled into a barely perceptible smirk... while they shared memories, they did not share the same thought process.
Last night was still fresh in her mind.
She couldn't take it. She really couldn't.
Mortis could handle mental stress all day, but physical stress was a shared burden of the body. She felt Rin hadn't even gone full power yet. Her purpose wasn't just to be fucked, but to protect Mutsumi—it just so happened that "being fucked" was the current form of protection.
But that was just last night.
Protecting her didn't have to be limited to the bed.
Last night was just taking the hit for her. If she kept doing that, she'd lose her purpose once Mutsumi got used to it.
Hehe... I really have to survive!
Facing the hysterical Soyo who was shaking her shoulders, Mortis didn't back down. She took a step forward and pulled Soyo into a hug. Mortis, half a head shorter than Soyo, rested her forehead on the girl's shoulder, stroking her back while imitating Mutsumi's voice.
"Calm down, Soyo. Calm down."
"..." Realizing she was being comforted by Mutsumi, Soyo took several deep breaths to regain her composure.
"Mutsumi-chan... can you tell me what happened?" Soyo looked at her with pleading eyes. She didn't realize that the girl in front of her wasn't the honest Mutsumi, but Mortis.
Mortis kept her eyes low, her cold voice tinged with a hint of artificial sorrow.
"My parents introduced the manager to me. He visited them with the heiress of the Okiura family... This is a project personally managed by Karen Okiura. My parents have already agreed."
"I see..." Soyo deflated instantly, her eyes downcast. If that was the case, she was powerless... Even the branch families of the Okiuras had girls at Tsukinomori. She knew exactly what kind of titan that family was.
Crychic... can it really never be rebuilt?
Unless Sakiko...
If Sakiko were here...
If Sakiko stayed...
But there were no "ifs." She didn't even know why Sakiko had left.
The last spark of hope died, and Soyo felt her world turn gray.
Just as she hit rock bottom, Mortis spoke like a wicked savior.
"Do you want me to introduce you to him?"