Sakiko and Tomori had reconciled, and what followed naturally fell into place.
Although Soyo had already gone from fan to anti—and even felt a bit resentful about Sakiko "hogging everything" before—she had no intention of causing trouble in front of Kamijou Mutsuki.
Instead, it was Anon who showed even more enthusiasm than Soyo and the others.
In the end, the one with the worst attitude turned out to be Taki—but she was clearly the classic case of "harsh words, soft heart."
At this point, Sakiko had finally reconciled with her former friends.
Only after truly taking this step did she realize that, just as Kamijou Mutsuki had once said, things weren't nearly as complicated as she had imagined.
As for the twists and turns along the way—she could just treat them as punishment for her past mistakes.
"Looks like everyone's misunderstandings have been cleared up."
Watching this harmonious scene, Kamijou Mutsuki smiled and spoke.
"In that case, let me tell everyone about Sakiko's story from before."
"Eh?"
Sakiko, who was still immersed in reconnecting with her old friends, blinked in confusion, not quite reacting yet.
"Don't be fooled by how Sakiko looks like she doesn't care about anything. Before, when she got 'cut off' by Tomori, she was so heartbroken she rolled around on the floor, crying and making a scene."
"Waaah, so pitiful~"
That cold and elegant Sakiko… had done something like that?
Just imagining the scene Mutsuki described, the girls around couldn't help but struggle to keep straight faces.
Under Taki and the others' smiling gazes, Sakiko's face instantly flushed bright red.
"Who was crying and making a scene?! Don't spout nonsense, you idiot!"
She had cried back then—but it wasn't nearly as exaggerated as he made it sound!
"Actually, Saki-chan had wanted to reconcile with Tomori for a long time, but she was afraid you'd blame her, so—"
"Shut up, you bastard!"
Watching Kamijou Mutsuki casually exposing her embarrassing past, Sakiko felt her sense of shame about to explode. She didn't even dare meet Tomori and the others' eyes.
Her face burned red, as if steam might start rising from her head at any moment.
She rushed forward, trying to stop Mutsuki's "slander."
But of course, she couldn't easily subdue him.
And so, the two of them ended up playfully scuffling back and forth.
Off to the side, watching this scene, Tomori couldn't help but curl her lips into a faint smile.
As for Sakiko, after her relentless efforts, she finally managed to pin down Kamijou Mutsuki.
"You jerk…"
The girl looked down at the boy beneath her, her face flushed red, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and resentment.
But in the end, all those emotions melted into something far more complicated.
"…Thank you."
Sakiko hugged him, leaning close to his ear as she softly whispered those words.
She knew very clearly—if it hadn't been for that final push from the song, with her stubborn personality, who knew how long it would have taken for her to truly reconcile with Tomori and the others.
Even though Kamijou Mutsuki usually acted carefree and unserious, he truly cared about her.
This guy…
Sakiko stared blankly at the boy beneath her, her gaze slightly unfocused.
If you keep being like this… how am I supposed to hold myself back?
Mutsumi… I'm sorry!
Murmuring that in her heart, the girl could no longer restrain herself and leaned down.
"Mmm—"
Although Sakiko had already had an "accidental" kiss with Mutsuki before, this time—was her true first kiss.
The girls watching from the side couldn't help but blush at Sakiko's sudden bold move.
Well… Soyo, on the other hand, looked like she was grinding her teeth.
Seriously?! You've already been on a date all day and you're still kissing?!
And right in front of everyone?!
And making me watch it?!
Tch, disgusting!
After scheming all day and gaining absolutely nothing, Soyo suddenly felt a wave of sorrow wash over her.
She couldn't help but think of Mutsumi, and angrily pulled out a cucumber, biting into it viciously.
If it weren't for her interfering, how could her plan have failed again and again?
That inherently evil little cucumber gremlin—one day, she, Soyo, would personally…That damn scumbag!
Taki, watching from the side, felt an inexplicable irritation rise in her chest.
As for Anon, seeing the two suddenly start kissing, she felt completely unable to process it.
Wait—weren't you just messing around? How did that suddenly turn into a kiss?!
What the hell, you even turned playing around into flirting now?!
A strange, pent-up frustration welled up inside her.
Kamijou Mutsuki already had Mutsumi as his fiancée, yet Sayaka was still willing to be his girlfriend.
Soyo was no longer hiding her feelings either. Tomori's relationship with him was ambiguous. Even Taki, who had originally rejected him the most…And now—even Sakiko had fallen.
What was so good about this scumbag?
He was clearly entangled with so many girls—so why did everyone act like it was completely natural?
Could it be… that the one who wasn't normal was actually her?
Anon couldn't help but fall into self-doubt.
Because of Sakiko's sudden action, the previously harmonious atmosphere became a bit subtle.
However, Sakiko—who quickly calmed down and then blushed furiously—didn't notice the shift in mood at all.
And so, that day's practice ended under this somewhat awkward atmosphere.
Even though the knot that had long troubled her had been untied, Sakiko's mood didn't improve much.
Because back home, there was still something important she needed to face.
"You're back?"
When Sakiko and Kamijou Mutsuki returned home together, Mutsumi had already prepared dinner.
It was just a casual question, but Sakiko felt as if she were being interrogated, instinctively swallowing nervously.
"Mutsumi…"
After thinking for a while, Sakiko finally found a chance to speak with her alone and decided to come clean.
"About my date with Mutsuki today…"
For some reason, Sakiko felt like Mutsumi's body trembled slightly.
In truth, what Sakiko didn't know was that Mutsumi—the "official fiancée"—also felt a bit guilty.
After all, even though she held that position, today had been Sakiko's date—and she had allowed it.
What she did… wasn't exactly honorable.
Wasn't she no different from Soyo?
So when she heard Sakiko's words, a thought instantly crossed Mutsumi's mind—
Had Sakiko discovered what happened between her and Kamijou Mutsuki in the fitting room?
Even if it wasn't quite right… this could still count as her rightful privilege as his fiancée, right?
That's right—her rights as the fiancée were absolute!
Besides, if she hadn't intervened, Sakiko's date today wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
Thinking this way, the girl quickly steadied her emotions.
"…You probably already know, Mutsumi?"
Sakiko, of course, had no idea what she was thinking, still immersed in her guilt over betraying her childhood friend.
....................