"Moshi moshi, is this Donut Lady?"
After Sakiko contacted Uika, Kamijou Mutsuki also began reaching out to the donut lady.
It wasn't like he wasn't looking forward to the expression she'd make when she learned the truth.
He was certain—it would be quite delicious.
But after thinking it through, he decided it was better to resolve her situation first.
After all, he had already "appreciated" that kind of expression from her plenty of times.
"I'm not a donut, okay?!"
Hearing how Kamijou Mutsuki addressed her, the donut lady's face immediately darkened.
She just liked donuts—that didn't mean she was a donut!
It was all this guy's fault—now everyone kept calling her that!
"Please address me as Miss Mana!"
"Alright, Donut Lady."
"…"
"So, Miss Mana, are you free today?"
"Want to meet and talk?"
If it were before, the donut lady would've assumed the "Demon King" was about to make a move on her and would've started imagining all sorts of indescribable scenarios.
But right now, she wasn't in the mood for that, and immediately wanted to refuse Kamijou Mutsuki's invitation.
After all, her home was practically being stolen by that blue-haired girl!
Just thinking about it made her expression turn aggrieved again.
"I don't have—"
However, just as she was about to refuse, something seemed to cross her mind, and her eyes shifted slightly.
Donut: ???
"Fine. But I'll choose the meeting place—I'll tell you later."
"…Sure."
After reaching an agreement with Kamijou Mutsuki, the donut lady put away her phone and hurried off in the direction Uika had left.
-----------------------------------
"Sorry, Uika."
Whether intentional or not, the place they agreed to meet was the very same bridge from Episode 8 of the anime.
Even more coincidentally, the outfits the two girls were wearing today were exactly the same as in the anime.
Looking at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar girl before her, Uika felt momentarily dazed.
"…for suddenly asking you out."
Sakiko's words pulled her back to reality.
"That's not true,"
She gently tucked the strands of hair blown by the breeze behind her ear and smiled.
"I'm really happy that Sakiko invited me."
"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we talked like this."
Uika's casual remark caused Sakiko's smile to stiffen slightly.
What she said… really was true.
When they were forming CRYCHIC, it went without saying—but after she left CRYCHIC, she had no mood to casually invite anyone out like this.
"It really feels like Saki-chan has changed a lot."
Uika turned around, looking at the lotus leaves and flowers beneath the bridge.
"To be honest, when I reunited with Saki-chan before, I was actually a bit worried."
"It felt like you were carrying something in your heart, but didn't want to talk about it."
"But now, it's much better…"
And who was it that made Sakiko become the way she was now?
Turning to look at her childhood friend, a faint sourness rose in Uika's heart.
However, Uika was far better than Soyo at controlling her emotions—she didn't let Sakiko notice anything at all.
"Saki-chan, about the new band you mentioned…"
After her reflection, Uika brought up the main topic.
But Sakiko gently shook her head.
"Let's talk about that later."
After hearing Uika's words, Sakiko realized she might have been a bit too utilitarian.
Just like in the anime—while it wasn't entirely about using her, a large part of it had indeed been about relying on Uika's abilities to build her "dream team."
Yet Uika's feelings of friendship toward her were completely genuine.
There was still plenty of time—no need to rush.
Spending more time talking with her childhood friend might actually make it easier to invite her into the band.
"Just like you said, it's been a long time since we talked like this."
"It's still early anyway—why don't we walk around together first?"
"We can talk about the band later."
Uika blinked, clearly surprised by Sakiko's suggestion.
But of course, she wouldn't refuse Sakiko's invitation, and nodded with a smile.
"She's… smiling that happily."
Elsewhere, behind a corner, a certain donut lady watched the two girls chatting happily, grinding her teeth.
"When she's with me, Uika never smiles like that…"
"That damn blue-haired girl!"
"Um…"
Standing beside her, Kamijou Mutsuki sounded a bit helpless.
"Could you let go? You're biting my sleeve."
Hearing that, the donut lady snorted and released his sleeve.
"By the way, aren't you curious what Saki-chan wants with Uika?"
Looking at the two girls on the bridge, Kamijou Mutsuki hadn't expected Uika to actually be followed here by the donut lady.
She was surprisingly sharp this time.
But that worked out—it made explaining things easier.
"What else could it be? It's obviously about the band."
Hearing his question, the donut lady replied irritably.
She guessed it?
"What's with that expression?"
Seeing Kamijou Mutsuki's surprised look, her face immediately darkened.
"Are you treating Mana-chan like an idiot?"
"…No."
"Then why are you looking away?"
The girl suddenly began to doubt whether it was a good idea to call him here.
But she didn't dwell on it, and her mood suddenly dropped.
"Forget it. Why am I even arguing with you about this…"
"I can't believe Uika actually…"
"Has she gotten tired of me? Tired of Sumimi? Is she… not coming back anymore?"
"I think things might not be quite what you're imagining."
Looking at the now completely emo donut lady, Kamijou Mutsuki spoke up.
"What do you mean not the same?"
Mana looked at him with a pitiful expression.
"Have you considered this possibility…"
And then, Kamijou Mutsuki explained the "inequality" to her.
"How could I not care?!"
After hearing that Uika wasn't planning to leave Sumimi, the donut lady felt slightly relieved—but still puffed up her cheeks.
After all, Uika was her partner—why should she join someone else's band?!
"And besides—"
Looking at the two girls who had already left the bridge but still showed no intention of parting ways, her cheeks puffed up even more.
"If it's just about the band, why are they still talking?!"
"Maybe they just think the weather's nice and want to walk around together?"
"…Mm."
The donut lady looked at Kamijou Mutsuki and finally said the decision she had made from the very beginning.
"Demon King, let's go on a date together!"
If Sakiko was going to steal her partner, then why couldn't she "steal" Sakiko's person?
This—was the donut lady's way of getting her revenge~
......................