"Tomorrow… huh."
Togawa Sakiko stared at the message from Chihiro on her phone, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.
She knew she shouldn't be overly concerned about Chihiro's personal life. After all, they hadn't really spent that much time together. But after several days without seeing that girl sitting beside her, she found it hard to focus at work.
…Then again, even when Chihiro was there, she probably wasn't focusing much either—she'd just keep sneaking glances at her.
"Dad, I'm heading out."
Togawa Sakiko slung her bag over her shoulder. Instead of her school uniform, she was dressed in the outfit she usually wore to work.
Today, she had taken a day off from school. Though to be fair, Haneoka didn't have afternoon classes today anyway.
The reason for her absence?
A job interview.
It wasn't just any part-time job—it was for a position at a music store that specialized in selling instruments. But her responsibilities wouldn't be limited to just handling transactions.
Applicants were expected to have some knowledge of instruments and music—preferably with experience in a band—so they could provide better recommendations to customers.
In other words…
It was practically a job made for her.
At this point, Sakiko no longer cared about hiding her current situation. Sure, she had always looked for jobs far from Tsukinomori to avoid running into people she knew.
But finding a job that was both well-paying and guaranteed to keep her from being recognized?
That was impossible.
Besides, her circumstances were unique—without family support, she had no official proof of guardianship to provide to employers.
Most places wouldn't even consider hiring her.
Landing a customer service job in the first place had already been a stroke of luck.
And meeting Tsuzuki Chihiro there?
That had been another.
But lately, Sakiko had found it hard to survive on just that income. She needed something better.
And this job—this was exactly what she needed.
"..."
Sakiko lingered in the entryway for a few seconds.
Her father was still as unresponsive as ever.
Letting out a quiet sigh, she stepped out the door.
The store was in Shibuya, so she needed to take the subway.
"Sunkei Music, huh?" Sakiko muttered to herself, frowning slightly.
The name sounded… oddly familiar.
Oh.
That's when it clicked.
The surname Tsuzuki had an uncommon reading—"Tsuneki."
Remove the "T" at the start, shuffle the placement of the "e," and what do you get?
Sunkei.
"…What am I even thinking? This place probably has nothing to do with Chi-chan."
Still, as the train carried her toward Shibuya, Sakiko found herself lost in thought.
One thing was a trivial matter—her grandfather had called a few days ago, saying he wanted to introduce her to someone.
Sakiko knew she had no interest in attending any high-society networking events. No doubt, this "someone" was just another person trying to convince her to go home.
And bringing up the whole "failed at the whole band thing, huh?" angle…
As if she… well…
Never mind. Not worth talking about.
But the second thing—
That was Chihiro's message.
Especially the part where she mentioned family matters.
At first, Sakiko had assumed Chi-chan hadn't been around because she was busy at Soyo's place.
But on second thought… that explanation didn't quite hold up.
If she had reconnected with other family members who were willing to support her…
That would make a lot more sense.
But if that were the case—
Would that mean she'd be seeing even less of Chi-chan from now on?
If she got this job at the music store, and the pay was good enough, she'd definitely consider quitting her current customer service job.
And Chi-chan…
Between living at Soyo's place and her complicated family situation, her shifts at the call center would inevitably become less and less frequent.
"…Well, I guess that's a good thing for her."
Sakiko thought about it seriously.
Chi-chan had it much harder than she did.
If she had found a better way to live, if she had found people who could truly help her—even if that person was Soyo—
Then that was infinitely better than being stuck with someone like Sakiko, who couldn't even take care of herself.
Meeting Chi-chan had been a stroke of luck.
But if the two of them had stayed trapped in that customer service job together forever, that would've been nothing but misfortune.
"Ah… I'm here."
After getting off the subway and following the map for a while, Sakiko finally arrived at Sunkei Music.
The moment she stepped inside, she was surrounded by rows upon rows of familiar instrument brands.
Aside from the ultra-luxury models with jaw-dropping price tags, all the well-known names were here—ESP, Yamaha, Roland, and more.
And the store itself was huge.
Without this kind of space, there was no way they could house so many different types of instruments.
Whoever owned this place…
Must be someone incredible.
Standing at the front counter, Sakiko felt a little nervous.
Even if she ended up working here, most of the time she'd just be watching other people chase their dreams.
Meanwhile…
She would only be standing on the sidelines.
…No, wait.
Once she became a store employee, she wouldn't even be on the sidelines.
She'd have to smile at every customer.
---
"So slow."
At a café in Shibuya, Kawaragi Momoka leaned back in her seat, complaining as she watched Tsuzuki Chihiro finally arrive.
Compared to her lukewarm attitude, however, the other two at the table lit up when they saw Chihiro approaching.
Momoka glanced at them and sighed.
Fine, maybe she could understand why Iseri Nina, that little fool, was so easily swayed by this fox.
But Awa Subaru, too?
Why did she look so excited and eager?
"Seriously, why does a bassist not even own a bass?"
Momoka shook her head, torn between exasperation and amusement.
But now that her initial biases were fading, she found herself at least a little curious about today's plans.
She just hoped Chihiro's bass skills weren't completely hopeless.
Still…
Looking at the people gathered here today, she couldn't shake the feeling that this band of theirs was treading on dangerous ground.
Thinking back to last night's discussions in their LINE group chat, Momoka rested her chin on one hand and turned her gaze to Subaru.
Her thoughts drifted back to those messages.
"Tsuzuki Chihiro."
For some reason, when Momoka said that name out loud, the rest of the words just slipped out.
"You've said it before, haven't you? That you've been in bands before—but they all ended in failure."
"…Wow. Real polite of you, Momoka-san."
---
...
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