For this long-awaited meeting, Nagasaki Soyo arrived at the appointed place nearly an hour early.
However, when she saw the figure following behind the person she had longed to see day and night, the expression of infinite anticipation on her face instantly turned to shock.
"...Eh? Chi-Chihaya-san?"
She stared blankly at the completely unexpected figure, murmuring in a tone of disbelief:
"Why are you here... And, Sakiko, that uniform you're wearing is..."
"It's been a long time... Soyo."
Just as she had a year ago in [CRYCHIC], Togawa Sakiko said to Nagasaki Soyo with a smile:
"Today, let's say everything we want to say, all at once."
...
In the fifth grade, Nagasaki Soyo lost her complete family due to her parents' divorce.
After that, her mother achieved great success in her career, not only allowing her to live in a luxury apartment but also enabling her to enroll in a prestigious girls' academy.
However, behind this glamorous facade, the huge, empty rooms prevented her from ever feeling the warmth of a family. And in order to play the part of a proper "young lady," the deep-seated fatigue and sense of disharmony in her heart made it difficult for her to ever truly fit in.
Unable to find a place where she belonged, she was like a ghost adrift in the world, living a lonely and tiring life—until the appearance of Togawa Sakiko and [CRYCHIC].
Whether it was the recognition of her playing ability or the sincerity with which they truly accepted her, it all made Soyo feel an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and happiness.
For her, compared to the empty luxury apartment and the prestigious school she could never fit into, [CRYCHIC] was the only place that could give her heart a sense of belonging.
"The time we spent together forming [CRYCHIC] was truly the happiest time of my life... Even now, it is my only spiritual support."
At this, she suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on the Togawa Sakiko sitting before her with utmost sincerity.
"So... I'm begging you, Sakiko. I don't know why you decided to quit back then, but since you've come back to us, let's reform [CRYCHIC]! This time, I'll cherish this band more than ever before, and I'll cherish you more than ever before. If you'll just come back, I'll do anything for you!"
Towards the end, Soyo's voice began to tremble slightly. Her once upright and straight posture could no longer be maintained as her shoulders shook.
"I'm really begging you, please don't just... end everything on your own terms again like before..."
"You're not the only one who treasures that time, Soyo."
In contrast to the emotional Soyo, Sakiko just sat there quietly, her expression as calm as it was when she first sat down.
"Tomori, Taki, Mutsumi, and I... our feelings for [CRYCHIC] might not be the same. But... the desire to cherish that memory is surely the same for all of us."
"Eh!? Really?!"
Thinking that their feelings were in complete agreement, Soyo immediately looked up with a joyous expression.
"So that means, you also want to go back to that time, just like me—"
However, before she could finish her sentence, Sakiko's slight shake of her head instantly froze the joy on her face.
"But the past can only ever be the past, Soyo. Don't you understand yet? Even if the five of us all treasure that time, some things that have been lost are destined never to return."
As Sakiko spoke, she placed a hand on the uniform she was wearing.
"It's not convenient for me to explain in detail, but you can see it, can't you... I'm wearing a Haneoka uniform now, not a Tsukinomori one."
"Isn't that because you moved, so you chose to switch to a school that was closer—"
"Not only that, but besides being an ordinary student, I now have another identity. That is, an apprentice to Chihaya Tetsuya, the vice-designer of the [KaZoKu] studio."
Under Soyo's ever-widening eyes, Sakiko said:
"Besides the time I sleep every day, the rest of my time is spent either at school or at work... and this is my life now."
"Designer... apprentice..."
Soyo's gaze shifted back and forth between Sakiko and Tetsuya several times before she murmured:
"No wonder Chihaya-san came along... Then, Sakiko, your piano—"
"I still borrow the piano in the music room during breaks, but other than that, I don't have much time to practice anymore."
"Your work as a designer's apprentice, do you have to do it every day..."
"Yes. My work hours are from six to ten every evening."
"How could this be..."
Even the slowest person would have understood by now that some kind of major change must have occurred in Sakiko's family.
Immediately, Soyo looked up again and said in an incredibly urgent tone:
"Um, Sakiko! If there's anything I can do to help, you have to tell me! If you need to borrow money, I can ask my mom—"
"Nagasaki Soyo."
Sakiko spoke her full name in an incredibly serious tone.
"If you also treasure our time in [CRYCHIC], then you should understand better than anyone that once that kind of financial relationship exists between us, our originally pure and flawless relationship will be completely tarnished... We will no longer be classmates and friends, but creditor and debtor. Is that the kind of relationship you want to have with me?"
"O-Of course not! Of course I want to be friends with you forever, Sakiko!"
Soyo hurriedly explained.
"But, if I don't do something, then you'll never come back to [CRYCHIC], will you..."
"That's right. And that is the main reason I came to see you today."
As she spoke, Sakiko opened her bag and took out a carefully folded piece of paper.
"Soyo, no matter how much you miss [CRYCHIC], it is destined never to return. Instead of staying stuck in the past, I hope you will place more importance on the present and the future."
"This design sketch is my first work as a designer. It is my first step toward the future, and it is also my apology and my farewell to you—"
"Please, give up on reforming [CRYCHIC]."