Chapter 79: The Person Who Knows How to Talk Wins the Moment They Open Their Mouth
With a creak, the locked door opened.
It was special. In high-end apartments like this, entering required either an access card or a call to the resident upstairs to remotely open the door. The person who had pressed the doorbell at Nagasaki Soyo's home was Wakaba Mutsumi, carrying her school bag.
Although Hikigaya-kun had told her to give Soyo the "cold treatment," Mutsumi simply couldn't stop worrying whenever she remembered Soyo's low, completely "broken" appearance. Furthermore, Mutsumi had learned from text messages sent by former band members that Soyo had already quit the second CRYCHIC team—the one originally formed specifically to lure Sakiko back into the fold.
Taki had even tried to get Mutsumi to give them Soyo's home address, but Mutsumi naturally wouldn't do such a thing. Thus, she thought she would come over in the morning to check on her, even though Soyo might not want to see her either.
Mutsumi was prepared to be turned away at the door. Because Soyo's actions seemed like a complete attempt to cut ties with Tomori, Taki, and the others, the pessimistic Mutsumi felt she wouldn't be an exception.
"How wonderful, Soyo didn't cut off Mumu-tan."
But this wasn't Mutsumi's inner voice; it was a voice that appeared directly by her ear.
Mutsumi gave a small sigh. On her usually expressionless face, a flicker of irritation appeared.
"At Soyo's place, you can't be that noisy."
Because surrounding Mutsumi was a noisy, light-green little bird that only she could see. This little fellow had been rowdy since the morning. Having just been scolded by Mutsumi, it had now decided to start singing.
"Mutsumi loves little yellow flowers, because your world is just like them—blooming in obscurity, growing in silence.
But how can a wooden carving become human?"
This green bird actually looked quite cute from the outside. It was fluffy, round, and about the size of a fist. With its round head and sesame-sized eyes, it looked very much like a Monk Parakeet. However, this bird was human-like enough to wear a tiny mortarboard (doctoral hat), and around its neck hung a wooden plaque.
On it was written: "The person who knows how to talk wins the moment they open their mouth."
The little fellow flapped its wings, circling Mutsumi as if treating her like a tree stump. The parrot bobbed its head and sang to Mutsumi; the singing was actually pleasant to the ear.
"This is the punishment for a puppet who has developed attachments; quietly, Soyo walks away."
It was just that the lyrics the bird sang were far too "presumptuous" for Mutsumi, as if they were insinuating something.
Mutsumi had suddenly discovered this bird standing by her bedside when she woke up this morning. At first, she was startled, thinking it had flown in because a window was left open. But it wasn't so; for some reason, only Mutsumi could see this parrot.
Mutsumi had asked the maid. Even though the parrot was flapping its wings right in front of them, they said they didn't see a bird at all. They even asked if the Young Lady had produced hallucinations because she stayed up too late practicing in the basement last night.
Last night, due to the situation with Soyo, Mutsumi couldn't sleep at all and had been practicing with her guitar.
"Such a big bird, and you didn't see it?"
Refusing to believe it, Mutsumi took out her phone to take a photo of the bird to show the maids. But when she aimed the camera at the bird, the screen showed a distorted, glitched image. The phone screen showed nothing there, yet when she moved the lens away from the bird, the phone returned to normal.
Mutsumi felt in her heart that this was related to a wish she had made before going to bed.
Mutsumi felt guilty toward Nagasaki Soyo, believing that the way Soyo was now was inextricably linked to her. If only she could communicate properly... unfortunately, more often than not, Mutsumi would say just one sentence that would make Soyo feel uncomfortable.
[I want to learn how to speak]—this was Mutsumi's wish. She felt that if she continued like this, she would completely lose Soyo as a friend.
She just hadn't expected that the very next day, this noisy bird would appear at her bedside.
Mutsumi was stunned at the time. A parrot wearing a doctoral hat with a wooden sign saying "The person who knows how to talk wins the moment they open their mouth" had nodded at her quite humanly and let out an "Oi~" sound, as if greeting her for the first time.
But up until now, Mutsumi hadn't discovered the true purpose of this bird.
If there was anything different, it was that the bird was exceptionally noisy, filling the silence of Mutsumi, who couldn't manage a single sentence for half a day.
Mutsumi had once thought about releasing the bird. But strangely, the bird seemed to have "claimed" her and refused to leave. Or rather, it wasn't that it refused to leave, but that it could only appear within a one-meter radius of Mutsumi.
Unable to drive it away, Mutsumi could only tacitly allow the bird to follow her.
Earlier in the car, the bird had been sitting quietly on top of Mutsumi's head, as if treating her hair like a nest. But upon arriving at the base of Nagasaki Soyo's apartment, the bird became incredibly excited and even started singing.
However, the lyrics remained far too presumptuous for Mutsumi.
"What 'punishment for a puppet who has developed attachments'..." "Are you being polite?"
To Mutsumi, both Togawa Sakiko and Nagasaki Soyo were special. The bird's sarcasm seemed to be mocking Mutsumi for being like a puppet who didn't understand the human heart.
The greatest tragedy for a puppet is to no longer be loved and to be forgotten. The distancing of Nagasaki Soyo and Togawa Sakiko was incredibly painful for Mutsumi.
Mutsumi's emotional defenses crumbled in that moment; she was so frustrated she wanted to cover the bird's mouth, but the bird was more agile than she imagined and couldn't be caught.
Although the parrot's voice seemed inaudible to anyone but Mutsumi, listening to it alone was annoying enough.
Fortunately, to Mutsumi's relief, after the elevator reached the 24th floor, the noisy bird seemed to have seen something terrifying. It shrunk like a frightened quail, hiding perfectly within Mutsumi's long hair on her shoulder. Forget speaking; it didn't even dare to move.
The bird's abnormality was quite obvious. Especially as they got closer to Soyo's floor, the bird actually started trembling.
Though it felt strange, Mutsumi enjoyed the long-lost silence and said nothing.
Upon reaching Soyo's floor, Mutsumi rang the doorbell. She didn't have to wait long before the door opened. But the sight of Nagasaki Soyo at the door made Mutsumi's pupils shrink.
Because Soyo looked far more disheveled than she had imagined.
With her hair in disarray, Soyo looked quite pathetic and miserable. Her clothes were wrinkled, as if she hadn't changed since yesterday, and her eyes were particularly red, as if she had just been crying. Her knees were also red, as if she had been kneeling on the floor doing something just now.
What made Mutsumi feel even worse was that she actually smelled a faint scent of alcohol on Soyo.
"..."
Realizing Soyo had been drinking made Mutsumi's grip on her school bag tighten.
And this dip in her emotional state seemed to provide massive nourishment to the bird on her head. The bird, which had been completely buried in the hair on her shoulder, now dared to boldly poke its head out, though its body remained hidden.
"Come in, Mutsumi-chan."
Facing Mutsumi, who had suddenly come to her door, Nagasaki Soyo still couldn't find the heart to cut her off alongside the other former band members. After all, Mutsumi was one of her few close friends; if she cut her off harshly too, Mutsumi would cry.
.
.
.
Watching the familiar figure appear at Nagasaki Soyo's door, Hikigaya Hachiman recognized her instantly. This was the first client he had found for the Service Club.
Hachiman was currently on the second floor of Soyo's home—specifically, in Soyo's room.
Soyo did not want to expose Hachiman's presence to Mutsumi. After discovering Mutsumi had come to find her, she placed Hachiman in her room; if he stayed in the living room, he would be spotted.
Unlike the downstairs area which lacked any "lived-in" feel, Soyo's room had a strong personal touch. The air was filled with the scent of aromatherapy. Hachiman could see a cello placed in the corner, and the cosmetics and jewelry on the dressing table were all arranged very neatly.
The only strange thing was that Soyo seemed different from other girls in that she didn't like plushies; not a single one appeared in the room. Even in Yukinoshita's room, Hachiman knew without thinking that there would be many Pan-san plushies.
Hachiman didn't really want to eavesdrop on a conversation between "plastic sisters," but Mutsumi today was particularly different.
He had seen Mutsumi through the video doorbell earlier, so he wasn't too surprised—after all, Mutsumi and Soyo were originally good friends. What truly surprised Hachiman was the little fellow standing on Mutsumi's shoulder at this moment.
"A Cursed Spirit?"
Hachiman could see a Monk Parakeet, the same hair color as the girl, secretly perched on Mutsumi's shoulder. This bird was even wearing a doctoral hat. When Hachiman saw the words written on the wooden plaque hanging from the bird's neck, it made him feel a bit amused.
No, it wasn't a collection of human malice. That little bird felt more like a semi-finished Innated Technique effect to Hachiman.
He thought the thing was very strange—a parrot-like little creature, small in size with almost no physical threat. Yet it gave off the impression of being a cursed product formed by the Cursed Technique Reversal.
Gojo Satoru's second most destructive technique, "Red", was formed using Cursed Technique Reversal. In other words, the "Parrot's" tiny body seemed to contain great energy; one would suffer greatly if they underestimated it.
What Hachiman found strange was how Mutsumi's internal cursed energy levels, after not seeing her for a few days, were many times higher than before—already reaching the level of an ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer.
'Could it be because she was targeted by Nagasaki Soyo yesterday that Mutsumi suddenly awakened?'
Hachiman felt that while Mutsumi rarely spoke, it didn't mean her inner world wasn't rich. Such people were very suited to being Jujutsu Sorcerers.
He knew Mutsumi still valued Soyo as a friend. Hachiman had long since seen many related images in Soyo's memories. Mutsumi would even put on an expressionless "sour face" despite a successful live show just because Sakiko was being too nice to Soyo.
Mutsumi cared deeply for Soyo; otherwise, she wouldn't have called him for a video chat the moment she noticed Soyo had "broken." That little fellow was likely the manifestation of Mutsumi's semi-awakened Innate Technique. Realizing this, Hachiman found it quite amusing.
Hachiman had thought that if Mutsumi awakened a technique, it would definitely be something related to cucumbers.
.
.
.
"I'm sorry, Mutsumi-chan."
Although Soyo was annoyed that Mutsumi had interrupted her time with Hikigaya-kun, she couldn't bring herself to hate Mutsumi. She even felt deep guilt for her harsh treatment of Mutsumi yesterday.
"Mutsumi-chan did nothing wrong. The one who was wrong was me."
Soyo had completely thought it through now. Realizing that it was impossible for Sakiko to ever return, she had let it go. Putting herself in Mutsumi's shoes, being a messenger caught between her and Sakiko was indeed difficult for this "Mumu-blockhead."
Now that there were no conflicting interests between them, Soyo wasn't as sensitive. Soyo also remembered the excessive things she had done to Mutsumi before, even using PUA tactics on her.
"Forgive me for doing many terrible things to you yesterday."
Soyo stepped forward and directly hugged Mutsumi, reaching out to pat the girl's back.
"I am truly sorry for hurting you, Mutsumi-chan.
It's okay now, Mutsumi-chan.
I won't force you to answer anything about Saki-chan anymore."
As she was hugged by Soyo, the distinct smell of alcohol on the girl became even stronger, causing Mutsumi to instinctively frown. Moreover, Soyo's words about Sakiko made Mutsumi freeze.
Originally, Mutsumi thought Soyo was cutting ties with the members of the second team simply because they couldn't provide information about Sakiko like she could. But looking at it now, Soyo had clearly fallen into despair and given up on herself.
"I'm fine."
Mutsumi was about to say worryingly, "But Soyo, you've really broken."
Because in Mutsumi's eyes, for the once-obsessive Soyo to suddenly not care about Sakiko anymore—how was that any different from being "broken"? It was clearly self-abandonment.
But Mutsumi didn't realize that saying it like that wouldn't sound like concern. It would sound like a condescending, "Instead of worrying about me, why don't you worry about yourself?" tone that would only make people angry.
However, the bird on Mutsumi's shoulder immediately let out a sharp, startled screech, like an alarm. It instantly caused Mutsumi to swallow the words she was about to say.
"What is it, Mutsumi-chan?"
Soyo suddenly felt Mutsumi tremble and asked with concern.
"It's nothing."
Mutsumi remained silent for a moment and then said mechanically:
"Soyo, I was really worried yesterday.
Now that Soyo seems to be in much better spirits, I am relieved."
Hachiman, however, noticed that what Mutsumi said seemed to be the words the parrot had spoken.
'How did Mutsumi become like this so quickly?'
The fact that Mutsumi said so many words at once on her own made Soyo look at her with new eyes.
"Thank you."
She hugged Mutsumi even tighter.
"I'm fine now, Mutsumi-chan.
Let's go to school together in a little while.
So, Mutsumi-chan, could you wait for me downstairs for a bit?"
"Eh?"
Mutsumi felt it was strange. She had barely said a few words to Soyo; why did she seem in such a hurry to send her away?
"I had insomnia last night and drank some red wine to help me sleep, and I only just woke up," Soyo said in a gentle voice, twirling her hair around her finger.
"So I haven't tidied myself up yet."
Mutsumi simply said it instinctively, because since Soyo had just hugged her, the smell of alcohol was particularly clear.
"Yes, there is indeed a smell on Soyo-san."
She spoke so quickly that even the parrot on her shoulder didn't have time to react.
"Eh?"
The warm, gentle smile on Soyo's face nearly cracked. Her expression changed instantly.
"Get out!"
Before Mutsumi could even react, she found herself shut outside the door.
"???"
Inside, Mrs. Soyo was flushed red, breathing heavily. She was clearly incensed by Mutsumi's words.
"Mutsumi-chan... she really says anything!
And... do I really have a smell?!"
Suddenly realizing this, Nagasaki Soyo couldn't stand it. It felt worse than death. She immediately decided to take a bath and no longer stayed to have a meal with Hikigaya-kun.
Who would have thought that a single sentence from Mutsumi would result in both of them being kicked out of Soyo's home?
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