In Tsukinomori Girls Academy... Soyo, who was in class, felt her head getting dizzier and dizzier.
She knew it must be because she didn't sleep well last night, which probably caused her to fall ill.
"Report, teacher, I'm feeling a bit unwell."
"Ah, then hurry to the Infirmary and have a look..."
Seeing that Soyo's condition was indeed not good, the teacher on the podium also hurriedly waved her hand.
"Teacher, let me accompany Soyo to have a look. I feel like Soyo's condition is very poor."
"Alright, off you go—watch your step."
The girl beside her answered, then half-carried Soyo straight to the infirmary.
"It's not looking good; the fever's high. I'll give her an injection first."
"Thank you for the trouble…"
"No problem. You still have classes, don't you? I'll stay and keep an eye on her."
"Okay, thank you again…"
With a polite reply the girl turned and left.
Though she'd spent time with Soyo, she always felt the girl's personality was a bit fake.
Helping her to the infirmary was enough—waiting here like a best friend was more than she was willing to give.
Besides, the doctor was inside; that was already more than sufficient.
The doctor glanced at the departing girl but thought nothing of it.
She took a vial from the cupboard, mixed it quickly, and set up the IV for Soyo.
Time slipped by; in the blink of an eye it was noon.
After the drip, the previously unconscious Soyo broke into a sweat and felt much better.
She opened her eyes slowly, looked at the IV bottle in front of her, then caught sight of the doctor writing something.
With her free hand she pulled out her phone.
She opened her friends list, ready to send Shouko a message.
But just as she was about to tap Send, she sighed softly and lowered the phone again.
"Before I knew it, I've come to rely on Shouko for everything."
"If Shouko had stepped forward back then, CRYCHIC Band could definitely have stayed together."
"No—how could I think like that…"
"Right—why wait for little Saki and Shouko to reorganise everything? Why can't I do it myself?"
"As long as I can pull it back together, once little Saki finishes her own business… hee-hee…"
"Then CRYCHIC Band will set sail again—Shouko, little Saki, everyone."
"Sounds wonderful…"
She lifted her phone once more, found Rikki, Mutsumi and Tomori in her contacts.
Then, tailoring her tone to each of their personalities, she fired off several messages.
When she was done, a fresh headache came over her; she wanted to rest a little longer.
The doctor, who had noticed she was awake, rose and walked over to check on her.
"Student, you're better, but you still need plenty of rest when you get home."
"Which class are you in? I'll inform your teacher—you'll probably need to stay home for three or four days."
"I've written your prescription and left it by your pillow; don't forget to take it with you."
"Also, have a family member pick you up; going home alone might be too much."
Listening, Soyo opened her eyes, gave a weak smile of thanks, and briefly explained her situation.
"All right, rest a bit more. Sleep a while longer so you'll feel stronger when you leave."
"Thank you…"
After replying to the doctor, she sent another message to Shouko.
She glanced again at the still-unanswered messages from Tomori, Rikki and Mutsumi.
Her earlier excitement quietly sank.
The doctor glanced at her, about to speak, but held back.
Soyo's condition was serious; let her rest a while longer…
Haneoka Girls Academy… Feeling her phone buzz, Rikki stole a look at the teacher, then quietly opened the message from Soyo.
Her thoughts immediately flew to the one person who made her happiest—Tomori.
Soyo's text spoke of restarting a band but gave no details; it was simply an invitation.
There was no doubt Tomori had received the same message.
What would Tomori think? That day, the wretched Sakiko and Shouko had hurt her deeply.
She wanted to ask Tomori, yet her fingers hesitated over the keypad.
CRYCHIC Band had broken up a week ago, and still no word from Tomori.
That day had truly broken Tomori's heart.
She wanted to send a message asking…
Yet the usually decisive Rikki felt genuine fear when facing the person she liked.
She sighed softly and tucked her phone away again.
She lifted her head to listen to the teacher, but her mind tangled in knots... At home, Tomori lay weakly on the bed.
The huge emotional swings two days earlier, coupled with the arrival of her monthly period, had kept her from school these two days; she was resting at home.
Feeling the vibration of the phone beside her pillow, she frowned and picked it up—it was a message from Soyo.
A proposal to reform the band... but she hadn't practiced much lately, and she needed even better grades to get into Haneoka Girls Academy.
After thinking it over, she still didn't reply to Soyo.
She felt that if she agreed now, that day's scene would only repeat itself.
So she had to wait until she was stronger.
She couldn't help humming the song of courage Shouko had sent her.
At Minato School, Shouko, listening to the teacher's special tutoring, felt her phone vibrate.
After apologizing politely, she took out her phone and checked the message.
"She's sick? No wonder her color looked off this morning."
Reading Soyo's message, Shouko said to the teacher, "Sir, my friend is ill and her family's tied up at work; I need to go to her early."
"The two young ladies who wait for you at the gate every day?"
"Yes, one of them. Her family's busy; she's alone most of the time. We met through our band."
"Impressive, Shouko—aiming for Tokyo University and already building connections."
The teacher sighed at the petite girl before him.
"Other kids are still playing, unsure what to do with their futures."
"It's fine, sir; being able to play longer is nice. I just want my future self to have more time to play—after all, who doesn't like fun?"
"Haha, true, but don't rush; we still have a year and a half."
"Then I'll be off, sir..."
"All right, take care on the road."
"Thank you, sir."