Bai Qiu smiled, took the bass back, and said nothing.
Instead, he turned toward the railway tracks, wondering when the train was finally going to arrive.
The two sat in silence for a while.
Seeing that Bai Qiu had no intention of explaining himself, Nagasaki Soyo couldn't help speaking first.
"So, you promised Mutsumi that you'd comfort me... and this is how you do it?"
"I did comfort you."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Bai Qiu rested his chin on one hand and replied casually.
"And judging by the results, I'd say it worked pretty well."
"How exactly did you comfort me?"
"You stopped crying, didn't you?"
Soyo took a deep breath.
"You call that comforting? You were clearly making fun of me!"
"Well, it's still better than watching you sink into depression, isn't it?"
Soyo froze.
Was that really his intention?
So... I'd misunderstood him?
For a brief moment, she felt a little touched.
But she quickly pushed that feeling aside.
There was something even more important she needed to do.
She had to find out everything she could about Sakiko.
"Can I ask you a few questions?"
Bai Qiu ignored her.
Soyo pursed her lips and immediately brought up Wakaba Mutsumi again.
"You promised Mutsumi you'd comfort me."
Bai Qiu couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"What does that have to do with comforting you?"
"It does."
Soyo answered with complete seriousness. After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously added,
"It's... about Sakiko."
"I see."
"But I don't really know much about Toyokawa Sakiko."
Bai Qiu answered honestly.
Soyo didn't care whether he admitted it or not and went straight to her interrogation.
"What exactly is your relationship with Sakiko?"
"Top secret."
"That's all?"
"Yep."
Seeing the disbelief written across her face, Bai Qiu asked,
"What else do you think it is?"
Soyo suddenly remembered that he always called her Toyokawa-san instead of by her first name.
Thinking about it that way, his answer actually sounded believable.
She continued.
"Which school does Sakiko attend?"
"..."
Bai Qiu hesitated.
Should I tell her?
From what he had seen, Toyokawa Sakiko clearly didn't want Soyo to know.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Soyo stared at him.
"Even if you don't answer... I can guess."
"She's at Sakuragaoka, isn't she?"
Judging from Bai Qiu's reaction, she became increasingly confident in her deduction.
"Well, if you've already guessed, why ask me?"
Bai Qiu's response was basically an admission.
Soyo felt as though she'd just won a major victory.
Joy and satisfaction welled up inside her.
Then another thought struck her.
That means Tomori probably knew too...
How unfair.
How awful.
The whole world knew where Sakiko was...
Except me.
She looked back at Bai Qiu.
"Why didn't you tell me last time?"
She was referring to the previous time they had talked about Toyokawa Sakiko at RiNG.
At that moment, Bai Qiu suddenly lowered the hand that had been supporting his face.
His expression turned unexpectedly serious as he looked directly at Soyo.
She jumped.
"W-What's wrong?"
"Why do I feel like you're interrogating a criminal?"
Bai Qiu asked with mock dissatisfaction.
"I... I wasn't..."
"I'm sorry..."
Soyo immediately softened.
The last thing she wanted was for Bai Qiu to stop telling her anything about Sakiko.
"Mm-hmm. Watch your attitude, Soyo."
Bai Qiu nodded in satisfaction.
Biting her lip, Soyo asked gently,
"Then... do you know why Sakiko quit the band?"
Bai Qiu shook his head.
"How would I know?"
Disappointment flashed across Soyo's face.
Then Bai Qiu continued,
"But if I had to guess... it probably has something to do with her family."
"Her family?"
"How do you know?"
Soyo immediately pressed him.
If she could figure out why Sakiko had left, maybe she could bring her back.
"I don't know."
"That's why I said it was only a guess."
His reasoning was simple.
A wealthy young lady suddenly transferring from an elite academy to an ordinary school.
On top of that, he'd seen Toyokawa Sakiko working several different part-time jobs.
Something had probably happened to her family.
Most likely...
It involved money.
That's how these melodramas always go.
"I see..."
After hearing his theory, Soyo fell into deep thought.
A family problem...
Could it be that Sakiko's parents wouldn't allow her to play in a band?
No...
It can't be something that simple.
Then another possibility crossed her mind.
Could her parents have divorced too... just like mine?
If that were true...
It would make perfect sense why Sakiko no longer had the heart to continue with the band.
But—
I've been through something like that before.
If that's really the case...
Then I know how to comfort her.
"Alright, that's enough."
"The Q&A session is over."
"I won't be telling you anything else."
"I've already made an exception by talking this much."
Bai Qiu suddenly cut her off.
The only reason he'd answered so many questions was because she'd been so dejected after Toyokawa Sakiko's harsh words earlier that day.
Personally, he also thought it would have been better if Sakiko had clearly explained why she'd left the band.
But since she herself didn't want to explain—
And didn't want any contact with Soyo—
He chose to respect her wishes.
"But that's not—"
Soyo wanted to protest.
She still wanted to hear Bai Qiu's analysis.
As unwilling as she was to admit it...
She couldn't shake the feeling that he understood Sakiko's thoughts better than she did.
However, when she saw the seriousness in his eyes, she reluctantly abandoned the idea.
Her gaze flickered as she quietly asked,
"Then... how did you and Sakiko meet?"
"That one I can tell you."
Bai Qiu nodded.
He began recounting the story of the first time he'd met Toyokawa Sakiko.
Soyo listened intently.
Before long, her brows knitted tightly together.
"So you really did bully Sakiko."
"You're awful!"
The person who had caused Sakiko to fall and hurt herself...
...had somehow ended up becoming her close friend.
Sakiko really is too kind...
Just as Soyo was about to demand an explanation—
The roar of an approaching train echoed through the station.
Bai Qiu immediately stood up, his face lighting with relief, and walked toward the platform.
Whether he'd even heard what Soyo had just said was anyone's guess.
Feeling completely ignored, Soyo stomped her foot anxiously and called after him,
"Wait!"
"Getting home comes first."
And with that, Bai Qiu boarded the arriving train.
-------------------
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