Band Girls’ Mixology Mission [171]

“Do you… still remember me?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Uika finally asked the question outright.

How would Kikukawa Kyo respond?

Would she recognize her directly? Shake her head in confusion and say she had no memory at all? Or perhaps the most awkward scenario: that Kikukawa Kyo wasn’t even the same girl from back then?

When Kyo heard Uika’s question, her eyes widened slightly, seemingly a little surprised.

Then she began pondering. If Uika was asking this, it must mean they had met before?

Kyo quickly sifted through her memories but found nothing familiar. Could Uika be mistaken? Kyo considered herself to have a pretty good memory.

Oh, wait.

Suddenly, a possibility dawned on Kyo, her expression turning a bit peculiar.

“Before I answer, can I ask you something first, Uika-san? I want to confirm something.”

“Hmm? Sure,” Uika agreed.

“You’ve probably met me before, right? What was I like back then?” Kyo quickly clarified, “Not my appearance—I mean how I treated you.”

This question seemed to give Uika some insight. Recalling the stark contrast between the current Kyo and the one from her memories…

“Back then, Kyo-chan, whether it was your expressions or the way you spoke, you were very cold,” Uika reminisced, a sense of nostalgia in her voice. For her, those memories were incredibly important.

“In that case, I’m really sorry, Uika-san—I genuinely have no recollection of it.” Kyo smiled apologetically, somewhat embarrassed at suddenly encountering someone who remembered her former self.

“Back then, I probably wouldn’t have bothered remembering anyone easily.”

“Is that so…” Uika’s voice gradually softened. Was she disappointed? Yet this outcome was somewhat expected. Rather, it was reassuring to finally confirm Kyo was indeed that girl. “After all, you probably didn’t even care about it back then.”

“I’m sorry.”

Uika shook her head, “Kyo-chan, there’s no need to apologize. Rather, I should thank you.”

As she spoke, Uika stepped forward, approaching Kyo.

Noticing Uika’s eyes, Kyo’s expression suddenly turned strange. Seemingly suspecting something, she asked worriedly, “Uika-san, you’re just thanking me, right?”

“Yes, why?” Uika was puzzled by Kyo’s reaction, as though Kyo had just thought of something unpleasant.

“Um, I know this might sound overly self-conscious, but for a moment there, I was afraid you might actually be trying to confess to me…”

“Hehehe.” Uika chuckled, “So the Kyo-chan who always jokes around about ‘confessing’ was actually someone who panics when someone confesses, huh?”

“About that…” For once, Kyo seemed a little embarrassed, losing the upper hand. “Well, a lot of things have happened.”

The past is complicated.

“I’m not really the type suited for romance,” Kyo eventually said, an ambiguous, incomplete statement. She even shifted backward slightly, symbolically creating distance as Uika approached.

Noticing this, Uika thoughtfully stopped, standing at a relatively close but comfortable distance.

To see Kikukawa Kyo actually flustered like this. Uika found it strangely fascinating—whether the past or present Kyo, this expression was rarely shown. And it didn’t seem like an act either?

“Actually, the reason I’ve been able to walk the idol path to where I am today is all thanks to you, Kyo-chan,” Uika said earnestly.

Even though Kyo no longer remembered any of this, and perhaps her help back then was merely casual, Uika’s heartfelt gratitude had remained deeply etched in her heart.

“Back then, when I didn’t know which path to choose, it was Kyo-chan who pierced right through my hesitation and self-denial. Truly—you showed me no mercy at all.”

Although it sounded like a rebuke for being overly blunt, Uika smiled joyfully. This was a rare moment since coming to Tokyo where she completely shed all of her pretenses. Even in front of Mana, Uika would normally hide the exhaustion of idol activities.

“And not only did you dispel my anxiety, but afterward, you even suggested a more practical path for me—that was to become an idol.”

“Even though you actually don’t like it?” Kyo didn’t forget she had earlier noticed Uika’s discomfort with sumimi’s style.

“But it truly was the most feasible path to the future I wanted.” Uika gave a resigned sigh, “After all, I’m not talented enough like you all; compromises are inevitable.”

“In my eyes, Uika-san is already amazing. Even though you’re still in high school, you can write lyrics and compose music, your guitar skills are incredible, and your mindset is already so mature.” Kyo listed off Uika’s strengths one by one.

“But it’s still not enough.” Uika interrupted her gently, “I have to become stronger, at least to your level. Only then will I really have the right to be her bandmate.”

“You really have to become like me? That might be tough for you, Uika-san.” Kyo raised an eyebrow. “And who’s this ‘her’? When you said ‘you all’ earlier, did that include her too?”

“Kyo-chan, you’ve changed so much, yet your confidence is still the same,” Uika said lightly, slightly caught off-guard by Kyo’s first comment but not particularly bothered. She had already solidified her goal and would never again wander aimlessly as she had three years ago.

“I want to reach your level, Kyo-chan, because you once played in a band with her. So if I also want to become her bandmate, that’s the bare minimum,” Uika said very seriously.

“Someone I played in a band with…” Kyo immediately guessed who it was. “Sakiko?”

“Yeah.” Mentioning Sakiko, Uika’s expression softened even more.

“If Kyo-chan pointed out the path forward for me, then Sakiko… was the one who opened up a whole new world before my eyes. Now that I think about it, I never imagined you and Sakiko would actually know each other…”

Uika’s voice was deeply affectionate, her beautiful purple eyes shimmering brightly, filled with emotion.

But that brightness suddenly dimmed again.

“Kyo-chan, do you know where Sakiko is now? From a certain day onward, I haven’t heard from her at all.”

Although she didn’t intend to rely on Sakiko’s strength, if she wanted to become her bandmate, she couldn’t even make contact—then it was meaningless.

Uika had asked the right person, for Kyo knew exactly what Sakiko was up to these days.

“She’s doing fine now. Last time she even drank three cups of my tea,” Kyo mentioned casually, referring to the time Sakiko visited VA-11 after finishing work at the bookstore, drinking up her free staff allotment before greedily ordering two more cups.

It counted as one of Sakiko’s rare indulgences, probably.

“Eh?” Uika was momentarily stunned.

Why did it suddenly sound like Kyo and Sakiko’s relationship was far closer than merely former bandmates?

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T/N: HEHE NTR

This is a fan translation of 乐队少女调饮行动 by 林明卿. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!