Band Girls’ Mixology Mission [177]

Anyway, Kyo had passed along the message she promised to deliver for Uika, so whatever happened next was entirely up to the two of them.

She settled comfortably back into her seat, took out her tiny spray bottle to replenish some moisture, and then carefully tucked the precious little gadget into the small pocket sewn into her uniform skirt.

Then Kyo immediately slumped onto her desk, eyes half-closed, looking as if she was ready to doze off right there in the classroom.

What? You didn’t actually think Kyo arrived at school this early to study, did you? She’d only rushed here early to test the effectiveness of her new little spray toy.

Now that the test was complete, she had nothing else to do. The classroom’s air conditioning was conveniently running; though some people might criticize the artificial breeze for lacking the soul of natural wind, Kyo would’ve melted away long ago if she waited for nature to cool her down.

In humanity’s thousands of years of invention, air conditioning unquestionably occupied a mighty position among countless creations—firmly holding down a gigantic radish-sized spot on that shining road of progress. A huge radish-sized spot!

But just as Kyo was about to bury her face comfortably in her folded arms, her phone suddenly buzzed. She opened it to find a message from the group chat for the band—which, for now, could probably be considered Anon-led.

[Anon+Tokyo]: Everyone! Let’s meet up at RiNG today! We need to discuss some band stuff!

[KuroShiro_Panda]: Why’s a brat like you the one giving orders?

[Takamatsu_Tomori]: Okay.

[Soyo]: Sure! What time exactly should we meet?

Setting aside Tomori and Soyo, who due to their personalities either didn’t know how to make flashy usernames or simply didn’t like them, Anon Tokyo was adapted directly from Anon London, the username Anon used back when she was living in England. According to Anon herself, she dreamed of establishing a fashion brand someday—and would use precisely that name…

Well… Kyo couldn’t say she agreed with Anon’s naming sense. If they were discussing band matters today, knowing Anon, the first thing she’d say was definitely: “Let’s choose a band name first! It’s literally our face!”

So very Anon-esque, putting heavy emphasis on surface appearances. Still, if Anon wanted to name the band "Anon Tokyo," Kyo would definitely cast a firm opposing vote.

As for KuroShiro Panda, paired with that panda icon, it was naturally Taki—surprisingly, the seemingly unapproachable Taki was actually a devoted panda enthusiast.

Sakiko’s username, meanwhile…currently, she was using the rather simple “Sakiko,” though Kyo distinctly remembered that during her CRYCHIC era, Sakiko had once called herself "Dark Puppet Theatre."

So did growing up inevitably mean leaving behind all those embarrassing chunibyou moments?

Then again, Kyo knew clearly that Sakiko’s chunibyou heart was still pumping steadily, full of darkness—it was merely a snake waiting patiently in the shadows, an eagle gazing coldly from afar, a cat sharpening its claws in secret…

Ugh, wait. Have I been infected by Sakiko’s influence now? Since when was chunibyou contagious? If it really was infectious, the condition would’ve triggered immediate warnings all over society. Imagine teenagers everywhere plunging into endless arrogant fantasies…

How terrifying.

Kyo sneaked a quick glance back at Sakiko. Well, calling it a sneak was being generous—her forced, awkward head-turn was plainly obvious, immediately putting Sakiko on alert, especially sensitive after the incident earlier this morning. With deliberate composure, Sakiko coughed softly and asked Kyo what was the matter.

“Haha, nothing, nothing.”

No way she’d let Sakiko know what she’d been thinking just now—she’d definitely glare at her for that.

Returning to the LINE chat:
If everyone was gathering at RiNG today, she had better join them, hadn’t she? Even if right now, only Soyo knew she was planning to formally join the band.

She was genuinely looking forward to seeing how the other three would react to that announcement.

But first, let’s place a small "heh" right here in advance.

A classroom with air conditioning was like putting oil and water neatly in a glass—perfectly separating the scorching heat outside from the comfortable coolness within. It even significantly reduced Kyo’s daily water intake.

But this created another problem: when the final class ended, and everyone else was eagerly heading off to club activities or home, Kyo remained seated, utterly unwilling to move. The world outside was far too dangerous.

Leave the classroom? Impossible. At the very least, I should be allowed to savor the remaining cool air in here until it completely dissipates!

“Kyo, aren’t you leaving yet?” Even Sakiko had already packed her bag and stood ready to leave when she noticed Kyo still had no intention of budging. “Are you going to the Astronomy Club today as well?”

“Hmm…not necessarily.”

They would all end up meeting at RiNG anyway—it was merely a question of whether she’d travel with Anon and Tomori or go by herself.

“Sakiko, are you planning on going straight to the bookstore? I thought you arranged a slightly later start time with my sister—are you planning to go in early today?” Kyo asked her instead.

“No,” Sakiko hesitated briefly but quickly realized there wasn’t any reason to hide it from Kyo. “I was planning on heading to the music department. Club activities haven’t started yet at this hour, so the practice room should be available.”

“Piano practice?” Kyo quickly caught on.

“Mm.”

This piqued Kyo’s curiosity—she hadn’t heard Sakiko play piano again since that rainy day.

Besides, this was a perfect chance to ask Sakiko for advice on buying a keyboard. Although money wasn’t an issue, and Kyo could avoid buying inferior products by simply choosing the most expensive option (price often correlated with quality, after all), since there was already a professional right here, why not ask for suggestions?

“Could I go with you? I promise I’ll just sit quietly on the side without bothering you.”

Sakiko paused in mild surprise. She’d always practiced alone in the clubroom these past several weeks.

But since it was Kyo asking, Sakiko had no real reason to refuse.

“As long as you don’t do anything weird again…” Sakiko sighed, feeling inexplicably helpless.

“How could I possibly! I’m not the type to cause trouble—” Kyo protested gently.

I’m talking about things you yourself consider "perfectly normal"…

Sakiko wisely didn’t say that aloud, merely sighing once more. Yet inside, she now felt a subtle spark of excitement and joy anticipating today’s practice session.

Just you wait, Kikukawa Kyo.

When the day finally comes that I repay every single favor I owe you…
…I’ll definitely make you pay it back a hundredfold—no, a thousandfold!

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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!