Miku quietly slipped out of the café.
As she left, she deliberately turned back for one last glance.
Seeing that Haruto was still chatting with Origami, she let out a sigh that was half relief, half melancholy.
Girls are peculiar creatures—often acting in self-contradictory ways.
She had wanted to leave for a while, to be alone with her thoughts. Naturally, she didn't want Haruto to notice she was gone. But when she saw that Haruto truly hadn't noticed her departure…
She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.
This kind of petty contradiction is something many people experience—it's quite common.
After sighing, Miku quickly walked away.
Completely unaware that Haruto had already followed her out of the café. After some wandering, Miku found herself back in the streets of Akihabara.
Not much time had passed.
She could still hear the occasional passerby talking about the concert earlier.
But when Miku tilted her head to listen more closely—
She realized the one they were all excitedly discussing… was the surprise guest: Ai Hoshino.
Not her.
Hearing this, Miku clenched her fists instinctively.
Standing by the roadside—Miku was tempted to burst into song right then and there. To perform an impromptu street show. To make all those gossiping passersby take a good look.
To see who really was the most eye-catching performer.
Who was the true diva.
But when Miku opened her mouth, ready to sing—no sound came out. Even though street performances like this were second nature to her—right now, she couldn't make a single sound.
As if something was choking her.
That's when Miku remembered—she had signed that soul contract. She could no longer freely use her Angel's powers on ordinary people.
But even then, she should still be able to sing.
She didn't become an idol because of her powers.
Miku tried even harder to open her mouth and sing. But even after exhausting herself, it was all in vain.
Her body tilted to the side and she collapsed toward the ground.
She instinctively shut her eyes, bracing herself for the impact.
Yet the pain she expected never came.
When she opened her eyes again, she realized the ground was getting farther away—
"Are you okay?"
A familiar voice sounded right beside her ear.
She had fallen into a warm embrace.
Turning her head, Miku saw that Haruto had somehow appeared behind her—
And caught her just in time.
In that moment, Miku suddenly felt like crying.
If only there had been a warm embrace like this back then…
Maybe she wouldn't have chosen to end her life.
Even now, she still remembered the feeling of a blade slicing through her wrist, of blood gushing out.
The numbness of her body as it was swallowed by cold.
"…Why did you follow me? Weren't you talking to that person about intel?"
Miku tried to suppress her emotions. Her voice came out hoarse—
Probably from her failed attempt to sing earlier.
Even though her words were slightly accusatory—her head gently leaned against Haruto's shoulder, showing no intention of pulling away.
"So Miku-san has a tsundere side too?"
Haruto teased with a chuckle.
Unexpectedly, Miku responded quite intensely.
"Call me Miku!"
Haruto was caught between laughter and exasperation.
That's what she's upset about?
Girls sure had strange ideas of victory and pride.
"Alright, alright—Miku."
Hearing Haruto call her by name, Miku's mood visibly brightened. After taking a deep inhale of Haruto's scent, her emotional bar finally maxed out.
She transformed back into that cheeky, flirty idol.
"So worried about me, huh? My, my, such attention… I'm really flattered!"
Miku grinned as Haruto gently pushed her back.
"Yeah, I was worried. I'm not comfortable leaving you out here alone."
Haruto answered straightforwardly.
Miku was taken aback, then giggled behind her hand.
"Oh? Could this be… love?"
She asked the question with sparkling eyes.
For a moment, she thought she'd successfully bent Haruto. She even silently praised her own charm.
However—
"I'm worried about the general public, actually. When you're emotionally unstable, you're basically a walking bomb."
Haruto replied mercilessly.
As for "turning" him…
Haruto's orientation had always been toward women.
But to be swayed just by Miku's looks?
That would be laughable.
Hearing that, Miku let out a dissatisfied hum and turned her head away.
Even as a Spirit—she was still a girl. And all girls liked to hear sweet words.
No matter how powerful, how influential—even a female emperor couldn't handle the blunt truth.
So, the Spirit diva got mad.
But she waited and waited…
And no one came to comfort her.
When she finally looked back—
Haruto was already several meters ahead of her.
Miku: ‼️
Panicked, Miku quickly chased after him.
Unlike typical relationships—right now, Haruto was also a "girl." And on top of that, the one being pursued.
So… there was zero chance of her being pampered.
"How heartless! You actually left me behind! Where are we going now?"
Miku took the initiative to change the subject. Haruto, of course, wouldn't act like a moody little girl.
He pointed ahead.
"I've got a few friends doing a street performance over there. Let's go watch together."
Hearing this, Miku instantly clutched her chest.
Haruto tilted her head in confusion.
What's going on?
Do Spirits get heart attacks too?
But in truth—Miku had remembered Ai Hoshino.
She'd already seen how close Haruto was with her. She had almost forgotten about it until the mention of "street performance" brought it back.
And Haruto had even said, "a few friends."
Now Miku was spiraling.
My goddess actually has a massive harem in the entertainment world…
Her poor heart couldn't take it.
Fighting for affection against Ai Hoshino was already hard enough. Now it turned out she had to compete with other "fish" in the pond too.
But at the same time, Miku's fighting spirit flared up.
She was determined to see just who dared to try stealing her woman!
Haruto, of course, had no idea what was going on inside Miku's head. The "friends" she was referring to were…
At the moment, a simple stage had been set up in the center of Akihabara's main street.
Inside a temporary green room, the Kessoku Band were nervously tuning their instruments.
Especially Hitori Gotoh—right now, she was practically frozen from anxiety.
After their Tokyo Dome performance, the four of them were finally doing another commercial gig.
While it was nowhere near the same scale as Tokyo Dome—this time, they didn't have any "cheat tools." However, they'd already gained considerable experience and confidence from their performances in the underground venue.
Except for Bocchi's lingering social anxiety, the others seemed much more at ease.
Yes—it was the Kessoku Band performing.
In fact, Haruto's visit to Akihabara today…
Partially stemmed from the fact that the Four Little Ones were doing a gig here in the afternoon.
Her plan had been to wander around in the morning, then support her friends later. But she ended up running into a certain Spirit—and then capturing a certain Origami Master.
Still, the timing worked out perfectly.
Haruto felt that the performance from the Kessoku Band would offer Miku a unique experience.
Standing in front of the temporary stage—there weren't even any seats available.
This made Miku feel a bit uncomfortable.
Ever since her debut, she'd had smooth sailing thanks to her looks and vocal talent. She had never done such a "crude" commercial performance before.
Let alone stood off the stage—this was her first time as an audience member. But as she felt the emotions of the crowd around her—Miku suddenly felt a bit envious.
These spectators weren't bothered at all by the makeshift setup.
In their eyes, there was only pure passion and love.
In fact, they were even more enthusiastic than those she used her powers on.
That left Miku momentarily speechless.