บท 70: I Just Want a Single Ending [70]
With that, Kamigawa Saku agreed and headed out of the practice room with Chihaya Anon.
Those two sure seem close…
Watching as the practice room door closed behind them, Nagasaki Soyo thought to herself, a faint sigh escaping her.
It was hard not to notice.
---
Meanwhile, as soon as they stepped out of the practice room, Chihaya Anon and Kamigawa Saku struck up a casual conversation.
"By the way, Raana-chan really acts like a cat, doesn't she?"
"That's true. I feel like I could take care of her just like a pet cat." Saku laughed, agreeing warmly.
Curiously, Anon asked, "So… does that mean you've had a cat before?"
"No, I haven't. But looking things up online gives you a pretty good idea of what to do."
He'd never actually owned any pets. It wasn't that he disliked animals; he just hadn't thought about it much.
"I see."
Anon nodded thoughtfully, then added with a hint of concern, "But… are you sure it's okay to keep doing this? Preparing so many snacks every day must cost a lot, right?"
The snacks he always had were from pretty fancy brands—she could guess the price just by looking.
With a quick mental calculation, she could easily estimate his expenses.
For something as small as keeping Raana happy, he was spending so much money. Wasn't he treating her a little too well?
A guy like him… was easy to like—or, rather, easy to rely on.
"It doesn't cost much. The snacks are mostly freebies from brands." Saku sighed, "Honestly, I should be thanking Raana for helping me finish them."
"All of them are freebies?"
Anon raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Saku explained with a helpless smile, "For me, testing snacks usually only requires one bag. But for these snack companies that sponsor me, they definitely won't send just one bag."
"I can't finish them all on my own, so my place is basically a storage room for snacks now."
He understood the companies' mindset perfectly. It probably went something like—
Brand Rep: Just one bag? What a joke! If people find out we only sent one bag to a reviewer, they'll think we're cheap!
Brand Rep: Send at least a whole box! Every flavor, a full box!
This was purely his speculation, of course, but he figured it wasn't far from the truth.
His snack collection was filling an entire room by now.
"Fair point."
Thinking about his follower count, Anon couldn't see an issue.
Since Raana was only helping him clear his snack stash, she supposed there was nothing to worry about.
Instead, it was Ikuyo Kita who seemed to be more intriguing.
---
After picking up lunch, they returned to the practice room to eat.
As for Shiina Taki's previous statement, "The practice room isn't a place for eating," she seemed to have conveniently forgotten, happily sharing her meal with Takamatsu Tomori.
Just then, Nagasaki Soyo approached Saku with a slight concern.
"Saku-kun, did you not find any bento you liked at the store?"
"What makes you ask that?"
Saku, munching on a piece of bread, looked slightly puzzled.
"Because… you didn't get a bento for yourself." Soyo pointed at the bread in his hand.
Over time, she'd noticed a pattern.
Whenever everyone else had bentos, he'd be the one eating bread.
At first, she thought he simply didn't like store-bought bentos.
But after seeing him do this for several days, she realized something was off.
Soyo clearly remembered asking him if he had any foods he particularly liked, and he'd said no.
So, it was unlikely he was eating bread out of preference.
"It's because of my reviews…"
Saku briefly explained to her.
Since she'd followed his account and checked it regularly, Soyo easily understood his reasoning.
Then, with some concern, she asked, "So… what do you usually eat for breakfast?"
"Something similar to lunch—usually a rice ball or some bread. Just whatever's convenient." Saku replied casually.
"I see."
At last, Soyo had pieced together his daily meal routine.
And in her opinion, it was terribly unhealthy!
He wasn't eating any substantial meals all day.
But she couldn't exactly scold him, considering it was part of his work.
Still, what he'd said just now gave her an idea.
If he was open to eating whatever was convenient in the morning, maybe she could make breakfast and invite him to join her?
That way, his meals would consist of breakfast with her, a bread-based lunch, and dinner either with her or at a restaurant.
At the very least, it would improve his diet without interfering too much with his work.
In Soyo's mind, health should always come before work.
I have to get him on a better routine!
After chatting a bit longer, Soyo took the initiative to end the conversation.
Instead, she started planning what breakfast she'd make for tomorrow.
---
In the blink of an eye, afternoon had arrived.
After giving Gotoh Hitori a few words of encouragement and reminding her about tomorrow's day off, Kamigawa Saku went to find Chihaya Anon. Together, they headed to a karaoke spot.
"I'm really looking forward to hearing you sing."
As they made their way to their reserved room, Saku teased her playfully.
"Oh, you definitely should be," Anon responded with a grin, before shifting her tone. "But don't even think about just sitting there doing nothing—you're singing too!"
"Unfortunately, I can't sing."
Sure, he'd picked up bass skills thanks to studying the music card, and he had a decent ear for music.
But that didn't mean he could sing.
Bass playing was bass playing, and singing was singing.
The two weren't interchangeable.
"Oh, don't worry about that. No matter how off-key you are, I won't mind," Anon said cheerfully, waving it off as if it was nothing.
"Alright, then."
He wasn't one to waver over small things.
Since she'd promised not to judge, singing a song or two wouldn't be an issue.
At least he could keep it on-pitch.
Chatting along the way, they soon arrived at the door of their private karaoke room.
Just as Saku was about to push the door open, the door to the neighboring room swung open, and a few girls stepped out.
Judging by their appearance and demeanor, they looked like high schoolers.
Saku barely spared them a glance before turning back to Anon—
Only to see her also staring in that direction.
But her body was trembling, as though she'd encountered something frightening.
"Let's go inside."
Without a moment's hesitation, before the girls could notice them, Saku gently but firmly guided Anon into their room.
---
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
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