บท 90: I Just Want a Single Ending [90]
After hearing his explanation, Togawa Sakiko also recalled meeting this boy before and understood why he seemed familiar.
Yes, she had indeed run into this Kamigawa Saku at her workplace.
That day, as she was finishing her shift and about to leave, she'd encountered him coming out of a meeting room. They'd exchanged a few words.
But it had all happened in less than a minute, so she hadn't given it much thought afterward.
That was why she hadn't recognized him right away.
Still, she hadn't expected him to be a fan of CRYCHIC. Or to know the other CRYCHIC members so well that he'd actually formed a band with them.
And he'd even come here on behalf of Nagasaki Soyo to find her.
For a moment, Togawa's gaze toward him turned complex.
Was Nagasaki still holding on to those ridiculous ideas?
"So, how did you find me here? Were you… following me at school?"
His explanation seemed reasonable, but he'd skipped the most crucial detail—how he'd known to follow her to the music room.
Even if he'd asked around at her workplace, there was no way he could have learned something like that from there.
She was certain she hadn't disclosed her habit of practicing piano here in the afternoons.
And given his claim that he'd come "specifically to see her," it was clear he knew she'd be here.
Which left only one possibility—he'd been following her.
If that was the case, this was going to be a problem.
"No, no, it wasn't following. Just simple deduction." Kamigawa quickly dismissed her accusation.
Could using a tracking card really be called "following"?
"Deduction?"
Togawa repeated the word, a bit skeptical.
"Nagasaki mentioned that your family used to have a piano and was quite well-off," Kamigawa explained, casually constructing a plausible-sounding reason. "Since you're now working part-time, it suggests something happened, making it impossible for you to continue practicing piano at home."
"Assuming you still had an interest in piano, the music room would be the most accessible option to play, so I thought I'd try my luck here."
Reverse deduction was easy when you already knew the answer.
"…"
Togawa couldn't find a flaw in this explanation.
It made more sense than the idea that he'd stalked her to the music room.
But his words had also revealed a lot of new information.
"So, Soyo told you… things about me?"
"I asked her directly. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to find you."
Kamigawa hadn't had any choice; if he wanted information, he'd had to ask.
"Did you tell her I'm here?"
Togawa, though still full of questions, decided this one was the most pressing. She could ask the rest later.
If Nagasaki found out her current school and class, that would be a real problem.
Not that the current situation wasn't already troublesome.
"Not yet. I wanted to find you myself before saying anything," Kamigawa replied, shaking his head. "Up until now, I only suspected you'd be here at this school and might be using the music room, but I needed to confirm it first."
His answer put her at ease, at least a little.
For now, the worst-case scenario hadn't happened.
So Togawa made a request, "Could you keep this to yourself? Please don't tell Soyo I'm here, or that I'm working."
"Why?"
Even though he'd already guessed her reason, Kamigawa feigned ignorance to confirm it.
"I don't want her to know. It would only make things harder for me."
On this, Togawa had no intention of lying.
"Does that mean you're not planning to join our band?" Kamigawa asked again.
Now it was clear—she'd intentionally cut off ties with Nagasaki Soyo.
"As I said, I need to work. I don't have time for a band," Togawa replied, pressing her lips together and admitting the truth.
Since he already knew about her job, hiding it any further would be pointless.
Kamigawa asked cautiously, "I know this may sound intrusive, but may I ask if the reason you left CRYCHIC was due to family issues?"
"I think you already know the answer."
If he could deduce she'd be in the music room, he surely already had a good idea about this, too.
Kamigawa agreed to her request. "I'll keep it a secret from Nagasaki; I won't tell her what you're doing." Then he continued, "But I'd like you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say and think it over seriously."
"Alright."
If listening to him was the cost for his help in keeping her secret, she had no problem with that.
Kamigawa went straight to the point. "Togawa, you really need money right now, don't you?"
"What are you implying?"
Her gaze shifted to one of suspicion in an instant.
"I just mean that doing customer service in that place is a waste of your talents, and the pay isn't great."
At this, her suspicion of him intensified.
"Instead of wasting time as a customer rep, why not help me manage an Instagram account?"
Ignoring her wary expression, Kamigawa took his phone from his pocket, opened Instagram, pulled up his profile, and handed it to her.
"An Instagram account?"
Togawa took the phone reflexively and glanced down.
580,000 followers.
"As you can see, I've got a decent following. Honestly, any ad I post could easily earn more than what you'd make in a month of hard work."
His follower count had grown a bit over the holiday.
She didn't argue. Working as a customer rep didn't bring in much money.
Kamigawa extended his offer. "So, I'd like you to help me manage this account."
"But why? Why ask me?"
Too suspicious, far too suspicious.
With nearly six hundred thousand followers, if he needed help with his account, he could find someone more professional.
There was no reason to come to a high schooler like her.
Thinking back to his claim of being a CRYCHIC fan, and his earlier attempt to recruit her for his band, Togawa couldn't help but doubt his motives.
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