บท 4: I Just Want a Single Ending [4]
Watching Kamigawa Saku return to his seat, Chihaya Anon glanced toward the small group of girls she'd originally planned to join.
Although she'd gotten along well with one of the boys in class, she still needed to make connections with the other girls. Otherwise, she might end up feeling isolated.
Without much hesitation, Chihaya Anon stood up and headed over.
With her strong social skills, she easily blended in, joining their conversation naturally.
"Anon, do you know Kamigawa-kun?"
As the new girl, Chihaya Anon had become the temporary center of attention.
"No, I just met him today."
"Then why did he invite you to have lunch with him?"
Chihaya Anon kept her smile steady. "Well, he saw that I'm new here and probably worried I'd have no one to eat with, so he invited me."
"If that's the case, why don't you come eat with us from now on?"
"Sure!"
The conversation quickly moved on from Chihaya Anon to their plans for the afternoon.
"By the way, this bubble tea shop has a new flavor out. I heard it's amazing—should we go try it?" one of the girls suggested.
"I'm in."
Naturally, Chihaya Anon wouldn't turn down an invitation that could help build friendships.
"Sorry, I have something important to do this afternoon, so I won't be able to join," said a red-haired girl.
Her words immediately piqued another girl's interest. "Is it band-related? I saw you bring your guitar case to school today, Kita."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Kita Ikuyo nodded with a small, apologetic smile.
"Oh, it's no big deal! Band stuff comes first—you can join us next time."
"Just don't forget to give us autographs once you're famous!"
"Hahaha…"
Chihaya Anon watched as Kita Ikuyo became the new focus of attention, everyone asking her questions about the band. She joined in the laughter, feeling both amused and intrigued.
As expected, being in a band really did draw attention.
---
Afternoon came in the blink of an eye.
After school, Kamigawa Saku stopped by a nearby café to review their new seasonal menu as requested, then headed toward a Livehouse he liked to visit from time to time.
He had a particular fondness for STARRY Livehouse, mostly because two romanceable characters frequented the place.
That café's new menu item was actually worth recommending—not only delicious but also unique. The presentation was especially charming; it should really appeal to girls, Kamigawa thought, composing a draft on his phone as he walked.
[Stop her]
[Ignore her]
Suddenly, two choice boxes appeared in his field of vision.
"?"
Kamigawa instinctively looked up to see Kita Ikuyo, his classmate, sprinting past him with a guitar case slung over her back.
What's going on here?
Before he could figure it out, she'd already run far down the street.
[+50,000 yen]
The system automatically registered his choice as "Ignore her."
Guess that's what they call easy money, Kamigawa thought to himself, seeing the bank notification appear on his phone.
It's not like he was hurting for cash, but he couldn't complain about free money.
As for where the money came from, there was no need to worry—the system's funds were always clean and legit.
This unexpected choice killed his motivation to keep typing, though, so he pocketed his phone and quickened his pace. After a few more steps and another staircase, he arrived at STARRY.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he spotted two familiar girls chatting near the entrance.
"Good afternoon, Nijika, Ryo. What are you two talking about?"
Kamigawa greeted them with a smile.
Nijika Ijichi and Yamada Ryo were both flagged as romanceable by the system.
Thanks to his frequent visits and his efforts to close the distance, he'd developed a pretty good rapport with them.
Seeing him, Nijika quickly rushed over. "Saku, did you see a red-haired girl with a guitar case when you came in?"
"I did."
Thinking back to the sight of Kita Ikuyo racing past him, Kamigawa answered honestly.
"Where did she go?"
Nijika looked genuinely concerned.
"She was running down the street. What happened?" Kamigawa asked, puzzled.
"She… ran away," Ryo explained succinctly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kamigawa grew even more confused.
"Well…" Nijika sighed, realizing they couldn't exactly get their guitarist back now, and began to explain.
"So, you're saying that even though it's almost time for your show, Kita-san ran off for some unknown reason, leaving you down one guitarist?" Kamigawa summarized.
"Pretty much," Nijika nodded, then seemed to realize something.
"Wait, how do you know her name is Kita?"
She hadn't mentioned her name during the explanation.
Kamigawa answered matter-of-factly, "She's my classmate."
"In that case, could you try to contact her? Maybe you could convince her to come back, or at least find out why she left," Nijika asked hopefully.
"Sorry, I don't have her contact info," Kamigawa replied, a little helpless.
Just because they were classmates didn't mean he had her number.
That's common knowledge.
Although Kita Ikuyo was a romanceable character, he hadn't seen any reason to reach out to her yet.
After all, without knowing her preferences, who's to say she wouldn't be put off by him being too forward?
They were classmates, so there was plenty of time. No need to rush.
"That's true…"
Nijika didn't press the issue.
"How about I try talking to her tomorrow and see if I can find out what's going on?"
Kamigawa realized this was a perfect opportunity to connect with Kita Ikuyo.
"Thank you," Nijika said gratefully. "If you can, let her know we'd love to have her keep coming."
"Got it."
"So… what do we do about tonight?" Ryo asked, bringing them all back to the issue at hand.
The three of them fell into a brief silence.
"Saku, how about filling in on guitar for tonight?" Ryo suggested offhandedly.
Kamigawa shrugged, spreading his hands. "I don't play any instruments. Are you seriously expecting me to start from scratch and be stage-ready on guitar? Isn't that asking a bit much?"
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