I Just Want A Single Ending!

"This is it."

"STARRY?"

Chihaya Anon read the name of the livehouse aloud.

"Yep. Let's head inside."

Following Kamigawa Saku's lead, Chihaya pushed open the door and entered.

And then—

"Welcome! Here to see a band today?"

"Ikuyo-san?"

Kamigawa blinked, briefly questioning if he'd walked into the wrong place, upon seeing Ikuyo Kita dressed in a maid costume at the counter.

Since when did they have maid service here?

"Ikuyo?" Chihaya also took in the unexpected sight.

"Kamigawa-kun? Anon? Are you here for a performance too?" Kita greeted them casually.

Chihaya leaned in curiously, "Are you working here part-time?"

"Well…"

Kita looked momentarily unsure how to explain.

"Saku, back again, huh?"

At that moment, Nijika Ijichi spotted them from across the room and came over.

"Why is Kita-san dressed like a maid? Is that part of the band thing?" Kamigawa asked Nijika.

He didn't know much about bands, but with his stereotypes, it somehow made sense.

"You really have some strange ideas about bands," Nijika said with a chuckle. "This is actually her punishment for running away yesterday."

"And… why'd she run off in the middle of it?" Kamigawa asked, intrigued.

Nijika answered frankly, "Because Kita can't play guitar."

"No wonder she bailed before the performance."

Kamigawa's mind clicked into gear.

If Ikuyo couldn't play guitar, Anon could take her place easily—after all, she was already a guitarist and vocalist. And that would make him the official account manager for End Band, just as he'd wanted.

It'd be a win-win situation.

As for Ikuyo?

Well, he could only wish her the best.

"But Bocchi-chan's teaching her guitar now," Nijika added, pointing to Gotoh Hitori, who was hiding in the corner like a mushroom.

Kamigawa followed Nijika's finger and briefly made eye contact with her.

"Ah—!"

Gotoh looked away the moment their eyes met, turning to face the wall in a desperate bid to go unnoticed.

It wasn't her fault she felt this way, but the whole situation was just too much.

Being in the same room as the super sunny, ultra-popular Ikuyo was hard enough. And now, here were Kamigawa Saku, the "Top Heartthrob" of the school, and Anon, a certified "normie" who chatted comfortably with Ikuyo.

The aura alone was overwhelming; she, the "gloomy one," didn't stand a chance.

If she tried talking to them, she'd probably just melt.

"So Ikuyo really can't play guitar?" Chihaya asked, surprised, after listening to their exchange.

With a defeated sigh, Ikuyo replied, "Yeah… No matter how much I practice, I just keep making this low thumping sound."

"Thumping? Isn't that more like a bass?" Yamada Ryo asked, stifling a yawn as she stepped out of the recording room.

"C'mon, I'm not that clueless! I know the difference between a guitar and a bass," Ikuyo retorted, waving her hand dismissively.

"But a thumping sound really does sound more like a bass," Anon chimed in as a guitarist herself. Even though she wasn't a bassist, she knew the basics of guitar well.

In an instant, everyone's eyes zeroed in on Ikuyo.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? Fine, fine, I'll show you my guitar," Ikuyo sighed, unable to endure the scrutiny.

She brought her guitar case over and unzipped it.

"A bass has four strings, but my guitar has six," she said, confident in her answer as she revealed the instrument.

Ryo glanced at it and immediately corrected her, "That's a multi-string bass."

"It's a bass."

"Yeah, that's definitely a bass."

"Um… what exactly is a multi-string bass?" Ikuyo asked, her confidence wavering.

The unanimous chorus confirming it was a bass made her realize something was off.

"Well… it's definitely not a guitar."

Kamigawa's brutally honest remark was the final blow.

"Ugh!" Ikuyo slumped to the floor, looking completely defeated.

"Ikuyo-san!" Nijika called out, concerned.

"I saved up two years of allowance and New Year's money for that…" Ikuyo murmured, still in a daze.

"Mind if I ask how much you spent on it?" Kamigawa had an idea.

"300,000 yen," she mumbled.

"You wanted to buy a guitar in the first place, right?"

"Right…"

"So, what do you plan to do with this bass?"

"Sell it, of course, and buy a proper guitar this time," Ikuyo said with a sigh.

Kamigawa smiled, "Why not just sell it to me?"

"Huh?"

She looked up, shocked.

"Wait, Kamigawa-kun, you play bass?"

"Not yet," Kamigawa clarified, emphasizing the "yet."

Ryo smirked. "Saku can't play any instruments. He can't even tell a good song from a bad one."

Ikuyo tried to explain, "I get that you mean well, Kamigawa-kun, but you'd be better off if you just went to a music store."

"It's not that simple—I'm really interested in bands. In fact, I've already formed a band with Anon. I'm just helping with the account right now," he clarified, gesturing to Chihaya.

"But since we can't find any other members, I figured I might as well pick up bass myself."

He grinned, continuing, "So I need a bass. Why not save me a trip to the store and sell me yours?"

Ikuyo turned to Chihaya, "Is that true?"

"Yep! Our band's called anon tokyo. I play guitar and sing," Chihaya confirmed with a nod.

"When did we decide on that name?" Kamigawa asked, confused, only to be met with Chihaya's bright smile.

"Don't you think it has a nice ring to it?"

"…"