I Just Want A Single Ending!

"Ha."

Even now, Shiina Taki remained on guard against him.

So what if he was a CRYCHIC fan?

That didn't mean he had no ulterior motives for Takamatsu Tomori.

For all she knew, he could be cozying up to her just because he was a fan.

Besides, CRYCHIC had already disbanded.

"Who knows what you're thinking?"

"This is probably our first time meeting, right? I haven't done anything wrong. Can't you avoid judging me by my appearance?" Kamigawa Saku attempted to ease the tension. "Besides, even if you judge by looks alone, I don't exactly look like a bad guy, do I?"

At his words, Shiina Taki finally took a good look at the guy sitting across from Takamatsu Tomori.

She had to admit, this Kamigawa Saku was quite handsome, definitely the type that girls would find attractive.

Even after she'd spoken to him like that, he still had a smile on his face.

It was clear he was well-mannered.

But to her, he had no appeal whatsoever.

Nothing compared to Takamatsu Tomori.

Shiina Taki, unwilling to say anything more to him, turned her attention back to Takamatsu Tomori.

"May I order?"

Seeing her in her server uniform and noticing how concerned she seemed for Takamatsu Tomori, Kamigawa Saku asked cautiously.

He'd figured it out—Shiina Taki definitely cared a lot about Takamatsu Tomori.

From her attitude toward him earlier, it was obvious that he hadn't made the best first impression on her.

But that didn't really matter.

After all, he only wanted to be friends with her, nothing more.

Even if the first impression was bad, as time passed, they could still become friends.

"…Sure."

Shiina Taki replied with a hint of annoyance.

Though she clearly had issues with this sudden friend of Takamatsu Tomori, she was still going to do her job as a server.

"Tomori, what would you like to drink?" Shiina Taki asked gently.

"Hmm…"

Takamatsu Tomori picked up the menu, starting to browse through it.

"If it's this café, I'd recommend…"

Seeing her hesitating, Kamigawa Saku instinctively tried to suggest something.

But before he could finish, Shiina Taki cut him off.

"Let Tomori decide for herself!"

"…Saku, what would you recommend?"

Putting down the menu, Takamatsu Tomori asked for his input.

"Huh? Saku?"

Shiina Taki was clearly more concerned about the name than about his recommendations.

"I told you, we're friends," Kamigawa Saku explained. "So it's perfectly normal to call each other by our names."

Shiina Taki glared at him. "You'd better not be lying to Tomori."

"At the very least, when it comes to wanting to be her friend, I've never lied," Kamigawa Saku said with confidence.

---

After recommending a drink to Takamatsu Tomori and placing his own order, Kamigawa Saku figured Shiina Taki would leave him alone.

But to his surprise, she did leave—just not far enough.

Stealing a glance at Shiina Taki wiping glasses by the counter not too far away, Kamigawa Saku was sure that if he made even the slightest inappropriate move towards Takamatsu Tomori, she'd immediately rush over to intervene.

Not that she needed to worry; he wasn't that kind of person.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Kamigawa Saku tried to steer the conversation back on track. "Alright, let's get back to talking about stars."

Although having someone staring at them was uncomfortable, switching locations was out of the question.

"No, I don't feel like talking about stars anymore," Takamatsu Tomori shook her head lightly.

"Hm? Did you just lose interest, or did you want to talk about something else?" Kamigawa Saku tried to read her thoughts. "I'm open to talking about other topics, too, as long as it's not too obscure; otherwise, I'll just be a listener."

Takamatsu Tomori looked up, her expression earnest. "I want to talk about CRYCHIC."

"CRYCHIC?"

Kamigawa Saku and Shiina Taki both spoke up at the same time.

"Tomori, why bring that up all of a sudden?" Shiina Taki put down the glass she was wiping and quickly walked back over.

"…Because I was the reason CRYCHIC broke up," Takamatsu Tomori began quietly. "Saku is a CRYCHIC fan, and he's my friend, so I want to tell him."

He'd expressed his genuine desire to be friends, and she felt she should be open about the band's story.

"It wasn't your fault, Tomori! It was all because Sakiko suddenly decided to quit. None of it was on you," Shiina Taki refuted firmly.

"A sudden departure? What happened?"

Kamigawa Saku felt that CRYCHIC's disbandment was turning out to be more complicated than he'd thought.

Sakiko?

That must mean Togawa Sakiko, CRYCHIC's keyboardist.

"This has nothing to do with you," Shiina Taki said, reluctant to share the band's inner turmoil with just a fan.

"It went like this…"

Seeing that Takamatsu Tomori still intended to explain, Shiina Taki decided to take over.

"Tomori, let me tell him."

And so, she began recounting the events that led to CRYCHIC's disbandment.

After their first live show, Togawa Sakiko inexplicably stopped showing up to practice. When she finally did, it was only to announce her decision to quit.

They asked her why, but she refused to explain, insisting only that she was done.

She even went so far as to criticize Takamatsu Tomori.

In short, Togawa Sakiko was the one at fault, and Takamatsu Tomori bore no responsibility.

"I'm sorry for letting you down."

Once Shiina Taki finished the story, Takamatsu Tomori apologized once again, as if she still carried the weight of it all.

"It's because my singing wasn't good enough…"

"No, your singing is amazing," Kamigawa Saku countered. "If it wasn't, I wouldn't have become a CRYCHIC fan in the first place."

"See? Even your fan here says so. It really wasn't your fault at all."

Shiina Taki found herself appreciating Kamigawa Saku for once—at least he could comfort Takamatsu Tomori in a moment like this.

"…"

Takamatsu Tomori lowered her head, lost in thought.

Draining his coffee, Kamigawa Saku suggested gently, "Why don't we call it a night? It's late. I'll walk you home."

"Walk her home? What exactly are you planning?"

Shiina Taki shot him a look of pure disdain, as if he were garbage.

"I'm just worried about Tomori getting home safely," Kamigawa Saku explained.

In her current state, he really didn't feel comfortable letting her go alone.

"That's none of your concern. I'll be the one taking Tomori home." Shiina Taki checked the time. "My shift is about to end anyway."

Kamigawa Saku nodded, relieved. "I'll leave her in your hands, then."

"No need to say that."

Taking Takamatsu Tomori home was something she'd planned to do from the start; she didn't need him to make a point of it.

"Well, I'll be off then. Take care."

With that, Kamigawa Saku stood up and left.