I Just Want A Single Ending!

"Huh? Are you kidding?" Shiina Taki didn't hide her dissatisfaction with Chihaya Anon's suggestion. "You've thought about it for this long, and that's all you came up with? Useless."

It's either a yes or a no—there's no way to have it both ways.

Wanting all the perks without any downsides? How could she be so naive?

Compared to Chihaya Anon, Shiina Taki found Kamigawa Saku much more tolerable.

At least he had a functioning brain.

"As if it's that easy to decide! This is a lifelong commitment! Not everyone is as careless as you!" Chihaya Anon snapped back, clearly annoyed.

"I'm not wasting time explaining this to you."

Shiina Taki wasn't interested in arguing further.

"You!"

Chihaya Anon glared at her, cheeks puffing in frustration.

"Being too greedy doesn't get you anywhere," Nagasaki Soyo added, agreeing with Shiina.

"Isn't there any way to make this work?"

Out of options, Chihaya Anon turned her hopeful gaze to Kamigawa Saku, looking for a lifeline.

[Suggest another solution]

[Sorry, can't be done]

"I'm sorry, but I can't think of any other way to fulfill your conditions."

This time, he genuinely had no workaround.

The logic was straightforward: first, establish the commitment to a lifelong band, then invite Takamatsu Tomori.

Even though she'd been turned down once, they could frame it as, "A lifelong commitment to a band isn't something you agree to on a whim; we needed time to consider it seriously before extending the offer again."

To show their sincerity, they'd even brought along her former CRYCHIC bandmates.

He was confident that someone as emotionally sensitive as Takamatsu Tomori would agree.

But without that first step, there was no chance.

[10,000 currency received]

"Another useless reward…"

Compared to stat boosts or superpowers, money was the least exciting.

"In that case, I'm going to talk to Tomori myself."

Shiina Taki decided she couldn't just sit around anymore.

Even if she knew there was a chance of being turned down, taking action felt better than doing nothing.

"I'll go with you."

Nagasaki Soyo stood up as well.

"Wait, wait…"

Seeing them both ready to leave, Chihaya Anon began to panic.

The band she'd almost had in the palm of her hand was slipping away, and she couldn't bear it.

Kamigawa Saku jumped in, saying, "Actually, I have another idea. Want to hear it before you go?"

"Didn't you just say there was no way?"

Shiina Taki stopped in her tracks, and both Chihaya Anon and Nagasaki Soyo looked his way.

"What I meant was that I couldn't fulfill Anon's exact conditions, but I have a compromise—it's just not guaranteed to work."

Kamigawa Saku explained his plan.

"Just bring Tomori over and use this as an opportunity to talk openly about CRYCHIC."

"She's been blaming herself for the band's breakup, but based on what Shiina told us, it wasn't her fault at all."

"And given that she once thought about forming a band again, I think if you talk things out, you might clear things up for her."

"Now, whether she'll want to continue playing in a band with you all—that I can't guarantee."

"But if she does want to join, and without a lifelong commitment, then Anon's conditions would be met too."

"I think it could work."

Chihaya Anon was the first to agree.

If Tomori could drop the lifelong commitment, it'd be the perfect solution.

If not, well, there was nothing they could do.

Shiina Taki nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

Compared to confronting Tomori directly, this approach seemed more dependable.

"Let's go with that, then."

Nagasaki Soyo sat back down, glancing at Chihaya Anon and Kamigawa Saku as she started to absentmindedly play with her fingers again.

If Takamatsu Tomori really managed to resolve her issues and rejoin them, then they wouldn't need these two at all.

There wouldn't be a place for them in CRYCHIC.

Mutsuki Wakaba would still be the preferred guitarist, and she would continue managing the band's social presence herself.

Whether they became famous or not didn't matter.

As long as they could happily stay together, that would be enough.

"So, who's going to message her?"

Kamigawa Saku asked, only to meet Nagasaki Soyo's gaze.

There was something about her gentle smile that didn't quite feel genuine.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but it felt… subtly unsettling.

"I'll do it."

Shiina Taki didn't hesitate and pulled out her phone.

After a few moments, she put her phone away.

"Tomori said she'll be over in a bit."

"In that case, I'll order a drink while we wait." Nagasaki Soyo didn't mind the wait at all. "Same as usual."

"Alright, I'll go attend to some customers. Let's chat once Tomori gets here."

With that, Shiina Taki left to resume her duties.

---

Kamigawa Saku shifted his gaze from Shiina Taki to Nagasaki Soyo, who was now looking at him and Chihaya Anon with a curious expression.

"So, Kamigawa, why are you so eager to invite Tomori to join your band? Are you doing this for Chihaya?"

"Huh? Is that true?"

Hearing this, Chihaya Anon turned to Kamigawa Saku, her expression questioning.

He'd previously explained that he wanted to invite Takamatsu Tomori to help her overcome her issues as her friend. But thinking back on it, his reasoning sounded oddly flimsy.

Their friendship couldn't be that strong—not enough for him to go to all this trouble.

If he were doing it for her, though, then everything would make sense.

Her band was missing a drummer, a bassist, and someone for songwriting.

And if he thought inviting Takamatsu Tomori would fill those gaps, then his motives seemed clearer.

As for his claim that Nagasaki Soyo wasn't someone he'd invited—well, the fact that they clearly knew each other cast some doubt on that.

"It's part of the reason, sure."

After all, if Takamatsu Tomori joined, then Shiina Taki, the drummer, would likely follow suit.

That would leave just the bassist slot to fill.

Chihaya Anon wasn't surprised by his answer; she'd already begun to suspect as much.

She could only think, Right on cue.

"Oh, by the way, I have another question for you—are you really not planning to learn the bass you bought the other day?" Chihaya Anon suddenly remembered something. "Or are you secretly planning to surprise me by mastering it in case we can't find a bassist?"

[Admit]

[Hide the Truth]

"…Yeah."

Kamigawa Saku hesitated, but then he chose to admit it.

He hadn't expected her to guess his intentions so accurately.

But since she'd asked so openly, there was no point in hiding it.

He was the type to own up to things when confronted.

Just like the other day when he'd bumped into Takamatsu Tomori at the planetarium.

[+5 Strength]