I Just Want A Single Ending!

"Knew it."

Chihaya Anon flashed a triumphant smile.

She'd been keeping an eye on his Instagram account, and he hadn't posted anything about selling the bass. Just the usual reviews—nothing suggesting he planned to get rid of it.

At first, she thought he might just be waiting a while before selling it.

But when Nagasaki Soyo asked if he was doing it for her, everything clicked.

If he'd been able to lie to Kita Ikuyo about buying the bass, why couldn't he hide his plans to learn it from her, too?

Thinking back to her conversation with him that day, she realized something had been off.

His responses had been evasive, sidestepping her questions with distraction tactics instead of giving her a straight answer.

Especially when Yamada Ryo joked about charging him 10,000 yen for a quick bass lesson—he'd clearly been tempted.

If he truly had no intention of learning bass, why would he be swayed by the offer?

It was all too easy to conclude: he'd bought the bass for her and was planning to learn it.

Actually, that meant he hadn't lied to Kita Ikuyo—only to her.

But she didn't mind.

After all, Kamigawa Saku was doing it for her.

As for inviting Takamatsu Tomori to join the band? Well, she could reluctantly go along with it.

After all, he was doing it for her.

Seriously, though—couldn't he have just said so directly?

He'd made her waver for so long.

"…"

Kamigawa Saku, sitting across from her, was feeling less than thrilled.

He'd gone to the planetarium to brush up on his star knowledge, only to run into Takamatsu Tomori and end up admitting he didn't like stars after all.

Now, he'd tried to secretly learn bass, only for Chihaya Anon to see right through him. And once again, he'd been forced to admit it.

What was going on?

Could they all read minds? Did they know exactly what he was thinking?

"You two seem to get along quite well."

Nagasaki Soyo narrowed her eyes, picking up on the unspoken tension between them.

"We get by—we're in the same band, after all."

Chihaya Anon sneaked a glance at Kamigawa Saku, then added in a casual tone.

If he didn't want to admit it, she wouldn't blow his cover.

"I see."

Nagasaki Soyo didn't press the matter any further.

---

After a while, Takamatsu Tomori arrived.

"Over here!"

Chihaya Anon waved to her warmly.

As soon as Takamatsu Tomori sat down, Shiina Taki hurried over to take her order.

"What would you like?"

"A matcha parfait."

"Got it."

Shiina Taki passed the order along to another server and quickly returned.

"Alright, you all can talk now."

Kamigawa Saku and Chihaya Anon quietly shifted aside, leaving the stage to the former members of CRYCHIC.

"What are we talking about?"

Takamatsu Tomori looked a little confused.

She'd only been told to come here, without any explanation of what was going on.

"It's about CRYCHIC," Nagasaki Soyo's voice was as sweet as ever.

"I…"

Hearing this, Takamatsu Tomori lowered her head again.

"I heard from them that you've been blaming yourself for CRYCHIC's breakup," Nagasaki Soyo said gently, "but it wasn't your fault at all."

"As I've said before, it was all Sakiko's fault—she suddenly decided to quit," Shiina Taki chimed in, clearly unconcerned.

"It wasn't Sakiko's fault either," Nagasaki Soyo countered, her tone soft. "In truth, none of us were at fault."

"But if no one was at fault, then why did CRYCHIC still break up?"

Takamatsu Tomori couldn't understand.

"It was Sakiko's fault. She didn't even give a reason when she quit."

Seeing Takamatsu Tomori so distressed, Shiina Taki quickly repeated her view.

"I think Sakiko must have had her reasons. I don't believe she left on a whim."

Nagasaki Soyo began to fidget with her fingers.

Shiina Taki turned to her. "And what reason might that be? Do you know?"

"No, I don't."

"It's because I didn't sing well during our live show… that's why Sakiko stopped coming," Takamatsu Tomori muttered, clutching the fabric of her shirt tightly.

"That's not true. Didn't we talk about this yesterday?" Shiina Taki pointed to Kamigawa Saku. "You sing wonderfully, and he can back me up on that."

"Yes, your singing was excellent," Kamigawa Saku agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you for sharing, Tomori. So that's what you've been thinking all along." Nagasaki Soyo's voice was gentle as she comforted her. "But I don't want you to keep blaming yourself."

"Eh?"

Takamatsu Tomori looked up, surprised.

"None of us were in the wrong," Nagasaki Soyo continued. "I just don't want this to make you hate being in a band."

"When I heard you were open to joining a band again, I was so happy."

"Isn't that how you feel too, Taki?" she added, glancing at her.

"Huh? Oh, yes."

Shiina Taki was caught off guard but quickly nodded in agreement.

Nagasaki Soyo chuckled. "Actually, Taki's been waiting for you to come back to practice this whole time."

Takamatsu Tomori looked at Shiina Taki, a bit surprised. "You weren't mad?"

"How could I be mad at you?"

Shiina Taki looked especially passionate, though she quickly composed herself.

"Fighting with you wasn't what bothered me. What mattered was you not showing up to practice."

"So it was my fault after all."

"No, it's because Taki really cares about you!"

"Wha—!"

Flustered, Shiina Taki shot up from her seat.

But seeing Takamatsu Tomori's gaze on her, she quickly sat back down.

"Tomori, didn't you say you wanted to be in a band for life?"

Seeing the mood had shifted, Chihaya Anon spoke up, and even switched to calling her by her first name.

"Yes, I did."

Takamatsu Tomori couldn't deny it.

"We turned you down before because we weren't ready to make that kind of commitment. But we've thought it over now," Chihaya Anon extended the invitation, "so, would you join our band?"

"If you agree to join, Shiina and Nagasaki will join us too."

"What's going on?" Shiina Taki raised an eyebrow. "Just a moment ago, you were still undecided."

"I've made my choice now—what's the problem?"

Chihaya Anon had no intention of arguing further.

Turning to Kamigawa Saku, who was watching from the sidelines with a faintly amused expression, she pulled him over.

"And Kamigawa will manage our band for life, right?"

Their eyes met, and she smiled at him.

"Of course."

Kamigawa Saku agreed without a second thought.

After all, his ending clearly mentioned he'd have a group of like-minded friends.

It seemed those friends would be them.

Being friends with them sounded pretty good.

Nagasaki Soyo joined in, saying, "Although we drifted apart because of misunderstandings, it feels like we've finally reached a real understanding."

"It'd be a shame if we separated again now. Let's give this another shot, shall we?"