I Just Want A Single Ending!

"Wait, what's going on here?"

Chihaya Anon immediately got flustered, setting her guitar down and rushing over to Saku.

Just moments ago, she'd been squabbling with Shiina Taki about guitar skills, and now, out of nowhere, he was saying a guitarist wanted to join their band.

It was hard not to feel like this was aimed directly at her.

The others stayed silent but turned their attention to Kamigawa Saku.

"Well, here's the thing…"

Saku proceeded to explain what had happened the previous evening.

"Kaname Raana?"

Upon hearing the name, Shiina Taki went into deep thought.

Anon turned to her, curious. "You know her?"

"She's the stray cat of RING."

Working at RING, Taki naturally knew of Kaname Raana's reputation.

"I've seen her play on the café's stage sometimes," Nagasaki Soyo added.

"How good is she?"

Anon asked, focusing on the most critical detail.

"She's very good."

Taki, after recalling her performances, gave a solid, unbiased assessment.

"If she's that talented, why didn't she join a band earlier?" Anon mused. "Surely other people would've invited her by now, right?"

"No clue. She probably turned them down," Taki replied, only knowing the basics.

"So why is this Kaname Raana girl suddenly so intent on joining our band?" Anon still looked puzzled.

"Could be because of Kamigawa-kun?" Soyo speculated. "Didn't she say he was… an 'interesting guy'?"

"Yeah, I'd also love to know what made her think I'm interesting," Saku said, though he didn't seem to mind much.

He then moved on to the main question.

"So… should we let her join?"

Anon didn't want Raana in the band.

She knew her own guitar skills were… average, at best.

Plus, she was rusty—she hadn't played in a while, so her ability had slipped even further.

Bringing in a skilled guitarist would only steal her spotlight.

She imagined herself playing guitar, off to the side, nearly invisible.

That was unacceptable.

After all, her whole reason for forming this band was to be in the spotlight.

If things turned out that way, she'd end up just like background noise.

But she couldn't bring herself to refuse outright.

Anon looked over at Saku, hoping he'd share her hesitation. "Um… Saku, what do you think? Do you want her to join?"

[Accept her]

[Reject her]

"If her guitar skills are really that good, then yes, I'd like her to join," Saku decided, making the most logical choice.

After all, if she joined the band, he'd naturally get to spend more time with Raana without having to make up excuses to hang out.

[Agility +5]

"Alright then…"

Anon forced a smile, though it was clearly strained.

Saku narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something was off.

"No objections here. Having a skilled guitarist in the band would be more beneficial than not," Taki stated. "Besides, it's totally normal for a band to have two guitarists."

"…"

Anon pursed her lips but didn't argue.

"Mm."

Tomori glanced between Saku and Taki, then gave a nod of approval.

Anon lowered her head, silently accepting the decision.

Soyo changed the subject. "Where's Raana-chan, anyway? Didn't she want to join the band? Why isn't she here?"

She was also against letting Raana join.

The reason was simple—like everyone else, Raana wasn't part of CRYCHIC's final lineup.

If she joined, it would just add one more person Soyo would eventually need to kick out.

It was a hassle.

Still, with three of the group already agreeing, she couldn't come up with a good excuse to say no.

"I sent her a message, but she hasn't read it. She might be busy."

Saku answered honestly, diverting his gaze from Anon.

He hadn't been idly scrolling on his phone earlier; he'd actually been messaging Kaname Raana.

However, she hadn't responded.

"Well, then, why don't we put the whole Raana-chan joining thing on hold?" Soyo suggested. "She isn't even here, so discussing it now is kind of pointless, right?"

Just as Soyo finished speaking, the rehearsal room door swung open.

Kaname Raana walked in, carrying a guitar case.

"Eh?"

Everyone immediately turned to look at her.

"You saw my message?" Saku asked, surprised.

"Yes."

Raana set her guitar case down, opened it, took out an old guitar, slung it over her shoulder, and plugged it into the amp.

"I'm joining this band."

"So? Should we let her join?"

Saku asked the group again, now that Raana was here and they couldn't avoid the decision any longer.

"Sure, why not."

After a few seconds of silence, Soyo agreed in a soft tone.

It didn't really matter to her—just one more person she'd have to get rid of later.

"Anon, what about you?"

Saku looked over at Anon, who still hadn't given a direct answer.

Anon clapped her hands together, forcing a cheerful expression. "…Well, if everyone agrees, I have no objections."

"Welcome to the band, Raana!" Saku said, giving a small round of applause.

"We can save the welcoming for later. Right now, we need to focus on practice." Taki took her seat behind the drum set. "We're here to rehearse, not to mess around."

Soyo smiled and nodded in agreement. "True. Let's pick a simple song to start with, something we can all practice together. Maybe a cover?"

"Spring Shadows will work," Taki suggested, sounding indifferent.

"What?!"

Soyo gasped in surprise.

"But I've only heard it once!" Anon objected.

"But—"

Soyo started to argue but was cut off by Taki.

"What? Still worried about her?"

"…Tomori, would it be alright?" Soyo didn't respond to Taki but instead looked to Tomori for her opinion.

"I can't sing any other song," Tomori replied softly.

With that confirmation, Taki took out her tablet, pulled up the sheet music for Spring Shadows, and placed it on the stand.

Kaname Raana stepped forward, casually glancing over the music.

"I already told you, I've only heard it once," Anon protested, still reluctant. "And Raana hasn't even heard it at all, so there's no way we can sync up."

Soyo, sensing an excuse, nodded in agreement. "Right, we should pick something easier for everyone to play together."

Having looked over the sheet music, Raana turned to the two of them, who were still looking for excuses.

"Aren't we starting?"