I Just Want A Single Ending!

"What do you mean?"

"What exactly do you want to start?"

Chihaya Anon and Nagasaki Soyo looked at Raana with expressions of disbelief.

A troubling suspicion crept into their minds simultaneously.

Raana didn't respond; she simply began to play.

"Eh?"

It only took a few notes for Soyo to recognize the intro—it was Spring Shadows.

Seeing Raana's performance, Anon bit her lower lip, unable to say a word.

When she'd heard Raana was skilled at guitar, she'd mentally prepared herself.

She knew there might be a gap between their abilities.

But she hadn't expected the difference to be this vast.

Raana's performance had far exceeded her expectations, leaving her without a single excuse.

"Amazing."

As Raana finished the intro, Kamigawa Saku clapped, genuinely impressed.

He was certain that Raana had only glanced at the sheet music but still played it so well.

Her talent was almost on par with his own.

"Can we start rehearsing now?"

Shiina Taki looked over at Anon and Soyo, asking the question once more.

"Fine… at the very least, let me take a look at the sheet music first."

Unable to argue further, Anon finally gave in, making only the most basic request.

Soyo simply offered an awkward smile, saying nothing more.

---

Not great.

After hearing their first attempt at playing together, Saku silently reached his verdict.

Even with his limited knowledge of musical critique, he could pick up on the most obvious flaw.

The skill gap between the two guitarists was glaringly apparent.

Or rather, Chihaya Anon was entirely off the rhythm.

"Let's run it again."

Without any additional comment, Taki unhesitatingly called for another round.

"…"

No one objected.

And so, they started their second attempt at playing together.

---

"I'm satisfied."

After finishing her part, Kaname Raana looked completely content.

The gap is even wider, Kamigawa Saku thought to himself.

Shiina Taki glanced over at Chihaya Anon, about to say something, when Anon suddenly spoke up:

"Sorry, I have something I need to do, so I'll be heading out now. Really sorry, everyone."

With that, she packed up her guitar and quickly left the rehearsal room.

"What…?"

The others froze, watching her leave in surprise.

[Run after her]

[Do nothing]

"Sorry, I've got to go too."

The moment those options appeared, Saku made his choice, dashing after Anon.

[Stamina +10]

"Is practice over?"

Seeing the two of them rush out, Raana packed up her guitar, ready to leave as well.

"What's with them?"

Shiina Taki looked genuinely puzzled.

"No idea."

---

How embarrassing…

Chihaya Anon trudged down the street, her mind replaying the awful rehearsal.

As the one who'd played, she felt the embarrassment the most.

It was painfully obvious to her that she was holding the band back.

"Mind if I walk you home?"

A familiar voice spoke up beside her.

She turned, looking straight into Kamigawa Saku's gaze.

"Why are you here? Didn't I say I had something to do?"

Seeing him, Anon quickly looked away, staring down at the pavement instead.

"Because I have something to do too."

"…"

Anon immediately realized her excuse hadn't fooled him at all.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Saku spoke first, "Sorry. I agreed to let Raana join the band without considering your feelings."

When he'd accepted Raana's request to join, Anon's reaction had clued him in to her unease.

As Taki and Tomori both agreed, Anon's subtle responses had only confirmed it.

A question had lingered in his mind, though: why didn't Anon want Raana in the band?

That answer came easily after hearing their rehearsal and recalling her earlier questions about Raana's skill.

Saku had a decent idea of what was bothering her.

"It's not your fault. Everyone agreed to let Raana join, so you weren't acting alone," Anon said, trying to sound objective.

Nobody was to blame.

Raana just wanted to join the band, and both Saku and Taki saw the potential benefit.

As for Tomori and Soyo, their reasoning was likely similar.

If anyone was at fault, it was herself.

Her guitar skills were weak; she was completely outclassed by Raana, afraid she'd steal her spotlight.

And in the end, she'd run away.

Seeing her lost in thought, Saku said seriously, "Since this all started because of me, I'll take responsibility."

"Take responsibility? What do you mean?"

Anon looked up at him, confused.

"It's exactly what you're thinking."

"How could you know what I'm thinking?"

Saku replied matter-of-factly, "Because I can read minds."

"Huh? Mind reading?" Anon's eyes widened.

"Kidding. I just guessed," Saku said with a smile.

"…You really know what I was thinking?" After a pause, Anon repeated her question.

"It's about the guitar, right?" Saku didn't spell it out.

"Was it that obvious?"

Now that he'd said it, Anon felt there was no point in hiding anymore.

"Not really, I just noticed your reaction seemed… off," Saku explained, shaking his head.

Anon's head shot up. "You noticed? When?"

"When I agreed to let her join the band."

"So my acting was that terrible? I thought I'd pulled it off perfectly."

"I actually do have mind-reading powers," he joked.

Ignoring his playful remark, Anon pressed on, "You said you'd take responsibility. How? Are you planning to kick Raana out?"

"With everyone else agreeing to let her join, kicking her out is probably not an option, right?"

"I know that." Anon couldn't help but be curious. "So how do you plan to take responsibility?"

Saku shared his idea, "I'm going to help you improve your guitar skills."

"You're going to teach me guitar? But… don't you not play any instruments?"

"True, but I'll find someone else who can teach you." Saku said earnestly, "It'll be a bit of hard work, though. Would that be alright with you?"

---

T/N: I said on the Yukinoshita story that I preferred stories with a deeper meaning, I think this one also fit's the bill even if it doesn't seem like it at first glance. Usually stories like this would already have a bunch of girls falling for him already or just a bunch of 2 dimensional characters but I feel like this story will be something special! It's alright if you don't read it though! ✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ )

It's me from the future! Just like all new stories 5 chapters a day until chapter 50! However! This week I will be releasing 5 new stories! Including this one, I will be releasing them on each day so through Mon-Fri! (Yukinoshita story was scrapped)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!

If you wish to support me or read ahead here's a link! [patreon.com/WiseTL]