I Just Want A Single Ending!

"W-Was I?"

Hearing his question, Gotoh Hitori felt a jolt of panic.

Had she really been that obvious?

"Your voice is shaking as you say that," Kamigawa Saku teased.

"…"

Gotoh Hitori couldn't deny it.

Kamigawa asked with a mischievous smile, "Just to check— I haven't done anything to scare you, right?"

"No."

"Then why are you so afraid of me?" He sounded genuinely puzzled.

"It's because… I haven't talked to a guy in years, and you're… the top guy in our grade. For someone like me who spends my life hiding in the background, dealing with someone as popular as you is… way out of my league…"

It took her a moment of nervous stammering, but she finally managed to explain.

"Ah, I get it now. But could you please stop calling me the 'top guy in our grade'?"

If she kept calling him that, it would turn into an embarrassing label.

"Oh, sorry… It just slipped out," she quickly apologized.

Honestly, she sort of envied him for having a title like that. As for herself… she knew nobody would ever rank her for anything.

"And don't even think it in your head."

"Sorry," Gotoh apologized again.

Kamigawa tried to reassure her, "Really, there's no need to be so scared of me. I'm not going to eat you. Just relax."

"…I'll try."

Gotoh Hitori nodded, though she kept her eyes fixed on the ground.

Wow, that floor sure was… floor-y.

Truthfully, if she could change so easily just from a few words, she wouldn't be socially anxious to begin with.

"If you can't do it yet, don't worry. We'll have plenty of chances to hang out, so you'll get used to it over time," Kamigawa said, reading her thoughts perfectly.

"Plenty… of chances?"

Gotoh Hitori caught onto a keyword.

"Yeah, we're friends, aren't we?" Kamigawa replied casually.

"F-Friends?"

Gotoh nearly bit her tongue in surprise.

What was going on?

Was today her lucky day?

Not only had she met Nijika Ijichi and Yamada Ryo and joined their band, but she'd also somehow become friends with the top guy in the grade.

It felt like a dream.

Wait, is this actually a dream?

To test it, Gotoh Hitori pinched her leg without hesitation.

Ouch, that hurt!

But since she felt it, that meant it wasn't a dream!

What a relief.

Watching her odd actions, Kamigawa asked, pretending to be troubled, "Don't tell me… Bocchi-chan doesn't want to be friends with me?"

"No, that's not it! It's just… you're the first guy I've ever become friends with, so I'm not used to it. And you're the top… Kamigawa-kun," she finished, stumbling over her words.

Kamigawa smiled, ignoring her slip. "Well, since we're friends, let's exchange LINE contacts."

He took out his phone, acting as though he hadn't heard her momentary lapse.

"Huh?"

"Or is that not okay?"

"No, it's fine!"

Gotoh Hitori couldn't refuse, and handed over her phone without protest.

Seeing her comply so easily, Kamigawa took her phone, quickly adding himself as a contact.

Once they were done, he handed her phone back and asked with a friendly tone, "By the way, where do you live, Bocchi-chan? It's getting late. Do you need me to walk you home?"

"That's okay… I live pretty far away. It's about a two-hour train ride," Gotoh replied honestly.

"In that case, I'll walk you to the station."

Considering the long trip, Kamigawa figured it was the least he could do.

"Well…"

Gotoh Hitori wanted to decline.

Walking together with him was… nerve-wracking.

Kamigawa tilted his head at her. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing."

She couldn't find the words to refuse him.

So Kamigawa accompanied Gotoh Hitori to the station.

After boarding the train and finding a seat, she still felt a bit dazed.

If she hadn't pinched herself earlier to confirm she wasn't dreaming…

She wouldn't have believed any of this was real.

Today really must have been her lucky day!

Kamigawa, meanwhile, walked home in the opposite direction.

Gotoh Hitori is way too easygoing, he thought.

Reflecting on his interactions with her, he couldn't help but sigh.

With most romanceable characters, he avoided making a move until he understood their personalities, unless a golden opportunity presented itself.

But Gotoh Hitori was different.

If others were like boss-level characters, she was more like a Level 1 slime in the newbie zone.

No strategy needed—he could make progress without any special effort.

Like just now, where he'd easily gotten her to accept him as a friend.

If only all the romanceable characters were as easy to approach as she is, he mused.

With that hope in mind, he strolled up to his apartment building.

As he scanned his keycard at the entrance, he noticed a girl with long brown hair in a Moonzaki Girls' Academy uniform stepping into the elevator.

Hmm?

Kamigawa thought she looked familiar, like he'd seen her somewhere before.

After a brief moment of thought, it clicked.

She was Nagasaki Soyo, the bassist of CRYCHIC.

As a fan of the band, he'd remembered the members' names.

But he didn't know if Nagasaki Soyo was a romanceable character, since he hadn't found the right moment to strike up a conversation.

While he pondered, the elevator doors slowly closed.

He missed his chance to get on, but he wasn't too bothered; he just pressed the button for the other elevator.

As he waited, he kept his eyes on the floor indicator for the elevator she was in.

Eventually, it stopped at the top floor.

Isn't that the floor above mine?

Kamigawa hadn't expected this twist.

He'd moved to this apartment for convenience, and it turned out he'd ended up with a CRYCHIC member as a neighbor.

Since he'd only just moved in, he hadn't had a chance to introduce himself to his neighbors.

This could be the perfect excuse to start a conversation and see if she was romanceable.

Decision made, Kamigawa felt his excitement build.

After reaching the top floor, Kamigawa stepped out with a small gift in hand.

He rang Nagasaki Soyo's doorbell and waited patiently.

"Who is it…?"

After a few minutes, her voice came through the intercom.

"Hello, I'm Kamigawa Saku, your new neighbor from the floor below. I just wanted to introduce myself. I hope we can get along."

He spoke with a polite smile.

[New romanceable character discovered: Nagasaki Soyo]