I Just Want A Single Ending!

Seeing the system notification pop up, Kamigawa Saku's smile grew a bit brighter.

Today was seriously his lucky day.

In one day, he'd encountered as many romanceable characters as he had over the past few weeks.

So, both CRYCHIC members he'd met so far were romanceable?

If that was the case, maybe the remaining three members could be as well.

He'd have to try and chat with them when the chance arose.

As soon as his brief self-introduction finished, the door opened, and Nagasaki Soyo appeared.

"Hello, I'm Nagasaki Soyo. Pleased to meet you." She wore a polite smile.

Kamigawa could tell right away that her smile was the same practiced, courteous one he wore.

"These are some snacks. I hope you'll accept them," he said, extending the small gift he'd brought.

"Thank you."

She accepted the snacks but made no move to invite him inside.

Kamigawa wasn't surprised; he was, after all, a guy, and it'd be strange for a girl to invite him in on their first meeting.

Since he'd only come to confirm if she was a romanceable character, his objective was already complete.

After a few more pleasantries, he turned to leave, and Nagasaki Soyo gently closed the door.

Back downstairs, Kamigawa entered his apartment.

Switching on the lights, he sank into the sofa and reviewed the conversation in his mind, double-checking for anything that might've seemed impolite.

From his perspective, everything had gone smoothly.

As for what Nagasaki Soyo thought, he couldn't say for sure.

Still, it was just a basic greeting and small talk, so he was confident it had left a decent impression.

For their next interaction, he'd wait until he had more information on her, or until a good reason to approach her came up.

After all, he couldn't just become friends without a natural opening.

Guess the "single ending" won't be so easy to achieve after all, he thought with a stretch.

Yesterday, he'd had only four romanceable characters on his list. Now, there were seven.

He couldn't help but wonder how many more he'd run into in the future.

But he was ready for it.

If getting through high school single was as easy as just becoming friends with a few girls, he'd have doubted the validity of that ending.

But with this many characters, it was genuinely challenging.

Still, whenever he thought about that promising single ending, he felt completely motivated.

Let's keep working on the house today.

After organizing his thoughts, Kamigawa headed up to the second floor to start cleaning.

This place was one of the properties left to him by his parents, and he'd only recently moved in, so it needed a lot of tidying up.

Like in some galgames and novels, his parents had passed away.

Thankfully, they'd left him several properties and enough money to live comfortably.

But comfortably didn't mean extravagantly. If he wanted the kind of luxury that allowed for a care-free lifestyle, that was out of reach.

He didn't mind it, though.

After the galgame system appeared and showed him his future, his perspective had changed a bit.

It wasn't the endless wealth that enticed him as much as the chance to know what a truly happy life could feel like.

Of course, the money wouldn't hurt, either.

Who wouldn't want to live freely, buying whatever they wanted without hesitation?

People often said that money wasn't everything, but only the rich could afford to say that.

So his outlook shifted—from coasting along to working hard for three years to ensure a lifetime of happiness.

Unlike others who worked toward an uncertain, unseeable future, he had a crystal-clear view of his—and it looked fantastic.

With a guaranteed reward in sight, there was no reason not to pursue it.

---

The next morning…

"Good morning."

As Chihaya Anon was chatting with a few girls, she noticed Kamigawa Saku enter the classroom and greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning."

Kamigawa returned the greeting with a polite smile.

After watching him set down his bag, Chihaya decided to tell him about her plan to form a band.

After thinking it over the previous night, she'd made up her mind.

In this small group of girls she'd joined, Kita Ikuyo stood out like a bright star.

Just yesterday, mentioning that she had band practice made her the center of attention in seconds.

Chihaya was envious of that.

Besides, Kamigawa had already promised to help with managing the band's social media.

With his expertise and her guitar and vocals, they were bound to gain a following in no time.

But just as she was about to approach him, she saw Kamigawa walk over toward Kita.

Then he spoke, "Kita-san, I need to talk to you about something. Can we step outside for a moment?"

"Huh?"

Chihaya stopped, a bit taken aback.

As soon as he said that, the other girls began whispering.

"It's a confession, isn't it?"

"Definitely a confession!"

"You know, Kita and Kamigawa would be such a cute couple…"

"Stop it, guys. I'm right here, and besides, saying things like that could get Kamigawa-kun in trouble," Kita Ikuyo said, cutting off the playful chatter and glancing at Kamigawa.

"Um, Kamigawa-kun, is it something you have to say in private?"

"It's about band stuff. I don't think you'd want me to…"

Before he could finish, Kita grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the classroom.

"Aww, so it wasn't a confession…" one girl sighed.

"Maybe he's just hiding it. I've heard bands are, like, totally full of drama," another chimed in.

Hearing the others still speculating about their relationship, Chihaya suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

Could it be that Kamigawa also offered Kita help with managing her band's social media?

No, that would be terrible!

She already had a band name picked out in her mind!

Meanwhile, Kita had led Kamigawa to an empty stairwell, finally releasing her hold.

"Kamagawa-kun, this band stuff… you don't mean…"

"Yes, it's about you running off yesterday afternoon."

Kamigawa gave her a thumbs-up, confirming she'd guessed correctly.

But instead of relief, Kita looked absolutely crestfallen.

"So, you're here to…"

"Yep, I'm here to deliver a message."

Kamigawa relayed it smoothly.

"Nijika wanted to know what happened yesterday. Why did you suddenly run away? Was there an emergency?"

"If possible, they'd really like you to keep coming to practice."