I Just Want A Single Ending!

"Is that really what Nijika-senpai said?"

Hearing Kamigawa Saku's words, Kita Ikuyo's sense of despair eased slightly.

"That's exactly what she said," Kamigawa confirmed with a nod.

Kita could hardly believe it and asked again, "So… she's not angry? I mean, I ran away at such a critical moment!"

"Nope, she didn't seem upset at all."

Thinking back, he hadn't noticed any hint of anger from either Nijika or Ryo.

"Why aren't they mad at me for doing something like that? Nijika-senpai and Ryo-senpai are just too kind… What am I supposed to do now…"

For someone like Kita, it would've been easier to handle if they'd been angry at her; their kindness only made her feel more guilty.

"Oh, Kamigawa-kun, could you pass along…"

"Sorry to cut you off," Kamigawa interrupted before she could finish.

"Huh?"

"Look, I'm not a messenger. If you have something you want to say to Nijika and Ryo, you should tell them yourself, not ask me to do it." He pulled out his phone and waved it slightly. "If you don't have their contacts, I can give them to you."

"You're right. Apologizing is something I need to do face-to-face! Whatever they want me to do to make it up, I'll accept it!"

After a moment of silence, Kita made up her mind with a determined nod.

"Good luck," Kamigawa encouraged her.

Though he had to admit, it was a shame he hadn't used this as an excuse to exchange LINE contacts.

"Oh, by the way, Kamigawa-kun, we haven't actually added each other yet, have we? I feel bad that you had to come find me just to pass on that message."

Seeing his phone, Kita seemed to realize something.

"If you don't mind, can we exchange contacts?"

"Of course."

Kamigawa hadn't expected things to take such a positive turn.

Guess good deeds do get rewarded after all.

After they'd added each other, he asked, "Are you sure you don't need Nijika and Ryo's contacts?"

"…No. After lying to them like I did, I don't deserve to have their numbers."

Kita looked tempted, but she still chose to refuse.

"Alright."

Seeing how firmly she stuck to her decision, Kamigawa didn't press further.

They chatted briefly about band stuff before heading back to the classroom.

As soon as they returned, Kita was immediately surrounded by her friends, who peppered her with questions.

"It really wasn't a confession! Kamigawa-kun was just relaying a message for my band. I missed their messages yesterday afternoon, so they couldn't reach me…" Kita explained.

Meanwhile, Kamigawa found himself face-to-face with Chihaya Anon.

"What's this?"

Kamigawa looked at the coffee she'd placed on his desk, puzzled.

"It's to repay you for yesterday's drink," Chihaya explained simply, then asked, "So, what was that you were talking to Kita-san about just now? Are you helping manage her band's social media or something?"

"No, I was just passing along a message."

He'd once offered to help Nijika run the band's social media, but she'd turned him down with a polite "I don't want to trouble you." Oddly enough, Ryo seemed all for it, saying that would solve their financial worries.

Chihaya hesitantly probed further, "You're not managing any other bands' accounts, are you?"

"Nope."

Kamigawa had a good guess where she was going with this.

Chihaya gave him a genuine smile. "If that's the case, would you be interested in starting a band with me? I thought it over last night and realized I really want to play in a band during high school."

[Accept]

[Decline]

"Of course."

Kamigawa smiled and agreed.

[Acquired Special Ability: Teleportation (Upgradeable)]

(Consume stamina to move freely within a 100-meter radius)

"Huh?"

Kamigawa's expression faltered as he read the notification.

He'd expected to unlock some kind of useful skill eventually, but a superpower? That was a surprise.

And not just any power—teleportation!

Though it was limited to 100 meters for now, it was clearly upgradable. If they weren't in class, he'd be itching to try it out right away.

"What's up?"

Chihaya noticed his odd reaction.

"Oh, nothing. I just got a little too excited."

After all, who wouldn't get excited over suddenly gaining a superpower?

"That's fine," Chihaya replied, seeming to believe him.

Starting a band with her must've seemed exciting, too—that was normal enough.

"By the way, have you thought about who else will join the band? Do you have anyone in mind?"

After getting his reaction in check, Kamigawa steered the conversation toward something practical.

"I was planning to ask Takamatsu-san. She's been in a band before, so she has experience," Chihaya explained.

Kamigawa pointed out, "Takamatsu's role in her previous band was lead vocalist. That's the same as yours."

"Oh…"

Chihaya hesitated, but quickly came up with a solution.

"In that case, we can just have her switch to another role, like drummer, bassist, tambourine, triangle, or castanets."

"Alright then, give it a try," Kamigawa agreed.

If the two romanceable characters ended up forming a band, it would make his life easier.

"By the way, do you know why Takamatsu-san's last band broke up?"

Chihaya wanted to gather a bit more intel before approaching her.

"She said it was due to different musical interests and hinted that the breakup might've been her fault," Kamigawa recalled.

"If she's worried it was her fault, then she's probably not the problem," Chihaya mused, glancing over at Takamatsu's empty desk.

"Let's ask her this afternoon. I'm eating lunch with the others, so I don't have time until then."

"Got it."

After talking a bit more about the band, their conversation wrapped up.

Chihaya went back to chatting with her circle of friends.

Kamigawa, meanwhile, was preoccupied with his new teleportation ability.

Could that choice really have been a critical one?

Otherwise, it didn't make sense to receive a superpower as a reward.

He thought it over but couldn't reach any conclusions.

With so few examples, finding a pattern was impossible.

But now that he had superpowers, he felt even more certain about his single ending.

Before, he'd wondered how he was supposed to "earn" endless wealth.

Now, he didn't have to worry about it at all.

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T/N: I was surprised by that reward! Teleportation would be really useful for getting around...