I Just Want A Single Ending!

Stepping off the train, Kamigawa Saku arrived at FOLT, a live house.

This was where Hiroi Kikuri's band usually performed.

He hadn't come here many times.

After all, she wasn't a capturable character. With STARRY, where Nijika Ijichi and Yamada Ryo were, there was no real reason to visit Kikuri here.

He wasn't actually into bands, anyway.

Just as he pushed the door open, before he could even start looking, Kikuri's voice called out from nearby.

"Over here, Saku-chan!"

Following the sound, he spotted Kikuri, still visibly drunk, standing next to a girl in a bright red top paired with a leather jacket and skirt, her black hair grazing her shoulders.

From her appearance, she was certainly beautiful.

Actually, striking might be a better way to put it.

This must be Yahata Umiri, the girl he'd heard about.

Seeing her, Saku quickly walked over.

"Can you just use my full name? Calling me 'Saku-chan' is weird!"

The first thing he did was correct Kikuri's nickname for him.

If it were a girl's name, he wouldn't mind calling someone something like "Nijika-chan" or "Kita-chan"—those sound pretty nice.

But his name? Absolutely not. It was just too awkward.

"Come on, you'll get used to it if I say it enough," Kikuri brushed off his protest with a tipsy wave, then introduced the girl next to her.

"This is the super-talented bassist I mentioned—Yahata Umiri."

"Hello, nice to meet you," Saku greeted proactively.

"And this guy is the newbie bassist who just started learning and already refuses my guidance—Kamigawa Saku," Kikuri said casually, with a hint of mischief.

Lowering his voice, Saku muttered in exasperation, "Are you introducing me or settling a score?"

"Nice to meet you," Umiri responded politely.

[New romanceable character detected: Yahata Umiri]

As the two of them exchanged greetings, a system notification appeared.

Another capturable character…

Saku was a little surprised, though not opposed to the idea.

After all, the roster of capturable characters included a popular idol; adding a pro bassist was hardly an issue.

In that case, he supposed he could forgive Kikuri for the strange nickname and introduction earlier, considering she'd introduced him to someone valuable.

"So, you're Kamigawa Saku," Umiri said, sizing him up with a look of mild interest. "I've heard about you before. I didn't expect you to look like this."

Saku blinked, surprised. "You know me?"

They hadn't met or spoken before, so far as he knew. That recent system notification should have been the first sign of any connection between them.

"I heard your name from Taki. She mentioned you were the manager of her band," Umiri explained matter-of-factly.

"You and Shiina are friends?"

That made more sense to Saku now.

Umiri didn't hide it. "Yes, we're friends, and classmates, too."

"I see."

Saku nodded thoughtfully.

"Hey, how come you two are already chatting without me? I'm feeling totally left out here!" Kikuri protested, unhappy as she watched them talking away.

She was the one who'd set up this meeting, yet somehow, she'd ended up in the background.

"Sorry, here's the makeup you asked for," Saku replied, turning his attention back to Kikuri and handing over the bag.

"Hehehe… Now I can really show off to those two!"

With a self-satisfied grin, Kikuri peeked inside the bag at the expensive makeup.

"…"

Saku was speechless.

So, she'd only asked him to bring her the makeup so she could brag to her bandmates.

"Well, in that case, you two carry on. I'm heading to the break room."

Tucking a ticket for her band's next gig into Saku's hand, Kikuri waved goodbye with the bag in tow.

As she left, Saku looked back at Umiri, curiosity in his gaze. "Mind if I ask how you and Kikuri met?"

One of them was a perpetually tipsy musician with hardly a serious moment to her name, and the other was Yahata Umiri, a girl who radiated strength just by standing there.

They couldn't be more different.

"Oh, it's simple," Umiri said with a calm smile. "The bands I support often perform here, so I run into her quite a bit. One time she approached me while drunk—she'd mistaken me for someone else. We've gradually become acquainted since then."

"Sounds like quite the experience."

Judging by her story, Saku could imagine the awkwardness of that encounter and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"It wasn't too bad."

Apparently, Umiri didn't think it was much trouble.

"But, supporting bands—isn't that quite a bit of work?"

Saku's curiosity piqued, he shifted the topic to something he found interesting.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just work as a support bassist for about thirty different bands," Umiri said, downplaying it.

"What?"

Saku was stunned by the number.

Just managing two bands felt like it would take serious consideration.

Yet she handled over thirty—wasn't that a little extreme?

Maybe that was what made a professional bassist's skill stand out.

Perhaps he should learn from her.

"Well, it's around thirty, but only about ten of them are regularly active," Umiri added.

"That's still pretty intense."

Even reduced from thirty to ten, it was still a significant commitment.

"You get used to it. They book me about a week in advance, and once I have the schedule, it's manageable," Umiri said with an easy-going shrug.

"…"

Saku didn't feel like pursuing that topic further, so he chuckled and shifted gears. "By the way, earlier, you mentioned Taki brought me up before. Do you mind telling me what she said about me?"

He was quite curious about the impression Shiina Taki had of him; it would be useful for his plans to get to know her better.

---

Hello! Thank you so much for reading this chapter. WiseTL has worked hard to bring these wonderful stories to you, and I'm so happy we could share this moment together! Don't you think stories are a little like dreams? Each one has its own colors and shapes, and they grow even brighter when shared with others.

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-With love, Nahida 🌱