I Just Want A Single Ending!

Hearing his response, Soyo Nagasaki remained doubtful. She immediately stood up, walked around the dining table, and approached Saku Kamigawa.

"What's up?"

Seeing her odd movement, Saku couldn't help but find it strange.

Soyo leaned in and gently said, "Let me feel your forehead."

How should she put it?

He didn't look like he was going to get better just by sleeping it off.

He actually looked like he was coming down with something.

Considering he might just be pushing himself too hard, she figured she needed to check for herself.

"Are you thinking I have a fever?"

Saku didn't resist much and even brushed aside his bangs to let her touch his forehead more easily.

With his current level of health, it was nearly impossible for him to get sick.

Without replying, Soyo reached out with a worried expression and placed her hand on his forehead.

It was Friday, meaning he'd have the whole weekend to recover.

If he was indeed unwell, she could take care of him over the weekend.

It would be a nice way to repay him for looking after her when she had been sick.

Actually, no, as his sister, it was only natural to take care of her little brother. There was no need for excuses or repayment.

"Huh?"

To her surprise, his forehead wasn't warm at all—it was a normal temperature, just as it should be.

This left Soyo with mixed feelings.

Since Saku wasn't sick, as his sister, she should be happy for him.

But him not being sick also meant he didn't need her to look after him…

She wasn't really sure how she was supposed to feel.

Was it bad of her, as his sister, to kind of wish he was sick?

Saku let his bangs fall back into place and emphasized, "Like I said, I just need a good night's sleep."

"You've worked hard these past few days. Do you need me to do anything for you?"

After a few seconds of silence, Soyo spoke again, her concern still evident.

She really wanted to do something for him, but she couldn't think of anything appropriate.

Mainly because he wasn't sick—she couldn't just take care of him without a reason.

Come to think of it, if he was planning to rest, maybe she could offer him a lap pillow?

Thinking of this, she glanced down at her lap.

Wouldn't it make sense for a sister to let her little brother rest his head on her lap?

"No need. I'm heading back to sleep now."

Just then, Saku finished his meal and got up, ready to leave.

"Oh, alright..."

With that, her idea of offering a lap pillow was even harder to bring up.

After all, he was going to take a nap, and he'd probably sleep for a long time.

A long rest like that wouldn't be very suitable for a lap pillow.

Not to mention, it'd be a little embarrassing to suddenly offer her lap like that.

Honestly, it'd be kind of strange for a sister to offer her brother a lap pillow, right?

If he misunderstood, things could get awkward…

Not that she had any special feelings for Saku, of course...

"See you."

Saku stood up as well, saying goodbye.

"Yeah, see you."

And so, Soyo had no choice but to let him go.

---

Once Saku was back home, he didn't go straight to bed like he'd told Soyo he would. Instead, he continued watching videos on music composition.

He hadn't reached his limit yet—he still had some energy to squeeze out.

Once he genuinely couldn't retain any more information, he'd use a Study Card to maximize its effect.

As for stamina, he wasn't worried.

Right now, he was only a bit dazed because of the sheer amount of information in his head, not because he was physically tired.

Not to mention, the system had given him such a significant stamina boost and fast recovery.

And so, time ticked away, and soon it was midnight.

Feeling that he really couldn't retain any more information, Saku stopped watching videos and started preparing to use the Study Card.

Even though his stamina was quite good, he decided to play it safe and prepared some snacks and food, along with a few books on composition and anything else that might be useful.

Without the Study Card's effect, watching instructional videos was best.

With the Study Card, though, reading books was the way to go.

After all, even if he could speed up the videos, it still wouldn't be as fast as flipping through a book.

Once he felt that everything was ready, Saku sat down at his desk and thought to himself:

"Study Card, activate!"

With the activation of a one-hour Study Card, his previously muddled mind suddenly became crystal clear.

The composition knowledge he had forcibly memorized over the past few days rapidly transformed into an understanding he could fully grasp and apply.

It felt like a blocked river that had finally been cleared.

At the same time, his stamina began to drain at an incredible rate.

But this level of energy loss was manageable.

And with his boosted recovery, there was no need to worry.

There was no time to relax; he eagerly picked up a book and started reading.

With his current mental state, it wouldn't take long to fully digest everything he'd crammed into his mind. He had to seize this opportunity and read as much as he could to make the most of his time.

This feels amazing!

The satisfaction of understanding the material instantly and connecting it with what he already knew was a relief after days of memorizing without comprehension.

It's only when you compare that you really see the difference.

Even though he was savoring this feeling, Saku didn't stop flipping through the pages.

Every single second of the Study Card's effect was precious.

---

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, an hour had slipped by.

Sitting there with his book, Saku Kamigawa felt his brain slowing down, grinding almost to a halt.

Compared to using the study card, his current learning pace was practically zero.

Ah…another hour…let's go for another hour… he thought, there's still one more card; I might as well use it…

He craved that heightened state again, but Saku forced himself to resist the urge, clinging to the small shred of clarity still lingering in his mind.

I know what I'm doing is right!

Leaning back in his chair, he tapped his temple thoughtfully.

With short-term memory boosts from the study card, he could leap forward in skill, mastering an entire new ability in just one go.

Though he wouldn't call himself a professional composer just yet, he was close. Now, the only thing holding him back was experience. As long as he listened to more music and filled in those gaps, he could easily be called a professional.

He couldn't help but think, This study card is terrifying.

It was power beyond the reach of any regular human.

Even a prodigy putting in years of intense practice wouldn't come close to what the study card could accomplish in a single hour.

Beethoven? Mozart?

Without the study card, they were just mere mortals, he thought smugly.

Or rather, only those on Beethoven's or Mozart's level were qualified to stand on the same stage as him with his study card in hand.

It might sound a bit over the top, but what could he say? He had the galgame system, and it was his.

I really am unstoppable.

Learning composition in three days—it's all thanks to my hard work!

Saku stretched his arms above his head as he stood up.

Hmm, what if I tried composing in that heightened state?

A daring thought struck him.

While the study card was meant to aid learning, that didn't mean he couldn't try his hand at creating something in that state.

In fact, the feeling he got when using it was something like enlightenment.

If it was enlightenment, then composing should be possible.

Maybe I should give it a quick try next time I use the card?

He glanced at his last study card.

I'll try just one minute…no, too long. Thirty seconds…no, even that's too much! Just ten seconds! I'll try it for ten seconds!

If he couldn't make any progress in ten seconds, he'd abandon the idea entirely.

A ten-second experiment felt worth it.

If it worked and he really did compose something, it would be a huge win for him.

He'd not only find a new use for the study card but also gain a song out of it.

And if it didn't work, no big deal. Just ten seconds.

He already knew when he'd use the next card.

Next Wednesday through Friday—this time, he'd focus on learning arrangement.

Right now, he only knew composition; arrangement was still a mystery to him.

And this experiment would come along for the ride.

If the card helped him with composition, wouldn't it assist him with arrangement, too?

For that, he could extend the experiment to twenty seconds.

Doubling the time meant he'd have plenty of room to test his theory.

After indulging in this idea a bit, Saku made his way to the bathroom to freshen up.

It was about time to turn in for the night—tomorrow, he'd be meeting with Tomori Takamatsu.

After several days of sleeplessness, a good night's rest was exactly what he needed.

---

Saturday morning, at Hazawa Coffee.

Wearing his headphones and listening to music, Saku Kamigawa patiently waited for Tomori Takamatsu to arrive.

He was focused on listening, filling in that final gap in his musical knowledge.

A few more minutes passed before Tomori finally walked in.

She scanned the room, quickly spotting Saku sitting in a prominent seat and walked over, taking the seat across from him.

"Good morning! The tea here is fantastic. If you like tea, feel free to order any kind," Saku offered, turning off his music and taking off his headphones.

"Alright, I'll give it a try," Tomori replied, picking up the menu and ordering a cup of tea based on his recommendation.

As they waited for the tea to arrive, Saku casually chatted with her, though she seemed a little restless.

"You look a bit nervous?" he asked, noticing her staring down at the table.

Tomori raised her head briefly, then quickly lowered it again. "…Sorry, I still haven't managed to finish the lyrics."

"So that's what's got you so tense?" Saku immediately understood her strange reaction.

"It's just…we were supposed to talk about lyrics today." Tomori looked genuinely apologetic.

After he'd reassured her last time that there was no rush and she could take her time, she had indeed felt some relief.

But knowing she could take it slow didn't mean she could avoid writing lyrics altogether.

So, last night, she had tried to write again.

And as before, nothing she wrote felt good enough.

Meeting Saku today left her with a sense of guilt for his encouragement and concern.

"Ah, sorry! That's my fault for the way I worded my message—it probably made you worry for nothing," Saku apologized.

Think of it like this: if a teacher messaged you one day, asking you to come by their office to discuss your grades, wouldn't you be nervous?

It was only natural that she'd feel this way.

Tomori finally lifted her head, looking directly at him. "Wording?"

"I was hoping to help you with the lyrics, not criticize you for struggling with them," Saku clarified.

"You want to help me? How?" she asked, clearly interested.

Lyrics had been her biggest frustration recently.

If he was serious about helping, she wouldn't turn it down.

"Let me start with my own thoughts and observations, and you can tell me if they sound accurate."

Saku paused before explaining in detail. "I think the main reason you're struggling to write lyrics is because you're putting too much pressure on yourself. In other words, you have such high expectations that it's holding you back. Does that sound right?"

It wasn't hard to read between the lines.

She'd had a similar problem after the band's first performance, where her nervousness had caused her to falter.

"…"

Tomori didn't respond right away.

"If you could answer, it'd help me get a better idea of how to help you," Saku urged her gently.

Hearing his request, Tomori opened her mouth as if to reply, but no words came out, and she eventually closed it again.

"Is it that you don't actually know why the lyrics aren't coming together?" Saku asked, a suspicion forming.

"Yeah…" Tomori nodded quickly.

She truly didn't know what was wrong.

She knew she could write lyrics, but everything she wrote felt awkward.

Too high expectations?

It didn't feel like that.

The lyrics were there, on the page.

But because they weren't expressing what she truly wanted to convey, she felt as if she couldn't write lyrics at all.

It was something entirely different.

Her thought process felt bizarre.

So bizarre, in fact, that she began wondering if normal people ever fixated on things like this.

Tomori couldn't understand it herself.

---

Ahem! Gather close, esteemed audience! Do you comprehend the privilege of basking in my radiance? Truly, you're witnessing history in the making—a performance unparalleled in the annals of Fontaine!

Ah, but don't get distracted! Let me be clear: this brilliance isn't conjured from thin air. No, no, no! It requires effort, dedication, and… well, a touch of your generosity. If you fancy being part of something truly extraordinary, do step forward here: [patreon.com/WiseTL].

Oh, but wait! You're probably wondering, "Furina, how can someone as magnificent as you need assistance?" To that, I say: why deny mortals the honor of contributing to such greatness? Supporting me is supporting art, and who doesn't want to say they were instrumental in a legend's rise?

Now, off you go. Make your offerings, and perhaps, perhaps, I'll acknowledge you in my next soliloquy!

— Furina ✨