I Just Want A Single Ending!

After leaving Gotoh Hitori's house, Kamigawa Saku bought a mountain of supplies and headed back to his own place.

Originally, he had other plans for the evening, but his curiosity about the new Study Boost Card made him eager to get home early.

Though it was called a Study Boost Card, there was no physical card involved—he only had to mentally activate it to use it.

That's what the system's instructions said, anyway.

As for how he planned to use the card, Saku already knew exactly what he wanted to focus on.

Bass.

Rather than using it to cram random knowledge, it seemed better to apply it somewhere he could clearly see the progress.

Since the Study Boost Card description warned of heavy stamina consumption, he'd prepared by stocking up on food—just in case.

---

After dinner, Saku sat on the couch, bass in hand.

To his left was a pile of books on self-teaching bass, to his right an assortment of snacks and food, and in the middle, a bass tutorial video playing on the screen.

Once he was certain everything was in place, Saku took a deep breath and thought, Study Boost Card, activate!

Alright, system—let's see what you've got!

In an instant, a wave of hunger surged through him, and he could feel his stamina draining at an alarming rate.

At the same time, his mind was sharper than ever.

Techniques he'd previously struggled with, concepts he couldn't quite grasp—they all suddenly became crystal clear, as if he'd known them all along.

The closest word for what he was experiencing would be enlightenment.

Not a fleeting flash of insight, but a solid, controlled, three-hour stretch of clarity.

Realizing just how powerful this state was, Saku didn't want to waste a second. Instead of snacking to regain energy, he dove straight into studying the bass with everything he had.

---

Three hours flew by.

Utterly exhausted, Saku collapsed onto the couch, his fingers raw and covered in small cuts, his bass lying discarded at his side.

He'd thought that even the best three-hour boost wouldn't be enough to make a real difference.

After all, it was only three hours.

Now that he'd experienced it, he admitted he'd been too cocky.

At this point, he could probably write a book.

He'd call it Master Bass in Three Hours—or maybe From Bass Beginner to Bass God.

Well, calling himself a "Bass God" was a bit much.

But he could confidently say that Nagasaki Soyo and Yamada Ryo were mere mortals before he learned the bass.

Of course, his current skill level was entirely thanks to his hard work.

He'd worked so hard his hands were blistered and bleeding.

With a little extra help from the system.

Without the stamina he'd built up over time, he wouldn't have been able to make full use of those three hours.

But, looking at it another way, all that stamina came from his own efforts, from the relationships he'd built with the girls he could court.

In other words, it was all the result of his personal dedication.

Heh, good job, me.

Thinking this, Saku nodded in satisfaction.

So this is what they mean when they say hard work pays off!

---

The next morning, outside RiNG.

Ijichi Nijika immediately noticed the bandages covering Kamigawa Saku's fingers as he walked over. "Saku, what happened to your hands?"

"Oh, you actually noticed," Saku responded, slightly surprised.

"Your fingers are wrapped in bandages on all ten fingers—it's hard not to notice." Nijika gave him a quick tease before her expression turned to concern. "What did you do? Even if you cut yourself, it wouldn't end up like this."

"Last night, I got into a good rhythm while practicing bass, so I just went all in and didn't notice my fingers."

Saku gave a brief explanation.

In truth, it went something like this—

Brain: Alright, I've watched it. I get it. Now play it back.

Hands: I'm playing, but I'm getting shredded here.

Brain: Whatever, just tell me if you got it right.

Time was short, so Saku hadn't given his aching hands a second thought and kept pushing through.

And this was the result.

"No matter how great you're feeling, it's never worth sacrificing your health," Nijika said gently. "Did you put on some ointment? If not, I can go home and grab some for you."

[No, I didn't.]

[Yes, I did.]

"Of course I put on some," Saku replied truthfully, since he had, in fact, applied ointment.

[Stamina +1]

"Good."

With that answer, Nijika finally looked reassured.

After chatting for a bit, the two of them finally spotted Gotoh Hitori walking over with her guitar case on her back.

"Good morning!"

"Morning."

Seeing Saku and Nijika cheerfully greet her, Hitori could barely manage a response.

She absolutely loathed her sturdy constitution; even after soaking in ice-cold water and standing in front of the fan in a swimsuit, she hadn't managed to catch a cold.

All of her plans to avoid today's training had failed.

"This is where you'll be playing guitar," Saku said, skipping over small talk as he led Hitori and Nijika inside. "I've already spoken to the manager."

"Wait, this is a live house, isn't it?"

As they walked in, Hitori realized something was off.

Yesterday, she'd boldly said she'd perform in a place with people.

But she hadn't meant a full-on live performance!

"It's a live house, sure, but the second floor is a café with a stage for performances."

Saku explained as he led them up the stairs.

"Don't worry, it's just guitar in a café," Nijika added, though she couldn't resist a lighthearted remark. "But it does seem a little strange, doesn't it? You'd think a café would have a piano instead of a guitar."

"Probably because it's right above a live house."

As soon as they reached the second floor, they were greeted by the sound of intense guitar riffs coming from the café stage.

Looking toward the source of the music, they spotted Kaname Raana.

Moments later, Chihaya Anon's voice rang out, "Finally! We've been waiting for ages!"

Sitting with her were Nagasaki Soyo, Shiina Taki, and Takamatsu Tomori.

"Sorry, we're a little late."

Saku stepped over to their table, apologizing sincerely. "To make it up to you, order anything you like today—it's on me."

It was supposed to be their band's rehearsal day, but Saku had invited them here as an audience to help Hitori ease into performing, hoping it'd lighten her nerves a bit.

"Oh, no need for that! We haven't been waiting long," Nagasaki Soyo replied kindly.

Shiina Taki, noticing the guitar case on Hitori's back, asked, "Is she the guitarist you mentioned?"

---

T/N: I'm beginning to feel like a bass god bass god