I Just Want A Single Ending!

The song soon came to an end.

"Well, what did you all think?"

Kamigawa Saku asked, looking for everyone's feedback.

"Interesting," Kaname Raana tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Pretty good."

Takamatsu Tomori kept her feedback short and simple.

After thinking for a moment, Nagasaki Soyo smiled and said, "It was definitely nice, but it didn't quite feel like professional level."

"For an amateur guitarist, she's impressive. Just… not quite at a pro level yet."

Shiina Taki agreed, nodding. At this point, she acknowledged that Saku hadn't exaggerated.

Gotoh Hitori did, indeed, have potential that could be considered near professional.

"I thought so too."

To put it simply, she was at the peak of the amateur level, just half a step from being a pro.

"When Hitori was playing, she kept her head down the entire time. Was it from nerves?" Chihaya Anon pointed out what she'd noticed.

"Seems like she didn't open her eyes either," Nijika added.

"I noticed that too. I'll go ask her about it."

Saku got up and walked over to the stage.

"Whew…"

Having just finished her performance, Gotoh Hitori was about to sneak a look at everyone's reaction.

But the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Saku standing right in front of her.

"Eep?"

"You played really well. Everyone said so,"

Seeing her surprised reaction, Saku offered some reassuring words right away.

"That's… that's good to hear."

Hitori had been so worried about playing poorly that she'd even imagined herself getting kicked out of the café by the other customers.

Saku then asked gently, "But could you tell me why you kept your head down and didn't open your eyes the whole time?"

"Uh…"

Hitori's heart skipped a beat.

He'd noticed.

She thought that by keeping her head down, no one would be able to tell that she hadn't opened her eyes.

Though she'd managed to play in front of all these people, her body's reflexive fear of being watched had made her close her eyes instinctively.

"Could you share the reason with me?" Saku asked, testing the waters. "You know, during a live show, you can't keep your eyes closed the entire time."

"Because… I was scared."

Hitori's voice was barely audible.

After all, the café wasn't empty; there were other customers and staff around.

The thought of their eyes on her filled her with fear.

[What if you keep your eyes open and just look at me?]

[What if you keep your eyes open and look at all of us?]

Keeping your eyes on one person versus a group—that's probably the difference between the romance and single route.

Saku quickly made his choice. "How about just looking at us while you play?"

[Stamina +5]

"Just… at you all?"

Hitori repeated, still somewhat dazed.

"Yeah, we'll all be cheering you on." Saku emphasized the word "we."

"I'll… give it a try."

Hitori bit her lip but ultimately decided to try it.

After all, like he said, she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes closed for an entire live performance.

"Good luck."

Seeing her agree, Saku encouraged her with a smile and headed back to his seat.

Hitori, meanwhile, kept watching his back until he finally sat down.

Seeing the other girls sitting around him, Hitori shook her head, hard.

Nope, she couldn't do it.

Besides Saku, the only people she knew were Nijika and Anon.

The others… well, she'd just learned their names. They were basically strangers.

How was she supposed to look at them while she played?

But… maybe, if she focused only on Saku, she could manage that.

Remembering his kindness and all the effort he'd put in for her, Hitori tightened her grip on her guitar.

Alright, then—I'll pretend no one else exists and play just for you!

---

"What happened to your hands?"

Without letting her mind wander too much, Chihaya Anon easily noticed the bandages on each of Saku's ten fingers.

So, when he sat down again, she asked about it right away.

As soon as she spoke, the others noticed the odd state of his fingers as well.

"It's nothing, really, just…"

Saku explained to them the same thing he'd told Nijika earlier.

"No matter how great you're feeling, you shouldn't push yourself like that. It's just bass; there's no need to go so hard," Anon said with concern. "It's not like our band is without a bassist."

Because she knew he was learning bass just for her sake.

Seeing his hands in such a worn state filled her with guilt.

"Saku-kun, are you still learning bass?"

Since Saku and Anon had discussed it in front of her that day, Nagasaki Soyo was aware that he'd considered learning bass to start a band.

She'd thought that now that the band was formed, he'd let go of that idea.

But to her surprise, not only had he continued, he'd also been practicing intensely.

"Yep. I'm really into bass."

After all, he'd invested a whole Study Boost Card into three solid hours of focused bass practice!

That was proof enough of his dedication.

"I see…"

Soyo fiddled with her fingers, lost in thought.

Before she could say anything else, the sound of guitar music interrupted them.

Hitori had started playing again.

Only this time, she kept her eyes open, gazing intently in their direction.

"This song…?"

Nijika frowned, unable to recall the title right away.

She only remembered that it was a love song—a confession piece, really.

Of course, it could also be used to express gratitude, though not many people used it that way.

"Doesn't matter. As long as it sounds good."

Saku had never heard this song before.

Before picking up the bass, he hadn't really had an ear for music.

So listening to music wasn't exactly a habit of his.

Now that he'd learned bass, he had a budding appreciation for music.

But in the grand total of three hours he'd spent learning bass, he hadn't exactly listened to many songs.

In other words, he had the skill, but not the repertoire.

"True enough."

Nijika shrugged off her search for the title, not too bothered.

After all, the goal today was for Hitori to overcome her fear of playing in front of others. What she played didn't really matter.

As long as she could play, that was enough.

Wait, is Gotoh Hitori staring at only me?

At first, Saku had been focused on evaluating her guitar skill, but her gaze was so intense that he couldn't help but notice, leaving him wondering.

But then he remembered the choice he'd made and what he'd said.

Saku felt reassured.

Must have been a misunderstanding.