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V2 Chapter 32: This Is a Trial
🕑 Added 2025-05-11 18:22:15 +0000 UTC[The band now acknowledges your skill as a composer. Taki's opinion of you has shifted, though her attitude remains cold. Perhaps it's because she's seen Tomori looking at you with disheartened eyes.]
[Tomori's quiet sadness hasn't drawn much attention from you, but from Taki's point of view, your growing closeness with Anon has made her increasingly irritated and conflicted, though she still says nothing.]
[With your songs finally in progress, the band is starting to fall into place.]
[Your relationships with MyGO!!!!! members have deepened.]
[Taki Shiina and Soyo Nagasaki's affection toward you has increased.]
I'm sorry, Tomori.
Kazami Haru could only apologize in his heart.
Right now, in the simulation, the pure-love route with Anon was still his main path.
Someday, maybe he'd try to unlock a harem route where both Tomori and Anon accepted him, but to do that, he'd have to first survive…
Taki bro's wrath.
Tomori was deeply important to Taki. If he ever said he wanted to marry both Tomori and Anon, Taki would probably be the first one to object.
He couldn't even imagine what kind of look she'd give him in that moment.
She might actually crack open my skull with her drumstick arms.
Yikes. Can this be resolved peacefully?
[The first live show draws near. The whole band, including Anon and yourself, begins training harder. Group and individual practices become more intense, and the pressure tightens.]
[If you want this band to last forever, it all begins with this first live.]
[In many ways, this will be the turning point for MyGO!!!!!, even Anon has put all fun aside to focus entirely on the band.]
[But one person seems… off.]
[Maybe it's just your imagination, but Nagasaki Soyo seems to be hiding something. She spaces out, makes frequent mistakes during practice, everyone's noticed her condition isn't right.]
[As the bassist, she's supposed to be the band's stabilizing force. Her repeated slip-ups are beginning to test Taki's patience.]
[Still, Taki only tells her to train harder. If nothing improves, they'll just play "Haruhikage" at the live, since it's the one song she won't mess up.]
[Even after being advised, Soyo remains silent… and continues making mistakes.]
[Eventually, Taki loses her patience.]
["You said you wanted to start fresh with this band. Are you still stuck in the past?"]
Oof—
Critical hit from Taki bro.
The emotional damage from that line? Haru didn't even want to think about it.
From Soyo's perspective, the words were brutal. She still hadn't let go of her past with CRYCHIC, and was tangled in inner conflict and Taki's words just ripped her mask clean off—like a Comet Azur straight to the soul.
If she doesn't break now, who would?
[Taki's harsh words strike Soyo hard. Her expression slowly loses its usual softness. Tension between the two rises dangerously. Anon, not understanding the full context, tries to ease the atmosphere, but it doesn't help.]
[Only Tomori looked at you with a gaze full of unspoken meaning.]
[So, at that moment, you decide—]
1. The band is the priority right now—support Taki Shiina.
2. Soyo might have her own reasons—speak up for Nagasaki Soyo.
3. Say nothing, stand on the table, and see who cracks first.
4. Virtual reality: Direct simulation.
Kazami Haru: …Huh?
Wait, how is he supposed to choose here?
Taking a side could easily cause the entire band to collapse.
If he supported Taki now, it might push the emotionally unstable Soyo past her limit, making it hard to bring her back later, but if he supported Soyo, he risked offending Taki, who wasn't wrong from a band perspective.
This kind of choice? Total nightmare.
Can't someone like Pink Fluff Anon step in and defuse the tension?
Nope. She doesn't know the internal conflict within the band.
Right now, Anon was probably just focused on figuring out how to get Haru to confess to her first. Even the saintly Anon wasn't reliable in a situation like this.
"Looks like... I've got to take a gamble."
This was a trial.
One wrong move, and everything could fall apart. Even if he managed to end up with Anon, losing the band and his friends would leave a deep scar.
Even if there were risks, he had to move forward.
As long as he kept moving forward, the path would keep unfolding.
There was no turning back now. Time for a bold, tactical play—
He chose neither side.
[You stand on the table.]
[Your sudden move stuns all the girls present. Taki Shiina, already boiling with anger, is thrown off by your bizarre behavior and freezes in place. Nagasaki Soyo, whose emotions were close to breaking, also just… stops.]
[You say nothing. You just stand there. The band members all sit around the table, staring at you. Only Raana's eyes sparkle with amusement. Everyone else? Total shock.]
[Eventually, the silence forces everyone to calm down.]
[Taki, flustered and embarrassed, finally pulls you down from the table. If you stayed up there any longer, the attention you'd attract would make it too embarrassing for any of them to ever come back to RiNG.]
[Taking advantage of this cooling moment, you immediately suggest a team-building outing for the entire band. You firmly declare it'll happen before the live show, to relax and recharge.]
[Anon, ever energetic, immediately raises both hands in agreement. Even though she's confused by the whole table-standing thing, she smiles and throws herself into the moment with full "normie" energy.]
[Tsundere Taki grumbles but agrees with a small nod. Soyo, still looking spaced out, slowly grabs your hand when you offer it with a smile.]
[Tomori looks at you with eyes full of gratitude. Her anxiety and guilt start to fade, leaving only warmth, and a certain unspoken emotion.]
[The tension in the band... fades away in the strangest way possible.]
[Taki Shiina, Soyo Nagasaki, and Tomori Takamatsu's affection toward you increased.]
See? This is what peak social genius looks like.JPG
With only one simulation chance left, there was no room for trial and error.
If he had chosen a side, someone would've gotten hurt.
Normal persuasion wouldn't have worked, either. Anon didn't fully understand how deeply Soyo was still trapped in her CRYCHIC past, but she knew one thing:
Following Haru's lead was always the right choice.
"Looks like the craziest option... was actually the smartest?"
Maybe Taki had snapped not out of malice, but in frustration trying to wake Soyo up with a verbal slap and maybe she regretted it the moment it came out.
And Haru's absurd move gave her an excuse to step down without making her look stupid.
But what surprised him was, why did Soyo calm down, too?
Could it be that standing on tables really was that powerful?
Maybe next time there's drama, I'll try it again…
[Though awkward, you managed to smooth things over in the band.]
[Following Anon's suggestion, you take everyone to the aquarium. Behind the transparent glass walls, the blue world of the sea calms them all. Even Tomori begins to smile.]
[Anon treats it like a date, but seeing Tomori nearby makes her hesitate to be too bold.]
[Taki and Soyo remain quiet, but gradually, they too begin to enjoy the aquarium as your guidance helps everyone relax and forget their tension.]
[As the mood lightens, you decide to—]
1. Take Anon off for a solo date.
2. Tomori's staring at the penguins—time to confess.
3. Help the whole band enjoy the outing together.
4. Virtual reality: Direct simulation.
"This one… I really need to think about."
Tomori likes penguins. I like Tomori.
Tempting as Option 2 was, it wasn't right for now.
Option 1 would help Anon's route, but pulling her away during a group outing? Not a good idea. It would likely upset Tomori, provoke Taki, and maybe destabilize Soyo again.
So Option 1? Absolutely not.
[You choose to strengthen the band's unity. You lead everyone into the game center next to the aquarium, determined to help them relax and laugh.]
[Taki stares hard at a panda plush named "Mr. Pan" in a claw machine. But her gamer skills? Subpar. No matter how many times she tries, she fails—glaring at the glass in frustration.]
[You step up confidently, sure your skills will shine. Ten tokens later… still nothing. Your internal shame is real, but you keep a straight face. The absurd sight makes Soyo giggle out loud.]
[Under Taki's unimpressed gaze, you call in Raana the Invincible. In under two minutes, she rescues Mr. Pan. You thank her with three matcha parfaits, then give the plush to Taki—who, despite her tsundere attitude, quietly accepts it.]
[Soyo Nagasaki and Taki Shiina's affection toward you increased.]
Taki bro's acting like a girl again, huh?
Still, it was all heading in the right direction.
By boosting Taki and Soyo's affection, Haru was no longer just some random tagalong in the band. He was becoming someone they saw as a true friend and teammate. Even if Soyo still held doubts, they wouldn't be able to act without pause anymore.
Let's hope nothing explodes next…
He only had one revive left.
[The band's training schedule stayed on track. After the bonding trip, emotions stabilized. Even Soyo, who had been spacing out often, became more focused—earning a quiet nod from Taki.]
[Next month: the Live begins.]
[Despite it being their first live performance, no one seemed nervous. Even newcomer Anon was humming happily. The ever-serious Taki seemed tense, until you tossed her a Monster energy drink, which helped calm her down.]
[She muttered something quietly, but you didn't catch it.]
[They all knew—without you, they never would've come this far.]
[You were their compass through the fog.]
[As the show began, your performance on keyboard—the core of the melody—was flawless. Your training paid off. Your swirling notes became the glue of the band.]
[Your performance was, of course, a success.]
[The first Live was only the beginning. Afterward, you all named the band "MyGO." The new name gave a sense of belonging. Everyone took it to heart.]
[Anon occasionally made you bentos. Every time you ate one filled with love, she smiled happily. She even began teasing you more openly.]
[Your bond with Anon grew stronger. Though, whenever she clung to you, you'd feel Taki's killer glare.]
[She kept talking about Tomori, but no one knew what she was really thinking.]
[No matter what others felt, your path with Anon was set.]
[Summer break. Anon secretly invites you on a date, hiding it from the others. You have no reason to refuse. You agree. But when you meet her at the usual park—something happens.]
[A group of girls her age surround her. They seem to know her, speaking with surprised, curious expressions, but Anon's pale face shows something is wrong. She trembles, head bowed, unable to respond.]
1. Wait
2. Step forward
3. Virtual reality: Direct simulation
It's a special choice!
This one was short, but powerful. Should Haru walk up, or just watch?
Didn't matter whether those girls were being friendly or not—he couldn't just stand there and watch Anon suffer.
No hesitation. Charge in!
"Eh?! Is that Anon-chan? What're you doing in Japan?!"
"Did you come back for summer break?"
Two flashy, stylish girls stared at her in surprise. Anon's forehead was covered in sweat. Her normally radiant silver-gray eyes were clouded with fear, her whole body frozen like a ghost.
Her arms wouldn't move. Her bangs blocked her eyes. She couldn't even lift her head.
She wanted to run, but her legs felt chained. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move.
Her brain was blank.
"Ah…"
Anon opened her mouth, trying to respond.
Her usual easygoing tone, her natural warmth and charm, it was like they had all been stripped away. She stood there, completely still.
She couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Couldn't escape.
She was about to cry—
"Sorry. Am I late?"
A soft voice came from behind her.
It wasn't loud or commanding. Just a gentle whisper, like someone speaking right next to her ear. And yet, it filled her soul with warmth.
This was the beginning of her trial.
Anon turned slowly and saw him standing beside her.
Warmth spread through her chest—but at the same time, fear crept in.
What if he thinks I'm pathetic for trying to run away?
He'd told her once, not to run.
And yet, here she was… doing exactly that.
She was scared. She didn't know what to do.
Then—
Kazami Haru grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, his fingers gently brushing through her cherry-pink hair.
"Um… Who are you?"
The two stylish girls were stunned.
It was their first time seeing a guy this handsome. His deep black eyes seemed to hold a magnetic pull, drawing them in.
He looked just like the kind of prince you'd hear about in fantasy stories, the one with the hidden "charm spell" passive.
And then he spoke.
"…Me?"
"I'm Anon's boyfriend."
