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Chapter 49 — Haha, it’s over
🕑 Added 2025-05-07 08:14:06 +0000 UTC[Your comforting words seem to have had a positive effect.]
[Despite the oppressive atmosphere caused by the downpour, the performance goes on. At the start, drummer Nijika slightly messes up the rhythm, but as the keyboardist, you immediately alter the tune with a sustained note. Guitarist Hitori Gotoh picks up on it and adds a temporary riff to sync the beat.]
[Your quick adjustment earns you a grateful look from Nijika, and even Kita suppresses her nerves and sings in a stable tone. Her voice, filled with emotion, flows smoothly, bringing the performance back on track.]
[There were minor coordination issues at the beginning, but thanks to your skill, everyone quickly regained their composure. Though you're a no-name rookie band, your stellar performance surprises the audience.]
[After the show, you even overhear someone in the crowd say, "I'm glad I came out in the rain. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten to hear such an unexpectedly great performance."]
[You successfully averted the crisis.]
[Ikuyo Kita, Nijika Ijichi, and Hitori Gotoh's trust in you has increased.]
Huh? Why didn't Ryo-san's trust level go up?
Could it be she expected him to save the rhythm from the very beginning...?
[You notice that Kita is becoming increasingly attached to you. Ever since she learned where you live, she frequently comes over under the pretense of practice sessions.]
[To make things easier, you end up giving her a spare key.]
[Your gesture of trust makes her incredibly happy.]
[In your second year of high school, your part-time hours at the café drop due to band practice. The café owner often complains and eventually begs you to fill in as acting manager, so you return temporarily to help out.]
[One day, by chance, you notice a subtle change in your junior coworker, Togawa Sakiko...]
[She used to occasionally play the Yamaha piano in the store, but the melodies were mostly gentle and emotional, the kind that flowed softly like a sigh. Now, after not seeing her for a while, her playing had changed—there was a surge, a fire in every note.]
[Sometimes you'd catch her talking to a girl with pale green hair who always looked a bit spacey. It stirred your curiosity.]
[So, you decide—]
1. Go for it. Ask her directly if something interesting happened recently.
2. Flex your authority as acting manager and dock her pay for playing the piano too much on the clock.
3. Secretly follow her home to uncover some earth-shattering secret.
4. Enter a virtual simulation. Experience it yourself.
Blyat, what are these wild-ass options?
It's like the simulator gave up on hiding its hidden intentions and just laid everything out on the table.
No matter what he picked, it all seemed like dangerous territory.
Especially that second option, full of red flags. If he messed with Togawa-san in the shop and Soyo caught wind of it, given how it's got that loudspeaker-for-a-mouth, who knew if word wouldn't get back to the fans as well.
Wouldn't be surprised if an enraged Soyo tracked him down and soloed him offline.
And following Togawa-san home? Forget it. That's straight-up stalker behavior. Could get arrested for that.
"So the only one left is... this one?"
Kazami Haru looked at the one option that seemed the most "normal."
Compared to the others, maybe this one was a little less risky.
Then again, it might come with a different kind of danger.
[You decide to just go up and ask Togawa Sakiko directly. You've been coworkers for a year now, and she clearly doesn't mind you. After hesitating for a moment, she turns the question back on you, asking what you think of the piece she just played.]
[You give her your honest opinion. You even go a step further and suggest areas where the composition could be improved. Togawa Sakiko looks genuinely surprised by your grasp of music theory, and engages with you enthusiastically about composing.]
[You have a real talent for composing, and your style blends naturally with hers. From then on, she occasionally brings her melodies to you, plays them, and listens carefully to your feedback.]
[Maybe it was her beautiful smile, but you couldn't bring yourself to turn her down when she asked for help. Instead, you kept offering your suggestions and helping her polish each piece.]
[After some time, she finishes a new song.]
[Excited, she shares it with you first. She insists on listing you as a co-composer. You even get the feeling that the name she gave the song was inspired by the moments you two shared.]
[You start to realize, maybe you're more than just ordinary friends.]
Haha. It's over.
At this point, things had already gone too far.
Kazami Haru couldn't even be bothered to test out the [Infatuation Card] anymore, whether he could use it to claw his way back to the pure love route and boost his simulation score didn't really matter.
That thing was ridiculously strong. Scoring high in this game clearly wasn't meant to be easy.
Seems like he'd just have to let it all play out naturally.
[One day, the café owner informs you that the shop needs to buy a new set of coffee cups, and asks you and Togawa Sakiko to go pick out a few suitable designs. The owner's expression as she says this... feels kind of weird.]
[Shoko then tells you her usual dress has gotten a bit worn out. She figures this is a rare chance and wants to find a new one, but making the decision on her own isn't easy.]
[Just like with composing, she instinctively wants to hear your opinion.]
[Confident in your sense of style, you help her pick a charming pale blue dress with a high hemline and youthful flair.]
[Togawa Sakiko buys the dress without saying much. But afterward, she keeps sneaking shy glances at you, her face slightly flushed.]
[Later that evening, as you walk together, she suddenly spots a ramen shop tucked into the shopping district. To thank you for helping her pick the dress, she naturally grabs your hand with a bright smile and invites you to enjoy a meal together.]
[You accept her invitation.]
[But just before entering the ramen shop, you think you catch a flash of bright red in the crowd.]
