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Chapter 38: Any Regrets?
🕑 Added 2025-02-04 01:43:13 +0000 UTC(TL Notes: I recommend listening to this BGM, while reading
good night || undertale ost + thunderstorm ambience )
[Ijichi Nijika confessed to you.]
Minami: ?
He stared at the line of text.
Then, he glanced at the Romance Simulation Target section—where the name Gotoh Hitori was clearly written.
Minami fell into silence.
Miss Ijichi, what are you doing?
He was pretty sure he hadn't run the wrong simulation. The romance target was supposed to be Bocchi, right?
But honestly, considering everything he had done in this playthrough—shielding them from storms, paving the way for their dreams—it was no surprise that he had earned their admiration.
Being confessed to by Nijika wasn't unexpected at all.
On the contrary, if he had done this much for them and none of them had developed feelings for him, that would have been scientifically impossible.
[Ijichi Nijika confessed to you.]
This single line brushed over the entire moment—
But Minami had no choice but to dive deep into the memory stored within the simulation.
"I think… I probably like you, Minami. No… maybe I like you a lot."
Standing in front of Minami, drumsticks set aside, Nijika gently wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke softly.
There was nothing dramatic about it.
Nothing unnatural.
Her confession felt as casual and ordinary as a loving wife welcoming her husband home after a long day—whispering affectionate words as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
But those words—
They made Ryo instinctively lift her fingers off her bass strings.
They made Kita freeze mid-motion.
They made Bocchi, hidden behind her long bangs, secretly glance in their direction.
"..."
The sudden confession didn't leave Minami flustered.
He only thought for a moment before asking, "Why?"
Nijika's confession didn't sound like a joke.
So his response couldn't be lighthearted either. He had to know her reason.
[For Nijika, the answer wasn't difficult to find.]
[She thought back on the countless times you had been there for them. The times of uncertainty, the times of growth—through it all, you had always been behind them, offering your support without asking for anything in return.]
[Even though you had never spoken about it, she remembered every moment.]
"At some point, I just couldn't take my eyes off you anymore."
She looked at him and whispered.
Yes.
It wasn't just within the band.
Even in her daily life, she wanted to see Minami's presence.
She wanted to see him when she was happy.
She wanted to see him when she was sad.
Whenever something happened, the first person she wanted to tell was him.
This feeling—Nijika understood it well.
It was the same possessiveness she once had toward her older sister.
But…
Loving someone so much that you want to keep them all to yourself—is that really a mistake?
Her voice was warm and composed, as always. She didn't seem embarrassed at all.
But from Minami's perspective—
Her body was trembling slightly.
Her words were more deliberate, heavier than usual.
He knew them too well.
Just as they understood him.
Minami didn't want to hurt Nijika.
But in the end, he rejected her.
Perhaps, throughout the endless moments of caring for them, he had already given his heart—
To the timid, fragile, introverted girl who needed his love and protection the most.
[She didn't let you see her cry.]
[So all you saw was her turning away, shoulders trembling, wiping her face roughly with the back of her hand.]
[She ran out the door alone. Concerned, Bocchi and Kita followed after her.]
[You both treasured each other deeply. But knowing how much you meant to her, how could you let her enter a romance that was destined to end in heartbreak?]
[You rejected Ijichi Nijika.]
Seeing your troubled expression, Ryo, who had remained silent the whole time, casually suggested,
"Wanna go up to the rooftop? Get some fresh air?"
[A Silent Night on the Rooftop]
Winter nights in Tokyo were cold.
Standing beside you, Ryo rubbed her pale hands together, exhaling white puffs of air.
You hesitated for a moment.
Then, removing the scarf from your neck, you carefully wrapped it around her.
You tucked the extra length into her coat, ensuring she was properly shielded from the cold.
She didn't say a word.
Just stretched out her frostbitten fingers toward you.
After a brief pause, you sighed and took her hands in yours—warming them up.
She was satisfied.
Together, you both gazed down at the city below—the busy streets, the glowing headlights, the endless flow of people.
"Your feelings… they're for Bocchi, aren't they?"
Ryo, lazily draped over the railing, swirled her half-empty cup of hot drink as she asked.
"Yeah."
There was nothing to hide from Ryo.
She might not speak much, but she always saw things clearly.
Minami looked into the distance and admitted it.
"I see."
Her voice remained calm and emotionless.
The only sound was her taking a sip of her drink.
"Nijika will be okay. She'll bounce back soon."
It almost sounded like a rare moment of reassurance from her.
"I know."
Minami nodded.
Silence settled between them again.
After a while, he spoke.
"I should head back inside. Thanks for this, Ryo."
She didn't answer.
She simply lay against the railing, lifting a hand in farewell without turning around.
A long time passed.
She listened as his footsteps faded away.
Then—
"Lost to loneliness, huh?"
Her voice carried no hint of regret. It was more of a quiet murmur to herself.
Regret?
For a brief moment, she thought she heard an answer whispering back to her.
How could she not regret it?
Ryo turned her head.
She gazed quietly at the city skyline.
Beyond the towering buildings, beyond the layered mountains—
A cold wind blew past from the other side.
Carrying away the words of the lone girl standing on the rooftop.
"I never got to see you kneel down and propose to me."
"I never got to see you work hard to provide for me and our future kids."
"I never got to see you grow old while still loving me."
How could she not regret it?
How could she possibly not?
Leaning against the railing, Yamada Ryo tugged her scarf up a little higher around her neck.
"It's really warm."
She closed her eyes.
Her voice remained as indifferent as ever.
