I Just Want A Single Ending!

"So, what do we do now?"

Chihaya Anon hesitated, turning to the others for input.

"Maybe we should just skip practice next week? Missing one day isn't much different from not practicing at all, right?" Nagasaki Soyo suggested smoothly.

To her, band practice wasn't all that important; it was the band's vibe that mattered.

If they couldn't rehearse, they could just find somewhere fun to go or simply sit around and chat.

"That's true."

Anon nodded in agreement.

This way, she'd have an extra day of free time.

Tomori Takamatsu opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something, but she ended up staying silent.

"What do you think, Raana?"

Saku Kamigawa looked over at Kaname Raana, who was busy snacking, her head down.

She didn't respond, too absorbed in her food.

"I'm guessing that means she doesn't care either way," Saku interpreted, glancing at her munching away.

"With no practice room available, I guess we'll just have to let it go."

With that, Taki Shiina decided there wasn't much more to discuss.

After all, they'd already rehearsed Spring Shadows plenty of times, and Anon's guitar skills had noticeably improved.

At this point, more practice would be a bonus, but skipping wouldn't hurt them.

"If you still want to practice, we could rent a room at a different livehouse."

Saku, noticing a hint of reluctance from Taki, offered an alternative.

"A different livehouse?" Taki's interest piqued.

"How about STARRY? Nijika's sister owns it," Saku suggested, pulling out his phone. "If you want to rehearse Monday, I can message her to see if we can book it."

"Yeah, let's check. If it's available, let's book it."

After a brief discussion, Soyo wrapped things up.

As a band, they should at least aim to rehearse once a week.

"Alright."

Saku called Seika Ijichi, and within moments, they had a reservation for Monday at STARRY.

"We're all set. We'll meet at STARRY next Monday."

Putting his phone away, Saku relayed the good news.

"Sounds good."

No one had any objections.

"I'll post STARRY's location in the group chat in a minute."

While he spoke, Saku dug into his bag, pulled out a piece of paper, scribbled down the directions, and sketched a quick map for Raana, who wasn't great with phones.

"Don't lose it, okay?"

"Oh," Raana replied absentmindedly, taking the paper.

"You're seriously thorough, huh?" Soyo commented, amused.

"Just making sure Raana doesn't get lost."

Though he wasn't sure if she actually had a poor sense of direction, it was better to be safe than sorry.

With everything settled, they disbanded.

Saturday rolled around, and it was a bright, sunny day—perfect for going out.

After breakfast with Soyo, Saku headed back home to get ready.

Today was the day he'd pretend to be Ikuyo Kita's boyfriend.

Even if it was all for show, he wanted to take it seriously.

Honestly, he'd always thought things like going out with a girlfriend and her friends were just dreams for someone like him, who was destined to stay single.

But he never could have imagined that things would turn out this way, letting him experience a taste of it—even if it was fake.

It left him with mixed feelings.

That said, "getting ready" mostly just meant tidying up his appearance.

After all, he didn't know how to put on makeup.

Once he was presentable, he left his house and made his way to the meeting spot.

---

9:15 a.m.

When Saku arrived, he spotted Ikuyo standing outside a bubble tea shop, holding two cups.

She wore a sky-blue dress that flowed naturally down to her knees, adorned with white stars and polka dots, giving her a refreshingly youthful look.

Her makeup, of course, was flawless.

He, on the other hand, wore a light gray hoodie with khaki cargo pants—pretty standard.

But he believed in the idea that good looks made any outfit work, so he thought his outfit looked decent enough.

"Here."

As soon as he got close, Ikuyo handed him one of the cups.

"Thanks."

Instinctively, Saku accepted it and thanked her.

"No, no, you can't thank me," Ikuyo corrected him, her tone light. "We're supposed to be a couple today! Couples don't need to say thanks just for handing over a bubble tea."

"Oh, sorry. It just slipped out, but we could just say it's because we're still new to this and not used to being a couple, right?" Saku quickly covered his reaction. "Besides, some couples do say thanks for little things."

"No need to sweat the small stuff."

"Sorry, guess I'm a little nervous."

Ikuyo took a sip of her bubble tea to calm herself.

She'd hung out with her friends before, but today was different—she was incredibly tense.

The reason was simple.

Today, she'd have to tell them she and Saku were dating.

She'd barely slept the night before, turning that thought over and over.

Because from today onward, she'd essentially be tying herself to Saku.

And as his girlfriend, no less.

There was something strangely nerve-wracking about it all.

"It's fine. As long as we're firm about being a couple, no one will suspect a thing," Saku assured her. "We can even hold hands in front of them if we need to, for that extra bit of authenticity."

He was willing to go that far to help Ikuyo out.

"Mhm."

Ikuyo responded absently.

Maybe she'd gone a bit too far in asking him to play her boyfriend.

After all, once word got around school, it could really affect his reputation.

She'd have to remind her friends not to spread rumors about it.

"Oh, by the way, when are your friends supposed to get here?"

Saku knew what time Ikuyo had arranged to meet him, but he didn't know when her friends would show up.

"We agreed on 9:30, so we'll just wait here for a bit."

Ikuyo pulled out her phone to check the time and immediately got a bunch of notifications.

"Oh, they've sent me some messages. Let me take a look."

She opened the messages, quickly scanning through them.

"Mhm."

Saku inserted the straw into the bubble tea Ikuyo had given him and took a sip.

After all, it was a gift from his (fake) girlfriend, so he wanted to savor it.

"What's wrong?"

After only a couple of sips, Saku noticed Ikuyo's expression had become rather odd as she read her friends' messages.

---

Thank you for reading this chapter!

Wise-Senpai leads the way, sharing stories that inspire and connect us all. Your support is like the encouragement of a loyal companion, pushing this journey forward and lighting the path ahead.

If you'd like to support Wise-Senpai, you can visit:

[patreon.com/WiseTL].

Every contribution strengthens our resolve, paving the way for the stories yet to come!

Let's continue to explore these worlds together!

-Mash Kyrielight 💜