I Just Want A Single Ending!

After Kamigawa Saku left, Shiina Taki drifted into sleep.

Then, she had a nightmare.

No, calling it a nightmare wouldn't be accurate—it was just an ordinary dream.

The dream's content was simple.

Both she and Saku had composed songs to match Takamatsu Tomori's lyrics, and everyone was voting on which was better.

Unsurprisingly, everyone chose Saku's song.

How could they not? As a prodigy, Saku's composition was bound to be better than hers.

This was only natural.

The next moment, Taki woke up with a start.

"?!"

Sitting up in bed, she looked around her room, dazed.

"Just a dream…"

She let out a deep sigh of relief.

It felt so much like something that could actually happen that she'd almost mistaken it for reality.

"What time is it?"

Muttering to herself, she grabbed her phone to check the time.

6:26 AM…

No wonder she felt somewhat refreshed; she'd slept for a while.

Leaving her room to go wash up, Taki couldn't help but recall the vivid dream as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Most dreams faded quickly, yet somehow this one lingered clearly in her mind.

"A prodigy at composing…"

Remembering Saku's performance yesterday, Taki felt a pang of helplessness.

As she'd thought before, the gap between a mortal and a genius was just too vast.

Trying to compare her talent to his felt like overreaching.

After splashing cold water on her face several times to clear her head, she returned to her room.

Sitting back down in her chair, she was about to turn on her computer—then realized it was still on from the night before.

Bringing it out of sleep mode, she found herself staring at the song Saku had edited.

After hesitating for a while, she clicked "play" and listened to it again.

Saku's revised demo of Ichishizuku Sora filled the room.

---

As she listened, the memory of her dream grew even clearer.

It was like a reminder, a nudge from her subconscious.

Her honest assessment of his revised version? Far better than her original.

Saku hadn't transformed it into something breathtaking, but he'd definitely added a spark to what had been a simple, ordinary song.

"So, what exactly am I pushing myself for?"

Taki leaned back in her chair, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

If she just waited, Saku would soon have enough skill to compose for the band full-time.

His compositions would undoubtedly surpass anything she could create.

She recalled what he'd said at practice on Monday about learning to compose for the good of the band.

So he really was studying composition for the band's success.

Adding a composition prodigy to the band could only be a good thing.

As for easing her burden?

It definitely did.

After all, with him handling the music, she wouldn't have to compose anymore.

If anything, she was a burden to the band, especially if Saku had to go back and fix her work later.

Taki didn't mind giving up her role as the composer.

The band already had Tomori, a lyricist prodigy.

So naturally, the composer should be Saku, the prodigy at composition.

Just like in CRYCHIC, where Togawa Sakiko had handled composition.

Now, Saku was simply taking Sakiko's place.

As for her, she could stick to being the drummer, just like she had with CRYCHIC.

"..."

Having come to a decision, Taki moved to close her composition software.

The band wouldn't need her as a composer anymore.

But—

Her cursor hovered over the close button, yet she couldn't bring herself to click it.

She couldn't accept it, not fully.

She wanted to set Tomori's lyrics to music.

Why couldn't she have been born a prodigy?

"I…"

Finally, Taki let go of the mouse.

She didn't want to give up—she really didn't want to give up.

Just one time, one time would be enough!

Even if it was the only chance she'd ever have to compose a song for Tomori's lyrics.

She knew letting Saku, a composition prodigy, handle it would be the best solution.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have entertained the thought of stepping aside.

But Saku had only just started learning composition, right?

Even as a prodigy, could he truly complete a full song in such a short time?

Taki wasn't sure of the answer.

Not being a prodigy herself, she had no frame of reference.

But based on common sense and what he'd shown yesterday, he was probably still not ready to produce a full composition.

So, for now, she was still the band's primary composer.

In other words, as long as she finished Ichishizuku Sora before Saku fully mastered composition, she'd be the one to set Tomori's lyrics to music.

That would give her a chance to compose at least one song for Tomori.

She wouldn't compromise on quality, though, just to meet a deadline.

If she half-heartedly threw something together, Saku would catch it immediately, not to mention she herself wouldn't be able to accept it.

These were Tomori's lyrics, after all. They deserved a worthy melody.

So, just once, she wanted it—an inspiration breakthrough.

It was the only way she'd be able to bridge the gap between herself and a prodigy.

Only then could she create something the band could perform without needing Saku to modify her work afterward.

Of course, Taki didn't plan to pin all her hopes on a flash of inspiration.

Inspiration was unpredictable and unreliable.

Even if it came, there was no telling when it would arrive.

So she needed to work hard and keep composing.

That way, if inspiration struck, she'd be ready.

Most importantly, even if she never got that spark, she'd still have tried her best to create a song for Tomori's lyrics.

She didn't want to quit without giving it everything she had.

And she wanted to try something.

She wanted to see if sheer effort could bridge the gap between an ordinary person and a prodigy.

She wasn't expecting to outdo a prodigy forever—but couldn't she outdo one just once?

Just once would be enough.

With renewed determination, Taki got back to work.

If she wanted to finish Ichishizuku Sora before Saku mastered composition, she didn't have much time.

After all, she had no idea how quickly a prodigy like him would progress.

Their next band practice was Thursday afternoon.

So, she'd set that as her preliminary deadline.

By Thursday, she'd aim to complete a full version of the song.

Counting today, she had two days.

That wasn't nearly enough time…

After a brief hesitation, Taki made her decision.

She'd continue pretending to be sick and skip school to compose, and she'd pull another all-nighter if necessary.

"I'm sorry, Tomori... I'll have to break my promise about not staying up."

Apologizing silently to Tomori, Taki dove back into her composition with a fresh sense of purpose.

Just once, she'd break her promise.

Once she finished composing Ichishizuku Sora, she wouldn't break it again.

---

Thursday afternoon arrived quickly.

Inside the RiNG practice room, everyone but Shiina Taki had already gathered.

Chihaya Anon and Nagasaki Soyo were chatting casually, while Takamatsu Tomori was crouched next to her bag, carefully polishing a small round stone she'd picked up somewhere. Kaname Raana was fully engrossed in her snacks.

Meanwhile, Kamigawa Saku was looking at a message he'd just received.

Yahata Umiri: Counting Tuesday, Taki's been out for three days straight. Do you know what's going on?

Yahata Umiri: None of my messages have even been marked as read.

Yahata Umiri: Are you sure she's actually staying home to compose?

Saku was a little surprised by this. He hadn't expected Taki to keep skipping school for this long.

Didn't he already talk to her about this on Tuesday?

What was making her so determined to finish this composition? No one was rushing her.

Was this the same self-imposed pressure that Tomori struggled with?

If so, maybe he could handle it just like he had with Tomori—by helping her manage the source of that pressure.

After all, he'd gotten plenty of practice by now.

Kamigawa Saku: When I checked on her Tuesday, she was definitely skipping to compose, but who knows about the rest of the time.

Kamigawa Saku: Today's our band practice, so let's see if she shows up.

Kamigawa Saku: If not, I'll go to her place.

There was still some time before practice officially started, so he figured he'd wait a bit longer to confirm her situation.

Yahata Umiri: Alright.

They chatted a bit longer, exchanging a few casual messages before ending the conversation.

As Saku slipped his phone back into his pocket, the practice room door opened, and Taki walked in, still in her casual clothes.

Noticing her outfit, Soyo smiled and teased, "Taki-chan, you're late. Did you go home to change first?"

"No, I skipped school," Taki replied matter-of-factly.

"Skipped... school?"

Soyo repeated the words, taken aback.

"Rebel girl vibes," Anon said with a smirk.

"I finished composing the song these past few days, but the arrangement isn't done yet."

As she spoke, Taki took out her phone.

Fortune seemed to be on her side, or maybe all her hard work had paid off.

Over the last two days of composing, she'd experienced a surge of inspiration.

The new song she'd created was leaps and bounds beyond her previous version.

Even Saku's revised demo couldn't compare to this one.

Perhaps she had, at last, bridged the gap between a regular person and a prodigy.

With an inspired spark.

Hearing this, Raana swallowed her snack and picked up her guitar, waiting quietly to hear the song.

"So fast? Is that for real?" Soyo said, surprised. "Taki-chan, you're amazing."

"Is this for real?" Anon could hardly believe it.

"Want to hear it?"

Taki's gaze swept across the room, meeting everyone's eyes.

"Mm-hm."

Tomori stopped polishing her stone and walked over to Taki.

"Come on, hurry!" Anon and Soyo joined, urging her eagerly.

Glancing at Saku, who was standing nearby and checking his phone, Taki called over to him, "I'm going to play it now."

"Go ahead."

Just finishing up a quick message to assure Yahata that Taki was alive and well, Saku felt his anticipation build.

Taki turned her phone's volume up to its max to make sure he could hear, then tapped "play."

The room filled with the powerful new composition.

---

"That was amazing!"

When the song ended, Soyo couldn't help but clap.

"You actually completed the composition," Anon said, sounding impressed.

"Tomori, what do you think?" Taki asked, seeking feedback from the lyricist.

"It feels... just right."

Tomori blinked for a moment, then shared her honest impression.

"So, does that mean it's good?" Anon asked, just to be sure.

Tomori nodded and said earnestly, "I'll work even harder!"

"Mm."

Hearing Tomori's approval, Taki felt a sense of relief and let out a small, pleased smile, though she still felt slightly on edge.

Then she turned to the one person whose opinion mattered most as a fellow composer: Saku. "What did you think of the song?"

His answer would be the final judgment on her work.

"I think it's very well done," Saku said, offering sincere encouragement.

He wasn't lying, either.

For a high school student, creating something like this was definitely impressive.

And compared to her previous version, this one was much more polished and enjoyable.

"Thank goodness."

At last, Taki fully relaxed.

Now, at the very least, she'd been able to compose a song for Tomori's lyrics.

All that was left was to finish the arrangement.

As she mulled this over, a guitar melody suddenly filled the room, drawing everyone's attention.

The person playing it was Raana.

And the song she was playing was the one Taki had just played.

"That's incredible," Anon said, amazed. "She can play it after hearing it just once—without even looking at sheet music."

"Raana-chan's version sounds a bit different from Taki-chan's," Soyo pointed out, noting a subtle difference.

"…"

Watching Raana freely adjust and improve her song on the spot, a wave of helplessness washed over Taki once more.

Because Raana was actively modifying her composition.

Just like Saku had done on Tuesday.

No, this was different—Raana was altering the song as she played it.

And, somehow, she was making it even better.

---

...he's late [patreon.com/WiseTL]