I Just Want A Single Ending!

What's going on?

Kamigawa Saku was bewildered as he looked at Wakaba Mutsumi, who was now standing across from them.

He had just run into Nyamu at the entrance—fine, that was already a little unexpected. But now, deeper in the store, Wakaba Mutsumi, whom he rarely ever ran into, also showed up?

Under normal circumstances, he'd probably be thrilled. After all, this would give him an excuse to interact with her.

But today…

Glancing at Nagasaki Soyo, who was standing beside him and slowly setting down a cucumber, Kamigawa Saku sighed. Today was supposed to be his day to accompany her to the mall; randomly striking up conversations with other "targetable characters" wasn't an option.

In any gal game, the worst thing you could do when raising one character's affection level was to get distracted by someone else.

And anyway, he barely knew Wakaba Mutsumi.

Even if he went up to her, she'd probably struggle to remember who he was—it would be perfectly normal for her to forget him.

They'd only met once before, and the whole exchange hadn't even lasted ten minutes.

On the bright side, though, Nagasaki Soyo seemed to be on pretty good terms with Wakaba Mutsumi. They were both members of CRYCHIC and attended Tsukinomori Girls' Academy.

So maybe, if he was lucky, he could take advantage of Soyo's connection and chat with Wakaba Mutsumi a little longer.

With this thought in mind, Kamigawa Saku began to consider what he might say.

"Mutsumi?"

Nagasaki Soyo seemed genuinely surprised to see her here.

Setting down the cucumber, Wakaba Mutsumi looped around the aisle to stand in front of both Nagasaki Soyo and Kamigawa Saku.

"Good morning."

Kamigawa Saku greeted her with a light smile.

"Mm."

Wakaba Mutsumi gave a small nod, acknowledging his greeting.

"Let me introduce you two—this is our band's manager, Kamigawa Saku. I've mentioned him to you before—"

Soyo was about to make formal introductions but was interrupted halfway through by Kamigawa Saku himself.

"No need to introduce us. We've actually met once before, briefly," he said with a friendly smile. "Though I wonder if Wakaba remembers me?"

Wakaba Mutsumi's expression remained unchanged, but she nodded quietly.

"You two know each other?"

Nagasaki Soyo looked puzzled; this was unexpected for her.

"Well, it was only once…"

Kamigawa Saku explained the brief interaction they'd had.

"I see."

After hearing the story, Nagasaki Soyo didn't think much of it. Since Kamigawa Saku was a fan of CRYCHIC, it wasn't surprising that he'd say hello to Wakaba Mutsumi, who was once the band's guitarist.

Besides, they were both her friends.

Apart from CRYCHIC, she was the only other link between them.

Nothing worth worrying about.

"Mutsumi, did you come to the mall alone today?"

After glancing around and confirming that her parents were nowhere in sight, Nagasaki Soyo asked curiously.

Wakaba Mutsumi replied in a flat tone, "Yes."

"Huh?"

Nagasaki Soyo was momentarily taken aback.

She didn't mind running into Wakaba Mutsumi by chance, but it felt…odd. Wakaba Mutsumi was here at the mall by herself, and even more strangely, looking at cucumbers in the vegetable section?

The more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed.

If Wakaba Mutsumi had stopped by the mall on her way home from school, that might make sense.

But today was a Saturday.

Shouldn't Wakaba Mutsumi be at home practicing piano or at her ballet lessons?

Besides, this mall was a little out of the way from Wakaba Mutsumi's house.

If she needed to buy something, she'd probably go to a closer mall.

Was it because of the grand opening discounts?

Highly unlikely.

With her family's means, Wakaba Mutsumi wouldn't be interested in small discounts.

Even if they were, shopping wouldn't fall on Wakaba Mutsumi's shoulders. Her family had plenty of people who could handle errands like these.

In other words, Wakaba Mutsumi really shouldn't be here.

Something felt off.

So Nagasaki Soyo asked cautiously, "Oh, so you came here to do some shopping?"

"No."

Wakaba Mutsumi shook her head.

Her response only increased Soyo's curiosity.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I had nowhere else to go."

Her tone was as casual as if she were talking about the weather.

"Running away from home?"

The thought crossed Soyo's mind, and she asked it aloud.

Standing to the side, Kamigawa Saku's expression turned slightly more concerned.

"There are guests visiting my family today, so I had to go out."

For some people, having friends or relatives visit was a joy, a chance to socialize.

Others found it a nuisance, a hassle, or perhaps, had their own personal reasons for avoiding such gatherings.

Wakaba Mutsumi was in the latter camp.

Her parents were highly esteemed within their field, and their friends were equally prominent figures.

Under such circumstances, what was she, as their daughter, supposed to do?

The answer was simple.

She had to make sure she didn't embarrass her parents.

This meant that if she wanted to stay at home, she'd have to be absolutely perfect.

So, Wakaba Mutsumi had chosen to leave the house.

That way, she wouldn't risk causing any trouble for her parents.

In fact, this was the best way to handle these situations, where her parents were the ones people actually cared about.

Even if someone happened to ask where she was out of politeness, her parents could simply say she was off visiting friends, and that would be the end of it.

The problem was, though, she had nowhere to go.

Even if she'd told her parents she was meeting a friend, who would she go visit?

No one seemed right; anyone she went to would only be inconvenienced.

If she went to Nagasaki Soyo's, she'd probably just sit there, doing nothing.

Would anyone actually want that kind of visit?

Wouldn't she just end up ruining someone else's weekend?

So, she just started wandering around.

Passing by this newly opened mall, she'd walked in, having nowhere better to be.

And that's where she ran into Nagasaki Soyo—and their band's manager, Kamigawa Saku.

Watching their seemingly close interaction, Wakaba Mutsumi could finally understand why Nagasaki Soyo had stopped bringing up CRYCHIC or Togawa Sakiko so often.

She'd started dating someone.

Not that Wakaba had any strong feelings on the matter.

She'd simply wish her friend well.

"I think I understand now."

Nagasaki Soyo, though unaware of the full story and Wakaba Mutsumi's thoughts, could more or less piece together what was going on based on what she knew about her friend.

"Well, I'll be off then."

Seeing that her questions had been answered, Wakaba Mutsumi turned to leave, not wanting to disturb them further.

"Hold on. Didn't you say you had nowhere to go?"

Noticing Wakaba's urgency to leave, Soyo called out to her.

"That's right."

Wakaba Mutsumi paused, answering in her usual soft voice.

"Then why are you in such a rush?"

Nagasaki Soyo was becoming genuinely puzzled.

"If I stay, I'll be intruding on your time as a couple." Wakaba Mutsumi's tone made her statement sound like the most natural thing in the world.

This kind of misunderstanding again?

Kamigawa Saku sighed to himself.

Just a few minutes ago, Nyamu had assumed the same thing.

Now, the same situation again. If this were a gal game, it'd be like forcing the "love triangle misunderstanding" trope twice in a row.

"…Mutsumi, why would you think that?"

Nagasaki Soyo's tone had softened.

So, she and Kamigawa Saku really did make a good pair.

Why else would both of their friends think they were dating?

Wasn't that all the proof she needed?

"Are you not?"

Hearing her response, Wakaba Mutsumi instantly realized she'd made an error in judgment.

If they actually were a couple, Soyo definitely wouldn't be asking that question.

Judging by the situation, they were still in an ambiguous phase.

Not quite a couple just yet.

"No, Saku and I aren't dating."

Nagasaki Soyo glanced at Kamigawa Saku, then added, "I'd just like to know what made you think that. Was it because we're shopping together? Or something else?"

Compared to being mistaken as a couple for something as trivial as shopping, she hoped Wakaba would say they just looked right together or seemed like a natural fit.

No need to worry—she wouldn't be upset.

"Just now, when you were talking to him, you said, 'our place.'"

In response, Wakaba Mutsumi gave a straightforward answer.

The noticeable drop in Soyo's mentions of CRYCHIC and Togawa Sakiko and her subtle shifts in demeanor—these, Wakaba decided, weren't worth bringing up.

No need for unnecessary details.

"So, that's why she thinks we're living together, and thus assumes we're dating," Kamigawa Saku realized.

After all, if two young people, who clearly weren't related, were living under the same roof and even went shopping together, it wasn't unreasonable to assume they were a couple.

Of course, Wakaba Mutsumi's "living together" was only her perception.

They weren't actually living together!

They just had breakfast together every morning, the occasional dinner, and he had regular evening bass lessons with her.

"Saku and I are neighbors, and we live in the same apartment building. That's why I said 'our place,'" Nagasaki Soyo explained, even though she didn't get the answer she'd hoped for. She also clarified why they were at the mall together.

"We found out this mall had just opened, with plenty of deals going on, so we decided to check it out."

Hearing "our place" come from her friend's mouth sounded oddly satisfying.

"Oh."

Wakaba Mutsumi's expression remained unchanged as she took in the explanation.

Now that they'd cleared up the misunderstanding about being a couple, Nagasaki Soyo made her offer. "Mutsumi, if you don't have anything planned and don't mind, would you join me to browse the mall?"

This, after all, was the real reason she'd asked her to stay.

"Are you sure?"

Wakaba Mutsumi hesitated, glancing at Kamigawa Saku as if seeking his approval.

"Sorry, Mutsumi is my friend; I can't just leave her alone," Nagasaki Soyo apologized on Kamigawa's behalf before he could say anything.

Honestly, Wakaba Mutsumi looked a little pitiful.

Nowhere to go.

As her friend, it only felt right to lend her a hand.

Would it interrupt her mall outing with Kamigawa Saku?

Well, she'd already said they'd have plenty more opportunities for this in the future.

Besides, she was still Saku's "big sister," after all.

In times like these, she should set an example.

Wakaba Mutsumi had made the selfless choice to leave when she thought they were a couple; that only made Soyo more certain of her decision to invite her.

Wakaba Mutsumi truly was a reliable friend.

[Agree]

[Decline]

After the two girls spoke, Kamigawa Saku's game-like options popped up.

"No problem."

Given the situation, Kamigawa Saku had no reason to decline.

After all, he'd been wondering how to get closer to Wakaba Mutsumi, and here was his chance.

And, as with agreeing to go out with Tachibana Reki and Takamatsu Akari, this setup came with its own perks.

[Agility +3]

"Thanks."

Of course, Nagasaki Soyo had known all along that Kamigawa Saku wouldn't refuse her.

After all, they were practically a couple—oh, wait, no—they were siblings.

It was only natural he'd agree.

Turning back to Wakaba Mutsumi, Soyo asked, "Well, shall we go shop together?"

"Mm."

Wakaba Mutsumi nodded.

Just as she'd said earlier, she didn't have anywhere else to go.

If Soyo wanted her to tag along, she was fine with that.

"Oh, right, Mutsumi—were you planning to buy that cucumber you were looking at earlier?"

Knowing that Kamigawa Saku and Wakaba Mutsumi weren't close, Nagasaki Soyo tried to smooth the conversation.

"Yes."

Wakaba Mutsumi admitted openly.

She'd seen some decent-looking cucumbers and planned to buy some for lunch.

"In that case, why don't we shop together? We'll be able to save quite a bit at checkout and even hit the spending threshold for the prize draw," Nagasaki Soyo suggested.

"Alright."

Wakaba Mutsumi nodded obediently.

"…"

Watching their easy conversation, Kamigawa Saku realized that all the topics he'd been preparing were now useless.

Wakaba Mutsumi, he thought, was tough to talk to.

Especially since they barely knew each other, he had no idea what to say.

He'd have to think of something.