I Just Want A Single Ending!

"Huh? So, does Saku-senpai think it's weird for me to come to karaoke alone?"

Hearing his rather biased comment, Ikuyo Kita couldn't help but retort, though her voice was still hoarse.

How flat does he think my character really is? she thought to herself.

"Isn't it, though?" Saku replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "A karaoke spot? On your own? That's just not like you at all."

She was the sociable type, after all—the kind who'd always bring along a crowd for whatever she did.

Being alone was simply… out of character.

That's precisely why he'd been so surprised to find Kita Ikuyo at karaoke by herself.

"Okay, fair point."

After a moment's reflection, Kita conceded he wasn't entirely wrong.

"By the way, what's up with you? Why'd you suddenly come here alone?"

Saku spoke as he pulled a bottle of water from his bag and handed it to her.

Fortunately, he had it on hand since today was practice day—otherwise, he wouldn't have been lugging around a backpack full of snacks and drinks.

"Here, drink some water before you answer."

"Thank you."

After giving the bottle cap a twist, Kita took a few sips, feeling her throat ease a bit.

"…I just wanted to see what going to karaoke alone would feel like," she finally replied.

"To… try it out?"

Saku looked skeptical.

"Yeah, didn't you once go to a movie alone?"

Kita gave him an example of his own behavior to strengthen her case.

"I mean, I just came to karaoke solo. Not too different from what you did, right?"

"You're not wrong; it's not all that different," Saku agreed, seeming convinced. "People do sometimes get the urge to try things on a whim, even if it seems a little pointless."

"Sometimes, we just really want to experience something—even if it has no particular meaning."

"Wanting to try karaoke alone probably fits into that category, right?"

"Exactly!"

Seeing she'd managed to win him over, Kita let out a satisfied smile.

But just as she relaxed, Saku seized the moment to add, "Except, it seems like you've been coming to karaoke by yourself regularly for a while now. That doesn't quite line up with what you just said, does it?"

"Huh?! How—how do you know that?"

Kita's eyes widened in shock, a look of disbelief spreading across her face.

He was right; she had indeed been visiting karaoke solo for a while.

But she hadn't told anyone.

So, how did Saku know?

Was he… stalking her?

That couldn't be it. There was no reason for him to do that.

And if he had been following her, he wouldn't have been so surprised earlier.

It didn't add up at all.

"So, you're admitting you've been coming here alone regularly, then?"

Saku didn't answer her question; instead, he pressed her for confirmation.

"…Yes."

With her secret out, Kita decided there was no point in hiding it anymore.

"It was just a guess," Saku finally explained.

"How did you guess that?" Kita looked at him, utterly bewildered.

Could someone really guess something that accurately?

"Because your Instagram and Twitter posts have slowed way down. Normally, you'd post multiple times a day, but recently you're only posting once or twice—and sometimes only once. The change is obvious, and hard to ignore."

He had been planning to ask Kita about it eventually, but now he didn't need to. The answer was clear.

"Connecting that to you coming here alone, it all clicks," he continued.

"My conclusion is that you've been coming here solo for a while."

"Since it wouldn't be right to keep posting karaoke selfies day after day, you're not posting as much."

"So that's my guess. Am I wrong?"

Kita gaped at him, genuinely amazed. "Saku-senpai, are you a detective or something?"

Everything he said was spot on.

"Hardly a detective—it wasn't exactly a challenging mystery," he replied with a laugh, waving off her praise. "Anyone with common sense could have figured it out."

"Either way, that was impressive, Saku-senpai!" Kita gave him an admiring look.

"Now, did I guess right?"

Saku could see she was trying to change the subject, but he wasn't letting her off that easily.

"…Yeah."

Realizing she couldn't dodge any longer, Kita nodded.

"So, will you tell me the real reason you're coming here by yourself?" Saku pressed. "Or, to put it another way, why you're practicing both singing and guitar here?"

The more she tried to hide it, the more curious he became.

He was certain that something must be wrong.

"Heh, so you saw through me, huh, Saku-senpai…" Kita gave him a sheepish smile.

"What kind of detective wouldn't notice?" he joked.

With her hoarse voice from singing practice and the guitar on her back, it wasn't exactly subtle.

"…"

This time, Kita didn't compliment him or try to deflect; she just fell silent, as if reluctant to say anything more.

"Hey, Kita, remember that day we pretended to be a couple?"

After waiting a moment and seeing her still lost in thought, Saku decided to bring up something different.

"Yeah, of course."

That day had left a strong impression on Kita—it wasn't something she'd easily forget.

Saku continued, "And do you remember our little basketball game?"

"Mhm."

She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"We agreed that the winner could make one reasonable request of the other, and the loser would get to decide if it was fair or not," he said, a smile playing on his lips. "In the end, I won—but I never used that request. I saved it for later."

"Did I get anything wrong so far?"

"No."

What he said was true—it was all part of their agreement.

"Well, I'd like to use that request now." Saku met her gaze, his eyes full of genuine concern. "Could you tell me why you've been coming to karaoke alone lately?"

"If you think it's too much, you can always refuse."

Saku was well aware that his behavior here wasn't ideal.

He was prying into something she clearly wasn't ready to talk about.

Even if his intentions were good—even if he just wanted to help Kita—it didn't make his actions any less invasive.

But even knowing that, he couldn't ignore it.

Tomori and Shiina were proof enough that ignoring the signs could backfire.

As close as he'd come to helping Shiina successfully, there was no guarantee he'd be so lucky every time.

And he wasn't about to let Kita suffer in silence.

If he could help, he had to at least try.

Technically, helping his bandmates wasn't his responsibility.

But Kita was one of the people he could form a bond with, and there was no way he could ignore that.

Not that it mattered—he'd help her even without that connection.

He wasn't the kind of person who could turn his back on a friend in need.

Still, he had his limits.

His line was that she had the right to decide if his request was reasonable.

If she felt it was too intrusive, he would let it go and try to find other ways to help.

But he wouldn't pressure her any further.

"…Fine."

After a pause, Kita agreed.

They had made a promise, after all, and she had to honor that.

"Before you tell me, why don't we go somewhere else to talk?" Saku cut in before she could say anything. "We shouldn't keep talking right outside someone's shop—it might scare off customers."

"Good point."

Kita glanced at the karaoke sign above them and nodded.

"Then follow me—I know a nearby café that's pretty good," Saku suggested with a smile.

"Okay."

They sat down by a window in the cozy café.

"Whenever you're ready," Saku said, only after their drinks had been brought to the table.

"The reason I've been going to karaoke… is actually pretty simple. I just want to improve."

Kita stirred her coffee, sounding a little self-conscious.

"Improve?"

Saku echoed the word back to her.

"Yeah."

She took a sip of coffee and started explaining.

"As you know, I've been learning guitar from Gotoh-san."

"Even though I've been practicing for a while now, my skills are still far from performance-ready."

"Meanwhile, the rest of the band has long been prepared for live performances."

"In other words, I'm the one holding everyone back."

"So, I've been practicing to catch up."

"My house isn't the best place to practice singing or guitar, so I've been using the karaoke rooms instead."

"That's all?"

After listening, Saku found himself asking without thinking.

Is that it?

"All? What do you mean, all?" Kita looked puzzled.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Saku quickly apologized, realizing how rude that had sounded. "I just thought there might be some deeper reason behind it."

"Saku-senpai, how bad of a person do you think I am?" Kita couldn't help but laugh at his assumption.

"Well, it's just that you kept hiding it, so I ended up jumping to conclusions."

Saku looked embarrassed, scratching his head.

It's all Tomori and Shiina's fault, he thought.

The reasons they had for struggling with lyrics and considering giving up music were so heavy it made him instinctively think of darker explanations.

He had almost overlooked the simplest reason—that she was just trying to improve.

Of course, she wanted to practice more.

Those two really did a number on me, he thought. This is all their fault!

"Honestly, it's because I was embarrassed!"

Kita shot him an exasperated look.

"No one in the band knows I've been practicing here—not even Ijichi-senpai."

"I even turned down my friends' invites and cut back on Instagram and Twitter."

"Then suddenly you show up and ask why I'm at karaoke alone. How was I supposed to explain that?"

"I'm really sorry, honestly."

Realizing how he'd pressured her to share, Saku quickly apologized.

It's all Tomori and Shiina's fault!

They'd filled his head with so much baggage that he'd completely missed the obvious answer.

He hadn't even considered that she might just be embarrassed!

"It's fine, it's really not a big deal," Kita said with a wave of her hand, easily forgiving him.

"By the way, if you were embarrassed, why did you tell me in the end?" Saku couldn't help but ask.

"Well, I was embarrassed… but it wasn't too much to ask, so I answered."

Kita was careful to honor the terms of their agreement.

"Got it."

Saku gazed out the window, feeling a pang of guilt.

When he'd made the request, he was already thinking about other ways to find out if she'd refused.

When did I start acting like this?

Wasn't he supposed to be a master of these situations?

How could he mess up something so simple?

It was definitely Tomori and Shiina's fault.

All of it.

None of this was his responsibility as a galgame expert.

"Still, thanks, Saku-senpai."

Kita's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Thank me? But… I didn't actually do anything, did I?"

Saku looked at her, confused.

"Well, you asked so much because you were worried about me, right?" Kita smiled warmly. "I could tell."

"…"

Saku looked away, turning his gaze to the street outside, avoiding her eyes.

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T/N: TSUNDEREEE