I Just Want a Single Ending [69]
But among the people they knew, only one person had that surname.
So, unsurprisingly, when Kita Ikuyo mentioned "Kamigawa-senpai," she was most likely referring to Kamigawa Saku.
And their following responses confirmed Chihaya Anon's hunch.
"Kamigawa…?"
Gotoh Hitori instinctively glanced over at Saku.
"Yes, we picked it out together yesterday," Kita Ikuyo nodded.
"I-I'll treasure it."
Since it was chosen by Kamigawa Saku… wait, no, chosen by Kamigawa Saku and Kita Ikuyo together, whatever was inside, she was sure to love it.
And then, Gotoh Hitori found herself in a bit of a dilemma.
Having never experienced something like this before, she had no idea what to do after receiving a gift from a friend.
Just saying those few words had already exhausted all her knowledge of proper gift-receiving etiquette; she was now venturing into uncharted territory.
"…"
Staring at the gift box in her hands, Chihaya Anon felt a sudden wave of irritation.
So, after they watched a movie together yesterday, they even went to pick out a gift for Gotoh Hitori?
Whatever, it was a thank-you gift after all; no need to dwell on it.
Noticing Gotoh Hitori's hesitation, Kita Ikuyo kindly suggested, "It's okay to open it now! I'd love to hear what you think."
"Oh… alright, I'll open it now."
Gotoh Hitori nodded and began to clumsily unwrap the packaging.
It wasn't too complicated, so even she could easily open it.
"A… hair clip…"
Pulling out a beautiful red and black hair clip shaped like a guitar pick from the box, Gotoh Hitori stared at it, slightly dazed.
Kita Ikuyo asked nervously, "So… what do you think?"
"I-I-I'll treat it as the most precious gift of my life and keep it safe," Gotoh Hitori said gratefully.
A gift chosen by Kamigawa Saku and Kita Ikuyo should never be used; it should be carefully preserved, maybe even worshipped!
"No, no, I gave you the hair clip because I want you to use it often."
Kita Ikuyo quickly waved her hands, trying to dispel that notion.
A… hair clip?
Chihaya Anon suddenly realized something wasn't right.
If the gift for Gotoh Hitori was a hair clip, that meant they went to a jewelry store.
Wasn't that exactly what she had done the other day?
And if they had even gone to the same jewelry store as her, that would be even more outrageous.
Come to think of it, watching a movie together and then going to a jewelry store… wasn't that basically a date?!
At first, she'd thought that maybe she was overthinking it and Kita Ikuyo wasn't that underhanded.
But now? She wasn't so sure anymore.
Fuming, Chihaya Anon could only glare daggers at Kita Ikuyo in silent revenge.
GLARE—
"Huh?"
Kita Ikuyo felt a sharp gaze directed at her, but when she turned to look, she couldn't find the source, only seeing Kamigawa Saku and her bandmates chatting.
Was it just her imagination?
"What's wrong?"
Nijika Ijichi noticed her odd behavior.
"Oh, nothing."
Yeah, it must have been her imagination.
---
Midday, Inside the Practice Room.
"Let's take a break; it's about time we had something to eat."
As the group was about to start their next song, Kamigawa Saku took the opportunity to call for a pause.
"Nice!"
Thrilled at the chance to stop, Kaname Raana happily took off her guitar. As usual, she wandered over to Kamigawa's side, looking expectantly for snacks.
"Snacks…"
"Here."
Kamigawa Saku handed over his bag, which was, as always, packed with a variety of snacks.
Watching Kaname Raana fully absorbed in her snack world, Shiina Taki approached, unable to help commenting, "Hey, can't you do something about your cat?"
"What? Did she break something?"
Kamigawa Saku looked at her, genuinely puzzled.
Initially, Shiina Taki had called Kaname Raana a "stray cat," but over time, with Kamigawa's consistent snack offerings, the title shifted subtly to "your cat" whenever she talked to him about Raana. Though, on most other occasions, she still referred to her as the "stray cat."
Perhaps calling her "Kamigawa's cat" just sounded too strange.
Shiina Taki pointed to his bag. "No, I mean the snacks. Don't you think she's been eating a bit too many lately?"
"Really?" Kamigawa shrugged it off.
"Every time we take a break, she practically makes snacks her lunch," Shiina recalled. "And you're constantly letting her have them without a second thought, as much as she wants."
"Well, it's not like we're here every day. Having snacks now and then won't hurt," Kamigawa explained, smiling. "Besides, I bring plenty of filling snacks—like cookies, pastries, and bread."
"So even if it seems like she's snacking a lot, it's more or less a decent lunch."
Naturally, as someone who posted recommendations online, he'd done his research before giving Raana free rein on his snacks.
Snacks like chocolate and candy—things that weren't the best to eat too much of—he only brought in limited amounts for a treat or mood lift.
On the other hand, he stocked up on healthier options, like nuts. And since Kaname Raana seemed to love matcha, he made sure to bring matcha-flavored snacks and drinks.
For the record, though, he didn't particularly like the taste of matcha soda. Who could actually enjoy something that strange?
"Fine, whatever. She's your cat, after all."
With that, Shiina Taki gave up on the argument.
"So, what do you guys want for lunch?"
Having settled Kaname Raana's meal, Kamigawa Saku turned to the rest of the band.
Since they still hadn't decided on a band name and couldn't start any official activities, his current role mainly involved ordering takeout and running errands.
Today, he was in charge of picking up their lunch.
Though there was a café upstairs, it wasn't ideal to have cake and desserts as a meal every day, so they only went up there occasionally.
Eating out together took up too much time, considering that every second in the practice room cost them.
"Anything's fine. Just grab some bento from the convenience store."
After a quick discussion among the group, Shiina Taki relayed their decision.
"Got it."
Kamigawa Saku had just opened the practice room door and was about to head out when Chihaya Anon came rushing over.
"I'll go with you! It's stuffy in here; I could use some fresh air."
---
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