I Just Want a Single Ending [78]
Since Tomori had already reassured him, Saku decided not to overthink it.
After all, with friends, even little odd things always feel perfectly normal and fun.
"By the way, which penguins do I have on my fingers?" Saku asked curiously. "The only ones I know are the Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins you just told me about."
"That one's an Adélie penguin, and this one is an Emperor penguin…"
With that, Tomori started pointing to each of his bandaged fingers, naming the penguins on them one by one.
"Huh?"
Saku was slightly surprised as she touched his fingers without hesitation.
But then, knowing her personality, it wasn't all that surprising.
For someone like Tomori, who lived in her own unique world, small gestures like these probably didn't mean much, especially when she was talking about something that interested her.
Besides, it wasn't exactly direct contact—the bandages were between them.
So, Saku continued to listen.
Since he only had a few penguin bandages on, Tomori finished her explanations pretty quickly. This time, it didn't turn into a never-ending lecture.
Just then, the photos were ready, already framed and decorated with penguin elements as a special aquarium souvenir.
"I'll handle the payment. After all, I used up so many of your bandages."
Seeing that Tomori was about to reach for her wallet, Saku quickly stopped her and paid first.
"...Alright."
Tomori hesitated for a moment but didn't argue.
After taking the frames from the staff and inspecting them to make sure they looked good, Saku handed one to her.
The frames were well-made, with cute penguin designs on either side—definitely worth the 3,000 yen.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
Tomori took the frame and immediately started examining it intently.
"What are you looking at?"
Curious about her focus, Saku leaned in. It was just a simple photo, after all—there shouldn't be anything too captivating about it.
"The penguins in the back," Tomori pointed out, focusing on the penguins in the background. "These two are looking right at the camera."
Saku leaned closer to see where she was pointing.
Two penguins, just at the edge of the photo, were peeking into the frame, looking as if they, too, were posing for the picture.
With that, Saku could understand why Tomori had been so keen on taking the photo.
It was all about the penguins.
Classic Tomori.
While he'd been focused on their poses and whether the distance between them looked okay, she was paying attention to the background penguins.
To keep up the conversation, Saku decided to focus on the penguins too.
"That penguin's got a funny pose. What do you think it's doing?"
"Probably looking for its friends."
Tomori glanced at the penguin he was pointing to and made a guess.
"I see…"
After chatting about the penguins for a while, Saku suggested, "How about we get a souvenir bag to carry these frames? It'd be inconvenient to walk around the aquarium holding them."
Unlike most girls, Tomori didn't seem to have the habit of bringing a bag when she went out.
So, without one, she didn't really have anywhere to keep the frame.
"Okay."
She looked at the paper bags decorated with cartoon versions of various aquarium animals and didn't turn down his reasonable suggestion.
"Go ahead and pick one."
With the decision left to her, Saku turned to the staff member. "Can we still get the 10% discount if we buy now?"
"Of course."
The staff member was more than happy to secure another sale.
"Have you decided yet?"
Returning to Tomori's side, Saku noticed her looking a bit torn and asked.
"I want them all…"
Her answer was surprisingly straightforward.
Hearing this, Saku remembered her tendency to collect things—the penguin bandages being a clear example.
Asking her to pick just one must have been a bit unfair.
Saku offered a solution, "Then let's get one of each."
"I don't have enough allowance for that."
Although her family was generous with her allowance, she spent a lot on other things, so collecting all the different paper bags at once was out of reach.
"I know. I'll cover it."
Without another word, Saku called the staff member over.
"I can't let you—"
Tomori started to protest, but he cut her off by saying, "Could you please pack one of each bag design?"
"Certainly! Please wait a moment," the staff replied enthusiastically and quickly set to work.
When it was too late for her to refuse, Saku turned back to her, "Now, what were you saying?"
"There are too many. I can't accept them."
Even though she wanted the different bags for her collection, she couldn't just accept them from him without a reason.
"Well, it's too late now. We can't exactly ask them to put it all back."
Saku pointed to the bags already packed and dismissed her objection.
"But…"
Before she could finish, he interrupted her again.
"You don't have to worry. It's not much money for me." Saku paused, then continued, "Besides, you've all been practicing so hard."
"Meanwhile, I'm just the 'manager,' not doing much—just watching all of you put in so much effort."
"So, spending a bit on something like this? Consider it my small contribution to the band."
"I can't just do nothing, right?"
He added with a smile, "Besides, you're writing lyrics now, aren't you?"
Tomori nodded, confirming it.
After agreeing to the role, she'd started working on lyrics.
But despite all her attempts, she hadn't managed to create anything that satisfied her yet.
"I don't really understand songwriting, but I know it must be challenging," Saku said gently, lowering his voice. "Think of these bags as a little thank-you gift for working on the lyrics. I really appreciate you taking this on."
"...I'll work hard to write good lyrics!"
Feeling his genuine support, Tomori clenched her hands into fists, determination flaring up inside her.
She couldn't let down Saku's expectations of her.
She had to repay him!
"Go for it!"
Saku encouraged her with a smile.
And with that, he'd managed to get her to accept the bags without hesitation.
So simple. As expected of me!
---
T/N: It's hard not to see why these girls would fall for him, if he was my boyfriend I'd be set T^T
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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