I Just Want a Single Ending [84] [DDD!]

December Double Drop!

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At this point, Kamigawa Saku finally realized what had just happened.

To an outsider, what he and Yamada Ryo had done might easily look… questionable.

To prevent this misunderstanding from escalating, he had to explain things clearly.

"Huh? A misunderstanding?"

Shiina Taki crossed her arms, scanning them both with narrowed eyes.

"It's not what you think. I gave her that much money because it's tuition for bass lessons," Kamigawa explained. "She comes to my house to teach because that's where we agreed on, and Nagasaki-san can vouch for it. She's my neighbor."

"Teaching you bass?"

Taki's gaze shifted to his fingers, still covered with band-aids.

That explanation actually made sense.

And honestly, this blue-haired girl did look like the type who would be in a band.

"I'm Yamada Ryo, the bassist of Kessoku Band," Ryo said, finally pocketing the money before giving her introduction.

"You're in the same band as Ijichi-san?" Taki asked for confirmation.

This raised the credibility of their story by several notches.

"Yes."

Having been paid, Ryo had no reason not to cooperate.

"…"

At this point, Taki realized she might've genuinely misunderstood.

Even if they were lying, this would be a ridiculous story to make up—she could easily confirm it with Nagasaki Soyo or any of Kessoku Band's members.

"And besides," Kamigawa pointed at his face, offering the clincher, "with a face like mine, why would I ever need to pay for that kind of thing?"

For her to mistake his intentions here… he couldn't help but feel insulted.

If he really wanted that sort of thing, he certainly wouldn't have to pay.

"Fine, I misunderstood this time. Sorry."

Taki couldn't deny he had a point.

Even if she didn't exactly like him, there was no denying that his face was popular with girls.

"Wait, did you just apologize?" Kamigawa looked at her, surprised.

"What do you mean, 'did I just apologize?'" Taki replied, looking annoyed. "Is it so weird for me to apologize? Is that something to get so worked up about?"

Since she'd misjudged the situation and jumped to conclusions, it was only natural to apologize.

But his reaction made it sound like she'd somehow done something wrong by apologizing.

"Sorry, I was just… surprised."

In Kamigawa's mind, she was the type to dig her heels in, even if she was wrong.

When did she become so willing to admit her mistakes?

Or maybe he'd just gotten the wrong impression from having so little interaction with her?

"Hmph."

Taki ignored him, giving a small, derisive laugh as she headed inside RiNG.

Guess I just haven't interacted with her enough.

Kamigawa thought back and realized his impression of her was bound to be off due to how little they'd interacted.

In his band, Shiina Taki was probably the person he was least familiar with.

Even Raana, the cat, had warmed up to him through his consistent feeding.

If that was the case, he'd have to make an effort to get closer to Taki.

But where should he start?

As long as Takamatsu Tomori was around, it wouldn't be too difficult to keep things cordial, but to become genuine friends with her wasn't going to be easy.

He'd need to find some common ground.

After a brief moment of thought, Kamigawa turned to Yamada Ryo. "I remember you know how to compose, right?"

As her friend, he was aware of details like this.

"Yeah, I compose. Why?" Ryo asked, casually guessing, "Do you need me to write a song for you?"

"No, I was hoping you could teach me to compose."

Kamigawa shared his idea.

He knew next to nothing about Shiina Taki, except for her admiration of Takamatsu Tomori.

He also knew she loved Tomori's lyrics and had even expressed a desire to compose to match them.

But using Tomori as a conversation starter was out of the question.

Yesterday, Taki had glared at him the entire time he was talking to Tomori.

So, he had to take a different route—composition.

He wasn't aiming to take over composition duties in the band; he simply wanted to connect better with Taki.

Once he knew how to compose, he could discuss with her how best to match Tomori's lyrics with the right music.

Not only would this allow them to bond over Tomori as a shared topic, but it could also help bring them closer.

And who knows, it might even come in handy with Misumi Uika someday, since she was also a composer.

A win-win all around.

"Composition? You've barely started learning bass," Ryo replied, doing the math in her head. "At your current level, you're nowhere near composing. Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Actually, I've been learning bass from someone else too, and I've made a lot of progress," Kamigawa said, already prepared with an answer.

"From someone else? Who?"

Hearing this, Ryo instantly perked up.

Was someone poaching her student?

"Nagasaki Soyo. The girl who just came with me," Kamigawa answered honestly.

"How much did you pay her?"

"Nothing. She's teaching me for free."

"...So, you sold your soul to learn bass?"

Ryo paused, giving him a scrutinizing look, her gaze settling on his face.

As he'd just said, with his face, he could probably get some things for free.

That's… actually pretty rock.

"What's going on in that head of yours? She's my neighbor, and we're bandmates," Kamigawa said, unable to hold back a retort. "That's the only reason she's willing to teach me—just like how Bocchi teaches Kita!"

"Alright."

Ryo didn't argue further, but whether she bought his explanation was anyone's guess.

"So, can you teach me composition?" Kamigawa redirected the conversation.

"I have one more question. If someone's already teaching you bass for free, why did you still pay me?"

Ryo glanced at the money now sitting in her wallet, genuinely curious.

"I just didn't want you to live off grass. That's not healthy," Kamigawa replied honestly. "Of course, if you prefer to think of it as friendship money, I'm fine with that too."

Feigning emotion, Ryo pretended to dab at invisible tears with a handkerchief. "I'm so touched. I might actually be starting to like you."

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T/N: I'm literally Ryo, speaking of being Ryo. I'm out of money... Please give me some

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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