I Just Want A Single Ending!

This bonus chapter is a small gift—may it bring you a touch of tranquility.

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"That's all there is to it." Saku gave her an odd look. "What else did you think I'd ask you to do?"

Kikuri scratched her cheek, feeling a bit sheepish. "I… thought it'd be something, you know, a bit more extreme."

From his expression and tone, she'd braced herself for a far bigger request. But it turned out he just wanted her to stop calling him by that awkward nickname.

Even though it was such a simple "punishment," she felt an odd sense of disappointment.

How strange!

"What kind of person do you think I am?" Saku muttered, slightly exasperated.

As he'd said, he wasn't the type to take advantage of someone in a weak spot.

If she hadn't called him that cringe-inducing "Little Saku" again, he might've forgotten about it entirely.

And honestly, if he had asked her to do something "extreme," the only one suffering would've been himself.

After all, a notorious drinker like her could never compete with his destined solo ending.

"...Haha." Kikuri gave an awkward laugh before trying to change the topic. "Didn't expect you to be so nice, Little Saku. Your request was pretty simple."

"I'm not kind at all."

Saku dismissed the thought immediately and continued, "Didn't I just say you couldn't call me that? Clearly, you didn't listen at all!"

"Sorry! I'm just used to it and slipped up," Kikuri apologized again, feeling embarrassed. "So, what would you prefer I call you?"

Since she'd offered to do whatever he wanted, it was only fair that she follow his lead on this.

"Just don't call me 'Little Saku.' Call me 'Saku' or 'Kamigawa'—either is fine."

He wasn't picky, as long as the name didn't sound awkward.

"Then I'll call you 'Saku.'"

As his senior, Kikuri chose the more familiar option without hesitation.

"Works for me."

Plenty of people called him that already, so he was more than used to it.

With the name issue settled, he asked, "By the way, where did you leave your bass? Do you have time to go grab it?"

"...If I'm not mistaken, I think I left it at the bar I was at last night."

She sounded uncertain.

"In that case, I guess you won't be teaching me today. Yahata-san already covered a good part of the lesson anyway."

At this point, Saku had given up on her fetching her bass from the bar—it would take way too long for her to go back and forth.

"Oh no, that would mean Yahata took my job today!" Kikuri was still hung up on the issue.

"Now that you mention it… Since Yahata-san did end up teaching me, I should probably pay her for the lesson."

Perfect—this gave him another excuse to meet up with Yahata Umiri.

"W-Wait, she only taught you for a little while. Is it really necessary to pay her?" Kikuri blurted out, suddenly flustered.

If Umiri had taken over her lesson, did that mean Kikuri would have to split her payment with her?

Absolutely not!

"Relax, I'll pay her out of my own pocket. It won't affect what I owe you."

Saku could see right through her worry, so he reassured her.

"Good! Pay her whatever you want, then."

As soon as she realized her cut wasn't at stake, Kikuri's attitude changed in an instant.

Ignoring that, Saku took out his wallet and instinctively reached for his backpack, only to realize he'd left it at home when he'd picked up his bass.

Guess he'd have to buy another envelope.

As he was putting his wallet away, he noticed Kikuri staring at it with envy.

"What's up?" Saku asked, puzzled.

"Just… curious how much cash you have to make your wallet that thick," she said, her voice filled with longing.

Compared to his well-stuffed wallet, hers was practically starving.

"No idea."

It'd been ages since he'd counted his cash. He never really lacked money, so it wasn't on his mind.

"…"

Kikuri's eyes filled with even more envy.

Noticing this, Saku gave her a warning, "Just to be clear, don't get any strange ideas. Borrowing money is one thing, but don't target me personally."

Asking him for a loan was one thing, but he didn't want anyone plotting against him just because he was well-off.

Although he wasn't sure if Kikuri was that type of person, it was safer to be clear upfront.

"Oh, I can borrow money?"

Kikuri's eyes brightened.

"Huh? You need to borrow money? Didn't I just pay you all that lesson money?"

Normally, even with a bit of loose spending, that amount should've lasted her quite a while.

Unless, of course, she spent money as wildly as Ryo did.

"Yeah, but I ended up trashing some stuff while drunk, which cost me a lot. Then I moved to an apartment with a bathroom, and, well… I also bought a lot of alcohol." Kikuri briefly listed her expenses.

"Wait, you didn't have a bathroom before?"

Saku had picked up on something odd in her explanation.

"Nope. My old place was over fifty years old, and there'd even been an accident there." Kikuri answered nonchalantly.

"Then… how'd you manage without a bathroom?" Saku asked, concerned.

"I'd just shower at Nijika's place!" she replied confidently.

The main reason she'd upgraded apartments was a drunken decision, made easier by the cash he'd paid her. Plus, the trips to Nijika's house for showers were getting inconvenient—and pricy with all the transit costs. So, renting a place with a bathroom made more sense.

Though now, she was kind of regretting it. Her new place was pricier, and it was starting to feel like a financial burden.

After a moment of silence, Saku opened his wallet and handed her a large portion of its contents. "Here."

"What's this…?"

Kikuri looked at the thick stack of cash, utterly astonished.

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T/N: DAMN YOU KIKURI IT SHOULDVE BEEN ME

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— Ei