"Take your time to think about it," Shiraishi Shizuko said with a composed tone. "I'll go talk to Mana about this."
Hearing her say this, Shiraishi, as the manager of sumimi, nodded in agreement.
"Oh, by the way, is Mana still here? Is she in the lounge?"
"When I left the lounge, she was still there," Misumi Uika responded softly.
"Alright, I'll head over now."
With that, Shiraishi Shizuko made her way toward the lounge, leaving Misumi Uika to continue walking toward the exit of the company building. Her thoughts, however, remained occupied with a lingering question.
What exactly is the deal with Kamigawa Saku?
Last time they met, he explicitly said, I'm not a fan of yours.
Yet now, his actions screamed fan behavior louder than anything else.
He had handed them such an amazing song without hesitation.
It didn't make sense—none of it made sense.
As her thoughts became increasingly muddled, a sudden realization struck her, like a flash of light in the darkness.
The most logical explanation was...
He's actually a fan!
It explained everything—why he specifically gave them that song.
As for why he said he wasn't a fan last time?
That was easy to explain too.
At that time, he truly wasn't a fan.
Kamigawa Saku must have become their fan afterward.
As a currently trending idol group, it was normal for their fanbase to grow—or even shrink—over time.
This was a simple, undeniable fact.
If others could become their fans, why couldn't Kamigawa Saku join their ranks as well?
After all, he was just a high schooler around their age.
Liking an idol group was perfectly normal.
Once she figured this out, Misumi Uika felt much lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her chest.
After all, being treated so well by someone without rhyme or reason could feel unsettling.
Her thoughts then drifted back to the times she had mentally ridiculed Kamigawa Saku, calling him a fake fan.
...Oh no, does this make me a bad idol?
She had been silently mocking a genuine fan all along!
Thankfully, he didn't know about it.
Misumi Uika shook her head, trying to clear her mind, before focusing on Shiraishi's suggestion.
Becoming friends with Kamigawa Saku... Hmm, how should she put it?
Would befriending him just to secure his future compositions be too... calculated?
It felt like completing a task—something mechanical, devoid of sincerity.
Friendship shouldn't be about utility; it should come naturally.
That being said, as she mentioned earlier, she didn't dislike Kamigawa Saku.
Perhaps it was best to let things take their course.
If they got along well, becoming friends would happen naturally, without forcing it.
If they didn't, there was no need to push it either.
And as for the songs he might write in the future?
Whatever.
It wasn't like she couldn't write songs herself.
---
At the same time, back at home, Kamigawa Saku was quite pleased with the day's accomplishments.
He had successfully established a stable channel of communication with Misumi Uika.
Becoming friends was just around the corner.
As for the only target character left without a stable connection, that would be Wakaba Mutsumi.
Luckily, the upcoming summer trip to the hot spring inn would provide a perfect opportunity for interaction, so there was nothing to worry about.
With this, becoming friends with all the target characters and achieving a single ending was just a matter of time.
Lying on the couch, Kamigawa Saku stared at the system interface, brimming with confidence.
This is what it means to have everything under control!
---
The next day, in the afternoon.
Today was band rehearsal day.
As usual, Kamigawa Saku headed to the practice room with Chihaya Anon and Takamatsu Tomori.
"Saku, Anon-chan, are you two really dating?"
On the way there, Takamatsu Tomori glanced at the two walking side by side and posed her question.
"Eh?"
Kamigawa Saku and Chihaya Anon turned toward her at the same time.
Takamatsu Tomori tilted her head, her gaze filled with confusion and curiosity.
"Of course not," Kamigawa Saku quickly denied, then asked with concern, "What's wrong? Why would you suddenly ask that?"
"Because I heard from some classmates that you and Anon-chan... and Kita-chan are dating," Takamatsu Tomori replied truthfully.
So it's just a rumor. That's a relief.
"Wasn't that rumor going around two days ago? You only found out about it today?"
Chihaya Anon, despite being amused by Takamatsu Tomori's misunderstanding, couldn't help feeling a bit smug.
It showed that she and Saku were quite compatible.
Still, her curiosity about why Tomori was only asking this now took precedence.
After all, Tomori's seat was right in front of Saku's, her own seat was behind his, and Kita Ikuyo sat not far away.
With seating arrangements like that, how could Tomori have just found out about such an outdated rumor?
"Yeah."
Takamatsu Tomori nodded slightly.
In truth, she only learned about it when a classmate approached her today, asking if she, being in the same band as Kamigawa Saku and Chihaya Anon, knew anything about the rumor.
She did recall seeing Saku and Anon leave the classroom together two days ago, but it hadn't seemed noteworthy at the time.
After all, the two often went out together, and she had been busy heading to the Astronomy Club to write a report. She hadn't witnessed Kita exposing the "fact" that the three were dating.
The next morning, according to her classmates, Saku, Anon, and Kita had gathered to chat without denying the rumors. This silence was seen as confirmation.
Kamigawa Saku was building a harem—why else wouldn't they clear the air?
It was a tacit admission, paving the way for them to flaunt their relationship openly at school.
At the time, Tomori had been outside collecting rocks and missed the scene entirely.
Apparently, the rumor spread like wildfire, reaching the entire grade in no time.
But Tomori, preoccupied with cleaning the rocks she'd collected, had remained blissfully unaware.
Until today, when her classmate questioned her, she hadn't known the three were supposedly dating.
Feeling that something was off, she decided to ask about it.
"In any case, the rumor about the three of us dating is false. Don't believe it," Kamigawa Saku emphasized.
"Okay."
Takamatsu Tomori nodded in agreement.
When she first heard the rumor, it had made her feel slightly uncomfortable.
Why? She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Perhaps it was like seeing a star she'd always admired suddenly declared as belonging to someone else, forbidding anyone else from gazing at it.
Though she had no claim to the star, it felt natural for its owner to make such a declaration.
Yet, she still felt a pang of sadness.
Perhaps it was the thought of never being able to admire the star again.
Luckily, it was just a rumor.
The star still hung in the sky, free of any owner.
She could continue to look at it—at that star that belonged to no one.
---
"The rumor shows no signs of dying down. It's actually spreading like wildfire," Kamigawa Saku remarked, seeing Tomori fall silent.
By now, the rumor had circulated throughout the entire school.
Almost everyone believed he was simultaneously dating two girls and had successfully started a harem.
Just today, several boys had approached him, asking how he managed to pull it off.
Oh, and his nickname had changed from "The Most Handsome Guy in School" to "The Harem Guy."
It left him with mixed feelings.
"Yeah, I've been getting asked nonstop—it's exhausting," Chihaya Anon chimed in.
Despite her complaint, she couldn't hide her delight.
Being the center of attention felt fantastic!
The circumstances were a bit odd, sure, but fame was fame.
And being part of a rumor with Kamigawa Saku?
It meant everything she said drew an audience, and her every move was noticed.
It was like experiencing life as a superstar.
"Give it a couple of days, and no one will be talking about it anymore," Kamigawa Saku said confidently.
"True."
Anon agreed readily.
Chatting casually, the three arrived at RiNG.
Opening the reserved practice room door, they found Nagasaki Soyo and Shiina Taki engaged in an intense discussion, while Yuutenji Nyamu strummed her guitar absentmindedly nearby.
As soon as Kamigawa Saku entered, Nyamu set down her guitar and eagerly ran over to raid the snacks in his bag.
"Good afternoon."
"..."
After exchanging brief greetings, Chihaya Anon curiously asked, "What were you two talking about just now?"
"Oh, so you're from Shuka High, huh?" Shiina Taki suddenly remarked, noticing Anon's school uniform.
"Yep, Saku, Tomori, and I are all from Shuka High. Did something big happen there?"
Anon's interest was instantly piqued, and she leaned in to ask.
"If you're from Shuka High, then you've probably heard this," Shiina Taki replied nonchalantly. "A guy from your school is supposedly dating two girls at the same time."
"And instead of fighting, the two girls are getting along and letting him have his harem," Nagasaki Soyo added with a chuckle. "We were just talking about it."
"Eh?"
Anon froze, immediately turning to Kamigawa Saku.
Wasn't this rumor spreading a bit too fast?
She'd thought it might reach the whole school by today and stop there—but other schools had already caught wind of it?
Shiina Taki was from Hanazono Academy, and Nagasaki Soyo was from Tsukinokai Academy.
If they both knew, it meant the rumor had spread beyond their school to at least two others.
"..."
Feeling Anon's gaze, Kamigawa Saku forced an awkward smile.
He'd overheard their conversation, but he had no idea what to say.
He hadn't expected things to escalate this far.
A little gossip at his own school was one thing.
Why spread it to other schools?
Did people really have nothing better to do?
At least the rumor didn't include their names.
Not that it mattered much—when it came to rumors, the juicy details always overshadowed identities.
"Anon-chan, you didn't know about this?" Nagasaki Soyo asked, puzzled by her reaction.
"Even someone from another school knows about it. How could she not?" Shiina Taki sighed.
"Ha... hahaha…"
Anon let out a nervous laugh.
Not only did she know, but she was one of the subjects of the rumor.
"That's just a rumor," Takamatsu Tomori interjected, stepping in to explain.
"A rumor? Tomori, how do you know?"
Shiina Taki's curiosity was piqued by her response.
Thinking back to their earlier conversation on the way over, Tomori confidently declared, "Because Saku doesn't have a harem!"
"Ah, I see—wait, what do you mean by Saku doesn't have a harem?"
At first, Nagasaki Soyo nodded absentmindedly, but something clicked, and she quickly looked at Kamigawa Saku.
Could he be the guy at the center of the rumor?
No, wait, that couldn't be right.
Tomori had just said it was a rumor.
Initially, Soyo had treated it as a funny tidbit to laugh about. She'd even planned to bring it up as a lighthearted topic over breakfast with Saku tomorrow.
But now, it turned out Kamigawa Saku was involved.
"It means Saku isn't dating Anon-chan or Kita-chan. It's all just a rumor," Tomori clarified firmly.
"..."
Shiina Taki suddenly understood why Yahata Umi had told her about this in the first place.
It was related to their band!
"Um... Saku, Anon-chan, could you explain the rumor in more detail?"
Nagasaki Soyo took a deep breath, her gaze flickering between the two as she tried to maintain composure.
The only good news was that the rumor wasn't true.
But that begged the question—why were Saku and the two girls tied to such a rumor?
And why had it spread so widely?
It's too much!
"Well, it's like this…"
Kamigawa Saku exchanged a glance with Chihaya Anon and decided to take the lead in explaining.
---
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