Behold, a gift from the Hydro Archon herself—bonus chapters, born of your devotion and my boundless generosity! Bask in this rare blessing!
---
"Excuse me," Kamigawa Saku said as he stepped inside, handing the fruit and snacks to Shiina Maki.
"Taki's staying home from school today, but she's not actually sick—she just decided to skip," Maki said lightly as she led him to sit on the sofa.
"So, it really is that," Saku replied without surprise.
He and Yahata Umiri had already speculated about this possibility earlier that afternoon. Now, it was simply confirmed.
Maki looked at him with some amusement. "Judging by that response, you already suspected Taki might be faking it."
"Well, yesterday afternoon, Shiina-san was practicing with our band, and she didn't seem sick at all." Saku explained simply.
"Ah, I see."
A gentle smile played across Maki's face.
"Is Shiina-san at home now, or did she go out?"
Saku's gaze moved around the room, not spotting Taki anywhere, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Don't worry, she's still here, though I'm not quite sure what she's up to in her room alone."
As she answered, Maki headed to the kitchen.
"Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"
"Tea, please."
After answering out of habit, Saku suddenly realized the oddness of the situation.
Wait, wasn't he here to check in on Taki? So why did it feel like he'd just shown up as a guest?
Soon enough, Maki returned and placed a steaming cup of tea in front of him.
"Thank you."
"Shall I go call Taki down for you, or would you prefer to go to her room directly?" Maki asked with a hint of playfulness.
"...I think I'd better trouble you to call Shiina-san down."
After a brief hesitation, Saku chose the safer option.
After all, Taki was a girl, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to go barging into her room.
Especially since she didn't seem to know he was even here.
If he accidentally saw something he shouldn't, he'd be in big trouble.
And whether he was responsible or not would be another issue.
"Alright, just wait here a moment."
With that, Maki headed upstairs.
"Thank you."
Saku replied, taking a sip of his tea.
---
Arriving at her sister's door, Maki lightly knocked.
"Taki, you have a visitor here to see you~"
"Don't stay in your room all day. Come on out—it's not polite to keep your guest waiting~"
"...?!"
Shiina Taki, who had just finished working on her demo and was about to listen through it, froze as she heard the knock on her door and her sister's voice.
A visitor for me?
She took off her headphones, looking confused.
A few seconds passed before she remembered that she'd used being "sick" as an excuse to skip school.
So, someone coming to check on her wasn't exactly out of the question.
It was probably Yahata Umiri. After all, they were classmates, and since there was no band practice today, the only person close enough to know she was "sick" would be her.
Leaving her computer, Taki felt a slight pang of guilt as she walked to the door.
After all, she'd faked being sick and now had her friend coming over just to check on her.
Opening the door and seeing her sister, Taki instinctively asked, "Sis, who came to see me?"
"Your band's manager, Kamigawa Saku."
Maki answered with a small smile.
"What?!"
Taki let out an exclamation of surprise. She hadn't expected him at all.
"What's wrong?"
Maki didn't seem to understand her reaction.
"No, nothing."
Taki couldn't fathom how Saku knew she was faking being sick.
But the fact that he was here meant one thing.
Her excuse of skipping school to work on composing had been exposed.
"Well, since he's here, shouldn't you change into something else?" Maki gestured to Taki's pajamas. "That outfit might not be the best for meeting him, don't you think?"
"Good point."
Taki glanced down at her pajamas.
Though they were more like casual loungewear without anything revealing, Saku was still a guest, and it would be polite to put on something more appropriate.
"I'll go wait downstairs for you."
Satisfied, Maki headed back down with a smile.
Meanwhile, Taki turned back into her room.
Why did he come here just to check on me?
With their level of friendship, it didn't make sense for him to visit just because she was "sick."
Even if she was skipping to compose, there was no need for him to go out of his way to come over.
What did her not attending school have to do with him?
If he was going to act this way, shouldn't he go after Yoyoka too? That cat looked like she had no intention of ever going to school.
Taki shook her head, trying to clear her mind.
The all-nighter and full day of composing had left her brain a bit foggy.
In any case, rather than guessing at his motives, she decided it would be easier to just ask him.
Throwing on a casual outfit, Taki left her room and headed downstairs.
As she reached the bottom, she saw her sister and Saku sitting together, chatting amiably.
Even though she couldn't hear their conversation, their expressions made it clear they were enjoying themselves.
"Hmm~ I thought you'd choose something a bit cuter, Taki. I figured you'd wear that one outfit," Maki remarked as she noticed Taki coming down. Her voice was warm but slightly teasing.
"But this outfit looks nice too."
"Mhm."
Taki responded to her sister out of habit.
"Good afternoon."
Finally seeing her appear, Saku greeted her with a smile but quickly noticed something was off.
He could immediately tell that Taki wasn't in her best shape.
It was like she hadn't slept in ages.
Given his own recent experience, he could relate all too well.
"...Come with me."
Taki wanted to bombard him with her questions right there, but with her sister sitting right beside him, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
So she decided to bring him to her room instead.
[Accept]
[Decline]
When he saw these options, Saku fell silent for a moment.
Even though Taki hadn't specified where to follow her, he could easily guess that she meant her room.
This was...quite the ambiguous situation.
"Alright."
In the end, Saku chose to accept.
It wasn't like he'd never been in a girl's room before.
For instance, Nagasaki Soyo's.
So, visiting Taki's room shouldn't be a problem.
Besides, his reason for coming today was to discuss composing with her, which naturally called for a more private space.
It wouldn't be appropriate to talk about it in front of her sister.
[Agility +5]
Seeing that he agreed, Taki turned and went upstairs, with Saku following behind.
Taki's all grown up now…
Watching the two of them head upstairs together, Maki sighed with a smile and returned to her tea.
---
Once inside Taki's room, Saku found himself surprisingly calm.
Her room was very ordinary, with nothing particularly attention-grabbing.
There wasn't a single stray piece of clothing lying around, much less anything more...interesting.
If there was anything that stood out, it was the stack of composition books on her desk.
They looked very familiar.
Almost like the ones he'd just been studying last week.
"How did you know I was staying home today?" Taki asked, closing the door and turning to face him.
"You haven't checked your messages, have you?" Saku replied, glancing back at her. "I sent you a message when I decided to visit."
Hearing this, Taki finally remembered the phone she'd ignored in her focus on composing.
Picking up her phone from the bed, she read through the notifications she'd missed.
First, there was a message from Yahata Umiri in the morning, asking if she was really sick.
Then, there were a series of recent messages from Saku.
Kamigawa Saku: I heard from Yahata-san that you're sick and staying home today.
Kamigawa Saku: Since I have some free time this afternoon, I thought I'd come by and check on you.
A short while later…
Kamigawa Saku: I'm at your door and rang the bell, but no answer. Are you not home?
Kamigawa Saku: Or are you too unwell to come to the door?
"...When you said 'Yahata-san,' do you mean Yahata Umiri?"
After reading the messages, Taki immediately zeroed in on the key detail.
"Yes, your classmate, Yahata Umiri," Saku confirmed.
"Ah, that explains it."
So that's how it all connected.
"But I didn't know you were acquainted with Umiri."
That was something Taki hadn't expected.
Why did it feel like everyone she knew was somehow connected to Saku?
First, Takamatsu Tomori, then Yahata Umiri, and now he'd even shown up at her house and met her sister.
"Yes."
Saku nodded before offering, "Would you like me to explain how we met?"
"Whatever you want."
Taki wasn't all that interested, but if he wanted to talk about it, she didn't mind listening.
"Alright, I'll keep it brief…"
Saku was more than willing to explain.
It helped ease the tension and provided a common topic.
"You're one of Umiri's fans?"
After listening, Taki wasn't so much interested in how they met but focused on the fact that he was her fan.
"That's right."
Saku made no attempt to deny it.
"All it took was one performance from her, and you became a fan?"
This story sounded oddly familiar.
Saku replied seriously, "That's right."
"But aren't you a CRYCHIC fan?"
Ah, that was it. He'd once told her that he became a fan of CRYCHIC after attending their first and only live show.
Wasn't his bar for "becoming a fan" a bit too low?
"Well, CRYCHIC disbanded." Saku sounded almost disappointed. "Besides, no one says you can only have one favorite idol."
"..."
Taki couldn't argue with that.
Especially since CRYCHIC had, indeed, disbanded.
"Anyway, why did Umiri tell you I was sick? And you didn't even seem the least bit surprised that I wasn't actually sick," Taki said, steering the conversation back.
"Well, that's because…"
Saku gave her a rough summary of his conversation with Umiri that afternoon.
Of course, he only mentioned their suspicions about her faking sickness to compose, leaving out any details about his own bass and composition studies.
"So you knew I was faking it to stay home and compose, and you still came over to 'check on me?'" Taki gave him a skeptical look. "And those messages you sent really do sound like you came over to play the part of a concerned friend."
"It was just in case you really were sick," Saku said casually.
"Well, now you know I'm not sick, so there's no need for you to be here."
With her questions mostly answered, Taki was ready to see him out.
"That's true, but I do have another reason for being here, and I hope you'll indulge me." Saku glanced at her still-lit computer screen, then looked back at Taki. "I wanted to check on your progress, and I'd like you to explain those dark circles under your eyes."
"I…"
At that, Taki was momentarily at a loss for words.
In her rush to change, she'd forgotten to conceal the most obvious sign.
Saku raised an eyebrow. "You weren't pulling an all-nighter, were you?"
"No!"
Taki's denial came out instantly.
As she'd said, an all-nighter and an all-night session weren't the same thing!
"So you stayed up all night," Saku said bluntly. "Or do you want to argue that you didn't?"
"…"
Usually so assertive, Taki could only look sheepishly down at the floor under his questioning.
"And judging by the way you look, it wasn't just an all-nighter—you've been up all day without sleep too."
Saku smiled as he delivered these observations, much to Taki's frustration.
"Compared to just staying up late, clearly what you're doing is even worse for your health."
"You wouldn't want Tomori to know you've been pushing yourself like this, would you?"
---
Ah-ha! So you mortals truly have outdone yourselves this time, haven't you? To think your offerings could summon forth these bonus chapters—what a feat worthy of my recognition! You've brought glory to Fontaine, and naturally, to me.
But do not think for a moment that your work is complete! This is but a single step on the journey to greatness, and there are still many more chapters, many more stages, and of course, many more opportunities to bask in my brilliance.
However… even the most brilliant performances must reach their curtain call. Fear not, for though I may bid you farewell today, my radiance shall linger in your thoughts, inspiring you to strive for ever greater heights.
And so, my esteemed audience, let us part ways for now. Continue to champion this endeavor, and perhaps, in another time, another place, you shall once again be graced by my presence. Until then—farewell, and may your days be brightened by the thought of me!
With admiration and just a dash of benevolence,
Furina ✨