[You notice that Chihaya Anon seems somewhat different today compared to usual. You are certain you never told her about the café, yet she somehow found you, as if she could locate you with precision.]
[But when you ask her how she knew, Chihaya Anon simply takes your left hand firmly.]
["I have something important to talk to you about. But since Haru left in such a hurry after class, I had no choice but to follow behind."]
[So different from the cold attitude she showed moments ago in front of Togawa Sakiko, she now stands before you with the same impassive face, yet the faint blush at her ears betrays the thundering of her heart. She pulls you into a secluded alley, and can no longer hold back as she confesses to you.]
[The love overflowing from her heart cannot be hidden by her outward coolness. Since you also have feelings for her, you have no reason to refuse.]
[You and Chihaya Anon become lovers.]
[After receiving your response, the usually calm and aloof girl shows a brief flash of shock and joy, then throws herself into your chest, crying her heart out to release all the emotions she had kept locked away. When she has finished, she returns to her usual self.]
[Only this time, she takes your hand again.]
[She decides to deepen your relationship immediately, and again, you have no reason to refuse.]
[Because now, it is your turn to take responsibility for her.]
[Simulation End]
[Score: 21 (Poor)]
[Evaluation: Perhaps you faintly sensed the confusion and fear in her heart. But her closed-off heart is like an iron arm impenetrable to light. Even if you reach for her from behind, you cannot touch her fingertips. For you, this is helplessness, and it means that in the end, you and she cannot walk the same path.]
[You have received a score of (Poor) and the settlement reward: "Couple's Bracelet from Chihaya Anon."]
Looking at the simulation result before him, Haru simply shook his head.
As if recalling something, Haru slowly stood up, took a notebook with a wisteria pattern from his desk, and began recording the time and suspicious points of this simulation with a ballpoint pen. Once the flowing script covered the clean page, he let out a deep breath.
"The difference from last time is… this time, Sakiko intercepted me before my date with Uika."
"This means the simulation's route is not always the same. If each restart leads to a different world line, then I can eventually find the one where I succeed in making contact with Sakiko."
"But since I can't influence the simulation through choices, I can only rely on changing things in reality to slightly shift the simulated route."
Haru studied the silver bracelet in his hand, which shimmered faintly in the light, then carefully placed it into a small box under his desk.
Because his plan relies on trial and error to corner probability, this simulation with Togawa Sakiko will likely fail many more times. Each failure randomly grants a related reward from sometimes a skill, other times, as in this case, a gift.
If he used all one hundred simulation attempts, how many rewards would appear?
"I wonder if I can get a satisfying result before morning."
Haru glanced at the time. It was now 9:30 in the evening.
He sat back down at his desk, bathed in the warm orange glow of the lamp, and spread open the notebook filled with notes before focusing entirely on the simulation panel once again.
This would be the third simulation.
…
"Assistant manager, it's almost closing time, you know?"
The sudden voice of a blonde waitress in a black-and-white café uniform pulled Togawa Sakiko from her daze. Her eyes, still tinged with surprise, turned toward the smiling blonde girl beside her.
In less than two seconds, she realized she had unknowingly returned to this exact moment again.
But compared to the previous "rewind," she was much calmer this time. Sakiko instinctively pulled her phone from her pocket.
December 9.
As expected, the date had not changed at all.
"Good work today, you can all head home."
Using the same excuse as before, Sakiko dismissed the staff, then rubbed her temples and sat down at a random seat.
After a moment's thought, she took a black-covered notebook from her bag, the words "Death Note" printed on its cover. Opening to the first page, she was greeted by a portrait Haru had once drawn for her with a ballpoint pen.
In the drawing, she wore a gentle, serene smile, the kind of unintentional charm that could make someone lose themselves in it.
But Sakiko quickly returned to reality. She picked up her pen and wrote...
"This rewind's timing is clearly different from the last. If I rule out pure chance, then it must have been caused by something I did without realizing. But before the rewind, I had only interacted with Haru and Anon."
"The key point must be here!"
Remembering the cold demeanor Chihaya Anon had shown, Sakiko's delicate fingers holding the pen trembled slightly.
"Chihaya's personality is unusual, almost like a completely different person from before."
"But it seems only her personality changed. She still likes Haru here."
Having written down a large amount of information, Sakiko felt slightly relieved. But recalling the words Chihaya Anon had spoken to her earlier, her confidence wavered again.
It only lasted a few seconds before she shook her head firmly, regaining her resolve.
"My love for Haru is real! That's the one thing I'm certain of!"
"Others might see me as selfish, cruel, or someone who doesn't value feelings, but I know exactly what I feel inside. I couldn't care less what they think!"
"As long as I know I love him, that's enough!"
Her cheeks flushed red as she whispered her declaration, then slipped the notebook back into her bag.
Strong-willed and proud, Togawa Sakiko could not accept help from others, nor could she stand to be pitied. But she possessed an equally overwhelming persistence and determination.
No matter what, she would find the key point to end this loop, and the way to wake from this dream.
She had to return to reality.
She had to tell Anon that her feelings for Haru were not false, and that they contained her whole heart. Once she returned, she would confess to Haru.
She would pour out every word of love she had been unable to say before.
"…"
With her heart surging like a storm, Sakiko took a deep breath and forced herself to reorganize her thoughts. If she could not at least maintain the most basic calm, she would never find the way to break the cycle.
"Anyway, I have to start by looking for the irregularities. Right now, the strangest one is Chihaya."
Normally, at this time, Chihaya Anon would either be at MyGo practicing with Tomori and the others, or clinging to Haru like before.
But in this loop, Togawa Sakiko had no plans to meet Haru, which meant Chihaya Anon might not show up because of that.
In any case, first I should check RiNG...
Once Sakiko made up her mind, there was no turning back. Her decisive nature and lack of hesitation made her close Rabbit House Café for now, and before long she was near the LiveHouse in Ikebukuro.
"Same here too?"
She muttered under her breath, swallowing nervously.
The LiveHouse in Ikebukuro still had its pure white walls and Western-style interior.
The familiar signboard and décor were exactly the same as in reality. She even saw several band girls wearing uniforms from Haneoka and Tsukinomori.
The scene was so familiar it made her waver for a moment, almost forgetting this was not the real world.
"…Just a dream, but it's way too real."
Suppressing the faint strangeness in her chest, Sakiko climbed RiNG's long staircase to the second-floor café. She remembered that MyGo usually gathered here before heading to the recording studio on the same floor.
Of course, if nothing unexpected happened—
"Sa… Sakiko?"
Before she could think about her next step, a familiar voice reached her ears. She instinctively turned around.
Standing there was a black-haired girl in a RiNG staff uniform.
Her waist-length hair, the color of the night sky, was tied in the middle with a pale purple ribbon and draped loosely over her shoulder. Her violet eyes watched Sakiko with slight shyness, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye added an unexpected allure.
Sakiko froze.
"You… you're Taki?"
"…Eh? Is there something strange about me?"
Shiina Taki hurriedly looked herself over in confusion, then touched her soft cheeks with pale fingers, her airy voice drifting out like she was speaking from the clouds.
The sheer difference made Sakiko's mind buzz.
How could this person possibly be Shiina Taki?!
In her memory, Taki's sharp gaze and imposing presence always made her seem cool and aloof, frowning whenever they met. Yet she was also the first to step up in any situation, unhesitant and direct when correcting problems in practice.
But this "Shiina Taki" was the complete opposite!
Her hairstyle had changed from straight black hair to a ponytail with a warm, almost wife-like charm. Her tone and expression were so gentle that Sakiko could only stare in disbelief. Even her faintly furrowed brows carried a soft, fragile air, impossible to reconcile with someone who was a drummer known for her strength.
"How… how can this be happening?"
Sakiko's mind was a mess.
Not only had Chihaya Anon turned into a cool, sharp-tongued beauty, but even her former CRYCHIC bandmate Shiina Taki had undergone a complete transformation. At this moment, they shared a common trait.
Whatever was going on, her head was spinning.
"Sakiko, are you alright?"
"If you're feeling unwell, that's no good. Do you want to rest your head on my lap for a bit?"
The deep concern in Taki's voice made Sakiko take several steps back in shock. She could never have imagined these words coming from Shiina Taki.
Why was this loop's world so strange?
Had everyone around her completely reversed from how they normally were?
Disbelief was plain on her face, but then she suddenly realized something she had overlooked. Lifting her head sharply, she stepped toward Taki, startling the other girl.
"Sakiko? What's with you all of a sudden?"
By now, Sakiko was starting to piece things together. This world that "rewound" was a dream, and with both Chihaya Anon and Shiina Taki so different here, she had finally found the answer.
In this dream world, everyone's personality was likely the opposite of reality.
It matched almost exactly with the saying that dreams and reality are complete inverses.
Once she understood that, everything made sense.
Everyone and everything here was different. To Sakiko, they were the irregularities of this world. In fact, she might be the true irregularity to them, because she alone would never change here.
And there was one more irregularity in this world.
"Taki, do you know where Haru is?"
Sakiko's serious gaze caught Taki off guard, but after a brief pause, the other girl's cheeks took on a faint blush.
"In MyGo, we don't have practice today, so I don't think Haru would come to RiNG. He's probably… over at Kessoku Band right now."
Sakiko's eyes lit up and she spoke with barely contained excitement. "I see! Thank you, Taki, for telling me!"
"No, it's fine! It's just… I have something I want to ask you."
Taki lowered her head shyly, her cheeks tinted with the color of sunset. She brushed aside a stray lock of hair over her left ear, revealing its pale tip tinged with pink.
The gesture made Sakiko's face stiffen.
She had a bad feeling about this...
"Why did you suddenly ask me where Haru is? Did you come to RiNG today because you wanted to see him?"
"Sakiko, your feelings for Haru… are they—"
Looking at Taki's bright red face as she struggled to voice the question, Sakiko felt an indescribable heaviness in her chest.
Even though she was an inexperienced girl who had never dated, her instincts as a woman told her exactly what Taki was trying to say.
"Taki… do you like Haru?"
"Eh?"
Shiina Taki froze completely, and seeing that reaction made Togawa Sakiko's heart sink.
Before Sakiko could say anything more, the black-haired beauty in front of her lifted her gaze. Those eyes, full of confidence, locked directly onto hers.
Sakiko had never seen this look from Shiina Taki before.
It wasn't the sharpness and edge she remembered, but a pure, straightforward calm. With that expression, the black-haired girl slowly placed her right hand over her chest and declared openly, without the slightest hesitation,
"Yes, I like him."
"But I don't think it's just me who has feelings for him. I'm sure Haru feels something for me too. So if you like him as well, Sakiko… I will never give him up to you."
Her words held no falsehood, no concealment.
Just pure, unfiltered sincerity.
At that moment, Shiina Taki truly felt like a powerful drummer.
The timid softness from earlier vanished in an instant, replaced by a confidence so overwhelming it was hard to believe. In Sakiko's eyes, there was even a trace of arrogance in Taki now.
She seemed convinced that she could never lose to anyone.
"I…"
Sakiko's feelings were a swirl of emotions, and under the force of Taki's presence, she instinctively took a step back.
She chose not to respond to this "declaration of war." Instead, she abruptly turned away, as if to leave RiNG as quickly as possible. Her lips pressed tightly together, and her eyes showed a complex expression she couldn't name.
"…Taki, she also likes Haru?"
"How could this be?"
Sakiko had realized that in this dream world, everyone's personality was reversed, but those reversed personalities didn't seem to affect their true essence. Chihaya Anon's decisive, straightforward confession earlier was proof of that.
Those who liked Haru in reality still liked him in this dream world.
And the reverse was also true.
"If someone likes Haru here, then in reality, they must like him too…"
Sakiko had never imagined that Taki harbored such feelings.
If not for this strange dream letting her see Taki's completely opposite personality, Sakiko knew that in reality, with Taki's stubborn and unyielding nature, she would never have revealed this even a little.
Sakiko would never have been able to guess her true feelings from the surface.
"Just… how many people like Haru?"
…
[Considering the recent surge in popularity that Kessoku Band has built up, their constant street performances have made them well-known in Shimokitazawa. Recently, a famous LiveHouse, KURUMI, invited them to perform. Naturally, you don't let such an opportunity slip by.]
[In a large-scale live with hundreds or thousands of attendees, even an unknown small band can instantly draw a massive audience if they show enough skill.]
[Whether using this live as a springboard to go pro, or simply to boost popularity and sell CDs, it's a win-win for both Kessoku Band and you.]
[But making a name for yourself at a live is never easy, especially since this well-known venue has invited many established bands from the industry.]
[To maximize their exposure, you must face these other bands head-on. That means Kessoku Band's training will intensify greatly, and as the composer, you must write new songs of the highest quality, giving them the weapons they need to challenge strong opponents.]
"So this time, since Sakiko didn't call to meet me, my focus shifted toward Kessoku Band?"
Restarting the third simulation, Haru frowned as the text scrolled across the simulation panel.
It was exactly as he had suspected that every time he restarted, the simulation's world line would change. To most, this might just be a minor difference in timing, but for Haru, it could mean a complete upheaval in his simulated life.
Because in reality, he was already in a confirmed romantic relationship with nearly everyone, the simulated version of him was naturally aware of his feelings too. Now it was simply a matter of which girlfriend acted faster and more decisively.
If he played a little dirty, he could probably secure this simulation's ending outright.
"So Sakiko didn't show up this time?"
Haru rubbed his forehead helplessly. Why did the Sakiko in the simulation have to keep the same personality as in reality?
[Kessoku Band's training is flawless in your eyes. As long as you can write songs worthy of their skill, they can shine on stage even against veteran bands with existing fanbases and proven strength.]
[When practice ends, Hitori Gotoh approaches you.]
[She eagerly presses close to your arm, seemingly wanting to invite you to the amusement park.]
[Hitori Gotoh is like a star standing upon the earth, an angel fallen into the human world. Even the blazing sun would pale beside her. Her unintentional smile radiates such brilliance that any living being would be enchanted by her charm.]
Bocchi?
A flicker of surprise crossed Haru's face before realization struck him.
If even that loudmouthed, flashy-haired girl had turned into a cool, aloof beauty, then it made perfect sense for the deeply shy, self-conscious Bocchi to flip to the extreme opposite becoming an outgoing, radiant angel.
Going from one extreme to the other.
Still, just from the description, Haru couldn't quite picture this reversed Bocchi. Imagining a cheerful version of her was harder than he expected.
As he was muttering to himself, his body suddenly froze.
Memories surged into his mind, stirring his thoughts into a storm.
...
"Well, well? Haru, can you come with me?"
Standing before Haru was a girl with long, cherry blossom–pink hair. Her neat bangs framed a face so exquisite it could topple nations, the corners of her lips lifting in a graceful curve.
She was a beauty that seemed too perfect to exist in reality, like a vision reflected in still water or a flower in the mirror.
Her smile belonged in the very heart of a museum, an artwork crafted by the gods with all their devotion.
"We've been training hard every day for the upcoming live, and now that it's just ended, you already want to go to an amusement park? Besides, if you wanted to relax and have fun, shouldn't you be asking Kita instead?"
"Hehe, because I want to be with you, Haru."
The perfectly proportioned Hitori Gotoh rose lightly on her toes, a hint of sly playfulness flashing across her face.
She spoke her true feelings without the slightest hesitation, the kind of honesty that struck Haru's heart like a hammer. For a moment, he found himself unable to say no.
A girl that beautiful brought with her an unexplainable pressure.
"Haru?"
The voice at his ear drew both their attention. Not far away stood a blue-haired girl, her expression stiff.
Togawa Sakiko found herself at a loss for words at the sight before her. The pink-haired girl standing in the distance was impossible to miss, her presence dazzling even in the middle of the street, as if she radiated light from head to toe.
Who was this?
"Eh? Sakiko!"
Hitori Gotoh's eyes, blue as the sea, widened in surprise. She stepped forward with a bright smile to greet her.
"Good afternoon, Sakiko."
"Uh… um? May I ask who you are…?"
Sakiko's expression froze completely. She didn't recognize the other girl at all.
Because in her memory, there was no way she could forget a beauty with such an overwhelming presence.
"Sakiko, you don't remember me?"
The stunning pink-haired girl looked faintly puzzled, a touch of disappointment softening her peerless features. But almost at once, she brightened again, her face blooming with a smile as warm as the sun, one that would be impossible to forget for a lifetime.
"My name is Gotoh Hitori. This time, Sakiko, you must remember me, okay?"