[Perhaps it was because you often worked together on revising plans late into the night, or perhaps it was because you had long been used to pulling all-nighters on the studio floor, but this so-called "living together" felt so natural to both of you that neither side found it surprising.]
[Since the previous one-person apartment was far too cramped for two people, the two of you seriously discussed it and rented a luxury apartment near Haneoka. From zero, you began supporting each other in daily life.]
[On the first day of living together, you didn't rush to unpack or move furniture. Instead, you quietly took the day off together and went on a date.]
[This date, just for the two of you, left countless memories. Sakiko secretly printed out your photo booth pictures, slipped them into her wallet, set them as her phone wallpaper, and even printed them into an album to hide away.]
[Sometimes she would "accidentally" show these off in front of others, and like a child, demand a kiss from you right in front of them.]
[It must be said that this tactic worked frighteningly well, cutting right to the hearts of others.]
[After dinner, the two of you sat on the sofa of your new home. She leaned against your shoulder, her face lit with a radiant smile.]
"From today onward, I'll be in your care, Sensei Togawa."
"…Honestly! Don't tease me."
Words like "Sensei Togawa," with all their provocative meaning, could no longer stir the slightest anger or displeasure from Sakiko when they came from him.
The beautiful, blue-haired girl only pouted playfully, raising a dainty fist to lightly tap his shoulder in mock protest.
Her head rested gently on Haru's shoulder, and every now and then she would softly sniff the air, then deliberately try to hide the movement, as if afraid he might notice her sneaky behavior.
"Smell good?"
Seeing her act like a little mouse stealing treats, Haru couldn't resist raising a brow and teasing.
"It does… Eh? Y-You noticed?"
"You keep breathing all that hot air on my neck, hard not to notice, isn't it?"
Rolling his eyes, the black-haired boy slid his right arm around her shoulders, carefully smoothing out a few playful strands of hair by her temple. The small motion exposed the flushed tips of her ears, making her shyly lower her head.
How was she supposed to respond?
After all, secretly smelling him like that… it was practically pervy!
So unladylike. So lacking in elegance!
"Eep?!"
Her thoughts scattered as she suddenly felt weightless. In the next instant, she found herself in a warm embrace, like being wrapped in a blanket.
Without thinking, she tilted back her swan-like neck and rubbed her cheek against the boy's solid chest.
"… "
Even without words, the two understood each other perfectly. Seeing the half-smile in Haru's eyes, Sakiko puffed out her cheeks.
His gaze seemed to say, "If you want to smell so badly, then come closer, what's with all the sneaking around?"
Naturally, the proud Togawa-san could never tolerate such provocation. She puffed her cheeks in defiance.
And then, without hesitation, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his neck.
In her mind, such an aggressive play meant claiming the upper hand immediately.
However...
"Mmph!?"
Her smug expression froze as she jolted, lifting her head to look at him in confusion.
Seeing her adorable reaction, Haru felt a mischievous urge spark within him. He reached out and gently brushed at her "guitar strings," the teasing touch making her blush furiously as she trembled and looked up at him.
"You're still a little too green, Sakiko. You'd better learn properly before you try again."
"I… I'm not clueless anymore! As your lover, I want you to take me seriously!"
Biting her lip, Sakiko's cheeks turned scarlet as she reached boldly downward.
Haru's mouth twitched at the sudden attack, and he shot her a questioning look.
So this was your goal all along?
He couldn't help but mutter inwardly, but quickly spoke in a meaningful tone: "Speaking of which, when we moved in, we didn't bring much, but you kept insisting we had to move the bed first."
"…Well, of course. We can't exactly sleep on the sofa at night, can we?"
"Then why only bring one bed?"
At that, silence fell. Flustered, Sakiko bumped her forehead lightly against his chest in mock frustration.
Their eyes met, the air between them growing charged. Haru's calm mood spiked again, Sakiko was no longer bothering with verbal sparring, instead choosing to provoke him outright.
Her silent protest was like a deliberate tug on the feelings he'd been restraining.
Hmph. Childish tricks.
But since ancient times, the provocation tactic had always been the simplest and most effective.
Held in Haru's arms, Sakiko froze slightly, offering no resistance as she instinctively tugged at the hem of his shirt and spoke in a slightly reproachful tone:
"Haru… Haru! Wait a second!"
"Let me at least take off my hair tie first~ With this hairstyle, it might be… inconvenient later…"
Haru blinked in mild confusion, then glanced at her flowing blue twin-tails.
"No need. I think it's perfect like this."
Those half-smiling words made her pause, eyes widening as the realization hit.
A clever girl like Sakiko understood instantly. Her cheeks burned crimson as she buried her face in his chest like an ostrich, her soul flushed with heat, her whole body shivering with excitement as she murmured:
"…Haru, you're so mean!"
…
[Your relationship with Sakiko has deepened greatly.]
[It feels as though the red string of "fate" has wound tightly around your souls. Now wholly each other's other half, you've let go of every last hesitation.]
[She openly confided in you about her family troubles, laying bare everything from the very beginning until now.]
[For the old Sakiko, these topics were impossible to bring up that were too hard to admit, forever buried in her heart. But now she had entrusted you with her whole self. Because she could lean on you, even in her weakest moments she could summon immense courage.]
[For her complete trust, you naturally returned the same weight in kind.]
[You believed that being lovers meant shouldering everything about her from both her goals as "Ojou-sama Togawa" and her dreams as "Sakiko." Greedy as you were, you decided to claim them all.]
[For that, the effort you would need to give was ten times, a hundred times, or even more than that of an ordinary person.]
"...Is that so?"
Fragments of memory surged into Haru's mind, and in that moment, he completely understood everything about Sakiko.
For the sake of helping her father pull himself together, she was willing to summon the courage to abandon her golden future and life, to give up with her own hands the band CRYCHIC and the dreams that had been bound to her by "fate." In a single night, without ever having experienced real hardship before, she transformed completely from "Ojou-sama Togawa" into the strong and desperate "Sakiko."
It was a decision and courage that most people could hardly imagine, yet it was also the unerasable source of her pain.
Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Haru turned his eyes back to the simulation interface.
[You have taken Sakiko's "life" and "fate" into your hands, and at the same time, you have made a firm and unshakable decision deep within yourself.]
[News of your relationship and cohabitation with Sakiko quickly spread among those around you. She had never intended to hide it, and openly told everyone that the two of you were now lovers. For you, this was a change in your relationship; for others, it carried a very different meaning.]
[Yamada Ryo, who usually messaged you just to tease, suddenly began acting like a proper young lady; Ijichi Nijika, cold yet warm like sunlight, suddenly started eating sweets at a much higher rate, and would sometimes spend the night sitting beside her drum set.]
[Gotoh Hitori, usually sunny and cheerful, mysteriously took time off and hid in her closet, sulking at home for nearly a week before returning to school; idol Kita Ikuyo ramped up her work schedule, and when acting in tragic dramas, she could burst into tears within five seconds.]
[It seemed like everyone around you was somehow affected by this shockwave, but you had already devoted all your thoughts to music.]
[You understood that taking on Sakiko's entire world would not be simple. You completely restrained your once-lazy personality, reclaimed the musical talent you had never fully used, and began a relentless cycle between school, the studio, and your apartment.]
[As Ave Mujica's operator, you steadily gained experience. At the same time, Sakiko worked with you to hone her piano skills. The two of you had almost perfect compatibility in music, and your joint efforts created a miraculous effect, one plus one equaled three.]
[Your musical talent was so strong that even Sakiko could not keep up. Not wanting to drag you down, she pushed herself in secret, yet no matter how hard she tried, she could only see your back. For someone who had been called a genius since childhood, this was a bit of a blow.]
[Your piano skills and music theory improved greatly.]
"Because of Sakiko's influence, I started moving toward music too?"
Haru nodded thoughtfully. The direction the simulation was taking didn't surprise him.
As an artist, Haru could no longer refine his skills in painting, there was no longer any "teacher" in the world who could guide him further. If he wanted to elevate his art, he could only rely on the insight of his own heart and soul.
Music, however, was a completely different matter...
Haru already possessed remarkable musical talent, and through repeated simulations, he had acquired the [Musical Prodigy] skill. The conditions for unlocking this skill were extraordinarily strict that it meant mastering guitar, bass, drums, piano, and several other instruments.
Not only that, but his proficiency in each instrument was at a professional level.
Among these professional-level skills, the highest rank was the [Guitar Hero] Guitar Lv.5 he had inherited from Bocchi, enough to place him at the very peak as a world-class guitarist. The benefit of this skill was that it massively deepened his understanding of music itself.
Even in fields outside guitar, his growth in other instruments came as easily as reaching into his pocket.
Because of this, he still had enormous room to grow.
[Time continues to pass...]
[Your musical talent is fully realized in Ave Mujica. The new song MV you composed, Reverse Fate, The World and the Stars Beyond, ignites the fuse you had set long ago, exploding Ave Mujica's popularity to stratospheric heights.]
[Whether in online buzz or CD sales, your fame surged into a complete breakthrough.]
[The planned Budokan performance for Ave Mujica even saw tickets sell out instantly. Industry professionals described this song as a "dimensional barrier", a gulf of skill that ordinary composers could never cross.]
[This kind of praise naturally fueled unprecedented hype for the Tokyo Budokan show.]
[Standing on the Budokan stage, Ave Mujica did not betray your expectations. With overwhelming strength, they showed the world they were worthy of this song. The Budokan performance became an unparalleled masterpiece.]
[From this moment, the legend of Ave Mujica had reached the pinnacle of Japanese bands.]
[The concert caused CD and merchandise sales to skyrocket, and both domestic and international sales crushed rival bands, leaving them far behind. The band and company's financial numbers reached astronomical levels that almost seemed fake.]
[At this time, your name began to be mentioned alongside that of Beethoven in his youth.]
[No matter how wildly Ave Mujica expanded abroad, nothing disturbed your daily life with her. You and Sakiko threw yourselves wholeheartedly into your work.]
[Only in front of you would the girl, who to strangers seemed perpetually calm and serious, reveal a completely different side of herself. No matter how cold her face looked when leaving the company, the moment she saw you, she would light up with a smile.]
[As your relationship deepened, she began to pick up some "cunning." Sometimes, when tired, she would simply take leave from the band and company, staying in with you all day.]
[She learned more and more, things you could hardly imagine.]
[Though her outward appearance was pure and elegant, her musical style was more aggressive and flamboyant than yours. No matter how novel an idea was, she was willing to try it, and if something piqued her interest, she would eagerly challenge you to a duel.]
[Although she always ended up crying in defeat, her stubbornness kept her coming back for more.]
[Before you knew it, summer of your eighteenth year had arrived.]
The sunset embraced the horizon, scattering its afterglow gently across the land.
The falling temperature made the air slightly damp. A girl carrying a plastic bag walked beside him, the cold turning the tip of her pale nose slightly white. Her slender neck and long azure hair were tucked into a bright red scarf.
Walking at Haru's side, she chattered away:
"No matter what, I'm the one who should handle the cooking!"
"After two years of training under you, I think I'm more than ready to take on this responsibility."
Carrying his own bag of groceries, Haru smiled and replied casually, "Even if you can manage cooking just fine now, Sakiko, it's not necessary for you to take on all the cleaning and shopping too, is it?"
"Even if we're not short on money, we still have to live carefully!"
"That's something I learned from you, Haru."
Her righteous tone left Haru's expression somewhere between amused and exasperated.
"Leaving it to you would be fine… but first, you need to answer me one question."
"Eh?"
"Why make such a sudden decision? Was there some sort of trigger?"
Sakiko's expression froze. Whether it was the cold air or simply her own heart betraying her, a vivid blush spread across her cheeks at a speed visible to the naked eye. Noticing it herself, she slowly tucked her face into her scarf.
But the inherently stubborn girl suddenly lifted her slender, alluring brows.
"Because we're already eighteen, I have to… take on real responsibility!"
"That's right, responsibility as a wife!"
Her amber eyes shone like moonlight reflected in clear water, her pure, snow-like, otherworldly beauty as dazzling as a celestial maiden. She placed her long, jade-like left hand over her chest and spoke loudly, as if making a declaration.
For Sakiko, when it came to him, there seemed to be no such thing as embarrassment.
Haru's eyes widened slowly, his voice carrying a note of surprise.
"Sakiko… are you… proposing to me?"
The next moment, she nodded seriously.
"That's right, it's a proposal!"
"Cooking and laundry are just the basics. I'll also handle our future finances and household life perfectly. That includes… serving my husband as a wife, and even knowledge about raising children. I've already studied all of it seriously."
As she spoke, Sakiko took a sheet of white paper from her pocket, the words Marriage Registration clearly printed at the top. She also pulled out a ballpoint pen and a seal, how long she had been carrying these was anyone's guess.
Seeing the earnest look in her eyes, Haru couldn't help but chuckle.
"…This kind of proposal is a bit too unromantic, don't you think?"
"We are lovers bound by fate. My future can only be with you, Haru, no one else can take your place."
Haru smiled faintly, then spoke with layered meaning.
"Is this because you're worried the Togawa family will try to stop us?"
"…!"
She froze slightly, clearly caught off guard by how accurately he'd hit the mark.
When she lowered her head, looking aggrieved, Haru only gave a light smile.
"Shakespeare once said, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.' Even if your grandfather truly tries to stop you, I'll still marry you openly and honorably."
"So sly!"
"Haru's the only one getting to sound cool here."
Sakiko took a deep breath, then lightly pressed her fingertips to her chest.
"My desire to marry you right now is stronger than ever."
"I'll prove it to you, my love."
Without hesitation, she seized Haru's hand and tugged him firmly toward home.
It seemed there would be no sleeping tonight.