Chapter 17 –
"Yes, for example, Narumi at the front desk."
"Hey… he's just a part-time receptionist, not a guitarist."
"What does it matter? Give him a guitar. He has hands and a guitar."
"No, no, no. Everything about that matters. If someone has never played guitar, has no performance experience, and is just here to work and study… let him go. And stop making terrible jokes."
"What's the problem? I can teach him."
"We're looking for bandmates, not apprentices."
The blonde girl with the single ponytail had clearly grown used to her friend's eccentric logic. She simply waved a hand, giving up the argument entirely.
"Forget it. I'll just find a guitarist myself. There are tons of students our age who can play. I'll look around school in a few days."
"Good."
With that simple response, the blue-haired girl returned to silently tuning her bass. After plucking a few strings and adjusting the knobs, she placed the instrument back in its spot.
As she slung her bag over her shoulder and left the rehearsal room, she instinctively glanced toward the empty front desk of the livehouse.
The boy who usually worked there didn't have a shift today.
"Ryo, let's go."
The blonde girl tapped her on the shoulder, walking alongside her toward the exit of the underground venue.
"Speaking of which, Ryo—Narumi-kun from the front desk. How did you meet him?"
"Hmm… I won't tell you, Nijika."
"Huh~?"
In a rare, light mood, Yamada Ryo began humming the intro to Nirvana's "Love Buzz" as they climbed the stairs out of the venue.
It was something only that person would understand but Yamada had no intention of explaining it.
As the saying goes, it's hard not to feel self-conscious sitting alone in a room with the school's most beautiful girl.
But right now, Narumi Toru—sitting beside Yukino Yukinoshita, undeniably the school's top beauty—was completely unbothered. He was sprawled over the desk, staring blankly outside at the drifting clouds.
Today was their first day alone together in the Service Club room.
Yukino Yukinoshita sat with elegant posture, sipping red tea. Every now and then, she stole a glance at the boy beside her. He didn't notice; he kept showing her only his profile.
She wondered what he was thinking but her pride wouldn't allow her to speak first. After all, on the very day they met, she had burst into tears right in front of Hiratsuka-sensei.
"Yukinoshita, if this kid bullies you, tell me. I'll straighten him out."
Hiratsuka's concern only made Yukino want to crawl into a hole.
How do you explain that crying was simply an uncontrollable reaction from reuniting with the person she most desperately wanted to see?
Setting aside the humiliation, the boy beside her had the same face, the same name, the same atmosphere as the person from the simulation. The only difference he looked younger. That explained why she couldn't find him in any graduation list or group photo.
Is it him?
Or just a coincidence?
A cruel joke from that "simulation"?
The person she had wished to see more than anyone was now right beside her, yet she couldn't find the courage to speak. All she could do was hide her emotions behind calm indifference.
I wish I knew what Narumi Toru is thinking right now…
Of course, if she knew, she would immediately regret wishing for it.
"Holy crap… that cloud looks like the poop of someone who ate too many enoki mushrooms and got diarrhea."
Narumi, lost in his own ridiculous thoughts, rubbed his eyes and turned when he felt Yukino's gaze.
Her expression didn't change. Her eyes, deep and cold, held his with an intensity that made him blink.
He stared right back at her.
"…What is it?"
Yukino was the first to break the silence.
"Oh dear, it wasn't Yukinoshita-san staring at me all this time. I'm the one you've been staring at. What's up?"
Narumi returned the question without hesitation.
"I was simply curious. You sit there doing nothing, looking exactly like a lazy student on break. So I wonder—what was Hiratsuka-sensei thinking when she sent someone like you to the Service Club? Or rather, forced you into my club?"
Of course, the question she wanted to ask was:
Do you remember me?
Have we met before?
But her pride twisted it into something cold and indirect.
Even she hated her own awkwardness.
"Who says I was doing nothing? What if I was thinking about something very important?"
"Oh? Then what is it?"
"Yukinoshita is smart. I'm sure you can guess. Hint: enoki mushrooms."
"…?"
"Never mind. Don't think about it."
Narumi waved his hand. That thought clearly wasn't fit for conversation. Still, Yukino's pointed question made him sit up straighter despite his exhaustion.
Of course, Narumi wasn't thinking only about nonsense.
He had just escaped the simulation and returned to real life, only to immediately stumble into Yukino Yukinoshita again.
Is the Yukino in front of me the same Yukino Yukinoshita from the simulation?
Or did the system use her as a "model," creating a fictional version inside the simulation?
And if they are the same person…
does she remember anything from that time?
The questions were tangled like knotted yarn
pulling one only tightened the rest. But Narumi wasn't the type to brood for long. No matter how tempting the tangled yarn might be, a lazy cat still won't bother to untangle it.
"This is annoying… Can the system just show up and explain things to me?"
Naturally, the voice didn't respond.
"Tch. Guess it's their break time."
"You're a bit peculiar, Narumi."
Yukino closed the paperback beside her teacup and looked at him with interest. It seemed Narumi's unpredictable behavior had already caught her attention.
"For example, even when we're in the same room, you act like you have absolutely no interest in me."
No one could see it beneath the table, but the slight tension in her posture showed she wasn't as calm as she looked.
She was testing him.
"Hm… should I be interested in you?"
Narumi scratched his chin, either pretending to be clueless or truly being clueless.
"It's normal for boys in puberty to have fantasies about pretty girls, isn't it?"
"…?"
Yukino's expression turned subtly complicated.
She didn't bother covering her chest—there wasn't much there to cover anyway—but the thought still passed through her mind:
Could it be that this Narumi is not the Narumi from the simulation?
Is his orientation different?
"This is just a counterexample. I'm the type who'd rather break than bend."
Narumi tapped his nose. Even though he smiled, his gaze stayed steady—surprisingly steady—for someone sitting next to Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Why should I get nervous just because you're sitting next to me, Yukinoshita-san?"
"Because I'm cute."
Yukino said it with absolute conviction, as if it were a natural law.
Narumi had once confirmed this in the simulation, after all.
"Oh? Then I'm handsome. And cute. I win twice. Yay~"
He made a careless V-sign beside his face. With his soft curls and sharp features, the gesture was unexpectedly fitting.
"…Childish buffoon."
The same girl who'd bragged about her own cuteness now pouted and scolded him for immaturity.
Still… if the Narumi from her memory were the same age as her, he probably would look like this.
The boy's face gradually blended with the young man in her memory
the same smile,
the same effortless teasing,
the same ridiculous confidence,
the same strange charm.
Her emotions, carefully locked away, quietly loosened.
Even if he didn't remember everything…
As long as his personality remained the same…
No matter how many times they started over
Yukino Yukinoshita would fall for him again.
If I could be his age…
If I no longer had to deal with that awkward triangle with Haruno…
If we could create memories belonging only to the two of us…
That might be nice.
Yukino closed her book.
Time, which had been frozen around her, finally began moving again.
If Narumi Toru is indeed Narumi Toru…
then this time, she would never let him vanish from her world again.
This time, they would not head toward a bad ending.
Still, no matter how chaotic her emotions were, Yukino forced herself to remain collected.
"There's something I should make clear. If you're treating the Service Club as a joke, you should tell Hiratsuka-sensei and leave as soon as possible."
A lie.
What she truly wanted was a completely different answer.
"Eh… I don't care if I quit. But if your Service Club is interesting, I'll stay."
"Interesting? Do you think I accept requests and help people change themselves because it's… fun?"
"Oh? So it's not?"
Narumi slumped forward, resting his chin in his palms.
"Finding satisfaction through helping others is still satisfaction. Finding joy in helping others is also a form of self-comfort. Being altruistic while also satisfying yourself isn't a bad thing. So you don't need to deny it."
"…!"
Yukino's eyes trembled slightly. She turned her face away.
"At a time like this, telling a small lie would make things smoother, Yukinoshita-san."
His gentle tone only made her more conflicted.
If this isn't the same person…
then copying his words, his understanding, and even his expression this perfectly is cruel.
But Yukino already knew—
this was not coincidence.
"…Perhaps. But I still can't do that."
After a thoughtful pause, she shook her head, her blue eyes bright with stubborn conviction.
"I formed this club to accept requests and offer help. But I also created it to strengthen my own ideals and values."
Narumi braced himself. Yukino Yukinoshita's speeches were exactly as exhausting as he remembered.
"I want to validate my ideas. I want to put my beliefs into practice. If I can gradually change the flaws in humanity and establish a standard to measure 'absolute justice,' then perhaps I can change the world."
Her words were sincere… but naïve.
Yet she could never admit such a thing aloud.
"Well said. But I have one question: how do you define 'absolute'?"
Narumi clapped softly, then leaned forward as he asked.