[Due to your natural musical talent, your keyboard skills improve rapidly once you commit to intense training. But this training also comes with consequences.]
[Over-practice causes tendonitis in your dominant right index finger. The sharp, stabbing pain often shoots through your nerves, and if this continues, it could affect your entire hand.]
[But such a setback isn't enough to stop you.]
[After a short rest, you dive right back into your grueling practice and composition schedule. The steaming cup of coffee by your side becomes a nightly companion.]
[Chihaya Anon, whom you've patiently taught, seems to genuinely care about you. She often comes to you under the pretense of "asking for guidance" and casually brings homemade bento her family made too much of to share with you.]
[Chihaya Anon's affection for you has increased.]
Just tendonitis?
Kazami Haru blinked in surprise.
He wasn't surprised that he got tendonitis, he was surprised that was all he got.
Given how hard the simulated version of himself had been training and staying up late composing, it would've been weird if his body didn't break down.
With his already low physical resilience, tendonitis was practically lucky. As long as nothing worse happened, it was manageable.
[By chance, you meet a girl in a Moon-no-Mori school uniform at the LiveHouse "RiNG."]
[She exudes a calming, almost maternal warmth. When she overhears you discussing band practice with Shiina Taki, she walks over with a gentle smile to join the conversation.]
[She introduces herself as Nagasaki Soyo, the former bassist of Taki and Tomori's old band. After the group disbanded, she hasn't had any contact with Tomori.]
[Hinting both openly and subtly, she tells you how much she misses the days of making music with everyone.]
[She sincerely thanks you for helping Tomori break out of her emotional shell, and as a gesture of appreciation, she even treats you to an expensive piece of cake.]
A bit too calculated, aren't you, Soyo-chan?
She was this proactive?
If he didn't already know what Nagasaki Soyo was really after, Kazami Haru might've thought she had fallen for his overwhelming charm.
Soyo, who treated everyone gently, was indeed someone dependable in a band setting.
She'd always notice brewing conflict early and resolve it before it exploded.
But now, that version of her only existed in CRYCHIC, where Togawa Sakiko still reigned.
Her real motive for joining Anon's band was to resurrect the old CRYCHIC. Trapped in the past, she had every intention of slowly taking over.
Perhaps the most emotionally burdensome person in the band was this sweet, gentle girl who acted like everyone's mom.
[Faced with Nagasaki Soyo's approach, you decide to—]
1. Drown in your ideals, start by using Sakiko as bait to milk money from her.
2. Consult the rest of the band about inviting her to join.
3. Politely decline and claim modern bands don't really need bassists.
4. Virtual reality—experience it firsthand.
Wait a second—was the simulator's first suggestion really just using Sakiko as bait to squeeze money out of Soyo?
Shouldn't he be threatening Soyo with Sakiko, leading her on step by step into a trap?
Never mind whether Taki would go that far for Tomori, but Soyo? She'd do anything for Sakiko.
If only the simulator let him try multiple options… No! Kazami Haru was an upstanding man. Even if given such a chance…
He'd maybe poke at it a little.
Wait, he was getting thrown off track by this ridiculous simulator logic.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Things had already escalated to this point. No matter how much pressure came his way, the simulated version of him could handle it.
Whether or not another long-term vegetarian joined didn't matter anymore—he was ready to tackle everything all at once.
[You consult every band member. They all trust you deeply. Even if they had personal doubts, none voiced them in your presence, they believed in your judgment.]
[You take the initiative and invite Nagasaki Soyo to join the band. She agrees with barely any hesitation.]
[Her motives might be questionable, but that doesn't matter to you right now.]
[With her, your band is nearly complete. Chihaya Anon seizes the opportunity to suggest a new name for the group, 'HaruAnon BanG', but it's strongly rejected by the others.]
[In the end, the band is unanimously named 'Mygo!!!!!']
So even with his involvement, the band name didn't change?
Kazami Haru realized that due to butterfly effects in the simulation, this version of Mygo lacked an important member, the wildcat guitarist, Noraneko (Kaname Raana).
That stung.
The ever-elusive Raana hadn't appeared this time around.
Luckily, this was only a simulation. If this were real, without the team's initiator and engine for group synergy, he wouldn't even know where to begin fixing it.
[As time passed, Mygo's overall performance improved to the level of a competent band. Not only had Tomori Takamatsu overcome her psychological barriers to sing with emotion, but you also completed the band's very first original song.]
[You took full responsibility for composing the music, while Takamatsu handled the lyrics.]
[Together, you named this deeply personal song—"Wisteria Bird."]
[However, the song turned out to be a bit too technically demanding. For the current state of Mygo, performing it live would be a stretch. After discussing with everyone, the band agreed to save it for the next show.]
[With Mygo's debut performance just around the corner, everyone—including Soyo Nagasaki, increased their training intensity. Everyone gave their all for the upcoming show. Naturally, you were no exception.]
[But life has a way of throwing in the unexpected.]
[One night during practice, you were struck by dizziness. The discomfort in your throat made you suspect it might be tonsillitis from the flu. The symptoms had been there for a while, but you had ignored them, too absorbed in training and composing.]
[Your immune system was already worn down from the intense workload, and your reliance on coffee for energy had pushed your body to the brink.]
[With Mygo's first performance just days away, you had to make a choice—]
[1. Chalk it up to fatigue from lack of sleep, take some medicine, tough it out, and deliver a flawless debut no matter what.]
[2. Play it safe and go get checked at the hospital.]
[3. Seek out Tomori and use your illness as an excuse to ask for comfort.]
[4. Virtual reality—experience it firsthand.]