To be honest, Yamada Ryō had zero interest in getting inexplicably dragged into some kind of "Yukinoshita-sisters love battlefield."
At first she'd been a little curious, sure—but once she figured out what kind of situation it actually was, her interest evaporated instantly.
Being stuck between two people she was closely connected to, carefully maneuvering through social interactions so the triangular relationship wouldn't collapse… just hearing it sounded exhausting.
I seriously don't get why Koumi would write something like this into a novel. It's way less fun than playing music.
Yamada clicked her tongue. If she weren't certain Narumi would immediately fire back with something like "Playing rock, smoking, drinking, and fooling around with women isn't exactly fun either," she'd have said exactly what she was thinking without holding back.
All things considered, Yamada Ryō was the type of person who had absolutely no patience for things that weren't aligned with her interests.
Even so, she still stood patiently at Narumi's side, quietly waiting for him to wrap up the remaining loose ends between himself and the Yukinoshita sisters. She knew perfectly well that not causing him extra trouble was already the biggest help she could offer.
Fortunately, Yukinoshita Haruno also seemed to realize that this chance encounter had dragged on a bit too long.
"If we get the chance someday, I'd be happy to invite you both to sit down and chat properly—my treat, of course. But for today, I think we'll stop at small talk."
She shifted slightly toward Yukino, who seemed to understand the unspoken meaning behind her movement and lifted her head.
"Let's go, Yukino. After dinner, we still need to arrange the hospital appointment. We can't afford to delay it any longer."
…Hospital?
Catching that particular word, Narumi instantly snapped back to attention. The sudden look he sent her made Haruno's smile deepen.
"To avoid any misunderstandings, let me clarify—it's just a routine checkup. Nothing serious."
Her expression practically screamed "See? You really do care about little Yukino, don't you~", which made Narumi belatedly tug at the corner of his mouth.
Tch. Let my guard down for one second and she's got me.
"Um… it should be fine."
Yukino, walking toward the back seat with her sister, paused for a moment. Before getting in, she turned slightly and looked back at Narumi, who was still standing some distance away.
"Don't worry, Narumi-kun. It's just an examination."
Unlike Haruno, who constantly tested others, Yukino's gaze simply conveyed a straightforward message: I'll be fine.
"...I'm just concerned about the club president's health as a member, that's all. Since you're both saying that, then it's probably nothing."
Narumi looked away. He'd only been momentarily distracted because memories of Yukino being gravely ill in the simulation had resurfaced.
Whether Yukinoshita Yukino noticed that or not, he had no idea.
"Alright, I'll remember that—next time Haruno-senpai treats."
Beside him, Yamada remained completely out of the loop as usual. Uninterested in Narumi's relationship with the Yukinoshita sisters, she only ever focused on the strangest details.
From the back seat, Yukino's gaze lingered briefly on the curly-haired boy before withdrawing as the black sedan slowly pulled away.
Narumi and Yamada, who had remained standing where they were, watched the Yukinoshita family car recede into the distance before finally starting to walk again.
"So, Koumi—who do you like more? The older sister or the younger one?"
Yamada's sudden question as they walked side by side around a corner made Narumi twitch his mouth.
"Since when did you get this gossipy, Yamada?"
"I'm not. I'm just concerned about your love life. I mean, if even a perennial wallflower like you finally blossoms, I'd feel kind of sentimental."
Wearing different school uniforms, they walked along a route otherwise filled entirely with Sōbu High students heading home. The instrument cases on their backs stood out, but neither of them paid any attention to the curious glances from passersby.
"I wouldn't say I like either of them. We barely have any real connection."
Narumi tilted his head back slightly, gazing up at the wide sky dotted with clouds as he spoke.
Whatever happened in the simulation should stay in the simulation—keeping its influence on real life to a minimum was the best way to reduce potential trouble.
"And even if we did have a connection, the version of me they see probably isn't who I really am."
He hadn't joined the simulation to build relationships in the first place, nor had he ever expected those simulated bonds to perfectly carry over into reality.
"…Why do you think that, Koumi?"
Yamada blinked, recalling that dream that felt like it belonged to another lifetime.
"Mm—just think of it as the many masks I put on when dealing with people in social settings."
Explaining it properly would be a hassle, and he wasn't even sure how much of the simulation he could explain to Yamada anyway, so Narumi chose to gloss over it.
"In the eyes of a top-university senpai, I'm probably a troublesome underclassman. In the eyes of a high-and-mighty club president, I'm a lazy, incompetent member dragging the team down. That's likely how they see me."
If he weren't worried about possible consequences, Yamada would've been the very first person he'd want to tell the whole truth.
"Just like how people's personalities are sometimes shaped by their social roles, I don't mind playing whatever part fits a given 'identity.' No matter what they think of the role I'm playing, that role is never the entirety of who I am."
If you don't place expectations beyond what's reasonable, then you won't be disappointed when reality fails to meet them.
"Mm… that's kind of complicated."
Yamada pursed her lips. She rarely thought about such roundabout philosophical ideas.
"But I don't really think it matters."
And precisely because she'd never thought about things like this before, she gave her conclusion without hesitation.
"Whether it's underclassman Koumi, club-member Koumi, guitar-playing Koumi, or tone-deaf Koumi… they're all Koumi. Even if you try to act like someone else, what you end up showing is just 'Koumi trying really hard to be someone else.'"
Yamada Ryō had never been the type to get hung up on details like this. That was also one of the reasons she'd been able to move on from that dream so easily and adapt back to her normal life.
"As long as you're you, that's enough. I don't really care about the rest."
It was because of that straightforward honesty that Narumi—usually so articulate—fell unexpectedly silent, simply looking at the blue-haired girl with an expression that showed he was genuinely listening.
Yamada Ryō was someone who always gave him answers he never saw coming. That was the one trait of hers he could say with certainty.
And Narumi didn't dislike it at all.
"Yamada, you're surprisingly philosophical."
A faint smile curved his lips, without him even realizing it.
"Really? Then maybe I should start selling courses—make a fortune and add a few more basses to the collection…"
Just then, as they passed a small open area in a park, a familiar voice pulled their attention away from the conversation.
"Um, excuse me—are you a guitarist?"
Not far away, a girl with blonde hair tied into a single side ponytail was talking to a pink silhouette.
"Sorry to ask so suddenly—but would you be willing to act as our band's temporary guitarist?"
Both Narumi and Yamada stopped at the same time.
The two girls standing over there—no matter how you looked at them, they were very familiar.