Chapter 116: Minami… Simply Breathtaking

Tutoring the four members of Kessoku Band—

Though Minami had half-heartedly agreed under pressure, it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

However—

"..."

Minami's gaze slowly shifted away from the report cards in his hands.

His eyes swept past Nijika and Kita, landing on Ryo and Bocchi instead.

Then, he couldn't help but ask—

"You two… are you really okay with this?"

"No problem."

Before Bocchi could even answer, Ryo had already raised her thumb with an expressionless face.

"What the hell do you mean 'no problem'?! How do you even have the nerve to say that?!"

Seeing Ryo give such a confident thumbs-up, Minami felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He had already seen through the simulation that both Bocchi and Ryo's grades were atrocious.

But that was only in the simulation.

Minami had still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking maybe—just maybe—their grades weren't as bad as expected.

But after one glance at their report cards—

Minami immediately realized…

These scores could probably cure low blood pressure.

"I won't even comment on Bocchi for now, but Ryo—do you even realize you're a senior?!"

"One more semester, and you're graduating!"

"Are you seriously spending ALL your brainpower on the bass?!"

Minami tapped on her completely empty test paper, his voice filled with frustration.

He looked at Ryo, and—

For the first time ever—

He saw a faint blush spread across her usually cold, emotionless face.

Minami felt a bit relieved—

Even someone like Ryo, who was always independent and carefree, could still feel shame.

Then—

Just as Minami thought she was finally reflecting on herself—

Ryo, her face still flushed, awkwardly muttered:

"…Don't praise me so much, Minami.

I'm really not that amazing."

"?????"

Minami.exe has stopped working.

Excuse me?

Miss Ryo? Miss Yamada?!

Exactly which part of my words—

Which syllable—

Which phrase—

Made you think I was praising you?!

The thick-skinned bassist had left Minami utterly speechless.

He turned his gaze toward Nijika and Kita, his expression filled with disbelief.

His eyes were practically screaming—

"How the hell are you two in a band with someone like this?!"

"..." Nijika.

"..." Kita.

The only two sane members of Kessoku Band...

Hung their heads in shame.

Meanwhile, Bocchi, who had been secretly watching Minami's reaction, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

T-Thank God…

Ryo-san is here…

As long as Ryo was taking all the heat, her own terrible grades wouldn't seem as bad—

"And YOU, Bocchi."

Minami suddenly turned to her.

"Are you seriously just relying on Ryo to take the fall for you?!"

"N-N-No No No No No—!!!"

Bocchi frantically shook her head in denial.

Minami let out a deep sigh.

"You know, Bocchi…"

"Between you and Ryo—"

"You're actually the sadder case."

As he spoke, Minami pulled out Bocchi's test paper for everyone to see.

Nijika, Kita, and even Ryo peeked over with curiosity.

On the test—

Bocchi's answers were full of eraser marks, scribbles, and corrections.

It was obvious—

She had tried her hardest.

But even so—

"You put in all this effort, and your score is STILL this low…"

Minami rubbed his temples.

"If Ryo is the 'Sleeping Dragon' of Kessoku Band…"

"Then Bocchi is definitely the 'Crouching Phoenix'."

And now—

He was responsible for tutoring both of them.

He was doomed.

Just Thinking About It...

Minami could already feel his chest tightening from the sheer stress.

Among this mess, there were only two people who gave him some relief—

Kita and Nijika.

Their grades were decent.

If they kept studying properly, getting into college wouldn't be an issue.

Wait.

Speaking of college—

Minami shifted his gaze toward Starry's bar counter, where Seika was casually playing on her phone.

He remembered very clearly—

In the simulation, Nijika's older sister—Ijichi Seika—was a full-fledged university student.

Maybe… he could ask her for help to lighten his tutoring workload?

"Hmm? Oh… don't look at me for that."

Seeing Minami's expectant gaze, Seika sipped her strawberry milk without a care in the world.

"College?

If you don't care about which one, you can get in easily."

"I was completely clueless about studying, and I still made it."

"..." Minami.

Seika-san.

I once thought you were a reliable adult.

Minami immediately turned his gaze away.

Instead, he looked at PA-san—his final hope.

"I dropped out of high school to work full-time! Hehe!"

With elegant confidence, PA-san proudly introduced herself.

Her small hands peeked out from the extra-long sleeves of her cute outfit.

Her education level?

Middle school.

Hiss…

Wait.

Are all the adults at Starry like this?!

Minami then glanced at Kikuri, who had finally sobered up.

This time—

He didn't even need to ask.

Because he already knew.

Kikuri was Seika's junior.

And if she was Seika's junior…

That basically meant—

"Mmm… Nope. Not happening."

Minami silently nodded, quickly shifting his gaze away—

Like he was avoiding eye contact with a pig at a slaughterhouse.

"Oi! What do you mean 'Nope'?!

Say it clearly, Minami-kun!"

Sensing that she had somehow been insulted, Kikuri protested loudly.

"So it's not just Kessoku Band that has two academic disasters…"

"Even the adult group is unreliable."

Minami let out a deep sigh.

Ryo, Bocchi, Seika, PA-san, Kikuri—

If you put these five together…

They probably couldn't even solve a single math problem.

After looking around the room, Minami accepted his fate—

In the end… he'd have to do it himself.

Honestly.

He really didn't want to deal with this kind of troublesome situation.

He was already busy enough as it is.

Where would he find the time and energy to tutor both Bocchi and Ryo?!

But then—

Minami thought about the simulation's Bocchi.

Then, he thought about the simulation's Ryo.

Even though he didn't want to,

He still nodded and said:

"Alright. We'll start tomorrow. When I get home, I'll analyze your weaknesses and figure out a study plan."

Sigh.

He just couldn't leave them alone.

Minami glanced at Bocchi and Ryo.

And in his heart, he sighed—

These two women… are really lucky.

They must have saved the world in their past lives.

Otherwise, how could they be blessed with someone as kind, talented, and perfect as him?

[Your Trait: Narcissism has slightly increased. Current Level: LV3]

Minami: "..."

This damn system.

He refused to look at the notification any further.

For now, tutoring could wait.

That was a long-term project.

It would take time to plan.

But more importantly—

"I should probably finish writing The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields soon."

Minami took out his unfinished manuscript once again.

Yes.

The most urgent task on Minami's list was finishing The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields—

So that it could be published in Shuka High's literary journal.

Only 1,000–2,000 words left.

At his usual writing speed,

he could probably finish it in just over an hour.

Minami wasn't the type to delay an almost-finished task until the next day.

As he pulled out his manuscript—

"Oh? Are you finishing the novel?"

The first to react was Kikuri, her voice filled with curiosity—

But also with a strong desire to see how the story would end.

Yes.

Even though it had just caused a massive commotion,

Even though she had embarrassed herself completely—

Kikuri still wanted to keep reading.

Why?

Because the novel Minami wrote—

"It's just way too good!"

Kikuri didn't hesitate to praise it.

Her deep violet eyes burned with anticipation as she gazed at the manuscript in Minami's hands.

The beautifully vivid and aesthetic storytelling—

The simple yet deeply emotional writing style—

It immersed her in the bittersweet sorrow of the story,

Yet at the same time, it made her desperate to see how it ended.

It was like watching a masterpiece anime or an unforgettable film—

Only to be abruptly told that it wasn't finished yet.

That kind of crushing frustration…

That agonizing desire to see what happens next…

It was torture.

In fact—

Not just Kikuri.

Even PA-san and Seika, who sat beside her, looked tempted.

They weren't as shameless as Kikuri, though.

After all—

They had already embarrassed themselves enough earlier.

"I wonder what kind of ending you'll write, Minami-kun?"

Kikuri let out a small hiccup from the alcohol.

Still grinning, she leaned in with curiosity.

"Mmm… I've already decided on the ending.

But no spoilers.

If you want to see it, Kikuri-san, you can read it later."

Minami subtly took a step back—

The smell of alcohol was way too strong on this woman.

"Eh? Why so distant?"

"Just call me Kikuri-nee!"

She giggled, still half-dazed from the drinks.

Minami honestly wasn't sure if she was completely sober yet.

But at least—

She wasn't trying to cling onto him anymore.

Minami let out a small sigh of relief,

Then picked up his mechanical pencil.

He already had the entire ending planned out in his head.

Unlike the simulation,

He would be rewriting the conclusion to make it more complete.

After all—

In the simulation,

his younger self had only been LV4 in writing.

And back then—

He hadn't taken this manuscript seriously,

so the ending was a mess.

This time—

Minami would perfect it.

He lowered his gaze,

his eyes scanning over the final scene he had written.

The protagonist, standing alone in the azalea field—

Calling out for Komako,

Only to realize that she was gone forever.

Now, all that was left—

Was the ending.

A return to reality.

The protagonist snaps out of his illusions—

And returns to the cold, lonely city.

Nothing remains.

Nothing has changed.

He is alone once again.

One day—

While on a business trip,

He takes the train once more.

And passes by the azalea fields again.

Staring at the blooming flowers from the train window,

He murmurs to himself—

"Perhaps… for the rest of my life…

I will continue to long for the girl hidden in the azalea sea."

That was the ending.

Minami mapped it out in his mind.

Then—

He began to write.

His writing speed wasn't particularly fast.

But his pen strokes were steady and smooth.

Even just watching him write—

Seika, Kikuri, and PA-san felt an odd sense of elegance.

It was a rare sight.

And indeed—

With Writing (Romance) LV4,

Minami's writing skill was already top-tier by industry standards.

Just by picking up the pen,

A flood of ideas and sentences filled his mind.

Which words would best convey the scene?

Which phrasing would create the most emotional impact?

To Minami, it was as clear as the lines on his palm.

But because of that—

His writing pace slowed down.

He had to perfect every sentence.

About an hour later—

He finally wrote the last line.

Minami let out a deep breath.

Then—

He neatly placed the final pages onto his manuscript stack.

And with that—

The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields

Was complete.

[Ding—]

[You have written a 4.3-star novel, skillfully crafted with a beautifully melancholic romance.]

[Your Trait: Writing (Romance) has slightly increased. Current Level: LV4.]

4.3 stars?

That meant the final version was probably quite solid.

Minami nodded in satisfaction,

Then set his pencil down.

"Did you finish?"

Just as he placed his pen down—

Kikuri, who had been hugging her wooden sandals, suddenly perked up.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Ah… Yeah, it's done."

Minami glanced at her.

Then—

He looked at her bare legs.

…The shape was quite nice.

But wasn't she cold?

Autumn was already starting.

The temperatures were only going to drop further.

"Can I read it?"

Kikuri's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"…Go ahead."

Minami handed her the manuscript without hesitation.

He was curious to hear the reader's thoughts.

But at the same time—

He remained on guard.

Just in case this woman lost her mind again after reading it.

Minami's staring was undoubtedly rude.

But Kikuri didn't mind at all.

She simply took the manuscript eagerly—

Her face brimming with excitement as she started reading.

Then—

She slowly put the pages down.

Her expression distant.

And she murmured—

"…It's so beautiful."

Yes.

It was truly beautiful.

That feeling of irreparable loss—

That bittersweet yearning for something forever out of reach—

It was simply breathtaking.