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Chapter 39: As Long As Everything’s Fine
🕑 Added 2025-07-30 20:39:01 +0000 UTCAround 8 p.m.
In the small 1R apartment he rented, the wooden table had been pushed aside, and a neatly laid futon now sat next to it.
Aoki Kei stood in front of the room’s only window, his gaze resting on the night sky outside.
Even at night, the city lights never truly dimmed.
The city lights still flickered in the distance, and even though his apartment was in a so-called “slum district,” the surrounding buildings were brightly lit.
As a result, not a single star could be seen.
Aoki Kei didn’t really care about stargazing.
Ever since returning from his conversation with Nijika, his mind had been preoccupied with the mysterious Love Obstacle Simulation Game embedded in his thoughts.
He wasn’t sure what exactly had triggered it, but after Nijika said, “I want to chase my dreams and play music,” the game had suddenly flashed into his mind—seemingly out of nowhere and notified him that he had unlocked his first CG of Nijika.
Curious and a little suspicious, Aoki Kei summoned the game interface again and opened the long-neglected [Heroine Panel] option.
Alongside the four members of Kessoku Band and the older single lady Hiratsuka Shizuka, a new character had been added—Yukinoshita Yukino.
Not that surprising.
Aoki Kei had already expected her to show up sooner or later.
Without dwelling on it, he quickly navigated to Nijika’s profile.
The translucent blue screen shimmered slightly, transitioning to a familiar game-like interface you’d usually see in a visual novel.
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[Current Heroine: Ijichi Nijika]
[Unlocked CGs: 1 (You have a reward to claim)]
[Achievements for Ijichi Nijika Route: (None)]
[Endings for Ijichi Nijika Route: (None)]
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Originally, the CG counter had also been marked as “None,” just like the achievements and endings. But now, it displayed a “1.”
Not only that, but there was a new note reminding him that a reward was available.
With a mental tap on the CG section, the interface shifted again.
The heroine panel disappeared, replaced by a tidy CG gallery.
Only the first CG was glowing—the others were still locked.
That first image, titled "The Dream Carried by the Girl on Drums," was the one Aoki Kei had just unlocked.
Almost without thinking, he selected it.
The glowing image expanded into a picture-perfect shot—great angle, beautiful lighting, as if filtered to perfection.
A cheerful blonde girl smiled faintly, holding a orange bottle.
Her wine-red eyes shimmered with city lights reflections from a nearby vending machine.
Aoki Kei had to admit—even without the reward, this CG feature was worth it.
No need for complicated reasons.
The captured moment was just too flawless.
Nijika really was cute.
And to top it off, the system even came with rewards—
As soon as the CG enlarged, a notification chimed in his ear.
This time, the reward wasn’t points, skills, or cash like usual. Instead, it was a peculiar item:
[Clover Charm Fragment: Nijika’s Luck (1/3)]
It couldn’t be used immediately.
As the name suggested, it was only a fragment.
He probably needed three in total to trade for something from the system.
As for its effect…
The only description given was: “If you collect all three and give them to Nijika, something great might happen.”
Having been bound to this Love Obstacle Simulation Game for nearly a month now, this was his first CG, and Aoki Kei wasn’t expecting to unlock more CGs, achievements, or endings any time soon.
After briefly glancing at the currently-useless charm fragment, he stopped exploring the feature.
He pulled his gaze from the window and stretched lazily before sitting down.
He was just about to study some math when his phone vibrated unexpectedly.
Setting his study plans aside, Aoki Kei picked up his phone.
It wasn’t a message from any one person in particular.
Instead, someone had posted a YouTube video in the newly formed Kessoku Band Chatroom.
They’d just made the group earlier.
After sharing her thoughts with him, Nijika had gone quiet for a moment before suggesting they make a dedicated group chat for the band.
Aoki Kei didn’t mind and immediately handed over his social media handle.
So now...
He was a bit curious about the video that Ryo had just shared.
Just as he was about to click it, Yamada Ryo, who had shared the video just moments earlier—tagged him in the chat.
Then she sent a message:
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[Weird Bassist]: Suki-san, hurry and watch the video.
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With a trace of confusion in his eyes, Aoki Kei tapped the link.
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Title: “A Passionate Performance of ‘Lemon’”
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And the content…
A tall person in a lemon mascot costume was holding a mic, striking dramatic poses to the background track—which just so happened to be Aoki Kei’s own recording of “Lemon.”
He had to admit, this so-called Mr. Lemon had some solid dance moves.
Even in that bulky mascot suit, he managed to pull off impressively graceful poses.
Paired with decent editing and his lip-syncing to the track, the whole video—while completely mismatched with the tone of “Lemon”—was honestly pretty funny.
If only the voice in the background wasn’t his.
Aoki Kei twitched at the corner of his mouth and exited the video with a deadpan expression, returning to the group chat.
He was just about to ask what exactly the bassist was thinking when he noticed the previous messages.
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[Kita Kita]: Eh? Is that Aoki-senpai?!
[Weird Bassist]: Yep.
[Kita Kita: Ehh?! Aoki-senpai isn’t just amazing at singing, but his dancing’s on point too… Incredible!
[Nijika]: ?
[Kita Kita]: Though I feel like the dancing doesn’t really match the vibe of ‘Lemon’... Is that just me?
[Weird Bassist]: Suki-san said he wanted to interpret ‘Lemon’ from a different angle, so he danced like that while singing. I filmed it.
[Kita Kita]: Ohh, I see.
[Nijika]: Wait, hold on, Kita-chan...
[Bocchi-chan: That’s… background music… right…?
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"..."
“Oh, I see, my ass!”
Aoki Kei wasn’t surprised that the bassist would say something like that. If anything, he had expected it.
What caught him off guard was that Kita Ikuyo had so kindly played along without a hint of doubt.
He let out a quiet sigh of exasperation.
Still… as he scrolled through the group chat, a faint smile crept onto Aoki Kei’s lips.
Dreams, failed performances—those things weighed too heavily.
This light-hearted vibe from Kessoku Band... yeah, this was way more his style.
As long as everything’s fine, that’s all that matters.
