"The sadness and regret I feel right now, can never be relieved by any amount of happiness, fun or optimism. Still, still... you know what...? That also means that this happiness I feel now can never be undone by any amount of sadness or regret."
Moments pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.
In White Album 2, love and joy often come at a high cost, but it's always worth it.
Introductory Chapter
- Short-lived as it may be, the friendship between the trio is incredibly sweet and warm, so much so that years after, they think back on their final school year with both grief and longing.
- Setsuna's and Kazusa's friendship. Despite their differences, the two girls form a very swift rapport, and despite their mutual romantic interests for Haruki, they treasure each others too.
- When choosing a second song to play at the school concert, Haruki unwisely agrees to Sound of Destiny, which has an incredibly difficult guitar solo toward the end, causing him to immediately regret it and try to take it back. Kazusa, while initially trying to hold her laughs in as she enjoys the trap he willingly walked into, immediately turns around and says with confidence that he can pull it off. Despite always berating him for his lack of musical talents, it's clear she fully trusts Haruki's abilities and determination when push comes to shove.
- Haruki continues making what would normally be unreasonable requests of Kazusa, and she fulfills them all. Why? Because he wants to make people see in her what he sees in her, someone talented and admirable, and she herself wants to live up to his expectations, secretly practicing in her own time to fulfill his request, to the point of falling ill. And it works. Haruki is outright prideful that his efforts have made Kazusa more popular, and Youko notes that Kazusa is finally enjoying playing music again.
Closing Chapter
- How each of the new heroines look out for Haruki, all for his own wellbeing and against their romantic interest in him.
- Chiaki subtly pushing Haruki to make up with Setsuna.
- Koharu taking up extra work and helping Haruki's friends to set up a date between Haruki and Setsuna so the two can reconcile.
- Mari, sensing that Haruki is upset, phoning him personally to make sure he's alright. When he finally opens up for the first time, despite her own seriousness about her own work, willingly misses her own business flight to hear him in full before giving him the chance to meet with Kazusa again.
- Setsuna's route.
- Takeya and Io shouting in joy when Haruki seems to show resolution in getting back together with Setsuna. They've tried to help the two for years now, both directly and indirectly, and now their efforts have finally paid off.
- Haruki playing music again for Setsuna, slowly bringing the two together again, and him telling her that he loves her best when she was able to sing and be happy, showing patience to make up for what she went through all these years.
- Setsuna finally being able to sing again, playing the song they wrote and played together in high school, being able to regain her love for music.
- Tomo being brought to tears by Setsuna's song. In the end, she too just wanted to get her idol to sing again.
- Koharu's route.
- Takahiro, despite only knowing Koharu for a year and being busy with entrance exam himself, defends Koharu when she becomes the target of harassment, partly because he believes her to be a good person, declaring himself her one ally no matter what, and partly because he wants the school to be a better place than this. Though she is too filled with guilt to reciprocate the sentiment at first, with Haruki's support, she eventually does.
- Haruki coming clean to Setsuna before setting up a meeting between her and Koharu. Though it is heartbreaking for all of them, it also shows their best sides as well. Haruki for doing something he dreads in order to be honest and direct with Setsuna as well as help Koharu by putting her mind at ease. Koharu for still being a genuine and well-meaning person deep down for worrying about Setsuna's situation and being angry on her behalf even now. And Setsuna for gathering the strength to accept that she had lost Haruki and wishing the best for both him and Koharu no matter how much it hurts.
- One year after the ending, Koharu's closest friends in high school have put their grievances behind, just as Setsuna said they would. Yada even personally phones Koharu to congratulate her on her exam results, and the group of friends plans to invite both Koharu and Haruki on their graduation trip, which they had planned to go on one year prior but never got to due to the events that happened in Koharu's ending.
- Mari's Ending. In a cruel twist of fate, due to unforeseen circumstances, Mari would be forced to leave Japan without Haruki being able to speak to her again after allowing him the chance to meet him at the airport. But he does meet her at the airport, in America. Haruki finds himself two flights on short notice to arrive in New York before she does. It's as unambiguous a way to say "yes, he does want to spend the rest of his life with her" as anyone can manage.
Coda
- Haruki taking Kazusa to visit her old housekeeper. Despite her previous coldness to everyone other than Haruki and Setsuna, she is incredibly touched that the old lady remembers her so fondly, and the two of them break into tears later. The housekeeper's husband tells Haruki that his wife is rarely so happy. It's the first hint that despite what Kazusa may think, she won't be alone, with or without Haruki and her mother.
- Setsuna's True End, as close as White Album 2 gets to a Happily Ever After. Unlike in the Introductory Chapter, this time, she fully succeeds in keeping everyone together.
- Though he chooses Setsuna in the end, Haruki cares enough about Kazusa to beg Setsuna for help. She does. Though she holds complicated feelings for both of them, Setsuna also loves them both and will be there for Kazusa, at first with patience, then with honesty. Eventually, Kazusa lets her walls down once more, and begins practicing again.
- Kazusa and Setsuna reconcile, affirming their friendship and love for each others in the end.
- Haruki, Setsuna and Kazusa spending one week together practicing music, the very thing that brought them together in the first place. Here, Kazusa is remarkably more honest about her feelings despite picking on Haruki at every turn, outright proclaiming her love for him while pushing him toward Setsuna, and also wishing to not settle for any compromises in order to put on the best performances for and with her friends. And they succeed.
- Kazusa calling Takeya and Io to her waiting room to talk, showing signs that she's finally expanding her circle a little.
- Kazusa choosing to remain in Japan, bringing her mother to tears and keeping the trio together.
- Takeya and Io getting together, holding hands under the table during Setsuna's and Haruki's wedding.
- Setsuna insisting that she'll keep absolutely EVERYONE together, going so far as insisting that Haruki lets her try to mend his relationship with his mother. Judging by the credits, she might have succeeded there too.
- Setsuna's and Haruki's wedding is shown in the credits. Kazusa attends, and she and Setsuna are shown hugging each others. The three of them play music together. Both their families and friends are in attendance (yes, including Haruki's mother).
- Kazusa's True End is as bittersweet as they come, but the high price they pay for their happiness only make that happiness all the more valuable.
- As upsetting as it is to see their friendship falls apart, Takeya's loyalty to his friend is unshakeable, and Haruki comes to realize that other than Setsuna and Kazusa, his best friend was the most important person to him all along. He thanks Takeya before making the choice to leave himself, telling Takeya to return to and treasure his other friendships.
- Haruki's final scene with his co-workers is unexpectedly heartwarming, as despite their confusion and betrayal by his choice to leave, they still want to send him off with happy memories. Haruki can only cry when he realizes how much these people care for him.
- When Kazusa tries to maim her own hand as penance for stealing Setsuna's happiness, the latter immediately moves to stop her. Whether she was mentally unwell or only pretending to be, her love for her best friend proves stronger in the end.
- Despite choosing Kazusa over her, Haruki chases after Setsuna because not only does he care about her, but judging by a prior conversation he had with Kazusa, he likely also believe saving Setsuna would also be what makes Kazusa most happy. Despite his absence, Kazusa chooses to have complete faith in him this time, and her concert is a huge success, stunning even her mother who had been fearing the worst.
- Two years later, Kazusa and Haruki are married, and judging by the fact that she tried to have her business name changed, she wants the world to know it too. The epilogue and every subsequent piece of content that follows this ending indicates their life together would be happy and passionate, even if it takes the two of them years to heal from the pain of giving up everything else.
- Setsuna, Takeya, Io and Tomo putting together a music video. Setsuna declares at the end that she is still singing, showing that whatever other pains their separation caused her, Setsuna is still able to find joys in music, a contrast to where she was at the beginning of the Closing Chapter.
- The After Story to Kazusa's True End, the Way Back to Happiness, is about an hour of much needed sweetness after the ending.
- Haruki and Kazusa seem inseparable even three years after.
- Kazusa and Youko have grown more openly affectionate toward each others in the years since, and what we see of Youko seems to indicate that her health had improved from being able to live in her home country and knowing her daughter is happy and successful. Haruki himself, lacking that kind of relationship with his own mother, is happy for them and only wishes to continue to share in that familial love with his new wife and mother.
- It is implied that some time after the epilogue, Youko brought Setsuna to Vienna, where the latter reconciled with Haruki and Kazusa.
- In the years since Kazusa left Japan, not only had Youko apologized to Setsuna's family for her daughter, it is implied that she is now also a friend of them and visits frequently. Kazusa is brought to tears, and this time resolves to directly and honestly thank her mother for raising her, a significant act for someone so otherwise emotionally guarded.
- The After Story "To My Sworn Enemy", which follows Kazusa's Normal End, manages to end on a surprisingly happy note.
- Even after learning about Haruki's cheating, their friends remain steadfast in support of one or both of the two. Even when they are adults and when one of them can barely leave his home, Takeya still visits Haruki to show that he'll always be there for his friend, even if they are only playing video games together.
- Despite their ugly (but honest and cathartic) fight over the phone, Setsuna still declares that she'll do anything Kazusa asks of her short of giving up Haruki, up to and including moving oversea to help her with her mother. And even though she spent the night crying, Setsuna wakes up feeling much better. It's apparent that allowing herself to be honest with her feelings and needs brought her spirit back and allows her to affirm her love for Haruki. Kazusa, meanwhile, gains greater determination to achieve success, not only for her mother's sake, but to show Setsuna and Haruki what she's capable of as well.
- Haruki and Setsuna manage to mend things and repair their relationships by the end. Haruki in particular hopes Setsuna still loves him, but after the things he did to her, he wants it to be her choice, and leaves writings behind indicating where he would be whenever he leaves his house, knowing the only one who'd be able to find him is Setsuna. She does.
- Kazusa connects with her peers in the musical world, and realizing that even without Haruki and Setsuna, there will always be people who have her back.
- Kazusa's final message for Setsuna and Haruki. Though it's a declaration that they are now enemies, Haruki notes that it is also a farewell filled with love.
- Youko's health improves after seeing her daughter's performance, as if Kazusa's prayers had been answered. She declares that a duet would be scheduled for the two of them to see who is the superior musician and once more throws herself into music to catch up to her daughter, much to Kazusa's distress and delight.
- Takeya and Io began dating officially at some point. Haruki reminds Tomo to act surprise when they make the announcement.
- The story ends with Haruki and Setsuna holding hands and looking up at a billboard showing Kazusa having furthered her fame and career. Despite difficulties and heartbreak, it's a surprisingly happy ending that follows one of the saddest routes in the original game.
