To get close to someone with social anxiety, besides taking the initiative yourself, you also had to make them feel that you were the same kind of person—a friend they could resonate with.
"R-Really?" Goto Hitori found it hard to believe.
Could someone as gloomy and withdrawn as her actually attract someone's attention? Though she had always hoped people would notice her.
"I've heard your band perform. From the first time I saw you, I was already impressed by you. You must have practiced guitar for a long time. Every performance of yours has been outstanding," Tsukikawa Shu said.
"Ehehe... it's not that much. How should I put it? Practice makes perfect..."
Listening to Tsukikawa Shu praise her, Goto Hitori rubbed her head, suddenly feeling as if she were floating on air.
People with lonely personalities and social anxiety often seemed trapped in a contradiction. They wanted to be noticed, yet they also did not want people staring at them all the time.
In reality, they were like mollusks curled up inside their shells, hoping to hide their embarrassing past and vulnerable parts from others while displaying their strengths to win what little attention they could.
Yet the reason people with social anxiety often went unnoticed was that their strengths were simply too niche, or not particularly eye-catching compared to those around them.
And because they went unnoticed for so long, being discovered and praised even once could make them feel like they were in heaven.
"So, are you willing to team up with me?" Tsukikawa Shu extended his hand.
"O-Of course!" Goto Hitori panicked for a moment, then reached out and tightly grasped Tsukikawa Shu's hand.
It was her first time touching a boy's hand... Goto Hitori could not help blushing.
Tsukikawa Shu pulled Goto Hitori to her feet, and the two left the school building.
In this unknown world, they both moved forward cautiously.
[Current area: Obscure Moon County] [Difficulty: E]
Tsukikawa Shu then checked the system map again.
The currently unlocked area centered around a desolate city, surrounded by larger uninhabited regions. Beyond that lay a pitch-black expanse of unknown territory.
Although there were monsters and dangers in the city, it was relatively safe. The farther one went from the city, the more dangerous it became.
"If the map doesn't change every time we enter the Inner World, then this city is the Novice Village. Before long, players will establish their own settlements and trading systems, turning this city into a safe house."
Tsukikawa Shu walked ahead, considering what to do next, while Goto Hitori followed half a step behind him.
Looking at Tsukikawa Shu's handsome face and serious expression as he thought, Goto Hitori became absentminded for a moment. Yet she did not know what topic she could use to make the two of them more familiar with each other.
Once, she had fantasized about a handsome boy taking the initiative to approach her and beginning a sweet-and-sour romance with her...
But now that such a person was right in front of her, Goto Hitori was completely at a loss.
"We should find some low-level monsters to practice on and level up as soon as possible," Tsukikawa Shu said, turning around.
"O... okay!"
Goto Hitori blurted it out almost as a reflex.
People with social anxiety did not really have much say in group activities to begin with, nor did they usually have their own opinions.
Meanwhile, Tsukikawa Shu was considering how to complete the task the system had given him—how to trick Goto Hitori into becoming his wife.
Although Goto Hitori truly was not good at refusing others, he still needed to be careful with something like this. At the very least, he had to make her trust and depend on him, building an emotional bond.
You couldn't eat hot tofu in a hurry.
The two continued onward and gradually arrived outside a ruined restaurant.
Through the dust-covered glass door, they could see a huge rat resting on the counter inside. It was as large as a suitcase and was currently sleeping soundly.
This was one of the lowest-level monsters, only level 1.
"Let's practice on this one. Find some weapons."
Tsukikawa Shu spoke.
Goto Hitori looked at the enormous rat inside, swallowed, then nodded with her hands stiffly held together.
What do I do... I'm someone who even fails PE exams. How am I supposed to fight a monster like that...? I'm really going to be dead weight... I might not even be able to beat a level 1 monster...
The immense psychological pressure, combined with memories of one embarrassing incident after another during sports festivals, made Goto Hitori's breathing grow heavier. Her body even began trembling.
Tsukikawa Shu looked around nearby, then pulled a paint-chipped Crowbar from among the broken bricks and rubble.
[Physics Holy Sword] [Quality: White Gear] [Durability: 70/100] [Additional Effect: Chance to inflict tetanus damage]
Though its quality was poor, it should be more than enough to deal with a level 1 monster.
After searching for a while longer, he found a rust-covered abandoned Steel Pipe.
[Steel Pipe] [Quality: White Gear] [Durability: 80/100] [Additional Effect: Chance to inflict tetanus damage]
"Take it." Tsukikawa Shu tossed the Steel Pipe to Goto Hitori.
Goto Hitori caught the Steel Pipe, and her hands involuntarily sank downward.
So heavy...
Goto Hitori, who was not good at sports, found even lifting the Steel Pipe difficult.
"I'll sneak up from behind. If I don't kill it in one blow, rush in and smash its head hard again," Tsukikawa Shu said.
Goto Hitori nodded woodenly. In truth, she had no confidence in herself whatsoever.
Tsukikawa Shu carefully stepped over the shattered glass door, crept behind the giant rat, raised the Crowbar in his hand, and viciously drove it down at its head.
With the sound of bones cracking, blood sprayed everywhere. The giant rat let out a shrill cry, its scarlet, marble-sized eyes flying open as it darted forward.
"Hit it!"
Tsukikawa Shu hooked the rat with the Crowbar and shouted at Goto Hitori.
Only then did Goto Hitori move closer. Trembling, she laboriously raised the Steel Pipe in her hands, shut her eyes, and brought it down on the rat's head.
The Steel Pipe indeed struck the rat's head solidly, but Goto Hitori simply did not have enough strength. Rather than knocking it unconscious, the blow made it struggle even more violently. It lay on the ground screeching continuously, and Goto Hitori was knocked over as well.
Goto Hitori landed on her backside with a cry of pain, splattered all over with blood.
Tsukikawa Shu gave the rat no chance to struggle further. He pulled the Crowbar back out and delivered another solid, heavy blow to the giant rat's head.
This time, the giant rat finally began to lose its life. After convulsing for a while, its limbs went still.
Goto Hitori remained seated on the ground, staring at the giant rat's scarlet eyes, still shaken.
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Tsukikawa Shu extended his hand to Goto Hitori.
"No..."
Goto Hitori rubbed her butt, then took Tsukikawa Shu's hand.
The second time I've held a boy's hand...
Goto Hitori blushed a little, but then felt deeply ashamed.
I'm so useless. I'm completely dead weight. How could a boy like him possibly take a liking to me?
"Good thing there weren't any other monsters of the same type nearby," Tsukikawa Shu said.
The two could only barely deal with this Giant Rat through a sneak attack. If there had been other Giant Rats nearby just now, they could only have run away.
The Inner World was far more difficult than any open-world game. Even low-level monsters possessed such powerful vitality and combat strength.
[You successfully killed a Giant Rat] [You obtained items: Rodent Tooth ×1, White Soul Orb ×1] [Kind Reminder: After you form a Destiny Contract, your partner will receive the same Experience Points as you and will also randomly receive one identical item]
After looking at the system prompt, Tsukikawa Shu looked at Goto Hitori again.
"How much Experience Points did you get?"
"Only a little."
Since she had contributed very little, the system had only given her a tiny amount of Experience Points, nowhere near enough to level up.
On their first day, the two proceeded cautiously, targeting only low-level monsters.
They killed three Giant Rats in total. In the end, Goto Hitori was panting from exhaustion, but she finally leveled up once before nightfall.
The results of the first day were as follows:
Tsukikawa Shu reached level 3, while Goto Hitori reached level 2.
They obtained White Soul Orb ×3 and Rodent Tooth ×2.
Tsukikawa Shu did not know what these items were for, so he kept all of them for the time being.
At night, the two found an office building and picked a room to stay in.
After locking the door, Tsukikawa Shu turned around and saw that Goto Hitori had somehow found a cardboard box and hidden inside it again.
"I'm sorry... I'm just too weak. I should just die. I shouldn't team up with anyone. If I stay alive, I'll only cause trouble for others..."
Goto Hitori crouched inside the cardboard box, muttering to herself as an aura of dejection continued spreading.
Little Bocchi had begun her daily flood of negativity again. The entire room seemed to be shrouded in a hazy gray.
Tsukikawa Shu sat down beside Goto Hitori and took out the canned food and bread they had collected.
Tsukikawa Shu had already watched the anime, so he was long used to Goto Hitori's usual behavior.
He heated the canned food with a simple portable stove he had found, opened it, and placed it beside the cardboard box.
"You're hungry, right?" Tsukikawa Shu smiled, showing no intention of blaming Goto Hitori at all.
The fragrance spread through the room.
"Grrr~"
Goto Hitori's stomach growled.
She sniffed with her nose, then swallowed. The negative aura around her immediately disappeared, and then a crack opened in the cardboard box. Goto Hitori lay on the floor, revealing only a pair of eyes.
No matter how depressedly she blamed herself, it could not overcome a growling stomach.
Tsukikawa Shu smiled and handed the canned meat to Goto Hitori.
"...Thank you." Goto Hitori finally crawled out of the cardboard box and accepted it somewhat embarrassedly.
The campfire burned, and the smell of char filled the room.
The two remained silent, each holding a can of meat, sitting wordlessly across from each other.
After quite a while, Tsukikawa Shu finally spoke.
"Bocchi-chan."
"Here!" Goto Hitori blinked and looked toward Tsukikawa Shu.
Only those closest to her called her that. It was the first time a boy had called her that, and Goto Hitori became a little nervous.
The Inner World was dangerous, and forming marriages was Tsukikawa Shu's only cheat. He did not want to wait too long and risk complications.
"Actually, I've always liked you."
Tsukikawa Shu spoke with a serious expression.
Ever since watching Bocchi the Rock! before being transported here, Tsukikawa Shu had indeed liked Goto Hitori very much.
Before you continue