Chapter 107

He slapped his forehead in despair.

After explaining, Nijika apologized repeatedly with a bright red face, and then glared at Liang, who had given her the wrong information.

But Liang ignored it, only looking at the Bocchi kettle that was constantly steaming above his head.

They were clearly curious about how the Bocchi kettle works.

Today, Ishikawa Hayato and Ryo stayed at the front desk together again. Ishikawa Hayato checked tickets, while Ryo slacked off.

Ryo would only take over when Ishikawa Hayato went to the toilet or did other things.

The two worked together very well.

After the initial influx of people subsided, there were occasional visits from one or two more guests.

Thinking about what had just happened, Ishikawa Hayato faced forward, looking at the half-open door, and said to Ryo.

"Liang, thank you so much."

You could have handled it better yourself.

Liang's tone carried a slight dissatisfaction; she resented Ishikawa Hayato's gratitude for her wrongdoing.

"It has nothing to do with that. I'm really touched by Liang's support."

Ishikawa Hayato's voice was relaxed; he seemed completely unconcerned, whether it was what Ryo had said to his past friends or her current slight annoyance.

There was no exchange of glances between them. After a long pause, Liang finally asked.

"Falcon, will you ever say one day that I'm tired of you, and then leave?"

I can't guarantee that.

His answer made Liang take a breath.

But he continued, "I should have many ways to support myself in the future, so I'm not worried about that."

"Let me think... Hmm, what if the band becomes like the one before Liang, or the members communicate less and less, or two or three people get tired of it..."

As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he suddenly smiled and turned to look at Ryo.

"Oh no, it seems like there are a lot of possibilities."

Ryo realized she had asked a really stupid question.

"Then, accomplice, promise me you won't leave the band without a reason one day."

"OK."

He raised his hand, his voice solemn and dignified.

"I assure Liang that I will never leave the band without informing him."

"I trust you."

Ryo's seemingly emotionless voice resonated deeply in the air, reaching Ishikawa Hayato's heart.

Even so, when it was time to close up shop in the evening...

After quickly cleaning up the shop after the party, the five of them headed to the rehearsal room together.

However, Ishikawa Hayato noticed that although they had pretended to be normal, their worries and thoughts had not disappeared with time.

Entering the rehearsal room.

They took out their instruments, and Ishikawa Hayato connected the amplifier cable to the keyboard and plugged it in.

He casually tested his voice a few times and then spoke to Nijika.

"Nijika, I need to ask for two days off."

"Um?"

Nijika looked up in surprise.

"I need to take care of something," Ishikawa Hayato replied vaguely.

"Falcon... don't help people who don't like you..."

Bocchi lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the floor, and hugged his guitar tightly as he spoke.

Nijika, Kita, and Ryo looked at Bocchi with slight surprise, then glanced at Ishikawa Hayato. Seeing that he also looked surprised, they realized that Bocchi was right.

They hadn't expected Bocchi to be so perceptive.

After regaining her composure, Nijika also offered words of comfort.

"Yes, Hayato-kun, if we're going to cut ties, we'll cut them off cleanly."

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at Kita and Ryo's reactions and saw that they also quite agreed with what the two had said.

"Even so, you all seem to care quite a bit about this."

The four of them were taken aback and looked at each other.

In that brief moment, Ishikawa Hayato pulled out a white lab coat from somewhere and turned around to put it on.

As his white robes fluttered, he let out an exaggerated laugh with his back to the four men.

"Hahaha! A crazy life doesn't allow for regrets, team leader, please let me go!"

Liang suddenly said this at that moment.

"Isn't this cruel to the local people?"

Ishikawa Hayato also knew that if Hongo Amaha knew that the thing she had asked for so long without success was just something he did on a whim because it would affect other people's moods, he would feel very resentful.

He turned around and spoke mysteriously.

"I went there with hope."

Liang glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

Seeing that Liang was also silent, Nijika helplessly glanced at the other two and saw that they were also at a loss with Ishikawa Hayato. She said to Ishikawa Hayato.

"Okay, but..."

She was halfway through her sentence when Kita interrupted, raising her index finger to remind her that what she was saying was important.

"You absolutely have to come back! I won't allow you to be taken away like that!"

Ishikawa Hayato looked at the two in surprise and expressed his admiration.

"They actually coordinated!? What a beautiful combo!"

Liang glanced at the clock above the rehearsal room and said to the group of people who were playing around.

"It's late, hurry up and practice."

93. Footsteps

On the way home that evening.

Kita was thinking about what Ryo had asked during practice.

She asked Ishikawa Hayato what the rules Hongo Amaha had mentioned were, and what her interpretation of 'is it wrong to care for those around you?'

Ishikawa Hayato honestly answered the rules, and then said...

"It's not entirely wrong, but it's not entirely wrong either. I know a lot of people, some of whom aren't even in Tokyo. I can't possibly care about everyone one by one."

"Besides, she felt that I had run away from her, so she stopped caring about her. Actually, I felt that this was a dead end, and helping her would just be a pointless waste of my time."

Back to the present.

Kita glanced at Ishikawa Hayato beside him. Hayato had a relaxed and cheerful smile on his face, his eyes scanning the surroundings as if he could never tire of the street.

His mood was completely unaffected by what happened that afternoon.

As he walked, his hair swayed slightly, and Kita suddenly noticed that Ishikawa Hayato's hair had grown longer. Was he getting a new hairstyle?

She didn't ask.

The longer she spent with Ishikawa Hayato, the more she felt that he was completely different from the person she had initially learned about through intelligence.

The Guardian God of Kawaguchi City Students, he single-handedly eliminated all the bad groups in the Kawaguchi City, and robbery and bullying almost disappeared. An invincible monster.

In her eyes...

He's just someone who sexually harasses band members with restraint, is... somewhat handsome, very strong, learns quickly, gets excellent grades, is reliable in his dealings with people, likes to do strange imitations, and is someone who fully expresses his individuality.

Oh right, there's also the harem thing, and it seems like Ryo-senpai has already fallen for it.

Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered what Hongo Amaha had said that afternoon, Kita couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Will he take responsibility?

"Um, Kita, I know I'm handsome, but please don't stare at me like that. It's not a good look on the street."

Ishikawa Hayato held back for a while before speaking to Kita.

Kita suddenly snapped back to reality and realized that she had been unconsciously staring at Ishikawa Hayato for a long time, and that both Bocchi and Ishikawa Hayato were looking at her at that moment.

She panicked, worried that the two men would see through her thoughts, and hurriedly mumbled something indistinctly.

"I... I just noticed that your hair has grown long, Ishikawa-kun! Are you going to grow it long?"

Ishikawa Hayato was surprised that his plan to grow his hair long had been discovered.

"Hmm, I'm thinking of growing out some bangs."

As he spoke, he pinched the bangs on his forehead, feeling that it was still quite lacking.

"Now that I'm no longer in the sports club, I want to change my image."

He turned to Bocchi next to him and asked, "Bocchi, how's it going?"

Bocchi was caught off guard by his sudden question and stammered for a while before he could speak.

"Falcon... Falcon is fine no matter what."

Ishikawa Hayato expressed his frustration at her answer, leaned closer to Kita, and nudged Kita's arm with his own.

"Kita, how many points would you give Bocchi's answer?"

Kita gave Ishikawa Hayato a disdainful look.

"Sow discord is not a good idea."

Although Kita's answer was tactful, Bocchi immediately realized that it was a zero-point answer!

Just as she was panicking and didn't know what to do, Ishikawa Hayato patted her head and looked down at her.

"But Bocchi's bangs are a bit long, do you want them trimmed?"

Bocchi's eyes showed panic; she looked troubled, but still spoke.

"Um, okay, that's fine."

Seeing her reaction, Ishikawa Hayato flicked her forehead with his finger.

"Never mind."

Kita watched their interaction with a slight smile, but also noticed that they were nearing the point where they had parted ways. Her gaze lingered on Ishikawa Hayato for a moment before she spoke.

"You two are really in love, I'll be going now."

Be careful on the road.

I know~

After Kita left, Ishikawa Hayato and Bocchi walked quietly towards the station for quite a while.

Just as Ishikawa Hayato was wondering whether or not to talk to Bocchi, he felt Bocchi's hand seemingly moving towards him in a subtle way.

He smiled and reached out to take her hand.

Just as he was feeling a little happy about how daring Bocchi was becoming, he saw what lay ahead.

On a dark street, a couple stood very close to each other, their arms intertwined, holding hands and chatting happily.