Ishikawa-san!
He really came to find her again!
She had just decided that morning to keep her distance.
But since she had already agreed, Gotou Hitori was even less able to run away.
Crying inwardly, she sat in a duck-sitting position, her unopened lunch resting on the legs of her tracksuit pants as she waited for Ishikawa Hayato.
Ishikawa Hayato came in from outside, climbed over the abandoned desks and chairs, and after squeezing through, found a pink-haired girl in the dim corner. She looked tense, curled up around herself, lunchbox in hand.
"Excuse me."
He smiled and waved.
"Ah, yeah."
She avoided Ishikawa Hayato's gaze and nodded faintly in response.
"Can I eat with you?"
Ishikawa Hayato showed no less desire to talk just because her response was weak.
Reject him, reject him! Reject him!!
She had decided to keep her distance.
"Ah, please, go ahead."
Gotou Hitori hated it. She hated herself for being unable to refuse.
Just as she was wallowing in self-pity, she heard Ishikawa Hayato say this.
"Gotou-san is very kind to people. You care more about others than you do about yourself."
Ishikawa Hayato looked around. The place was dark and cramped. It was not dirty, but it certainly was not the best place to eat.
"You deliberately hid here to eat so you could avoid people, but you still agreed to let me have lunch with you."
Gotou Hitori's heart suddenly gave a violent leap.
No one had ever said anything like that to her. She had never even thought of herself that way.
For a moment, she felt as if the clouds in her heart had parted to reveal the sun.
She looked at Ishikawa Hayato again. In that dim corner, his gaze was calm and clear, and he gave off a powerful yet harmless presence.
He was not one of those people blessed with an unreasonable kind of happiness.
The tension in her heart faded considerably.
After interacting with him over the past two or three days, she had gradually come to feel that he really did mean well.
At last, she leaned forward a little and took the initiative to ask Ishikawa Hayato.
"Ishikawa-san, wh-why did you want to bring me into the band?"
Faced with her question, the boy before her answered in a very calm tone.
"Because I heard someone calling for help."
A hero did not need to shine with light and radiance. He simply sat before her with an approachable attitude, as though asking her to accept his help.
"Gotou-san, you want to change, don't you? You dressed like that on your first day of school because you wanted friends and wanted to form a band, right?"
"Everyone in my band is a good person. They even accepted an inexperienced person like me. Since you brought a guitar to school, Gotou-san, you must have confidence in your playing."
"Come with us, and let's make some good memories."
Looking at the hand Ishikawa Hayato held out, Gotou Hitori hesitated for a long time. She opened her mouth, but did not know what to say.
Everything she had ever wanted seemed to be laid out before her, waiting for her answer in such a real and straightforward way.
It felt like a dream.
Gotou Hitori thought.
Maybe she would never get a second chance in her life.
Hitori, do your best! Say yes!
In the end, she unconsciously rubbed her hand against the hem of her clothes, wiping away the sweat from her palm—if there even was any. Holding her breath, she gathered her courage and took his hand.
The boy's hand was firm and clearly warm. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.
After releasing her hand, Gotou Hitori lowered her head, her long bangs completely covering her eyes.
Trembling, she murmured in a nervous, regretful voice.
"Wait..."
Her words left Ishikawa Hayato puzzled for a moment.
"Wait, at least give me some time to prepare myself mentally..."
At that moment, the boy revealed his mischievous nature.
"Any time is fine..."
He paused, his tone teasing.
"I'd like to say that, but I'll only give Gotou-san one month to think about it."
Gotou Hitori looked up in alarm. Seeing Ishikawa Hayato's wicked grin, she listened to him trembling like a small animal.
"If, after a month, Gotou-san still isn't ready, and you still look like someone who wants to change but doesn't dare to, I'll drag you out by force."
"On my..." Ishikawa Hayato hesitated.
"I guarantee it in the name of a pervert."
14. Growth
"Pervert..."
Gotou Hitori did not understand why someone as pure and sincere as Ishikawa-san would call himself a pervert.
Unable to figure out how she felt about Ishikawa Hayato, she instead tried to understand him as a person.
After returning home, she opened her computer and searched in confusion.
Definition and explanation of pervert.
At last, among countless negative descriptions, she found one entry.
"To alter one's original form and become abnormal."
"Change... state, pervert?"
She blinked uncertainly.
After arriving at STARRY, Ishikawa Hayato saw the three girls chatting happily at the tables, along with PA sister and Seika-manager, who were busy working.
People's joys and sorrows were not shared. They laughed, and they worked.
Seika-manager was pitifully working overtime, her eyes repeatedly drifting toward Nijika, who was happily chatting at the table.
Noticing her sister's gaze but feeling too embarrassed to abandon the new member, Nijika could only clasp her hands together at her waist and desperately beg, where Kita Ikuyo could not see.
Several times, Seika stopped working and wanted Nijika to start helping, only to lower her head and keep working after seeing her pleading expression.
What an especially interesting sight to behold.
Ishikawa Hayato felt the urge to take a picture of it.
But if he did that, Seika-manager would definitely make him die in a very rhythmic fashion.
After a short while.
Seeing that no one had noticed his arrival, how could a pervert possibly tolerate such treatment?
Without hesitation, he jumped down from the seven steps and landed like Iron Man.
"The pervert has arrived!"
Hearing the voice of the savior she had been waiting for, Nijika looked over in delight and naturally stood up.
"Ah, Hayato-kun, you came at the perfect time. Kita-chan is planning to join our band too."
Hearing the familiar voice behind her, Kita Ikuyo shrank down a little, then immediately turned around and greeted Ishikawa Hayato with some embarrassment.
"Hello, Ishikawa-san."
"Mm, welcome."
Ishikawa Hayato smiled to show his attitude, but he did not act especially close to her. He then said to the bored-looking Ryo beside him.
"Ryo-sensei! Look at how much I've grown today."
Seeing him act like that, Kita Ikuyo immediately relaxed. What she had done before had been far too obvious, after all.
Whether he did not care or simply had not noticed, she was relieved and put her mind at ease.
But when she heard Ishikawa Hayato call for Ryo-senpai as soon as he arrived, she grew a little nervous, her gaze shifting between the two of them.
"Okay."
Ryo perked up a little.
"I-I want to see too."
Kita Ikuyo hurriedly followed up, then stood, afraid the two of them would sneak off.
"Great. Then I'll go help my sister for a bit, and we can play afterward."
Nijika clapped her hands in relief, then awkwardly took a few small steps backward with her hands behind her back before immediately turning and running toward Ijichi Seika.
"Then let's go."
As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he somehow produced a synthesizer from nowhere.
Huh?!?!
Where did that come from!?
Kita Ikuyo stared in disbelief. She had not seen Ishikawa Hayato carrying an electronic keyboard at all.
Questioning her entire life, Kita Ikuyo looked to the side and saw Ryo wearing a solemn expression.
"That's truly impressive."
Hearing that Ryo was surprised by something completely different from what had shocked her, and even looked as if this were simply common sense, Kita Ikuyo froze.
Noticing Kita Ikuyo's expression, Ryo let her gaze linger on her face for a moment before explaining.
"This is the state where an advanced performer becomes one with their instrument. Most outstanding performers can do it, but it is very difficult. Even I can only do it when my emotions are especially intense."
Huh?
Kita Ikuyo began to doubt the world she had lived in for fifteen years. This was an ordinary world, right?
But... Ryo-senpai actually said so much!
Today was too wonderful!
If Ryo-senpai said it, then it had to be true. This world had magic!
Without hesitation, Kita Ikuyo updated her worldview.
Following the two into the rehearsal room, Kita Ikuyo looked around with great interest.
On the shelves were tuners whose purpose she could not figure out. Various brands and models of amplifiers were piled in the corners, music stands were tossed about, and there was a huge drum kit.
The walls looked fluffy. Were they made from some special material? They looked a little like the walls of a movie theater.
So this was a band? It felt so professional.
She kept her mouth tightly shut so that she would not reveal even the slightest surprise, while slowly looking around as though she were evaluating the place.
Before you continue