Social Anxiety and the Rock of Loneliness

I can't move...

Kita Ikuyo cried inwardly.

A moment later, Nijika bounced out of the store with a smile.

"They said we can take pictures however we want."

"Then let's hurry up and take one."

Kita Ikuyo frantically interrupted their conversation.

No matter how guilty she felt, Kita Ikuyo didn't regret it; Ishikawa-kun definitely didn't deserve Ryo-senpai!

She'd stop him even if it killed her!

Ishikawa Hayato, interrupted by Kita Ikuyo, just found it amusing. Seeing Kita Ikuyo blocking him and Ryo's conversation like this was very interesting.

He even sensed a similar feeling from Ryo.

The two scoundrels silently and tacitly teased this guy, stealing glances at Kita Ikuyo's ever-changing expressions even while chatting casually.

However, when it was time to get serious, he stopped messing around.

Ishikawa Hayato stepped forward and moved the stand he had been holding aside, placing it on the open ground.

"How's this spot?"

He asked the others.

Nijika mounted the camera and confirmed the framing on the display screen.

"A little more to the left, OK."

Once the position was confirmed, they began repeatedly setting the timer, taking photos, and adjusting the position.

However, when things started to get a bit boring, Ishikawa Hayato began to get mischievous.

After setting the timer and preparing to strike a pose for the shot, Nijika felt a sudden gust of wind beside her.

She instinctively turned her head and met Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, though their gazes were in opposite directions, up and down.

Before Nijika could understand what was happening, her heart skipped a beat, and she realized something was wrong.

Click.

But no one looked at the camera that had just taken the photo. The three girls stared blankly at Ishikawa Hayato as he landed back on the ground.

Ishikawa Hayato flashed a peace sign, grinned pervertedly and triumphantly, then walked over to the tripod and took down the camera.

The three of them crowded around, full of questions.

Then, they saw the image on the screen: their own gazes averted from the front.

This photo was unusable, they sighed inwardly.

What shocked them the most was that next to the girls posing cutely, a boy appeared in the frame, seemingly upside down.

He looked like he had been photoshopped in, standing perfectly upright from above.

At the same time, his gaze met Nijika's directly.

The image created a bizarre, absurd sense of strangeness.

"Ishikawa-kun..."

Nijika, feigning anger, directly called Ishikawa Hayato by his surname.

"Just taking normal photos is boring, isn't this photo more fun..."

Ishikawa Hayato offered an ingratiating smile.

His expression made Nijika both angry and amused, but she still put on a stern face.

Having interacted with him for a few days, she realized Ishikawa Hayato often did silly things, and if she didn't tell him off, he'd only get more outrageous.

At the same time, Ishikawa Hayato was carefree and didn't care at all about being lectured by girls.

So she didn't hold back too much.

"It's a little scary... but quite unique,"

Kita commented after looking at the photo, then turned to Ryo.

Ryo seemed satisfied, but after thinking for a moment, she also shook her head.

"The photo is interesting, but it doesn't fit our band's style."

"Gulp."

After being rejected twice, Ishikawa Hayato collapsed onto the ground with a defeated expression.

The three girls watched the pathetic guy with amusement and helplessness.

"Let's take the next one, stop lying there."

Nijika put her hands on her hips and urged him on.

After taking several photos, when they felt it was enough.

Ishikawa Hayato's phone rang. He glanced at the three people confirming the photos, stepped a few paces away, and answered the call.

"Brother... do you remember me?"

Ishikawa Hayato held the phone further away and checked the time.

Then, he calmly said, "I've been waiting for you all day. You're there."

"You're lying..." On the other end of the phone, Hibiki sighed, her voice melancholic. "I'll send you my location."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't even look at the location. He hung up and walked over to the three who were discussing which photo would be best for their band's promotional shot.

"Sorry, I have to leave first. There's something I need to accomplish with my life."

Hearing Ishikawa Hayato's strange words, Nijika looked up blankly.

"Is everything okay..."

She asked Ishikawa Hayato worriedly. For some reason, she felt he wasn't joking.

"It's fine. I'll be going now."

Ishikawa Hayato nodded with a grave expression, then took out his phone to confirm the address and got into a sprinting stance.

Under the three's bewildered gazes.

Whoosh.

He turned into a gust of wind and, at an unbelievable speed, gradually disappeared from their sight.

A few minutes later, with Ishikawa Hayato gone, the three had nothing else to do and prepared to return to STARRY before parting ways.

Just then, Kita Ikuyo's phone buzzed. Someone she followed on Instagram had posted a photo. Puzzled, she took her phone out of her pocket.

Who would post on Instagram at this time?

She only followed a few people, and none of them seemed to have any special plans today.

She lit up the screen and took a look.

It was Ishikawa Hayato's.

I didn't put him in my blocked list when we followed each other earlier...

Kita thought silently.

But she was also curious why Ishikawa Hayato had run off so quickly earlier.

She tapped on the Instagram post.

In the picture, Ishikawa Hayato and a girl were sitting at a dessert shop. It was the new place she had gone to with her friends that day.

The girl holding the camera was likely holding a selfie stick, beaming with a smile so full of happiness it seemed about to overflow.

Opposite her was Ishikawa Hayato, resting his chin on his hand with a helpless expression as he looked towards the camera.

Ishikawa Hayato has a girlfriend!?

Kita Ikuyo suddenly felt happy. But after taking a closer look, she saw the caption below.

'Having some treats at the new dessert shop with my little sister.'

Kita, who had been excitedly planning to show the picture to Ryo-senpai, suddenly drooped in disappointment.

18. Unspoken Words

Time passed to the afternoon of that day.

Ishikawa Hayato, who was idly playing his synthesizer at home, received a LINE message from Nijika.

'Are you free to come to STARRY to discuss arrangements and songs for our performance?'

He replied, 'Coming right over.'

However, this time.

After Ishikawa Hayato arrived, and even after Ryo arrived right on time, Kita was still conspicuously absent.

No one could have predicted that their meeting that morning would be the last time they saw Kita Ikuyo before their performance.

Saturday passed, and Sunday arrived.

Kita Ikuyo still hadn't appeared at STARRY, and she wasn't even replying to LINE messages.

It was as if she had met with an accident. All she left in the Kessoku Band's LINE chat group was a shadow.

"Namu..."

Ryo clasped her hands together, silently praying for the missing member.

Nijika, who was always cheerful and lively, simply sat at the table, showing no signs of distress, but also no hint of a smile.

She displayed a sense of helplessness, like stumbling just as she started on a path.

But after a moment, she perked up again, her voice full of energy as she addressed the other two.

"Kita-chan might have something going on, so let's start the meeting."

But Ishikawa Hayato didn't just go along with her words. Instead, after she spoke, he offered some comfort.

"Nijika, don't be so nervous. I'll go ask about the situation in class tomorrow."

Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato. He was the only one with a consistently calm expression, as if no negative emotions could touch him.

"Nervous? No, no, I've been fine this whole time."

She waved her hands and smiled, denying Ishikawa Hayato's words, but she still accepted his help.

"Then Hayato-kun, I'll be counting on you."

"Yeah."

Afterward, the three began discussing the songs for the performance, stage details, MC interactions, and other matters.

Monday arrived, and Ishikawa Hayato was indeed curious about Kita Ikuyo's situation.

Had she really run away, or had something happened to her?

And what would she say if she saw him?

That morning, he didn't bother looking for Gotou Hitori and hurried towards school.

However, Gotou Hitori, who was about ten steps behind him, hesitated and stopped. Her slightly expectant blue eyes slowly turned calm, and she looked down at the ground with a dejected expression.

Arriving at the classroom, Ishikawa Hayato scanned the room. Seeing that Kita Ikuyo wasn't there, he didn't rush to ask anyone. He nonchalantly returned to his seat.

He completely ignored the atmosphere in the classroom, which seemed to disregard him entirely.