"Don't be so nervous."
After saying that, Ishikawa Hayato unhesitatingly ate the rolled omelet.
Gotou Hitori's bento was probably made by her mother. It was pretty good.
When they were nearly done eating, they drank warm miso soup and began chatting. Though rather than calling it chatting, questioning—or even interrogation—would have been more accurate.
"Other than practicing guitar, what else do you usually do, Gotou-san?"
"N-Nothing else."
"You don't go out and have fun?"
"Ah, no."
"So you only practice guitar alone? You haven't performed anything?"
Gotou Hitori, whose face had already turned pale, suddenly spat out a huge mouthful of blood upon hearing Ishikawa Hayato's question.
It seemed the relentless interrogation had dealt her a devastating blow, inflicting tons of damage with that direct attack.
She covered her mouth and spoke as though explaining herself, in the tone of someone delivering her last words.
"I... I upload covers of popular bands' songs online..."
Ishikawa Hayato silently nodded to himself. His efforts to break through her psychological defenses had not been wasted.
He had successfully made her confess.
"Gotou-san, are you okay?!"
Though that was what he was thinking inside, Gotou Hitori's exaggerated reaction still startled him.
He hurriedly wiped away the blood that had spilled out, helping her lean against the clean wall to rest.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
Ishikawa Hayato comforted her in a stern tone.
Ishikawa-san...
Gotou Hitori was so touched she nearly cried. He really was such a good person!
Then Ishikawa Hayato packed up both his own bento and Gotou Hitori's.
"Here."
He handed Gotou Hitori her bento back, then took out his phone and checked the time. There was still quite a while before lunch break ended, but he remembered that Gotou Hitori only hid here during meals.
During breaks, she still rested with her head on her desk.
He would not keep dragging her along.
"Well then, I should probably head back."
"Ah... thank you."
Gotou Hitori hurriedly said.
As Ishikawa Hayato prepared to leave, he smiled, turned back, and waved.
Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to him, he asked.
"By the way, what's the name of the account where you upload videos, Gotou-san?"
"Guit..."
Gotou Hitori, who had been a little happy, froze halfway through her answer.
In her mind, she rapidly replayed the self-introduction on her account.
A super popular middle school girl—no, it had now been updated to high school girl—with a boyfriend who was the ace of the basketball club, over a thousand friends on LINE, and daily visits to popular hangouts like karaoke bars and arcades.
W-What... what should she do?
Why had she said she uploaded videos?!
"Guitar Bug."
Gotou Hitori abruptly changed her answer.
As someone with social anxiety, this sort of self-protective lie came naturally to her.
Ishikawa Hayato nodded, then a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
"Gotou-san, I've got something to deal with recently. Um, it'd be better if you didn't get close to me either, but I'll cheer for you online."
After considering it, he gave her a definite timeframe.
"About one or two weeks, and it should be fine. Then we can have lunch together again."
"Ah... okay."
Watching him leave, Gotou Hitori sank into gloom.
He probably would not have lunch with her again, since she was such a strange person.
"The fried chicken really was delicious... I should try learning to make it too."
She let out a soft breath, quickly opened her phone, and created a new Guitar Bug account on YTB.
After school, Ishikawa Hayato headed to STARRY as usual.
The moment he entered, he met Nijika's gaze as she quickly looked toward the door.
The anticipation in Nijika's eyes flickered for a moment before turning into a gentle smile.
"Hayato-kun, you came early today."
Ishikawa Hayato should have been the one saying that. Nijika and Ryo's school was clearly farther from STARRY, and their school rules were stricter too, yet today they looked as though they had been waiting for quite some time.
How had they managed that?
Nijika's gaze made Ishikawa Hayato hesitate. He had originally planned to control the plot and make sure Nijika was the one to pull Gotou Hitori into the band.
After all, he could not be sure whether the band would change if he were the one to recruit Gotou Hitori.
It would be bad if the relationships between them changed.
"You two got here even earlier than a pervert like me. You're both truly impressive."
Ishikawa Hayato spread his fingers over his face and proudly descended the stairs one step at a time.
Nijika smiled helplessly, then stood up.
"Well then, now that Hayato-kun is here, let's start practicing."
She did not ask at all about how Ishikawa Hayato's meeting with Kita Ikuyo had gone today.
"Mm."
Ryo also nodded and rose to her feet.
"Wait!" Ishikawa Hayato held out a hand.
"Mm?"
The two turned back and looked at him as he walked up behind them.
"I actually met with Kita today."
After Ishikawa Hayato said that, Nijika did not show much happiness.
"Mm."
She answered calmly.
"I have an apology video from her."
Ishikawa Hayato took out his phone from his pocket and brought out the video he had originally planned to show Nijika only on the final day.
Planning and arranging other people's actions was something this pervert found hard to get used to.
Once he stopped considering all that, he felt like himself again.
Besides, there were as many ways to pull Gotou Hitori into the band as he needed.
"Mm?"
Nijika and Ryo exchanged surprised looks, then looked at Ishikawa Hayato with concern, suspecting that he might have done something excessive to Kita Ikuyo.
Ishikawa Hayato ignored their stares, placed his phone on the table, and started the video.
"Ryo-senpai, Ijichi-senpai, I'm very sorry!..."
Kita Ikuyo appeared in the video on the phone, looking neither injured nor threatened.
She earnestly explained why she had joined the band and all the circumstances involved. She also sincerely apologized for acting on impulse, for not daring to explain herself, and for pretending to be experienced.
After watching it, Nijika did not get angry. Instead, as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she immediately returned to her cheerful self.
"So that's what happened. You should have told us sooner."
The radiance of an angel!
Ishikawa Hayato's eyes welled up.
But he still tried to steer the plot back on track.
"Also, Kita's hand injury was worse today, and she even had dark circles under her eyes."
"Don't tell me!"
Nijika immediately thought of a possibility and stared at Ishikawa Hayato in shock.
Ishikawa Hayato nodded.
Ryo, however, said, "We should remind her. Her hand will get ruined."
"Mm-hm, I need to tell her right away."
Nijika hurriedly took out her phone and rapidly tapped the screen.
"I already told her."
Ishikawa Hayato smiled and slipped the phone, now finished playing the video, back into his pocket. "By the way, leader, how about we try waiting for our band member?"
Leader?
Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato in confusion before realizing he was talking about her.
Hearing Ishikawa Hayato's words, she broke into a dazzling smile. With that warmth, a smile that seemed to illuminate this underground space like heaven, she bounced excitedly on her toes, her ponytail swaying slightly as she said in a girlish voice,
"Of course!"
"But we can't expect Kita to play very well."
Once they entered the rehearsal room, Ryo reminded the two of them.
"That's true. No matter how much she practices, it's impossible to learn much in just over a week..."
As Nijika spoke, though, she seemed to think of something strange, and her gaze could not help sliding toward Ishikawa Hayato, who was constantly striking different poses beside her.
"As long as you transcend humanity and become a pervert, there's nothing you can't do."
Having completely let himself go in front of the two of them, Ishikawa Hayato declared proudly.
"Kita-chan definitely can't do that."
Nijika sighed, though she did not seem bothered by it at all.
"It's okay. Most bands' first performances are disasters. We just need to move forward one step at a time."
As she spoke, she took tiny steps forward.
Ishikawa Hayato stepped up and patted Nijika on the shoulder.
"Though it may be a little rude to say so, Nijika will definitely become a good mother someday."
Before you continue