Social Anxiety and the Rock of Loneliness

"Don't be so reserved."

Ishikawa Hayato said, then unhesitatingly ate the tamagoyaki.

Gotou Hitori's bento box must have been made by her mother, it was quite good.

As they ate, the two drank warm miso soup and started to make small talk. However, it would be more accurate to call it questioning, or even interrogation, rather than small talk.

"Gotou-san, besides practicing guitar, what else do you usually do?"

"N-nothing."

"Don't you go out to play?"

"Ah, no."

"So you only practice guitar by yourself? You don't perform anything?"

Gotou Hitori, whose face was already pale, vomited a large mouthful of blood upon hearing Ishikawa Hayato's question.

It seemed the barrage of questions had dealt a massive blow, inflicting tons of damage under its direct assault.

She covered her mouth and, as if explaining to herself, spoke in a tone like she was delivering her last words.

"I... I've uploaded covers of popular band songs online..."

Ishikawa Hayato nodded silently in his heart, it was worth the effort he spent breaking down her psychological defenses.

He had successfully made her confess.

"Gotou-san, are you alright!"

Although he thought this in his heart, he was also startled by Gotou Hitori's exaggerated reaction.

He quickly helped her wipe away the blood that was flowing out and supported her as she leaned against a clean wall to rest.

"If you don't want to say it, you don't have to."

Ishikawa Hayato said in a stern but comforting tone.

Ishikawa-san...

Gotou Hitori was so moved she was about to cry. He was truly such a wonderful person!

Then, Ishikawa Hayato tidied up his own bento box and Gotou Hitori's.

"Here."

He returned Gotou Hitori's bento box to her, then took out his phone and checked the time. There was still plenty of time before lunch break ended, but he remembered that Gotou Hitori only hid here during meals.

She would rest at her own seat during break time.

He wouldn't keep her any longer.

"Well, I should be heading back too."

"Ah... Thank you."

Gotou Hitori quickly said.

Ishikawa Hayato, who was about to leave, turned back with a smile and waved.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked.

"By the way, what's the account name of the videos you upload, Gotou-san?"

"Guit..."

Gotou Hitori, who was a little happy, stopped mid-sentence.

She quickly scrolled through her account's self-introduction in her mind.

Super social butterfly middle schooler, no, now updated to high schooler, boyfriend is the ace of the basketball club, over 1000 LINE friends, frequents various KTVs, arcades, and other social hotspots every day.

W-w-what should I do?

Why did I say I uploaded videos!

"Guitar Bug."

Gotou Hitori abruptly changed her answer.

As someone with social anxiety, this kind of self-protective lie came naturally.

Ishikawa Hayato nodded, then his face showed a hint of hesitation.

"Gotou-san, I've been a bit busy with things lately, um, it's best if you don't approach me either, but I'll cheer you on online."

He considered for a moment and gave a definite timeframe.

"About one or two weeks, and then it should be fine. We can have lunch together then."

"Ah... Okay."

Watching him leave, Gotou Hitori fell into a slump.

She probably wouldn't have lunch with him again, after all, she was such a strange person.

"The fried chicken nuggets are really delicious... I should learn to make them too."

She let out a soft breath and quickly opened her phone, creating a new Guitar Bug account on YTB.

20. Performance (1)

After school, Ishikawa Hayato went to STARRY as usual.

As soon as he entered the shop, his eyes met Nijika's, who was quickly looking towards the entrance.

The anticipation in Nijika's eyes flickered, then turned into a gentle smile.

"Hayato-kun, you're here early today."

Hayato-kun should have been the one saying that. Nijika and Ryo's school was farther from STARRY, and their school rules were stricter, yet they both looked like they had been waiting for a while.

How did they manage that?

Nijika's gaze made Ishikawa Hayato hesitate. He had originally planned to control the plot and ensure Nijika would recruit Gotou Hitori into the band.

After all, he wasn't sure if recruiting Gotou Hitori himself would cause any changes to the band.

It would be bad if the feelings between them changed.

"You're even earlier than me, you pervert. You two are really amazing."

Ishikawa Hayato spread his fingers to cover his face and walked down the stairs step by step with pride.

Nijika smiled helplessly, then stood up.

"Well, since Hayato-kun is here too, let's start practicing."

She didn't ask Ishikawa Hayato about his situation with Kita Ikuyo today at all.

"Mhm."

Ryo also nodded and stood up.

"Wait!" Ishikawa Hayato held out his hand.

"Hm?"

They both turned around, looking at him as he walked up behind them.

"Actually, I met with Kita today."

After Ishikawa Hayato finished speaking, Nijika didn't show much happiness on her face.

"Mhm."

She responded calmly.

"Here's an apology video from her."

Ishikawa Hayato took out his phone from his pocket, showing the video he had intended to show Nijika on the last day.

Designing and arranging others' actions made him, a pervert, feel unaccustomed.

Only after disregarding those things did he feel like his true self.

Besides, there were plenty of ways to recruit Gotou Hitori into the band.

"Hm?"

Nijika and Ryo exchanged a surprised glance, then looked at Ishikawa Hayato with concern, wondering if he had done anything excessive to Kita Ikuyo.

Ishikawa Hayato ignored their gazes and placed his phone on the table, tapping to play it.

"Ryo-senpai, Ijichi-senpai, I am very sorry!..."

Kita Ikuyo appeared on the phone screen, looking unharmed and not threatened.

She earnestly explained her reasons for joining the band and various other factors, and sincerely apologized for her impulsive actions, her inability to explain, and her pretense of having experience.

After watching, Nijika wasn't angry. Instead, she seemed relieved and immediately became cheerful again.

"I see. You should have told us earlier."

The radiance of an angel!

Ishikawa Hayato's eyes welled up.

However, he also tried to steer the plot back on track.

"Also, Kita's hand is more injured today, and she even has dark circles under her eyes."

"Don't tell me!"

Nijika immediately thought of a possibility and looked at Ishikawa Hayato in shock.

Ishikawa Hayato nodded.

Ryo, however, said:

"We should remind her that her hand will get ruined."

"Mhm, mhm, I'll tell her right away."

Nijika hurriedly took out her phone and quickly tapped on the screen.

"I already told her."

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and put his phone, which had finished playing, back into his pocket. "Speaking of which, leader, do you want to try waiting for our bandmates?"

Leader?

Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato in confusion before realizing he was talking about her.

Hearing Ishikawa Hayato's words, she broke into a brilliant smile. With a smile as warm as if it could illuminate this underground space into paradise, she gleefully bounced on her toes, her ponytail swaying slightly, and said with youthful energy.

"Of course!"

"But we can't expect Kita to play that well."

Entering the practice room, Ryo reminded the two.

"That's true. No matter how much you practice, you can't really achieve much in just over a week..."

Nijika said, but as if she had thought of something strange, her gaze involuntarily flickered to Ishikawa Hayato, who was constantly striking various poses beside her.

"If you can surpass humanity and become a pervert, there's nothing you can't do."

Ishikawa Hayato, who had completely let loose in front of the two, declared proudly.

"Kita-chan definitely can't do that."

Nijika sighed, but she didn't seem to care at all.

"It's okay. Most bands' first performances are disasters. We just need to move forward step by step."

As she spoke, she took small steps forward.

Ishikawa Hayato stepped forward and patted Nijika on the shoulder.

"It might be a bit rude, but Nijika, you'll definitely be a good mother someday."