Social Anxiety and the Rock of Loneliness

Nijika blinked blankly after being teased.

"Why!?"

How did she jump directly from wife to mother?

Then she realized, it seemed the two people in the band had iron hearts and didn't need her comfort at all.

Her words were wasted on them.

While feeling mentally exhausted, she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved; it was good that everyone was so strong.

"Well then, without further ado, let's start practicing."

"Oh~"

Ishikawa Hayato's loud voice instantly livened up the atmosphere.

And so, Ishikawa Hayato entered a life of being a pervert at home in the morning, being a loner at school at noon, being a pervert at STARRY in the afternoon, and studying alone after returning home.

One week later.

In the evening, the Ishikawa family was having dinner.

Ishikawa Jinpei looked at his son, whose eyes were beaming with a smile, and a bad feeling began to creep into his heart.

Normally, his son smiled, but he only smiled this happily when he started calling himself a pervert or doing perverted things.

He had a feeling someone was about to have terrible luck.

"Hayato, don't do anything illegal."

After he finished speaking, he noticed Ishikawa Hayato's anticipation burst forth from his heart, and he pretended to be troubled, saying with a full smile.

"Eh, what should I do?"

At the dinner table, the other three shivered and put down their chopsticks in unison.

No living creature dares to eat in a dangerous situation, and humans are no exception.

Hibiki, sitting opposite Ishikawa Jinpei, straightened her neck, not daring to turn her head to the side, and spoke silently.

"Quick, call the police!"

He read the words from his daughter's lips, but his parents, sitting opposite Ishikawa Hayato, dared not speak and could only express themselves with their eyes.

"They can't handle this guy!"

"Don't push the danger onto the public authorities!"

Finally, the three looked at each other and made a decision.

They clasped their hands together.

Namu.

Although they were playing around like this, Ishikawa Jinpei felt very relieved about his son and was simultaneously proud.

Years ago, when he and his wife had a falling out and lived separately due to their bad relationship.

He was lectured by his son, who was only 7 years old at the time.

Despite being lectured by a child of only a few years old, and his own son at that, he inexplicably didn't feel angry.

After all, what Hayato had said back then was too shocking...

21. Performance (2)

The next day, Ishikawa Hayato walked into the classroom.

He saw his desk, which had been scribbled all over, and he smiled incredibly happily.

He walked up and confirmed the "masterpieces" they had created: pervert, trash, bookworm, dead, a guy who shouldn't exist.

The profanity level of the students at this school needed improvement.

Ishikawa Hayato sighed and shook his head.

Wouldn't it make him even happier if they called him a pervert?

But it was fortunate that he was the one experiencing this; if it were an ordinary student, they would probably feel scared or distressed.

After all...

He looked around.

No one offered him an explanation; in the entire classroom, everyone seemed like an enemy.

There was also some strange liquid on the desk; it wouldn't be water from the toilet or glue, would it?

Ishikawa Hayato couldn't be bothered.

He had been observing for the past few days and had a general idea of who was responsible and who would do such things.

He directly lifted the desk with one hand and walked towards the target location.

"You bastard, what do you think you're doing?"

Seeing that the script wasn't unfolding as some people expected, someone came out to cause trouble.

Nakamaki Michi strode over, his momentum carrying him forward as if to quell any resistance.

His reaction instantly unsettled some students in the classroom, who looked over nervously.

Idiot.

Ishikawa Hayato controlled his strength, not bothering to greet the other person, and kicked out.

Thump.

Nakamaki Michi, who usually only bullied boys who didn't dare resist, couldn't react in time. He was kicked in the stomach, the immense force making him stagger back uncontrollably. He then crashed heavily against the wall.

Though he didn't seem to have taken much of a hit, he suddenly hunched over. Stomach acid surged up his esophagus, and he couldn't stop the saliva and bile from spilling out.

"Ishikawa!!"

Seeing his comrade injured and his own status challenged.

Shigeno Ryuu, who was in the same club as Nakamaki Michi, also rushed over. However, he didn't attack, merely standing a few steps in front of Ishikawa Hayato.

He had a sharp, menacing aura, as if daring Ishikawa to make a move.

"Alright, alright, you're all classmates. Don't fight. Ishikawa-kun, put the desk back."

Kawakami Satoshi stepped in to mediate.

Ishikawa glanced at him. This guy was in the same club as those two.

Kawakami Satoshi spread his arms, as if urging the two to shake hands and make peace.

But as he neared Ishikawa Hayato, he suddenly reached out to slap the back of Ishikawa's head.

Ishikawa Hayato had been keeping an eye on him and naturally didn't miss the movement.

Such petty tactics. I've seen people get messed with like this before, getting their heads slapped by everyone.

Later, Ishikawa had asked him how it felt.

He said his head felt foggy.

Didn't expect people to still do this in high school.

Ishikawa Hayato's free hand struck back heavily.

"Ughhh!"

Kawakami Satoshi let out a miserable wail, clutching his arm and rolling on the ground.

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at Shigeno Ryuu. Shigeno, who had just started to move, retracted his foot and stood frozen, completely stunned.

Finally, he walked up to the person who had been scribbling on his desk. Or rather, the instigator.

She... Kuroda Aya, sat at her seat, trembling slightly.

Clearly, she was terrified by Ishikawa Hayato's actions.

"Ishikawa... kun, is something wrong?"

"Can we switch desks?"

Ishikawa Hayato asked gently.

But his gentle tone seemed to give her courage, and she abruptly stood up.

"I don't have any obligation to switch desks with you!"

"But this is something Kuroda-san left behind. It's fine to switch, isn't it?"

Ishikawa Hayato continued to speak in a good-natured tone.

"That's your own fault. Scum like you should just die."

Kuroda Aya, apparently thinking Ishikawa Hayato wouldn't lay a hand on her, suddenly exploded. Like a shrew, she pointed at Ishikawa Hayato's nose and berated him, as if trying to kill him with words.

Ishikawa Hayato got the result he wanted. Then, under her terrified gaze, he picked her up and threw her to the ground.

She landed heavily and stared at Ishikawa Hayato with a look of horror after a moment of daze.

"I don't go easy on anyone, regardless of gender,"

Ishikawa Hayato said, patting his desk with a smile.

Then, with his other hand, he lifted her desk and put his own back in place, not even letting the liquid on the desk spill.

"Kuroda-san, sit properly on your desk later, or don't cry if I hit you."

"I've had training. I know how to make it hurt."

Ishikawa Hayato left those words, then carried the desk back to his own seat, placed it properly, and took out paper to wipe it clean with disdain.

By the time Ishikawa Hayato was carrying his desk back to his seat, Kita Ikuyo had already arrived.

She looked at the scene and immediately understood the situation.

So, that's what happened.

She remembered

the morning of the photoshoot, when she returned to STARRY and was about to leave, the manager Seika stopped her and asked her something.

"Kita, you're in the same class as Ishikawa, aren't you? What kind of person is he at school?"

Manager Seika, as usual, didn't show much expression, but Kita Ikuyo felt the atmosphere had become a bit more serious.

Manager Seika really cares about Ijichi-senpai.

She thought for a moment. Although she hadn't been at school for long, Ishikawa Hayato's various reputations were quite noticeable.

"He's a student who studies diligently. Ishikawa-kun basically doesn't interact with others. Even if someone invites him to lunch, he refuses."

"Eh?"

Hearing their conversation, Nijika, who had also come closer to listen, exclaimed in a surprised whisper.

"Is Hayato-kun that kind of person?"

She was used to Ishikawa Hayato's antics and his lively, boisterous behavior, so she couldn't quite process it at first.

"Mhm."

Kita Ikuyo nodded, confirming it. But seeing Ryo-senpai also paying attention, she hesitated.

"Um, actually, there's more... My friend found out some things about Ishikawa-kun from before."

"I can't say if it's good or bad, and it's also quite rude to talk about this privately... but since we're in the same band, it should be okay to mention it..."

Her gaze flickered with indecision. Then, under their increasingly serious expressions, she took a light breath.

"School bullying. Everyone should know about it, right?"