Tears glistened at the corners of Bocchi's eyes as she spoke in a low, pleading voice.
"This is the money my mom saved for my wedding..."
"I'll give it all to you, so please... please don't make me get a part-time job."
After saying that, she solemnly lowered her head. Her entire body radiated supplication, and the sight of her made one feel pity.
After staring blankly for a moment, Nijika hurriedly retorted.
"Do you think we're demons?"
Across from Bocchi, Ryo calmly held out her hand. "Thanks. I'll accept it solemnly..."
Kita stared at Ryo in disbelief as she actually reached out to take it.
But before her hand could touch the piggy bank, Nijika smacked it hard, producing a loud slap. Ryo pulled her hand back in pain.
After stopping that evil deed, Nijika hurriedly waved at Bocchi.
"We won't take it, we won't take it. We can't use money that important."
"Yeah, money that important shouldn't be used elsewhere."
Ishikawa Hayato agreed with Nijika wholeheartedly, but his hand also swiftly reached for Bocchi's piggy bank without hesitation.
"Let me take the money instead. If Bocchi doesn't want to work part-time in the future, I'll support you."
Nijika had been about to stand up and smack Ishikawa Hayato's sinful hand, but she froze upon hearing that.
"Huh?"
"Eh?" Kita also stared foolishly at this suddenly strange development.
With tears in her eyes, Bocchi raised her head and asked timidly.
"Really?"
Beneath her timid expression was a trace of fear of being rejected, along with worry and anticipation for the future.
From Ishikawa Hayato's perspective—
Bocchi had gathered all her courage and raised her head. Her eyes, hidden behind her bangs, anxiously searched his expression through the strands of hair.
Ishikawa Hayato answered.
"Really."
Upon hearing his answer, Bocchi hurriedly pushed back her chair and stood up. She stepped aside, then bowed with great seriousness, though somewhat awkwardly.
"This... this humble girl is unworthy. Please take good care of me."
Having watched the show for a while, Nijika looked at the two of them with a conflicted expression. She somehow felt that Bocchi had been tricked by Ishikawa Hayato.
Feeling a little angry inside, she said to Ishikawa Hayato.
"Ishikawa-kun... if you're treating this as a joke, that's going too far."
"I'm not joking." Ishikawa Hayato's smile faded, and he looked somewhat serious.
"Eh?"
Nijika and Kita were both startled.
Ryo also looked at him curiously.
"Bocchi is interesting and cute, and she doesn't look like she'd be hard to support."
As Ishikawa Hayato said that, he set the piggy bank down and pushed it back toward Bocchi.
"But it wouldn't hurt to save a little more first."
"Yes! I'll work hard!"
As though she had not minded at all that Ishikawa Hayato had spoken as if he wanted to keep her as a pet, Bocchi raised her voice and answered with great seriousness.
Just as the others began to worry a little about the future relationship between these two—
They heard Ishikawa Hayato say to Bocchi.
"Then good luck with your part-time job."
Bocchi's faint, blissful smile, which had only just begun to form, froze in place. Then her entire body seemed to petrify and shatter in the cold wind.
So that's what this was!
But tricking Bocchi-chan in a way that sounded like agreeing to marriage is way too cruel!
Nijika fumed inwardly.
Yet she inadvertently overlooked something she herself knew.
She knew that Ishikawa Hayato had high emotional intelligence and would not do something that truly upset someone.
Nijika merely watched him unhappily as he looked at Bocchi with a gentle, teasing smile.
Bocchi
What kind of person was Ishikawa-kun?
Bocchi thought quietly.
At the start of the school year, she had gone to school covered in band merch, hoping to find companions. She still remembered Ishikawa-kun's surprised gaze when he looked at her.
She had run away right then.
Later, Ishikawa-kun came looking for her again.
The first time they met face-to-face, she could not imagine that the first "companion" she encountered would be such a sunny, handsome guy.
She ran away again.
This time, he did not find her.
But the next day, he found her again in the safe little corner she had discovered for herself.
He even invited her to join the band he was in.
At the same time, she began having lunch with him every day.
Later, when she asked why he had been so persistent about her, he said—
"Gotou-san, you actually want to change, don't you? You dressed like that on your first day because you wanted friends and wanted to form a band, right?"
So he had noticed from the very first day.
From the very first day, he had reached out his hand to her without hesitation.
After she agreed, Ishikawa-kun revealed his "true colors."
A pervert.
But although he was occasionally strange, Ishikawa-kun had never done anything unpleasant.
Instead, he seemed carefree, free-spirited, and happy.
Every day, he was happy from the bottom of his heart.
His happiness truly made her feel envious.
The gentle aura around him was something she had never felt before.
During the days when she did not see him, eating lunch alone made her feel much safer, but it also felt a little cold.
Every day, when she went home and checked whether anyone had left messages on her alt account, it was especially agonizing.
Later—
When her real account was discovered—
Besides embarrassment, she had also felt a little happy.
So someone had been paying attention to her after all.
Later, when she brought her guitar to school, she was still filled with unease.
What if those words had only been something Ishikawa-kun casually mentioned? Had he not looked for her for so many days because he was already tired of her and did not plan to interact with her anymore?
Or perhaps that was what was normal.
Even she herself felt that she was extremely troublesome.
But when she received his call and saw him deliberately, slowly pull his hand away from the stair railing, she knew she had not been abandoned.
She decided to work hard and temper herself.
Then she temporarily joined the band Ishikawa-kun was in.
Faced with her, too afraid to stand before the audience and hiding inside a cardboard box—
He lied.
"Gotou-san, it's just the two of us right now. Please play something for me—a cool piece."
After she played with all her might to prove herself—
The applause in the venue and his loud cheer felt unforgettable for the rest of her life.
No matter where her life went from then on, she would remember his satisfied shout in that pitch-black cardboard box, along with the applause echoing inside it.
And today...
He actually said he was willing to support her...
Didn't that mean...
Even Bocchi herself did not understand why she had agreed so quickly.
But thankfully...
Thankfully...
So it was only a joke to trick her into getting a part-time job.
"Bocchi-chan? Bocchi-chan?" Nijika's voice called out.
Bocchi raised her head toward the sound.
With a slightly helpless expression, though not minding at all, Nijika said.
"You didn't hear what we just said, did you?"
"Was it... about working here?"
Although Bocchi had been thinking just now, she had also been listening and had not ignored her surroundings.
Nijika was surprised, then smiled and began talking about the band.
As Bocchi listened, she secretly glanced to her left.
Ishikawa-kun still looked cheerful as he listened to Nijika speak, as if he had not noticed her looking back at him.
At that moment, Nijika spoke in a tone that seemed to wrap up every topic.
"Then starting next week, come work here."
As though the gathering was about to end, Ishikawa-kun raised his hand and suggested.
"Then shall we practice together next?"
"Sure!"
Nijika nodded happily.
The group then stood up and prepared to head to the rehearsal room.
Seeing that Kita had not brought her "guitar," Ishikawa Hayato asked her.
"By the way, how is your guitar practice going, Kita?"
Kita, who had been happily skipping toward the rehearsal room, immediately panicked. She stopped with conflicted hesitation, slowly turned around, and her eyes filled with confusion.
"Um... um..."
Before you continue