"Within two months, I'll definitely show you my harem! Also, Hibiki, hurry up and come upstairs when you're done eating."
"Eh... even an outstanding pervert like you needs guidance from my almond-sized brain?"
Hibiki held her rice bowl and slowly swayed her head, looking as if she had her brother completely under control.
"If you won't work, give me back my payment."
Ishikawa Hayato did not mind at all. Though he had only gotten started, the beginning was the hardest part of music.
He did not need Hibiki for the rest.
In other words, his little sister's usefulness had run out, so she could go sit on the couch and watch TV like a dumb puppet.
"I'll be right there!"
Hibiki immediately sped up her chopsticks.
Individuality
The next day, after greeting his parents, little sister, and familiar neighbor one by one—pervertedly, of course—Ishikawa Hayato headed to school with a bag in one hand and a synthesizer slung over the other.
Though it was still morning, he was already looking forward to after school.
It was not that he disliked school. It was just that, before parting yesterday, Nijika and Ryo had invited him.
"Well then, if you're free, come to Starry after school."
Nijika's gentle, lively voice still echoed in his ears.
"We usually practice here."
Those had been Ryo's words.
Ishikawa Hayato could not wait to show off in front of them. Move aside and witness the power of a pervert!
Following the same route as yesterday, Ishikawa Hayato glanced around.
He did not see the girl in the pink tracksuit.
That was a little disappointing.
When he reached the classroom, he put the synthesizer into his locker, went to his seat, took out the Synthesizer Self-Study Growth Tutorial from his bag, held it one-handed with his long fingers, completely ignored the noise around him, and quietly read.
There was not the slightest trace of timidity from being alone. Instead, he was so composed that he seemed effortlessly cool.
Only when class began did he put away the book. After glancing at the textbook and committing the key points to memory, he tilted his head, listened halfheartedly to the teacher's lecture, and seriously contemplated the endless sky.
Lunch break.
After finishing his bento, he headed toward the Staff Room.
When he arrived, he happened to see Ishida Hane finish tidying his desk and stand up to leave.
The two met face-to-face. When Ishida Hane saw Ishikawa Hayato, surprise flashed through his eyes behind his glasses.
After their first meeting yesterday, he had thought Ishikawa Hayato was the arrogant sort who looked down on teachers. He had not expected him to actually keep their appointment.
"Ishikawa, you came."
"Because we agreed to." Ishikawa Hayato strode into the Staff Room first, stood before Ishida Hane's desk, and extended a hand.
"Teacher, please sit."
Ishida Hane: ???
For a moment, Ishida Hane did not know whether to sit or not, but in the end, he sat down in his own chair.
"Teacher, you asked me here to talk about yesterday's self-introduction, right?"
Ishikawa Hayato spoke the moment Ishida Hane sat down.
As a teacher, and an adult, Ishida Hane naturally did not want to be led around by a student, so he did not answer directly.
"Yes, that is part of it. Ishikawa-kun, you do not interact much with the other students in class, do you? Why is that?"
He tried to keep his face stern, making himself look more serious.
Faced with the serious teacher, Ishikawa Hayato smiled instead.
"First of all, thank you for your concern. The reason is that I do not want to waste time on superficial socializing. If someone is not interesting or special, I do not want to spend extra time talking to them."
"Ishikawa-kun, a rich social life is what makes school enjoyable."
"Everyone defines enjoyment differently. For me, that would not be enjoyable."
Ishikawa Hayato did not mind Ishida Hane's nagging or trouble at all and patiently explained himself.
In the end, Ishida Hane was left speechless.
Ishikawa Hayato merely left him with one sentence.
"Thank you for your concern, Teacher, but interfering with a lifestyle that harms no one else is arrogance. Please keep that in mind."
After bowing, he left the Staff Room.
For a while, the Staff Room was so silent that a pin drop could be heard.
Meanwhile, with some free time on his hands, Ishikawa Hayato did not rush back to continue reading. Instead, he slowly headed toward the corner of the stairwell on the first floor.
At that moment, he felt like he was sneaking a look into the cat's nest at home.
As for what he had just told the teacher about harming no one else, he had already forgotten it completely.
A pervert naturally had flexible moral boundaries.
He lowered his footsteps and walked toward the corner step by step. Amid the noisy school, that corner was so quiet it felt devoid of human presence.
Ishikawa Hayato did not know whether he would run into her. He was just taking a look while he was at it.
He went up the stairs and leaned out from the side to look down.
Among the piled-up extra desks and chairs, a few strands of exceptionally eye-catching pink hair were visible. The hair moved slightly, and faint sounds of chopsticks tapping against a lunchbox could be heard.
She was still eating.
I really want to go bother her!!
The moment that thought appeared in his mind, Ishikawa Hayato was already standing at the entrance to the maze of desks and chairs.
A pervert's mind and body were simply that consistent.
Looking at the alley-like corner, Ishikawa Hayato became a little curious. If Gotou Hitori wanted to run in a situation like this, how would she do it?
With that thought, he deliberately made his footsteps heavier, his thick soles striking the floor with a loud sound.
Tap.
"Eek!"
A thin cry rang out from the corner below the stairs.
"Who's here?"
Pretending not to know, Ishikawa Hayato walked inside. But the moment he passed the pile of desks and chairs, he heard hurried rustling and a nervous shout.
"S-Sorry! I'll leave right away!"
Someone in a pink tracksuit, holding a bento in her hands, rushed toward Ishikawa Hayato as if afraid of letting him see her face.
There was no need to say it. It had to be Gotou Hitori.
Naturally, Ishikawa Hayato would not let her run away. If she got away now, she would be harder to find next time.
For someone with social anxiety, once a safe place was discovered, they would never return to it.
On her first day of school, Gotou Hitori had relied on her socially anxious instincts to find this place where she could eat in peace.
It was quiet, no one came here, and she did not have to worry about others seeing her eat alone.
This was the most perfect personal territory.
That day, as she ate her lunch and smugly congratulated herself on finding such a perfect place—
Tap.
A single footstep instantly made every relaxed nerve in her body tense. She froze in place and held her breath.
"Eh, who's here?"
Someone came?
No, no, do not come in.
But the footsteps did not hear her inner plea and came closer.
Danger was approaching! An apostle attack!
In an instant, Gotou Hitori looked left and right, but could not find anywhere to hide.
Her gaze hardened. She abruptly closed the bento lid, wrapped the chopsticks and lunchbox in her cloth, hugged her lunch, shut her eyes, and charged outside without hesitation.
"S-Sorry! I'll leave right away!"
But just as she caught sight of the light outside, someone grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Ahhhhhhh..."
Just as Gotou Hitori thought she was doomed and her expression completely fell apart—
"It's you."
That person said that.
Looking at the girl whose expression—no, whose facial features—had completely collapsed, Ishikawa Hayato marveled inwardly.
Wow, is that even an expression a human can make?
He pretended not to know and said,
"It's you. Why are you here alone?"
Hearing the familiar tone in that person's voice, Gotou Hitori calmed down a little and secretly looked up at the newcomer.
Ah, it was the person she had met on the first day of school.
Eyes!!
Ishikawa Hayato watched Gotou Hitori cover her eyes again and roughly guessed what she was thinking. He did not expect Hitori to say anything, though. Seeing the bento in her hands, he asked directly.
"Are you eating here alone? Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Ishikawa Hayato from Class 1-3."
After saying that, Ishikawa Hayato watched Gotou Hitori fall into another kind of panic. Like a fish that could not breathe, she kept opening her mouth, until after a long while, she lowered her head, hid her eyes beneath her bangs, and forced out a sentence.
"I-I'm Gotou Hitori, from Class 1-2."
Human
Having finally completed the introductions, Ishikawa Hayato let out a relieved smile.
"Come to think of it, did I interrupt Gotou-san's lunch? Sorry, I startled you."
Gotou Hitori wanted to nod miserably. She was so nervous that her stomach hurt, but she still answered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"No, you didn't."
That was what she said, but she had already decided that she could not come here anymore. She needed to find another safe place.
"That's good. Actually, I came here specifically to find Gotou-san. It took quite a while."
Hearing that bright, cheerful voice, Gotou Hitori did not feel relieved. Instead, she fell into panic.
He came specifically to find me!!!?
At once, she felt the green dots marking safe places throughout the school disappearing one after another.
Before you continue