Chapter 78

"No problem."

Show care for those around you, don't lie (except when joking), keep your promises, and...

Moving forward according to the rules you set for yourself, whether you succeed or fail, you will experience a small sense of joy.

And there are occasional surprises.

He had just realized that Nijika did indeed trust and rely on him to some extent.

It's actually quite sweet to have a gentle yet very independent and strong-willed girl like Nijika rely on you.

'Ding-dong'

You're on Line?

He took out his phone and was stunned when he saw that the sender was Nijika.

Nijika: "Hayato-kun, are you already on the train? Don't worry about Bocchi-chan, she and Kita are still practicing. I'll let them go to sleep in a little while."

Ishikawa Hayato: "Okay, Mom Nijika, I'll go to sleep soon too."

Immediately, Nijika sent an angry emoji.

After chatting with Nijika for a while, Nijika said she was going to rest, and Ishikawa Hayato Nijika said goodbye to her online.

Sunday was almost the same as yesterday; when Ishikawa Hayato arrived in the afternoon, they had already started practicing.

After finishing their evening jobs and practicing for a while, Ishikawa Hayato and Bocchi hurriedly left just before it was time to catch the last bus.

Monday has arrived.

Before even reaching his classroom, Ishikawa Hayato noticed that the school's swimming pool had been cleaned and seemed to be being filled with water.

The water, less than a third of the way into the pool, swirled and flowed, creating ripples that occasionally reflected bright light.

When your gaze lingers, the summer heat and moisture seem to rush towards you.

It was only then that he suddenly realized that summer had arrived.

When he thinks about summer at school and swimming pools, he immediately pictures cute girls in school swimsuits.

Thinking about seeing swimsuit beauties soon, he...

"Good morning!"

Ishikawa Hayato walked into the classroom feeling refreshed and alert, noticing that the boys in the class were just as excited as he was.

He greeted each of the students who approached him.

I noticed that their eyes were filled with the urge to swim in a school swimsuit.

The girls looked at this group of perverts and lustful beings with disdain.

After returning to his seat, he glanced at Kita a few seats away.

He noticed that this guy had stayed up all night practicing again, with dark circles under his eyes that he couldn't hide, but he was still chatting happily with his friends.

Is this the hardship of being a "normie" (someone who lives a fulfilling life)?

Moreover, she seemed even less energetic at home than when she was with Nijika. Sure enough, this girl still needs Nijika, her mother, the most.

It was lunchtime.

As usual, Ishikawa Hayato ventured into the maze of desks and chairs and climbed into a corner.

Today, Bocchi was already inside waiting for him.

But her current state... how should I put it, is like a rapidly melting ice cream, all sorts of colors mixed together, then constantly sliding down.

Imagine you're in a dark corner, you've crawled in from outside and can't turn around or back, and in front of you is a girl melting.

You choose...

Ishikawa Hayato moved closer and tried to poke Bocchi's cheek.

"Ah!"

Bocchi recovered instantly, then retreated in panic, shouting as he did so.

"Falcon... Falcon?!"

"I'm not that scary, am I?" Ishikawa Hayato sighed, sat down opposite Bocchi, and put down his bento box.

He noticed that Bocchi had already set out the lunchbox, chopsticks, and thermos, ready to start eating, so he asked while unpacking the lunchbox.

What was Bocchi thinking just now?

Bocchi, unusually, remained flustered in front of Ishikawa Hayato, even appearing somewhat nervous when asked by him.

She glanced at Ishikawa Hayato, who had already taken out his chopsticks and was about to start eating. To avoid being noticed, she hurriedly said...

"Ah... they said in class this morning that we'll have swimming lessons tomorrow, and I can't swim, haha, what am I going to do? I feel like I'll sink to the bottom and everyone will laugh at me, and I'll never dare to go to school again."

Her lies became increasingly convincing.

Ishikawa Hayato finished preparing for the meal and looked at Bocchi was quite different from usual, and said...

"Bocchi, put your hand out."

Bocchi felt a pang of guilt. She avoided Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, but still obediently reached out her hand.

Looking at the small, frighteningly white hand in front of him, Ishikawa Hayato gently reached out and grasped it.

Bocchi was startled by his sudden movement, but said nothing, only blushing slightly.

But Ishikawa Hayato's next words made her expression change drastically.

"Now I'm going to use bone conduction to read minds."

"No, no, no, this won't do!"

She screamed and pulled her hand away, immediately pressing herself against the corner furthest from Ishikawa Hayato, looking at him with terrified eyes.

Ishikawa Hayato chuckled. "Not bad, being able to say no is an improvement. I was just joking."

Just as Bocchi was starting to feel a little better, Ishikawa Hayato said...

"Even without bone conduction, I can guess that Bocchi is probably shy about wearing a swimsuit."

Bocchi felt a surge of heat throughout his body, as if his blood was flowing faster, but then inexplicably calmed himself down.

She nodded timidly, yet seemed happy, with a hint of unease.

Ishikawa Hayato asked curiously.

"Weren't there swimming lessons in junior high school?"

"No..."

"Then we need to think of a way to skip swimming lessons."

He touched his chin, then noticed the lunchbox that Bocchi had messed up, and clasped his hands together.

"I'm starting to eat."

When Bocchi heard that Ishikawa Hayato had sided with her without saying a word, she was both surprised and pleased. She then quickly followed his lead and they began their lunch together.

"The simplest way is to tell the teacher that you have an excuse for not being able to swim, such as high blood pressure, high myopia, or feeling unwell."

"After swallowing his food, Bocchi said..."

"Um... I'm too scared to go to the teacher..."

"It's okay, I'll go with you since Bocchi has decided. I'll even put in a good word for you."

Ishikawa Hayato's tone was very casual, as if to say, "Do whatever you want, I've got your back."

While she was eating, Bocchi felt her heart skip a beat and almost choked. She quickly grabbed the cup of miso soup from the side and took a sip.

Ishikawa Hayato casually remarked, holding his chopsticks.

"There are many other ways, such as simply not bringing a swimsuit, although my classmates might pity me for being all alone and unable to swim."

If it were him, there would be no need for all this trouble.

A simple "Teacher, I don't want to have swimming lessons" solved the problem.

Bocchi looked at the boy who spoke eloquently and stood on her side without a second thought when he heard her ideas.

In the dimly lit corner, his reliable appearance suddenly stirred up the restraint she had been suppressing.

She had decided to confess at that time, but other...

As Ishikawa Hayato recounted some methods he had come up with on the spot, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere in this corner was somewhat strange.

He looked at Bocchi face suddenly turned an exaggerated red, his lips were pursed, and his eyes seemed to be filled with tears.

She lowered her head, not daring to look Ishikawa Hayato in the face, and asked in a trembling voice.

"What about Falcon... would you like me to take swimming lessons?"

Ishikawa Hayato paused, sensing the implied meaning in Bocchi's tone. "If you want, I'll do whatever you want."

His heart started racing, and he became restless.

In this dark corner, the girl lowered her head, her long pink hair falling straight down like a curtain, obscuring her face.

She maintained a duck-sitting position, but one hand was clenched tightly in front of her chest, while the other hand was pressed against the floor. Her body leaned slightly forward, trembling slightly, and she sat there completely unguarded.

This little corner, through her unconscious actions and the continuous exchange of emotions even after she noticed it, created a somewhat enchanting atmosphere.

Ishikawa Hayato took a deep breath, trying to suppress his emotions, but the air seemed to carry a tingling sensation that made his brain tingle.

But he still managed to find himself again with great strength.

This is a school, and it's not the right time to do this.

He changed the subject.

"I can't answer that Bocchi right now, but whatever Bocchi can't do, you can ask me for help."

He subtly moved his hand, which had been frozen in excitement, and took out a note from his wallet, handing it to Bocchi, whose emotions were gradually calming down because of his words.

Bocchi's face was still flushed as he pretended to look intently at what Ishikawa Hayato was holding.

"Falcon, what is this?"

"A perverted Summoning Ticket, huh?" Ishikawa Hayato said with a sigh of relief as the atmosphere gradually dissipated.

"If you have any doubts or feel uneasy and want to help, you can pinch it and call for help from the pervert."

Bocchi extended his hand, which felt hot even to himself, with some skepticism.

After receiving it, she looked at the slip of paper. It looked like a cheap lottery ticket, with the words "Summoning Ticket" written on the front and a decorative border drawn around it.

Apart from that, there's nothing special about it; it just looks like an ordinary piece of paper.

"But we should use it at crucial moments," Ishikawa Hayato said earnestly.

"Oh..."

Since it was given to him by Ishikawa Hayato, Bocchi still carefully took out his wallet and put it inside.

Unlike usual, the three of them went to a gift shop together in the evening to buy a birthday present for Nijika before heading to STARRY for practice.

Then they worked part-time, listened to the band playing on stage, secretly compared themselves to them, and felt down. The girls practiced even harder.

Despite feeling extremely reluctant and nervous, another day still passed.

There are five days left until the audition.

There are also five days left until the date of the date.

On this day, during lunch break, Ishikawa Hayato watched Bocchi's determined expression and said nothing.

But on the other side.

Kita and his friends shared a table for dinner.

While they were eating, Kita's friend, Megumi, hesitated for a while with a look of wanting to say something, but finally couldn't help but ask Kita.

"Kita- chan, how's your relationship with Ishikawa going lately?"