Chapter 87

"Bocchi."

As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he cupped Bocchi's face in his hands and spoke to her amidst her flustered and wavering gaze.

"I believe you are Cinderella who hasn't put on her glass slippers yet, a swan who hasn't molted. You still have a lot of room for improvement."

"The time you spent with Nijika, Kita, and Ryo in their band may have been tough, but it will be a rare memory in your life. I hope you cherish it."

"As for us, if you're willing to be with me, even after these years, we still have a long time to be together."

"You might not come back after you grow up, but I'll keep a room for you at home, so... enjoy this one and only time of your youth."

Bocchi's gaze shifted from wavering and avoiding to staring intently at Ishikawa Hayato's face, his eyes gradually hardening.

Her face flushed red.

She now understood why Ishikawa Hayato rarely interacted with her when everyone was around, and why he always seemed distant except when she needed him.

Looking at the young man in front of her who had thought so much for her, she felt her heart beating incredibly fast.

A sentence seemed to pop out of her head before it even had a chance to process it.

"But, Falcon, I want to be closer to you..."

Ishikawa Hayato was taken aback, thought for a moment, put his hands down, and then asked her seriously.

"Closer, how close?"

As he released her hand, Bocchi lowered her head, her gaze wavering intensely.

"Yes... yes..."

Her expression suggested she wasn't afraid to speak, but rather that she was unsure.

"Okay, let's not think about that now."

Feeling that he could finally relax and enjoy the sunshine, Ishikawa Hayato lazily collapsed onto the ground, comfortably spreading his arms wide and squinting at the azure sky.

The wind blowing from the land to the sea rustled through the grass, passed by the boy lying down and the girl sitting, hoping for something, and flew towards the sea that shimmered in the sunlight.

After lying down for a while, Ishikawa Hayato noticed that Bocchi was still sitting, so he turned his head and spoke to her.

"Bocchi, are you enjoying the sunshine? Did you melt from the heat?"

Although Ishikawa Hayato didn't mean it that way, Bocchi still felt that he was mocking him.

After all, he had just said she was a bit strange.

She turned to look at Ishikawa Hayato, and seeing that he was still lying down, she also slowly and gently lay down.

Lying on the ground, her gaze remained fixed on him.

This was the first time she had ever seen Ishikawa Hayato from this angle.

When I started to sense that something was wrong, I heard him say that.

"It felt like we were staring at each other in bed."

Bed, bed, bed!?

Bocchi almost lost control of herself again, but remembering that she had just been called weird, she held back.

Seeing her like this, Ishikawa Hayato turned around, put his hands behind his head, and looked at the sky.

Bocchi stared at him for a while before snapping out of his daze and turning to look at the blue sky.

Although we now know Falcon's thoughts, one thing remains unresolved.

Falcon made it very clear that he wouldn't date her as she is now; he would wait until she matured and became someone who wouldn't lose herself because of him.

But what exactly does growth mean?

As for the falcon, it must know.

He's so strong...

After hesitating for a long time, she looked at Ishikawa Hayato and asked.

"Um... Falcon, what exactly is growing up like?"

Ishikawa Hayato didn't look at her, answering casually as if he were enjoying the sunshine.

"Hmm, this is a very ambiguous thing."

"Taking responsibility can be a form of growth, as can gaining life experience and knowledge. Gradually developing oneself is also a form of growth."

Bocchi lay on his left side, staring intently at him.

Ishikawa Hayato completely ignored her gaze and continued speaking.

"However, I think the two most important things are self-awareness and courage."

"Knowing what you want, what you are capable of, having self-awareness, and the courage to take action."

"Among the members of our band, Liang and I are both, but Liang is still a bit weaker than me."

Ishikawa Hayato was generous with his self-praise, all the while remaining completely composed.

"Nijika has some knowledge and courage, but it's all superficial. Kita extremely poor self-awareness, but his courage is alright."

"Finally, Bocchi, you're the worst off, you have neither."

After Ishikawa Hayato finished speaking, he turned to look at Bocchi, but seeing Bocchi's teary eyes and extremely aggrieved expression after being criticized, he immediately stopped talking.

He thought for a moment, then sat up and asked Bocchi.

"Bocchi, what are your goals or dreams in playing in a band? I want to hear the truth."

Bocchi's expression quickly turned awkward, and she glanced hesitantly to the side.

"If you're lying, I'll never talk to you again," Ishikawa Hayato added.

Bocchi was startled, then quickly gesticulated wildly and said, "I only joined the band because I want to be praised."

But after she finished speaking, her expression froze, and she hugged her legs and curled up into a ball, as if she was too ashamed to face anyone.

"Yes, that's normal." Ishikawa Hayato nodded. "Bocchi, stand over there in the haystack for a moment."

Bocchi slightly raised her head, revealing her eyes. She saw that Ishikawa Hayato didn't seem to be mocking her at all, and she relaxed.

Although he didn't know what he was going to do, Bocchi obeyed him and went over.

Standing in the haystack, Bocchi looked at Ishikawa Hayato with a hint of unease.

"Now, imagine the grass around you as people praising you."

Bocchi blinked in confusion, then tried to imagine it. Because she had been surrounded by classmates speaking to her with admiration just a few days ago, she could easily picture it.

Bocchi has a very powerful imagination.

The instant she tried to simulate it, she felt as if countless giants had risen out of thin air, instantly blotting out the sky and looking down at her, then speaking in a sinister tone.

"Bocchi-chan is amazing! She plays the guitar so well!"

"You looked so cool on stage, you're a hero!"

"No!!!"

Bocchi's high-pitched, piercing scream startled all the seabirds in the area into flight.

They sensed the fear in each other's voices and, fearing that the fear would befall them, they fled towards the sea.

"Falcon, falcon, falcon~"

Ishikawa Hayato calmly watched as Pochi, who had taken out the note he had given him, clutched his head, closed his eyes, and cried out his name in a mournful voice, produced the Bocchi he had given him.

Oh no, she's so cute, I really want to tease her.

However, he gave up and walked over with a helpless smile, taking Bocchi's arm.

"I'm here."

Bocchi weakly raised his head, his large, bright blue eyes filled with tears as he looked at Ishikawa Hayato.

"Just imagining it can lead to this!"

He reached out and patted Bocchi's head.

Bocchi looked around with lingering fear and stood up.

Ishikawa Hayato pulled her along, leading her towards the waterproof tarpaulin he had laid out.

"Do you understand now? You need to understand what you really need and what you are capable of, and then muster the courage to do it."

"By the way, Bocchi was so cute just now, I really wanted to hug him and pet him a lot."

Bocchi looked at the boy who was holding her hand, and her heart stirred. She really wanted to say, "Please feel free to touch me," but she was too shy to say it.

Back on the tarpaulin, Bocchi felt more and more that the boy beside her was without any flaws.

He was too strong, too free, and too happy.

"Bocchi, you can ask me anything now. You can ask me anything now, otherwise I might not even want to answer."

He's reading minds again. He probably knows everything all the time, but he's just pretending not to.

Bocchi didn't feel any resentment as she thought about it, because she also felt that this was indeed the best place to talk.

It was spacious, yet incredibly cramped.

Also, she was leaning against the falcon.

"Falcon, is there anything you're not good at?"

"I'm not good at many things... I can't cook because I've never learned, and there are so many other things I'm too lazy to learn."

Why does it sound like he'll learn it as soon as he learns it...?

"However, Bocchi should be asking about my shortcomings, right? Well, I... I used to be very irresponsible. Other people's affairs were none of my business. Then some things happened in my family, and I changed. Later, I set a few rules for myself, but I'm still the same at heart."

"The Rules of the Falcon..."

"Looking curious... Fine, don't tell anyone, okay? Just five rules: care for those around you, don't lie, keep your promises, don't help those who don't want help, and finally, prioritize happiness."

"Not helping..."

Bocchi had a strange feeling that this was a bit scary.

"Hmm... For example, back then, when I found out that Kita had bought the wrong bass, I didn't tell her. She didn't want me to help her, and I didn't care."

"I will only intervene if the consequences of her actions make me unhappy."

Bocchi suddenly remembered when Ishikawa Hayato invited her to join the band; what if she had refused then...?

Fortunately.

"Forget it, this isn't funny. Let's go back. We need to work harder on today's rehearsal."

As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he stood up, but he saw that Bocchi was sitting motionless on the ground.

After a long pause, she suddenly screamed.

"A rehearsal!?"

Ishikawa Hayato's lips twitched as he watched Bocchi begin to melt.

You haven't forgotten, have you?

Bocchi naturally wouldn't mention that she had completely forgotten about the audition because she had been thinking about confessing her feelings lately.

She cautiously avoided Ishikawa Hayato's gaze.

"Never mind, it's alright. I have faith in Bocchi's abilities. Bocchi isn't someone who needs preparation; he's someone who performs well."

Ishikawa Hayato reached out his hand to her.

Bocchi, who quickly recovered, took his hand and slowly stood up.

On his way back on his bicycle, Bocchi didn't deliberately stick close to Ishikawa Hayato as he had before.

The falcon was right in front of her; he cared for her deeply, showing her kindness in a subtle yet meticulous way.

She felt relieved.

After spacing out for a while, I rode my bicycle onto the road.