Why play in a band if not for life?

Nijika formed her arms into a penguin shape and jumped onto the raft second, her voice unchanged. "Second—As one of the leaders, it's only natural I'd be on this boat."

"Naturally, I'm on the same boat as Nijika," Ryo said, stepping onto it. Judging by how deep the raft sank, there was indeed only room for one more person at most.

Before Ichiri could even react, Kita was already shouting, "Where Ryo-senpai goes, I go!" and flashed onto the raft.

Ichiri was left all alone.

What about me?

Her teammates were staring blankly at the sky with expressions that said, I'm not thinking about anything.

What about me?

"Well then, Ichiri, you can be on a boat with us," Yukina-san's voice came from behind her. Ichiri mechanically turned her head. Yukina Minato, Risa Imai, Sayo Hikawa, Rinko Shirokane, and Ako Udagawa formed a semicircle behind her, their expressions ranging from blank, to kind and gentle, to encouraging, to innocent, effectively blocking all her escape routes.

Squawk! It's five big bros in lots of clothes!

"Ahhhhhhh..." Ichiri began to melt!

Yesterday, Shiko, Nijika, and Kita had agreed on the "Summer End Plan."

"That plan name sounds ominous..." Kita was very sensitive when it came to naming things.

"Then let's just treat it the same as the 'Summer Unity Plan'," Shiko said. "Anyway, the core of the plan is: exposure therapy."

Exposure therapy, simply put, is a form of psychotherapy where patients are directly placed in their most feared scenarios without any relaxation techniques to help them correct their behavior.

"Since the performance venue and audience size are beyond our control, we can reduce the impact of the audience's familiarity on Ichiri's performance quality," Shiko said. "We need to improve her social skills. We're already quite familiar with her, so the next step is to get her used to interacting with Roselia." Even though they had been together for a long time, Roselia, who exuded an intimidating aura, was certainly not easy for Ichiri to approach.

"So, we need to create opportunities for Bocchi and Roselia to be alone together?" Nijika understood.

Kita was confused. "Aren't Roselia and we already quite familiar with each other?"

Shiko nodded, ignoring the annoying extrovert. "Good."

And so, Shiko unceremoniously left her fellow species in a desperate situation. Did she regret it? Did she feel pained by the scene before her?

No! No! No!

She was struggling to suppress her laughter, half out of amusement and half with the thought, It's all for your own good!

Thus, once she realized this situation was premeditated, Ichiri's despair became tangible—starting from her feet, she froze into a statue on the spot.

"Huh? What's going on? Ichiri?!" Ako had never seen anything like this.

However, Kessoku Band was already accustomed to it. "Probably to prevent her from running around wildly when she melts, it's a small matter."

"What? Is she even human?"

In the end, Ichiri, frozen solid, was hugged by Rinko like luggage and carried onto the raft.

"Generally, how long does she need to recover?" Yukina asked Kessoku Band. They still needed Ichiri to start the boat.

"It'll be a while," Kita said with a smile and conjured a fireball.

However, before Kita could start working, Shiko suddenly felt a stomachache. She quickly stood up. "Sorry, I need to go to the restroom. Excuse me." With that, she jumped ashore, about to run off. Ichiri recovered instantly under Rinko's startled gaze and jumped ashore too. "Let me come with you!"

Shiko can't go to the bathroom alone, she had been careless about this once before and almost lost Shiko! As long as she could secure the position of "Shiko's supervisor" now and return with Shiko, she could naturally get on the same boat! The weight limit issue could be solved by her putting in extra effort to control the water flow later! Plan successful!

Shiko immediately pushed her back with a dark expression. "Sorry, Ichiri, going to the restroom together is a bit too youthful and JK for me..."

It's over! I forgot that some things can't be said directly to this Shiko! Ichiri regretfully lost her last chance! She curled up at the stern of the boat, watched Nijika give her a regretful expression, then quietly followed behind Shiko, and the two returned one after the other.

As Ichiri trembled uncontrollably, the two boats set off one after the other. Roselia went ahead, doing their usual things: Sayo practiced her guitar, Lisa chatted with Yukina, Ako tinkered with her dark magic with a "kukuku," occasionally showing off to Rinko.

And Ichiri—she put a significant distance between herself and the others, controlling the water flow while trying her best to minimize her presence.

Away from her familiar surroundings, with Kessoku Band not by her side... Ichiri felt like she had returned to the time before she knew Shiko, with an invisible barrier between herself and the world, the very air feeling heavy. The vibrant colors on both banks seemed dulled by a gray filter, and everyone seemed to ignore her, yet their whispers seemed to be filled with her name... It wasn't that the members of Roselia weren't good people, but she had no idea how to interact with them alone... Ichiri curled up further, hiding behind a small cardboard box. If only someone could tell her what to do right now...

Ichiri looked behind her. What were Kessoku Band doing?

"Summer, summer, summer, A-Natsuhi summer, A-Ji-Ji, A-Ji-Ji, Mop wash~" Cheerful singing came from behind.

At karaoke!

There was no accompaniment, but Shiko was singing a cappella, looking carefree!

Ichiri was deeply struck! In a state of extreme anger, Ichiri comprehended a way to compress herself further, successfully hiding more than half of her body behind the cardboard box.

(As expected, they don't need me...) A tear rolled down Ichiri's eye.

In reality, Shiko's side was also in a panic!

Ichiri looks like she's crying... Shiko nudged Nijika. While outwardly appearing to paddle and sing happily, the four were communicating with their eyes.

--Are we going too far? Won't Gotou-san be angry with us?

--This situation is completely within the plan! Don't panic!

--Still talking about plans! Abandoning her like this is too heartless, I shouldn't have agreed!

--Bocchi, fun.

--Let's see what Roselia does first! Didn't we discuss it with them!

At this moment, Rinko was also paying attention to Ichiri. Ichiri's curled-up posture reminded her of her past self. She also couldn't speak to people or try new things. It wasn't until she met Ako, and through Ako met Roselia, that Rinko began to change step by step.

So, Rinko sat down next to Ichiri. She left a comfortable distance between them, a distance that both understood and was comfortable for someone with social anxiety.

Although startled, Ichiri felt a measure of relief upon seeing it was Rinko. Among Roselia, Lisa was the gentlest, but due to their resonance, she was closest to Rinko.

Rinko spoke.

"Gotou-san, are you... wanting to go back to that ship?"

Chapter 17: Ichiri... Takes a Step Forward

"Gotou-san, do you want to... go back to that ship?"

Rinko directly voiced Ichiri's thoughts. Ichiri hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"You can," Rinko said. Ichiri looked up. Rinko continued, "I'll go... and bring Wu-san over."

"But if I do that... I think I'll get just as nervous as Gotou-san and want to come back immediately..." Rinko's nervous expression was clearly genuine. Just as Ichiri was unaccustomed to interacting with Roselia, Rinko hadn't fully gotten used to Kessoku Band either.

Ichiri lowered her head again.

"But... in the end, I might try... to join their conversations..."

Ichiri's head lifted again.

"Before... I was just like Gotou-san... hiding in a corner..."

Rinko slowly recounted her experiences to Ichiri.

"At first... I didn't even dare to go to a livehouse... The first time I went, Ako dragged me there... At the time, I was terrified by the crowd under the stage... I almost fainted..." Recalling the past, Rinko unconsciously smiled.

Listening to Rinko's story, Ichiri remembered her first time going to a livehouse with Shiko.

"And... when I joined Roselia, I said... I can't perform in front of people... Yukina-san said she didn't need a keyboardist who couldn't play..."

However, Ichiri remembered Rinko's flawless performances. Clearly, she had long since overcome that difficulty.

"At the time... I gathered my courage and said I would overcome this difficulty..."

"I kept taking one step, then another... Although I'm still scared of crowded places... I've already made a huge change..."

"Now, I'm the student council president of Hanasakigawa..."

Student... president? Ichiri's impression of the student council was basically the confident speeches at the opening ceremony and the occasional flyers full of youthful energy. Could someone similar to her, like Rinko, become the student council president? She couldn't help but doubt it. But then she remembered that Shiko seemed to have mentioned it.

"Sorry... I think I've been talking about myself the whole time..." Rinko snapped back to reality, having finished speaking.

"It's okay, thank you very much for your words, Rinko," Ichiri had unconsciously relaxed a little. "But... can someone like me... really do it?"

Although Rinko spoke slowly, always pausing as if very nervous, she had become an "unreachable" presence in Ichiri's heart.

"If I could, I'd also like to get along with everyone in Roselia," Ichiri carefully chose her words. "But it's too scary to interact with so many people, especially, especially Yukina-san and Sayo-san..."

"Then... let's take a small step first."

"Start with me... step by step... becoming friends with everyone..." Rinko extended her hand to Ichiri. "Gotou-san... please take care of me..."

But then she saw Ichiri's eyes go blank.

"So... we weren't really friends before...?" she mumbled.

Rinko realized she had said the wrong thing, but didn't know how to fix it. "Friends... were we... not... before...?" she could only stammer.

What exactly counted as a friend? Neither of them knew the precise definition. After all, they were both people who weren't good at socializing.

Friends... Everyone in Roselia certainly... Does Kessoku Band count... I guess so... but we haven't even talked much... Classmates... I don't even remember most of their names... The student council... does that count? Ultimately, does being friends just mean we've said a few words... or do we need to do things together... We've traveled with Kessoku Band for a long time... but I really don't talk to them often...

Although I haven't spoken much with everyone in Roselia, being told that we weren't friends before really hurts. Speaking of which, the members of Kessoku Band have never asked me if we're friends. Could it be that they don't consider me a friend either? At least Shiko said something, right? Did she? I can't remember at all. Could it all be my wishful thinking? Are they just playing with me because they have nothing better to do? Should I commit seppuku for my own delusions...

One of them was aimlessly waving her hands in the air, while the other was opening her mouth in a silent gasp.

Ako saw them and curiously came closer. "Rinrin, what are you guys doing... Huh?"

Seeing Ako, Rinko immediately felt relieved and quickly grabbed her hand, holding on a little tighter than usual.

"Wha-what, Rinrin?!" Ako had never seen her so proactive.

"Ako," Rinko asked urgently, "Does Gotou-san... count as our friend?"

Ako blinked for a second or two. "Yeah, of course she's our friend. But people don't usually ask questions like that, do they?"

Hearing Ako's words, Ichiri instantly returned to the real world.

Rinko then began to slowly explain what they had been talking about.

"I see..." Ako seemed to have never considered the question before. "Of course, both Roselia and Kessoku Band are my friends."

"Definitely," she threw herself onto Rinko, causing the boat to sway slightly. "Rinrin is my most important friend!" She looked incredibly happy.

Rinko's face flushed slightly. Ignoring Ako clinging to her, she continued speaking to Ichiri. "Gotou-san... I think... everyone definitely considers you a friend..."

"Th-then that's good..." Ichiri couldn't control her silly grin.

"(So easy to coax...)" This was the shared thought of both Ako and Rinko.

"Everyone, please pay attention, it's lunchtime--" Lisa's voice called out.

The boat stopped on a grassy area. As soon as Ichiri stepped off, she saw everyone from Kessoku Band bowing to her in unison—though Ryo looked like she was being forced.

"We are truly sorry!" Shiko said first.

"We shouldn't have deliberately isolated Gotou-san!" Kita added.

"It was all my idea, so blame me!" Nijika said.

"..." Ryo said nothing. Nijika poked her. "Ryo, say something."

Ryo thought for a moment. "...Didn't you guys already say everything?"

"..." The others ignored her and sat up straight. "Anyway, although our original intention was for Bocchi to get along with everyone in Roselia, if Bocchi really can't handle it then..."

"...It's fine," Ichiri said instead. Her facial muscles were stiff, but she forced herself to say it. "Although... I was scared at first, I want to try too, to take... a small step." Ichiri's gaze seemed incredibly determined.

"Ichiri..." Shiko was moved by her resolve.

"Of course, it would be even better if someone could accompany me..." Ichiri's cool facade lasted less than three seconds.

"That won't work. Four people paddling is already tiring enough," Ryo immediately refused.

"Heartless," someone muttered.

Watching the five of them, Lisa's lips curved into a slight smile. She had been paying attention to Ichiri all morning. However, she hadn't tried to approach her then. Someone like herself would put too much pressure on Ichiri, so having Rinko speak to her first was the best option. But it seemed like in the afternoon, she could try talking to her. She could also try to bring Yukina and Sayo along. She should find some conversation topics now. Otherwise...

Lisa could already picture the scene: the few of them gathered in a circle, only for Yukina, Sayo, Rinko, and Ichiri to be unable to say a single word. She found it a little amusing, so she started to laugh.

Chapter 18: New Song and New Song and New Song

During lunch break, Ichiri was still sitting with everyone from Kessoku Band, but she had already started trying to join the conversations within Roselia. Seeing this, the other members of Kessoku Band finally relaxed.

"Alright then," Nijika said, sitting on the grass with the five of them in a circle. "Let's discuss our next live show."