Nijika shaped both arms like a penguin and jumped up second, her voice unchanged. "Second—As one of the leaders, it's only natural for me to get on this boat."
"Of course I'm on the same boat as Nijika." Ryo stepped on. Judging by how low the raft sat in the water, it really could only take one more person at most.
Ichiri hadn't even reacted before Kita shouted, "Wherever Ryo-senpai is, I'll be there!" and flashed onto the boat.
There was no one left beside Ichiri.
What about me?
Her teammates wore blank expressions that said they weren't thinking about anything at all as they stared collectively at the sky.
What about me?
"Well then, Ichiri, come sit on our boat." Yukina-san's voice came from behind her. Ichiri turned around mechanically. Yukina Minato, Risa Imai, Sayo Hikawa, Rinko Shirokane, and Ako Udagawa stood behind her in a semicircle—some expressionless, some gentle and kind, some encouraging, and some innocently cheerful—firmly blocking every possible escape route.
Ribbit! Five heavily clothed dykes!
"Ahhhhh..." Ichiri began to melt!
Yesterday, Shiko, Nijika, and Kita had come up with the "Summer End Plan."
"The more I hear that name, the more ominous it sounds..." Kita was extremely sensitive about "naming things."
"Then we can just call it the 'Summer Unity Plan' instead," Shiko said. "In any case, the core of the plan is exposure therapy."
Exposure therapy, simply put, was a psychological treatment that corrected patients by putting them directly into the situations they feared most without any relaxation beforehand.
"Since we can't control the venue or the number of audience members, we can reduce the effect that unfamiliar audiences have on Ichiri's performance quality," Shiko said. "We need to improve her social skills. She's already familiar enough with us. Next, we need to teach her how to interact with Roselia." Although they had traveled together for a long time, Roselia still looked intimidating to Ichiri, so she certainly wouldn't be easy to approach.
"So we're supposed to create an opportunity for Little Bocchi to spend time alone with Roselia?" Nijika understood.
Kita didn't quite get it. "Isn't Roselia already very familiar with us?"
Shiko nodded, ignoring the despicable extrovert. "Correct."
And so, Shiko showed no mercy as she left her own kind stranded in a desperate situation. Did she regret it? Did her heart ache at the sight before her?
No! No! No!
She was desperately controlling her laughter, half in the mood to watch the show and half thinking, It's all for your own good!
Once she realized this scene had been planned in advance, Ichiri's despair became tangible—from her feet upward, she froze into an ice sculpture on the spot.
"Huh? What's going on? Ichiri?!" Ako had never seen anything like this.
Kessoku Band, however, had long since grown used to it. "She's probably preventing her melted self from running all over the place. No big deal."
"What? Is she even human?"
In the end, Rinko carried the frozen lump that was Ichiri onto the boat along with the luggage.
"Generally speaking, how long does she need to recover?" Yukina asked Kessoku Band. They needed Ichiri in order to set off.
"She'll be fine in a moment." Kita smiled and conjured a fireball.
Before Kita could begin, however, Shiko suddenly felt a stomachache coming on. She quickly stood up. "Sorry for the trouble, I need to use the bathroom first." With that, she jumped ashore and was about to run off. Under Rinko's startled gaze, Ichiri instantly recovered and jumped onto the bank after her. "Let me come with you!"
Ichiri couldn't let Shiko use the bathroom alone. They had overlooked that once before, and nearly lost Shiko! If she could secure the position of "Shiko's supervisor," then return with Shiko, she could naturally sit on the same boat! At worst, she could just put in a little more effort to control the current and deal with the weight problem! Perfect plan!
Shiko immediately pushed her back with dark lines covering her face. "Sorry, Ichiri, but going to the bathroom together is a little too youthful and JK-like for me..."
I'm doomed! I forgot there were some things I couldn't say directly to this Shiko! Ichiri had lost her final chance! She curled up at the stern, watched Nijika give her a regretful look, and secretly followed behind Shiko. The two of them returned one after the other.
As Ichiri trembled nonstop, the two boats set off one after the other. Roselia traveled ahead, doing their usual things: Sayo practiced guitar, Lisa chatted with Yukina, and Ako studied her dark magic with a "kukuku," occasionally showing off to Rinko.
As for Ichiri—she had fallen far behind everyone else. While controlling the current, she desperately tried to minimize her presence.
Away from familiar surroundings, with the members of Kessoku Band nowhere near her... Ichiri felt as if she had returned to the days before meeting Shiko. An invisible membrane separated her from the world, and even the air felt heavy. The vivid colors on both banks seemed covered by a gray filter. It was as if no one had noticed her, yet their whispers seemed to contain her name... It wasn't that Roselia's members were bad people, but Ichiri had no idea how to interact with them when she was alone... She curled herself up even further and hid behind a small cardboard box. If only someone could tell me what to do...
Ichiri looked behind her. What were the members of Kessoku Band doing?
"Summer, summer, summer, A-Zu-summer, A-Ji-Ji, A-Ji-Ji, washing the mop~" A cheerful song drifted over from behind.
They're doing karaoke!
There was no accompaniment, but Shiko was singing a cappella and looked carefree!
Ichiri was devastated! In a fit of extreme fury, Ichiri realized how to compress herself even further and successfully hid most of her body behind the cardboard box.
"(As expected, they don't need me...)" A tear slid from the corner of Ichiri's eye.
In reality, Shiko's group was panicking too!
Ichiri looks like she's crying... Shiko poked Nijika. While pretending to happily sing and row at the same time, the four of them exchanged glances.
—Did we take it too far? Gotou-san isn't going to get angry with us, is she?
—This is completely within the plan! Don't panic!
—Don't talk to me about the plan! Abandoning her like that really was too heartless. I shouldn't have agreed to it!
—Bocchi, fun.
—Let's see what Roselia does first! Didn't we discuss this with them?
At that moment, Rinko was also watching Ichiri. Ichiri's curled-up posture in the corner reminded her of her former self. She, too, had once been afraid to speak to people or come into contact with new things. It wasn't until she met Ako, and then encountered Roselia through Ako, that Rinko began changing herself step by step.
So Rinko sat down beside Ichiri, leaving the unspoken distance that was more comfortable for two socially anxious people.
Ichiri was startled, but when she saw that Rinko had come over, she relaxed somewhat. Lisa was the gentlest member of Roselia, but because they resonated with each other, Ichiri still felt closest to Rinko.
Rinko spoke.
"Gotou-san, do you... want to return to that boat?"
Chapter 17: Ichiri... Takes a Step Forward
"Gotou-san, do you... want to return to that boat?"
Rinko stated Ichiri's thoughts directly. Ichiri hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"You can." Rinko said this instead. Ichiri raised her head. Rinko continued, "I'll go over there... and have Wu-san come here."
"But if I did that... I'd probably get nervous and want to hurry back too, just like you, Gotou-san..." Rinko's nervous expression was clearly genuine. Just as Ichiri wasn't used to interacting with Roselia, Rinko still hadn't completely become familiar with Kessoku Band.
Ichiri lowered her head again.
"But... in the end, I might try... to join their conversation..."
Ichiri raised her head again.
"I used to... curl up in a corner too... just like you, Gotou-san..."
Rinko slowly told Ichiri about her experiences.
"At first... I didn't even dare go to a live house... The first time, Ako dragged me there... I was frightened by the crowd below the stage... I almost fainted..." As she recalled the past, Rinko unconsciously smiled.
Listening to Rinko's story, Ichiri remembered the first time she had gone to a live house with Shiko.
"And... when I joined Roselia, I said... I couldn't perform in front of people... Yukina-san told me they didn't need a keyboardist who couldn't perform..."
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 it..."
"I kept taking one step, then another... I'm still afraid of crowded places... but I've made tremendous progress..."
"Now, I'm already the student council president of Hanasakigawa..."
A student... council president? Ichiri's impression of student councils was basically the confident speeches at opening ceremonies and the flyers full of youthful energy she occasionally saw. Could someone like Rinko, someone similar to herself, really become a student council president? She couldn't help doubting it. Then she remembered that Shiko had indeed mentioned this before.
"Sorry... I seem to have been talking about myself this whole time..." When she came back to herself, Rinko had already finished.
"It's fine. Thank you very much for telling me, Rinko." Ichiri had relaxed a little without realizing it. "But... can someone like me really do it?"
Although Rinko spoke very slowly, pausing between words and appearing extremely nervous, she had already become an unattainable existence in Ichiri's eyes.
"If possible, I'd also like to get along with everyone in Roselia." Ichiri carefully considered her words. "But talking with so many people is terrifying. Especially Yukina-san and Sayo-san..."
"Then... take one small step first."
"Start with me... One step at a time... and become friends with everyone..." Rinko extended a hand toward Ichiri. "Gotou-san... please take care of me..."
But she saw Ichiri's eyes go blank.
"So... we couldn't really be considered friends before...?" she murmured.
Rinko realized she had said the wrong thing, but she didn't know how to fix it. "Friends... no... before... did it... not count...?" All she could do was stumble over her words.
What counted as friendship? Neither of them knew the precise definition. After all, neither was good at socializing.
Friends... Roselia's members definitely are... Does Kessoku Band count...? I guess so... But it feels like I haven't even spoken to them that much... My classmates... I haven't remembered most of their names... The student council... Does that count? When all's said and done, does being friends mean having spoken a few words... or do you have to do something together...? Kessoku Band and we've traveled together for so long... But I really don't talk to them often...
Although Ichiri really hadn't spoken much with Roselia's members, being told outright that they hadn't counted as friends before still hurt. Come to think of it, the members of Kessoku Band had never asked whether they were friends. Could it be that they had never considered her a friend either? At least Shiko had said it, right? Had she? Ichiri couldn't remember at all. Could everything have been wishful thinking on her part? Had they only been playing around with her for fun? Should this self-important Ichiri disembowel herself in apology...?
One of them could only wave her hands helplessly in the air, while the other opened her mouth in a soundless scream.
Ako noticed them and approached curiously. "Rinrin, what are you doing... Huh?"
When Rinko saw Ako, she immediately calmed down and hurriedly grabbed her hand, squeezing slightly harder than usual.
"W-wait, Rinrin?!" Ako had never seen her act so proactively.
"Ako," Rinko asked urgently, "is Gotou-san... our friend?"
Ako froze for a second or two. "Of course she is. She's our friend. Though people don't usually ask that kind of question, right?"
Hearing Ako's words, Ichiri instantly returned to the world.
Only then did Rinko slowly explain what they had been discussing.
"Oh..." Ako looked as if she had never considered the question. "Roselia and Kessoku Band are both my friends, of course."
"Of course." She threw herself onto Rinko, making the boat rock slightly. "Rinrin is my most important friend!" She looked extremely happy.
Rinko's face flushed slightly. Ignoring Ako hanging from her, she continued speaking to Ichiri. "Gotou-san... I think... everyone definitely considers you a friend..."
"Th-that's good..." Ichiri couldn't control the foolish grin spreading across her face.
"(She's so easy to cheer up...)" Ako and Rinko shared the same thought.
"Everyone, pay attention—the lunch break is over—" Lisa's voice rang out.
The boats stopped beside a meadow. As soon as Ichiri stepped off, she saw the members of Kessoku Band bowing to her in perfect unison—though Ryo looked as if she had been forced to do it.
"We're very sorry!" Shiko spoke first.
"We shouldn't have deliberately isolated Gotou-san!" Then Kita.
"It was my idea, so blame me!" Nijika said.
"..." Ryo said nothing. Nijika poked her. "Ryo, say something."
Ryo thought for a moment. "...Didn't you already say everything?"
"..." The others stopped bothering with her and straightened up. "Anyway, although our intention was to help Little Bocchi get along with everyone in Roselia, if Little Bocchi really couldn't accept it, then..."
"...It's fine." Ichiri said this instead. The muscles in her face were stiff, but she forced herself to say it. "Although... it was scary at first, I want to try it too. To take... a small step forward." Ichiri's gaze was incredibly determined.
"Ichiri..." Shiko was moved by her resolve.
"Of course, it would be even better if someone could keep me company..." Ichiri's coolness lasted less than three seconds.
"No can do. Four people rowing is already exhausting enough." Ryo rejected her instantly.
"Cold." Someone muttered a complaint.
Watching the five of them, Lisa smiled faintly. She had been keeping an eye on Ichiri all morning too. However, she hadn't tried approaching her then. Someone like Lisa would put too much pressure on her, so letting Rinko speak to her first had been the best choice. But it seemed that in the afternoon, Lisa could try talking to her herself. She could also try bringing Yukina and Sayo along. She should find a topic now. Otherwise...
Lisa could almost see the scene: the group sitting in a circle, with Yukina, Sayo, Rinko, and Ichiri unable to say a single word. She found it a little amusing and laughed.
Chapter 18: A New Song, and Another New Song, and Another New Song
During the lunch break, Ichiri still sat with the members of Kessoku Band, but she had begun trying to join Roselia's conversations. Seeing this, the other members of Kessoku Band finally relaxed.
"Well then." Nijika sat on the grass as the five formed a circle. "Let's discuss our next live performance."
Before you continue