Chapter 125

As she became increasingly lost in her own world, Sakurakoji Talent also nearly came to an end.

"Frozen world を (in the frozen world)"

"がるようにした(run out without fear even if you fall down)"

"Oh~ Oh~ Oh~~ Oh yeah~ yeah~ yeah~~"

After singing the last two lines, the guitar strings continued to emit a final solo roar, and after a dozen seconds, the song ended in a gradually fading and lingering melody.

Sparse applause and cheers rang out, but it was all irrelevant, because from the start of the performance, his attention had been fixed on the girl in the vest.

Unlike her initial obvious feelings of inferiority and dejection, a faint, almost foolish smile now graced her face as she clapped her hands with a forced (weak) effort.

Well, although she didn't smile much and her clapping was rather weak, she still tried her best, didn't she?

Compared to that, as he gazed at her figure, he was more preoccupied with another question.

Can a name really influence a person's life Trajectory?

Why is her name Gotoh (Gotou Hitori)? Is her life truly so lonely? And why is her sister Gotou Twin (Gotou Futari)? Is her personality so arrogant?

Why is Ms. Kita Ikuyo, and why did she actually come and go in the story, and then come back again?

Why did Kasumigaoka Utaha become Utaha, and then she actually became a writer?

Why is Hiratsuka Shizuka called Hiratsuka Shizuka... yet her life has been anything but peaceful?

Why is his name Sakurakoji Talent? Because he's truly that Talent in his entire life!!!

This is a philosophical question worth pondering and exploring; it might even influence the course of human history. He stroked his chin and nodded with deep feeling.

However, now is not the time to think about these things.

He looked up at Gotou Hitori, and he could feel her tremble the moment his gaze locked onto her.

"..."

Is it really necessary? Sakurakoji Talent is somewhat comical.

He's not some kind of demon, just a bad guy. Do we need to be so wary of him?

However, precisely because he is a bad person, he has no intention of letting go of this Shiro-chan, who is the easiest to deal with so far.

He raised his hand, making a gun gesture with his fingers, pointed at Gotou Hitori, and called out in a pleasant, androgynous voice, "Hey, you pink-haired guy over there!"

"!!!" Gotou Hitori was shocked. He looked left and right, trying to find the other pink-haired people around him.

But the result left her in despair; there wasn't a single person next to her, let alone anyone with pink hair!

Finally, she gave up thinking and pointed tremblingly at herself with her fingertip.

"Yes! That's right! It's you!" Sakurakoji Talent nodded with certainty. "Could you please come over here for a moment?"

"W-Why?!!" With her last glimmer of hope shattered, Gotou Hitori felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and the joy she had just been immersed in instantly vanished.

She now felt as if she had fallen into hell—and that demons were beckoning to her.

But she didn't even have the courage to refuse. Knowing it was a dead end, she could only reluctantly move forward step by step, getting closer and closer to the abyss.

Why me? There were so many people around clapping!

'I want to escape, I want to refuse, I want to go home...'

'But if someone with Social Anxiety Disorder had the courage to say no, they wouldn't be Social Anxiety Disorder.'

'Ugh...'

Image: "Bocchi-chan finally makes her appearance!", Location: "Images/1760275430-100446961-113962241. jpg"

P. S.: Some readers have commented that the plot after the start of the school year isn't very interesting, and I think I understand where the problem lies.

One possibility is that I've been using a lot of plot devices and tropes in my recent writing, which might be unfamiliar to readers who aren't very familiar with the Bang Dream! universe.

Another issue is that when writing about the female character and her everyday personality, I may have subconsciously divided her personality into two parts to disguise herself, which made the female character too "dignified" and not interesting enough, and perhaps a bit disjointed. I will try to unify them later.

The focus for the foreseeable future will be on stabilizing the existing characters' relationships and the plot, coinciding with the formal events involving the Girls Band Cry characters taking place in a month or two.

(Actually, I've been struggling a bit with this writing these past few days. I didn't know how to arrange the dialogue and plot in the school scenes, but I have a general idea now. The following will mainly continue the style of the previous ones.)

If you have any questions, please ask them at the end of each chapter. I'll take note.

Putting it in the main comments section might be affected by readers who haven't read the later parts of the story, so I don't really care about the number of likes there, since most of them haven't read to the end. However, I will still read and reply to serious and specific comments there.

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 165 Perhaps they have a lot in common?

When Gotou Hitori approached, Sakurakoji Talent carefully examined the pink-clad high school girl who clearly had Social Anxiety Disorder.

Hmm, how come this child hasn't been kidnapped yet?

They neither know how to (or dare to) refuse, and they have the personality of a wild serpent that freezes in place after being told a few more words.

Could it be that her avoidance of eye contact makes her seem similar to Touma Kazusa's aloof and cold demeanor to those unaware of the truth?

The difference is too big!

However, if you only look at their figures and looks, they do look somewhat alike.

Hmm~

So, in this damn world that only cares about looks, as long as you have some good looks, regardless of your personality or character, you'll always find a great scholar to debate with you.

Simply standing there, without saying a word, is a form of silent bullying to those around you.

Wait a minute! Could it be that I was perceived this way by others these past few days while I was at Hanasakigawa?

Sakurakoji Talent lowered his head and crossed his arms, reflecting on his performance over the past two days.

"That..."

Seeing that Sakurakoji Talent hadn't spoken for a long time, Gotou Hitori grew increasingly frightened. He mustered his courage, raised his hand tremblingly, and called out in an almost inaudible voice, trying to remind the person in front of him.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I spaced out for a second." He scratched his hair and looked up to look directly at her face.

Why not her eyes? Because no matter how he moved his body, he couldn't make eye contact with her—this child might have some kind of talent.

"Well, first, let me introduce myself. My name is Sakurakoji Talent." He gestured as he introduced himself. "Alright, your turn."

'Huh?! It's gone just like that?' Gotou Hitori was shocked.

But after pausing for two seconds, he honestly replied, "My name is Gotou Hitori, and I'm a first-year student at Shuuka High School."

"Hitori -chan, you..."

'Calling me by my name right off the bat?!' Gotou Hitori trembled, her Ahoge (cowlick) tied with a yellow and blue fruit candy hair tie bobbing up and down.

"Actually, Hitori -chan, you..."

"Hi..." Gotou Hitori responded softly.

"You do play musical instruments, don't you?" He closed his eyes slightly, his tone certain.

"Huh?" Upon hearing this conclusion, she looked up in surprise, Kokoro met his gaze, and then quickly looked away.

"Oh, why would you think that?"

"Intuition!" Sakurakoji Talent snapped his fingers crisply and continued his explanation (nonsense): "The moment I saw you, I knew it. You were surrounded by an aura similar to mine, so you must be playing a musical instrument."

"And it's very likely a guitar! Right?"

"Ah, um, um..." Gotou Hitori's eyes darted around, unsure whether she should answer the question about whether she was actually practicing guitar and was a somewhat well-known blogger.

The other person doesn't seem suspicious, but they also don't seem like a normal person. Should I tell the truth?

But he said I exude the same aura as him, hehehe... Does that mean in other people's eyes, I'm just as dazzling as he is? It's so embarrassing!

"Gurgle, hehe..."

"..." This child is hopeless. Seeing her silently immersed in her own world, Sakurakoji Talent made this judgment in his heart.

"Hey--Are you alright, Moshi Moshi?" He waved in front of her, trying to wake her.

"Ah..." Gotou Hitori realized her mistake and quickly apologized for her rudeness, "I-I'm sorry! I just...!"

'Ugh! I haven't spoken in so long, my voice is stuck in my throat!' She wriggled her limbs in pain, her once beautiful face now displaying a complete breakdown in her facial expressions.

"Calm down, just talk slowly." Sakurakoji Talent said, unplugging the guitar's power cord and putting away the equipment beside him.

The few remaining people around him, seeing him packing up, also dispersed and left.

"Okay," she finally managed to say after a moment's hesitation.

'What should I do? Should I tell the truth? But I don't know if the other person is a good person.'

'No, but it's so rare for someone to talk to me like this. If I miss this opportunity, I might really end up alone for the rest of my life!'

'Go for it, Gotou Hitori! Isn't this the opportunity you've been dreaming of? And the other side is a band member who looks really cool!'

'Go for it!! Fight!!!!'

After hesitating for a moment, she decided to tell the truth, "Oh, well, I did play guitar for a few years."

"I knew it! I knew my gut feeling was right!" Sakurakoji Talent picked up the speaker and glanced at her sideways.

It's kind of funny how this kid always adds "ah~" before her words. Doesn't it give off a kind of submissive vibe? Although she definitely is.

Suki!

"Oh! Aren't you going to continue the performance?" Gotou Hitori asked quickly, noticing that he seemed to be packing up to leave.

"Yes, I have to go to work later. What I just played was just an impromptu performance."

"Oh, I see. That's a real pity..."

She quite liked the other person's singing, but unfortunately she only got to hear one song.

"Well then, I'll head home now. Goodbye, Sakurakoji-san..."

"Huh?" Seeing her turn to leave, Sakurakoji Talent quickly grabbed her arm. "What are you saying? You're coming with me too!"

He came here this afternoon to fish, and now he's finally caught one. But the fish says it wants to go back to the river to find its mother. Is that right?

"Huh?" Gotou Hitori froze. "Eh!!!!"

"Why, why, why?!"

She frantically waved her hands in refusal. "No, no, no, my meat doesn't taste good!"

"... What on earth are you thinking?"

Sakurakoji Talent's lips twitched vigorously. With Ichiji Nijika not around, was he the only one left to do this kind of sarcastic commentary?

"Anyway, it's not what you think. Just come with me—you won't refuse, will you?" His eyes flashed, and he gave her a sharp look.

"H-How could that be... I'll go."

"Very good, then follow me." He smiled gently and led the way. "Also, from now on, just call me Talent or Mr. Talent."

"..."

"And the answer?"

"Hi!"

"Yo-ho-shi, I'll treat you to something to eat later."

Ten minutes later, the two arrived at the entrance to the Starry.

"We're here, this is it."

'The Demon Realm?' Looking at the dark passage leading underground, Gotou Hitori's forehead was creased with worry as he stared uneasily at the stairs beneath his feet.

"This is where I work, a livehouse called 'STARRY'. Let's go in."

'So this is a livehouse?' Hearing his explanation, Gotou Hitori relaxed, her expression softening into a wide, exaggerated facial expression.

'Thank goodness it wasn't anything suspicious, that's great!'

After descending the stairs and pushing open the door at the bottom, Sakurakoji Talent greeted her as usual, "Good morning~"