Star Rail: I, a Researcher, Joined the Chat Group

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Have You Found a Boyfriend?

Bocchi the Rock! World.

Gotoh Hitori looked at the ring that had appeared on her hand, her face flushing slightly as her heartbeat sped up.

Eh, eh?

So, when it came to accessories, she liked rings?

She had no idea at all...

But somehow...

It seemed pretty nice, too.

After all, it was a gift from a friend—and from someone as outstanding as Chen Mu.

That alone made Gotoh Hitori incredibly happy.

After all...

In Gotoh Hitori's memories...

This seemed to be the first time anyone had given her such a precious gift.

Hehe... hehe...

Gotoh Hitori wore a silly grin on her face.

To her...

Chen Mu was someone she admired.

He was so outstanding, so dazzling, as though every part of him sparkled.

He and someone as gloomy as her seemed to belong to two entirely different worlds.

That was why Gotoh Hitori admired Chen Mu so much.

Being able to receive a gift from Chen Mu was like receiving his acknowledgment. How could she not be happy?

Just then—

"Wow, Bocchi-chan is smiling so happily today!"

Ijichi Nijika and the others chatted and laughed as they pushed open the door and came in.

Seeing Gotoh Hitori sitting there with a foolish grin, they exclaimed in surprise.

"Rather than happy, I'd say it's starting to look a little creepy."

Yamada Ryō shuddered and said mercilessly.

"Eh? When did Gotoh-san get a ring on her hand? She didn't have it earlier."

Kita Ikuyo asked in surprise.

The three of them were all members of the same band as Gotoh Hitori.

Not long ago, after Gotoh Hitori followed Chen Mu's advice and brought her guitar to school twice—

Ijichi Nijika had picked her up in the park, and through a series of coincidences, they had formed their current band.

"It really is. What a beautiful ring."

Ijichi Nijika leaned in front of Gotoh Hitori and stared at the ring on her hand in surprise.

Gotoh Hitori's face was full of panic.

When Ijichi Nijika and the others came in, she had originally wanted to quickly hide it away, but she had reacted too slowly and hadn't made it in time.

Now, she neither knew whether to put it away nor leave it out.

Gotoh Hitori trembled as she froze in place.

"Wow, this ring looks really expensive."

Yamada Ryō looked at the ring in surprise, blinked, and asked, "Was it a gift from your boyfriend?"

"Ehhh?!" x3

At those words—

Gotoh Hitori, Ijichi Nijika, and Kita Ikuyo all cried out at the same time.

"Gotoh-san already has a boyfriend?!" Kita Ikuyo asked in disbelief.

Gotoh Hitori blushed crimson with embarrassment and shouted, "Of course not! It was just a gift from a friend!"

"That was loud. It's my first time hearing Bocchi-chan speak that loudly," Ijichi Nijika said in surprise.

Kita Ikuyo was even more shocked. "Gotoh-san has other friends besides us?"

Gotoh Hitori clutched her chest and looked at Kita Ikuyo with disappointment.

That was way too hurtful. Her natural obliviousness was terrifying.

"Getting worked up." Yamada Ryō said expressionlessly.

But her words felt like another arrow had pierced Gotoh Hitori's chest.

"No! It really was a gift from a friend! Besides you guys, I do have a few other friends, okay?!" Gotoh Hitori protested.

"Weren't those friends Bocchi-chan imagined? And wouldn't something like a ring only be given by a boy? If you accepted it, doesn't that mean you agreed to be with him?" Ijichi Nijika asked curiously and doubtfully.

Gotoh Hitori said, "He is a boy, but we're absolutely just friends! I'm telling you, this ring is amazing! It isn't just pretty—it has divine power inside it! If you ever run into danger, come find me! I'll protect you!"

"Ah... Gotoh-san, if you find a boyfriend, I'd suggest not acting like this. You might scare him away. And those imaginary friends of yours... it would be best to hide them around your boyfriend too." Kita Ikuyo suggested kindly, her face full of awkwardness.

"I told you, it's not like that! Why won't you believe me?! Imaginary... no, those friends are real, and the ring is real too!" Gotoh Hitori said.

For a while.

The three of them bickered noisily.

For Ijichi Nijika and Kita Ikuyo.

More than wondering where the ring had come from, they mostly found it amusing.

After all.

This kind of Bocchi-chan was simply too rare—actually loudly arguing back at them and all.

Yamada Ryō blinked and said, "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter."

Gotoh Hitori was immediately moved. Thinking Yamada Ryō had finally believed her, she looked at her expectantly.

A faint smile appeared on Yamada Ryō's face. She gave Gotoh Hitori a thumbs-up and said, "We're a band, not idols. Even if Bocchi-chan got a boyfriend, it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't affect anything."

Gotoh Hitori: "..."

So she still didn't believe her at all?

Meanwhile.

Oshi no Ko World.

"Ancestor, my dear ancestor, you're an idol. You can't wear a ring on your hand—that'll cause a huge problem!"

Saitō Ichigo pleaded bitterly with Hoshino Ai before him, utterly at a loss for words.

As an idol.

What idol wore a ring on her hand?

Wasn't that asking for trouble?

But by now, Hoshino Ai was already the face of the idol group B Komachi.

Saitō Ichigo really couldn't force her too much.

"Ehehe~ What does it matter? It's just an accessory."

A captivating smile appeared on Hoshino Ai's face as she happily looked at the beautiful ring on her hand.

"Of all the accessories you could choose, why did it have to be a ring? Any other accessory would be fine, but a ring is the one thing you can't wear. Absolutely not."

Saitō Ichigo said with an immense headache.

"What can I do? I just happen to like rings."

Hoshino Ai giggled and said.

She had chosen it "herself," so of course it had to be what she liked most.

In fact.

Hoshino Ai really did like it very much.

"Anyway, you can't wear that ring!" Saitō Ichigo said without hesitation.

Hoshino Ai was equally resolute. "That won't do. This ring can protect me."

Protect her...?

Like some kind of protective charm?

Saitō Ichigo truly didn't know what to say.

Why had he ended up with such a willful idol?

And yet.

Hoshino Ai's talent as an idol truly was unmatched.

He looked at the delighted expression on Hoshino Ai's face, at how much she loved the ring.

Saitō Ichigo's heart skipped a beat as an even more terrifying possibility occurred to him. He said:

"Ai, you haven't gotten a boyfriend, have you? I'm telling you, as an idol, having a boyfriend is absolutely unacceptable."

"Not yet... I'd like to, but it seems pretty difficult."

Hoshino Ai paused, then spoke with a completely serious expression.

Saitō Ichigo: "..."

Though he did not fully understand what she meant, he understood that she was not dating anyone, and that made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"If that's the case, Ai, then you absolutely cannot wear a ring! You need to know that once you put that on, there'll be people specifically investigating you! Your popularity now is nothing like it used to be!" Saitō Ichigo said.

Hoshino Ai did not care in the slightest and replied confidently:

"Let them investigate! It's just an accessory anyway! I'll tell the fans it's just an accessory too. If they can find anything, then good for them. We're not even from the same world. Besides, I've already put it on—there's no way I'm taking it off."

Seeing Hoshino Ai's resolute attitude, Saitō Ichigo was completely speechless.

He... accepted his fate.

Star Rail world.

Space Station.

After Chen Mu logged off.