Goto Hitori's Invitation

Bai Qiu glanced at Nagasaki Sosei, who was staring blankly, and thought she was in too much pain.

The fall just now had made quite a loud noise.

"Let me help you carry those."

Bai Qiu said, deciding to lend a hand. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get home either.

Hearing Bai Qiu's voice, Nagasaki Sosei finally snapped out of it.

Now wasn't the time to think about that!

"Ah, no, I couldn't possibly..."

After refusing, Nagasaki Sosei hurriedly got up, intending to move everything herself.

But the moment she took a step, pain shot through her ankle, leaving her unable to stay upright.

As she was about to fall again, Nagasaki Sosei fearfully closed her eyes.

Bai Qiu reacted quickly and caught her by the arm just in time.

"See? Let me do it. Besides, we'll be neighbors from now on."

Nagasaki Sosei, who attended an all-girls' academy, had never been this close to a boy before, and her pretty face couldn't help turning red.

Bai Qiu didn't think much of it. He could only feel the cool, soft arm and catch a faint, delicate fragrance.

"Then... sorry for the trouble."

Nagasaki Sosei murmured, her voice full of gratitude.

With her foot sprained too, it seemed she really couldn't move her luggage.

Bai Qiu first helped her to one side, then gathered up the items that had been scattered across the floor.

Otherwise, someone could easily trip again.

As they moved things, the two also learned a little about each other.

Bai Qiu learned that Nagasaki Sosei was a first-year high school student at the nearby Moon Forest Girls' Academy.

He knew of the school. It was a famous Noble School for girls.

No wonder Nagasaki Sosei looked so elegant and refined.

Nagasaki Sosei also learned that Bai Qiu, like her, was currently living alone in the apartment building.

He was a Celestial Dynasty Person, which gave Nagasaki Sosei an idea of how to repay him later.

Nagasaki Sosei also noticed that Bai Qiu had bought a lot of Instant Noodles, so he probably wasn't good at cooking.

Half an hour later.

After a busy stretch, Bai Qiu followed Nagasaki Sosei's directions and carried all the luggage into the empty space inside her apartment.

She could sort it out gradually later.

Bai Qiu let out a breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and couldn't help thinking that girls sure had a lot of luggage.

Unlike him—he could pack all his belongings into a single suitcase.

Once everything was moved, Bai Qiu picked up his Instant Noodles, ready to say goodbye and leave.

He'd better take a nice shower as soon as he got back.

"Thank you so much, Bai Qiu-kun."

Nagasaki Sosei thanked him solemnly, holding out a gift box with both hands.

"This? You really don't have to."

Bai Qiu felt a little embarrassed. He'd only helped carry some luggage.

But Nagasaki Sosei was firm. "Please accept it, Bai Qiu-kun. I don't know what I would've done today without you. And this is a gift from the Celestial Dynasty."

"Besides, in Japan, it's traditional for people who've just moved in to visit their neighbors with a gift. I hope we'll get along from now on."

Nagasaki Sosei explained gently, hoping Bai Qiu wouldn't refuse.

Bai Qiu thought it over. That did make sense.

He was also curious about what the gift from the Celestial Dynasty was.

Bai Qiu opened the box and saw Chinese characters written on it.

Wuyi Mountain Black Tea.

So it was black tea.

This stuff was quite valuable.

"Gulp..."

Bai Qiu was tempted.

A taste of home—well, in that case, he'd accept it.

Speaking of which, it reminded Bai Qiu of something.

He still hadn't given lovely Akari a return gift!

When she saw Bai Qiu accept it with a smile, Nagasaki Sosei relaxed a little and gave him a gentle smile.

It was one of her favorite kinds of tea, after all.

Bai Qiu returned home.

He opened a video-streaming site...

He enjoyed his food while soaking up short videos.

But in the back of his mind, Bai Qiu began reviewing what he'd gained that day.

[Becoming Goto Hitori's only friend in sixteen years: gained 500 Notes.]

[Inviting Goto Hitori to form a band together: gained 450 Notes.]

Bocchi-chan, you're so generous!

But Bocchi-chan, your life really is way too miserable...

Although the rewards were generous, Bai Qiu couldn't help laughing helplessly.

At least this was a Music Anime, and everyone was nice.

Otherwise, you'd definitely get bullied at school, Bocchi-chan.

But don't worry. You'll have more friends soon!

[Becoming Nagasaki Sosei's neighbor: gained 100 Notes.]

Bai Qiu was taken aback. He'd gotten a reward for his new neighbor too?

But it made sense. Girls from Noble Schools would naturally learn to play a few instruments.

Good thing he liked helping others. Looks like he'd better get on good terms with her.

So Bai Qiu now had over 6,000 Notes.

He looked at the items in the System Mall this week.

[Bass Lv3: 20,000 Notes]

[Single-Threaded Processor: 15,000 Notes]

[Eidetic Memory: 6,000 Notes]

[Absolute Pitch: 20,000 Notes]

[Drum Kit Lv1: 1,000 Notes]

[Piano Lv2: 6,000 Notes]

Oh-ho! Bai Qiu's face lit up with delight.

There were quite a few good items.

Wait, something was off.

Bai Qiu furrowed his brow.

There it was. Yui Hirasawa's [Absolute Pitch]—why had the price gone up again?!

Even if it hadn't, he still couldn't afford it.

System, what are you worried about?

Bai Qiu couldn't help cursing out loud.

But the system didn't answer him.

Judging by this, the number of Notes required for these skills might vary each time they appeared.

But the difference probably wouldn't be too great.

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Qiu decided to buy Piano Lv2.

Since he didn't have an Electronic Keyboard, he'd make do with the Piano Skill for now.

It was more or less the same.

Besides, Piano Lv2 would be enough for him to get by in Kessoku Band for a while.

After all, Goto Hitori was the only one who had reached a professional level so far.

They could improve together from here!

Once he joined the band, he'd probably start accumulating Notes much faster too.

Bai Qiu still really wanted Yui Hirasawa's [Absolute Pitch].

Forget about the single-threaded processor!

Correction: Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao isn't black tea, so I changed it to Wuyi Mountain Black Tea. There are quite a few varieties under that category, so I didn't specify one.

Goto Hitori's Invitation

The next morning arrived.

Breakfast was at eight. Bai Qiu left for school as usual.

He was waiting for the elevator in the spacious hallway.

Just then, Nagasaki Sosei came out of her apartment too. When she saw Bai Qiu, she greeted him politely.

"Go—good morning, Bai Qiu-kun."

Nagasaki Sosei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She'd almost used her school greeting.

"Morning, Nagasaki... classmate."

Bai Qiu looked at her, slightly surprised.

Unlike yesterday, when she'd been disheveled, covered in dust, and clumsy, today Miss Nagasaki Sosei was neatly dressed in a school uniform without a single wrinkle. A warm, gentle smile rested on her soft features.

At first glance, she looked like a rich young lady.

Yet she also seemed approachable, gentle, and considerate.

Seeing Bai Qiu's surprised expression, Nagasaki Sosei smiled faintly, feeling a little pleased with herself.

Yesterday's incident had felt so embarrassing to her.

"Is your foot okay now?"

Bai Qiu asked, lowering his head slightly.

Nagasaki Sosei remembered what had happened the day before, and her pretty face reddened, but she quickly composed herself.

"Mm, thanks for asking. It's much better after icing it overnight."

Bai Qiu nodded.

Since they were both heading to the Train Station, they couldn't help going the same way.