Takamatsu Tomo looked over curiously.
It was probably an electronic keyboard.
Takamatsu Tomo lowered her eyes and bowed her head.
Bai Qiu wiped away his very real sweat and was just about to speak.
Yui Hirasawa suddenly leaned in again.
"Wow! That smells amazing!"
"What's that delicious?"
Yui Hirasawa sniffed like a puppy.
Thankfully, Bai Qiu knew.
She wasn't talking about his sweat.
Bai Qiu pulled out another bag and waved it in front of Yui Hirasawa.
"Donuts!"
Yui Hirasawa looked excited.
Bai Qiu generously handed a donut to Yui Hirasawa.
Yui Hirasawa didn't hesitate at all and took several.
Then Bai Qiu looked at Takamatsu Tomo.
Bai Qiu looked a little puzzled.
Why was Tomo so dejected so early in the morning?
She looked like a sad little penguin.
"Tomo, good morning. Want a donut?"
"Good morning, Qiu."
She glanced at the plump donuts.
Takamatsu Tomo was tempted.
"Is that okay? But... aren't these your breakfast, Qiu?"
"Huh?! Breakfast?"
Yui Hirasawa looked over in alarm when she heard they were breakfast.
She already had most of a donut sticking out of her mouth, and the remaining third in her hand.
She ate so fast!
Bai Qiu smiled and shook his head at them.
"I can't eat all these by myself."
Bai Qiu lifted the bag again. It made a dull, heavy sound.
"Look, there are still plenty."
He'd bought twenty specifically to share with the two of them.
Yui and Tomo both relaxed.
Tomo carefully took one and said, "Thank you."
Yui Hirasawa declared confidently, "Leave it to me. I won't let any go to waste."
Bai Qiu started eating, too.
They tasted good, crisp and delicious.
They'd be even better with a cup of tea from the Light Music Club.
Unlike Bai Qiu and Yui, Takamatsu Tomo didn't put hers straight into her mouth.
Instead, she examined it with great interest.
Her eyes seemed to sparkle.
Donuts were so amazing.
They had two round circles.
Whoever invented donuts was a genius.
Holding it delicately, Takamatsu Tomo couldn't bear to ruin its beauty.
But it was a gift from Qiu.
She couldn't disappoint him.
Takamatsu Tomo bit her lip, caught in a dilemma.
Bai Qiu saw her and smiled.
He didn't say anything.
As long as Tomo liked it!
Still, he reminded her, "Tomo, there are more over here."
Caught, Takamatsu Tomo's cheeks reddened.
At last, she made up her mind and took a small bite.
Her way of eating was a striking contrast to Yui Hirasawa's.
Bai Qiu looked back at Yui.
Now that she had food,
she'd completely forgotten about the instrument she'd mentioned earlier.
But Bai Qiu could more or less guess what was going on.
So he reminded her, "Yui, that guitar you mentioned earlier..."
"Oh! Right."
"I forgot all about it."
Yui Hirasawa giggled as she bit into her donut.
"Gita actually costs 250,000 yen."
"It's 250,000 yen!"
Yui Hirasawa tried to count it out on her fingers, but realized she was holding a donut and gave up.
"I couldn't afford it even if I sold myself," Yui Hirasawa said dejectedly. She really liked Gita.
"How about I lend you the money?"
After a brief mental aside about how she'd named the guitar before even getting it, Bai Qiu made the offer.
Never mind his relationship with Yui Hirasawa.
For lending Yui that much money, whether or not she paid him back didn't matter.
Surely the system would give him some kind of reward.
Yui Hirasawa's ahoge twitched.
"Actually, I was planning to ask you to lend it to me anyway. Hehe..."
Yui Hirasawa said, a little embarrassed.
Her little sister didn't have much pocket money left, and neither did Hehe.
That left only Bai Qiu.
Then she could ask her parents for an advance on her future allowance.
And she'd be able to get Gita!
Bai Qiu froze. So she'd already had her eye on his money.
"How much pocket money do you have, Qiu?"
Yui Hirasawa asked.
"I can lend you 250,000 yen."
Soyo Came, Sakiko Left
Yui Hirasawa's mouth fell wide open in sheer amazement.
The donut between her teeth nearly slipped out, but she deftly swallowed it just in time.
Yui Hirasawa breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly. At least it hadn't fallen.
Seeing her reaction, Bai Qiu didn't know what to say.
"I didn't know you were so rich, Qiu!"
Yui Hirasawa looked at Bai Qiu and exclaimed in surprise, but quickly added:
"Wait, why do you have so much money?"
"You haven't done anything bad, have you?"
Thinking of illegal or criminal activities, Yui Hirasawa's face grew anxious.
She'd be heartbroken if her friend ended up in prison.
"My money's all legitimate."
"Don't worry."
Bai Qiu waved dismissively, perfectly at ease.
"Oh, I see... We're all the same age, too."
"Why am I not the one with money?"
Yui Hirasawa asked, sounding a little puzzled and a little sad.
But Bai Qiu stuffed her mouth with food.
The morning passed quickly. After school,
Bai Qiu wasn't planning to go to either the Light Music Club or the Astronomy Club today.
After saying goodbye to the two class mascots, he slung his guitar case over his back and got ready to call Goto Hitori so they could head to Starry together.
Come to think of it, he'd been neglecting little Bocchi lately.
She was his only friend at school, and yet he'd barely seen her.
He arrived at the back door of Bocchi-chan's classroom.
Although Bai Qiu had a guitar case on his back, it didn't attract much attention in this school, where music was everywhere. It was perfectly ordinary.
At least, that was what Bai Qiu thought.
She had just finished packing up her things. Her face, though quite pretty, was usually a little gloomy, but now it finally showed a faint smile.
Today, she finally had band practice.
"Bocchi, let's go to Starry together!"
A clear, cheerful voice suddenly reached Goto Hitori's ears.
Goto Hitori froze. Was someone calling her?
Did anyone at this school even know her name?!
Goto Hitori turned toward the classroom's back door in disbelief.
To make sure Hitori noticed him, Bai Qiu smiled and waved.
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