"Eu yeah eu yeah, Come on baby…"
Gotoh Hitori was still lost in her own world, twisting and dancing nonstop, clearly super into it, completely forgetting her usual self and not noticing at all that people had already gathered behind her.
"Oh oh yeah…"
Gotoh Hitori spun around. Her voice cut off abruptly. She saw a crowd around her.
Her dad Gotoh Naoki was clutching a red string tightly, rubbing his hands together—whether praying or exorcising, no one could tell.
Her mom Gotoh Michiyo had her hands clasped tightly, looking a bit worried as she suggested: "Mom knows a really good spiritual medium."
Her little sister Gotoh Futari had put the sunglasses she just took off onto the dog and was grinning happily.
And little dog Jimihen happily wagged his tail, tongue out, walking over to Saiki as if showing off his new look.
Gotoh Hitori finally noticed Saiki. Her expression changed to shock and she stammered: "W-Wait wait wait… why is Saiki here?!"
"Saiki-oniichan seems like he came to see big sis."
Saiki looked down at the little dog circling his feet, patted its head, and met its gaze while both turned toward Gotoh Hitori.
[Actually I know someone at a temple who can see ghosts. Maybe they could help you. Oh wait, if you're not comfortable, I can take a look for you.]
Saiki spoke with a concerned tone, while the shock in Gotoh Hitori's mind kept expanding.
"N-N-No no no, it's a misunderstanding!!!"
...Ten minutes later.
Saiki sat on the tatami in Gotoh Hitori's room, took a sip of hot tea, and set it on the table.
[This tea is really good!]
"Wuu wuu wuu~"
A strange noise came from the closet beside Saiki.
[By the way, this room's decoration is getting simpler and simpler.]
"Wuu wuu wuu ∽"
Saiki: ...
Saiki stood up, walked to the closet with the four big characters "No! Peeking! Allowed!" written on it, and knocked lightly.
[Okay okay, come out already. It's a secret hideout~ I shouldn't peek, but… wait, no, I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't peek. I just stood there for a second and came in. This isn't my fault at all.]
Saiki suddenly realized he hadn't done anything wrong and didn't need to apologize.
"Wuu wuu wuu ∽"
[Come out already! I'm opening the closet.]
Saiki reached out and pulled the closet door open. Inside, like a startled rabbit, Gotoh Hitori clung tightly to her guitar in the corner, slowly turning her head with a few "tears" still on her face as she looked at him.
The closet seemed like another world—dim, cramped, peaceful. A small lamp was lit, and the walls were covered in band posters.
(So that's why she likes staying in cardboard boxes. It's because they give the same dark, enclosed space feeling!)
Saiki reached out and poked Gotoh Hitori.
[You okay?]
"Not okay! I want to stay in my world."
[The closet world? Don't worry, I already forgot.]
"Liar."
[What's the big deal? I've already seen plenty of your middle school black history. You don't need to react this much. Like that time someone greeted in your direction, you responded, then realized they were talking to the person behind you, and…]
"Stop it already (๑•́₃ •̀๑)!!"
Gotoh Hitori dropped her guitar, lunged out of the closet, and tackled him. Just hearing that much had already broken her. She couldn't let Saiki keep going—she couldn't take it anymore.
Gotoh Hitori [Ugh, why does remembering that still feel so real? I really… really just want to die right now!!]
Gotoh Hitori knelt on the floor and slammed her forehead against it repeatedly.
[Finally back to normal. Mm-hm, good.]
"Where's the good?!"
...
After calming down, Gotoh Hitori touched her reddened forehead and asked in confusion: "But wait, why are you at my house anyway?"
(Only noticing now?)
Gotoh Hitori [I remember Saiki rarely comes here. Even back in middle school, he only came a few times.]
Gotoh Hitori counted on her fingers [Once, twice, three times, four times… yeah, only four times. Why come find me this time? Ah, but my room isn't cleaned up. Compared to last time, it's even less girly now. Honestly this doesn't look like a normal high school girl's room at all. It's more like a shut-in's.]
(Pretty much what I expected. If it were suddenly all girly, that would actually surprise me.)
Anyway, Saiki had seen plenty of high school girls' rooms. They were just normal, right? Some were pink and dreamy, he'd seen lots of chuuni-style horror ones too…
Gotoh Hitori [Should I clean it up a bit? Otherwise if other friends come over in the future… there probably will be, right? Probably maybe never in my lifetime.]
Thinking that decades from now, aside from family, no one might ever step into her room again, Gotoh Hitori gave a slightly relieved smile.
(No need to be that depressed. A lifetime is exaggerating, bro.)
Gotoh Hitori shook her head and looked at Saiki [Even if it's Saiki, seeing such a messy room… would he hate me? No way, if even Saiki abandons me, then I…]
In Gotoh Hitori's mind played out a 100,000-word dramatic tragedy: herself as a stray puppy taken in by Saiki. At first things were okay, but gradually because she was too lazy and refused to change.
Saiki looked at her with disappointed eyes, then abandoned her.
Gotoh Hitori walked alone through wind and rain, eating trash, bullied by other strays, curling up alone in ice and snow slowly dying.
Gotoh Hitori _____λ...___丬 Don't go~~
(That's way too dramatic.)
[Ahem, anyway, I heard from Nijika and the others that you've been stressing out a lot lately trying to write lyrics for the band. They were worried, so I came to check on you.]
Saiki cut straight to the point, slicing through the 100,000-word tragic drama playing in Gotoh Hitori's head.
"Oh oh, s-so that's why!"
Gotoh Hitori scratched her head and smiled awkwardly. She seemed to have overthought things earlier.
[So you're actually helping write lyrics for the band. Was this your own idea or…]
"Um… well, it kinda… happened…"
[I get it.]
Saiki cut her off directly. Asking was pointless anyway.
Gotoh Hitori saw Saiki interrupt and knew—he had already guessed how it went.
Thinking back on how Saiki had always seen through her from the past until now, Gotoh Hitori was starting to suspect he could read minds.
"It was last week when everyone was talking about how to make the band more band-like. Somehow in the middle of the discussion, I ended up being the one writing lyrics."
[So…]