[So how's it going with what you're working on? Their worries seem spot on. You look really stressed.]
Gotoh Hitori turned her head and gave an awkward smile: "It's… it's going okay. Pretty much ready… I think."
(This doesn't look okay at all.)
"No need to worry, I'm fine, it's just…"
[Then let me take a look.]
"Oh, sure."
Gotoh Hitori nodded instinctively before realizing… look at what?
"What are you doing?"
Gotoh Hitori saw Saiki, who had been sitting to the side drinking tea, suddenly standing next to her holding a notebook. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
Ignoring the puzzled stare from behind, Saiki flipped open the notebook, glanced at the contents, and immediately thought he had grabbed the wrong one.
Because inside it looked exactly like the diary of a chuunibyou curse-caster:
Today I bought the materials for a straw doll
Tonight at the hour of the ox, third quarter, I put the plan into action
Five-inch nail, white clothes, straw doll
Preparing the hammer, all set
In seven days you'll wish for release, but no chance
Thump thump thump thump, hammering the nail
Thump thump thump thump…
Gotoh Hitori "(๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!! Th-this… this is…"
The more she looked, the more familiar it became. This was her own diary. Once she realized what was happening, Gotoh Hitori instantly displayed her agile reflexes, snatched the notebook away in one motion, and shouted:
"No, no, this isn't it! This is my middle school diary!"
[I see. I almost thought it was Kaido's diary! No wonder back in middle school he kept mentioning you to me.]
"Stop talking about it!"
Gotoh Hitori dropped to her knees again and slammed her forehead hard against the floor.
"Why? Why? Why…"
The heavy impacts echoed. From downstairs came Gotoh Michiyo's voice: "Hitori, don't damage the floor, okay?"
"Y-yes—"
(Looks like this is already a completely normal occurrence around here?)
Gotoh Hitori clutched her reddened forehead, face twisted: "Why? Why did my black history get seen again? Now I have even more black history! My image…"
[Well… you don't need to worry about that. The image you have in my mind won't change because of this diary.]
Saiki said it seriously. Just an ordinary statement was enough to calm Gotoh Hitori down.
"Saiki!"
Gotoh Hitori instinctively felt moved, sensing the warmth of human kindness.
But then she thought again and said calmly:
"Isn't it just because there's no more room left for my image to drop in your mind?!"
[Anyway, the other notebook on the table is probably the right one. Let me see that.]
"Why aren't you answering me?"
[Mm-hm, this notebook says… mm…]
Gotoh Hitori [Mm what mm? I haven't even written anything yet.]
Gotoh Hitori pouted, walked over to Saiki's side, and peeked to see what he was looking at so intently.
She had been racking her brain downstairs for ages and still couldn't come up with anything.
That's why she had come up here, but her inspiration hadn't arrived before her parents and Saiki interrupted.
"What's wrong? Okay, honestly… I… I haven't come up with anything!"
Saiki's expression didn't change. He nodded and suggested:
[I think this signature style is way too cute. It doesn't show your personality at all, and it doesn't have any rock band vibe either!]
"What? What are you talking about!"
Gotoh Hitori didn't understand, but the next second Saiki gave her the answer.
Saiki opened the notebook and pointed at the signature Gotoh Hitori had spent a very long time thinking up.
"Not that page."
Gotoh Hitori's face changed instantly. She snatched the notebook back.
Gotoh Hitori [Why does Saiki always see the weird stuff I write? From the past until now, ugh~]
(Who knows.)
[So how much time do you have left?]
"N-not much… a little time left."
Gotoh Hitori poked her fingers together and spoke quietly.
Gotoh Hitori [It's already been a week since they asked me to write lyrics. I bragged so confidently back then, but I still haven't come up with anything. Yesterday I gave up and spent five hours editing videos just to escape reality.]
(That's pretty bad.)
[Is that so? Then good luck. Bye.]
Saiki waved and prepared to leave. There wasn't much he could do to help here—he couldn't write lyrics for someone else. He had only come to check on the situation. Now it looked like nothing was seriously wrong, even if she seemed a little mentally off. But this was exactly what made her Gotoh Hitori.
"Wait wait wait, hold on."
Gotoh Hitori saw him about to leave. Her art style and expression shifted instantly. She stretched out one hand dramatically like an emoji, trying to stop him.
[What? ❓]
"Saiki, help me out here |_・)"
[Help you? How?]
Gotoh Hitori thought for a moment, then clasped her hands together: "Can you look at what I write and tell me if it's good?"
[Well… that's fine, but didn't you say you haven't started writing yet?]
"So that means you're willing to help! Thank you! I'll write right now, right now!"
Gotoh Hitori went to Saiki's side, poured him another cup of tea, then grabbed the notebook and quickly dove back into the closet.
(Why does she have to go inside the closet? And if she's only starting now, how long is this going to take?!)
Saiki thought about it and decided to wait. He sat back on the cushion, reached into his clothes, and pulled something out.
In the end he took out a book, sipped his tea, and read leisurely.
A long while later…
"Bang bang."
Gotoh Hitori emerged from the closet holding the notebook.
"Saiki, it's… it's done. Take a look."
[That was fast!]
Saiki checked the time. Only one hour had passed, which surprised him a little.
[I thought it would take longer!]
Saiki opened it, read for two minutes, then closed it.
"H-how… how is it?"
Gotoh Hitori sat beside Saiki and asked expectantly: "How is it?"
(How is it? I'm not a professional, but compared to popular songs online that people can listen to, it's actually pretty decent. It's just…)
For a moment Saiki didn't know how to put it.
"How is it?"
Gotoh Hitori saw Saiki frozen and poked his cheek.
(Why do you all love poking people's cheeks so much!)
Saiki snapped back and asked:
[Is this really what you wanted to write? It doesn't feel like lyrics Gotoh would write at all!]
"What kind of thing is that to say? So in your mind, what kind of lyrics would I write?"
Saiki rested his hands on his shoulders, tilted his head in thought for a moment, then answered under Gotoh Hitori's expectant gaze.
[Mm… dark, heavy, depressing. You know that youthful energy vibe? You're the kind of person performing youthful energy on stage, while your lyrics are the one watching from the corner.]
"How does that sound worse the more I hear it? But… yeah, that's actually true!"
[Right?]
"Mm-hm."
Gotoh Hitori nodded in agreement. Then she lowered her head and slowly said