"Ryo-senpai! Absolutely not!"
Kita stood up immediately.
She was concerned about her idol's safety! Even in front of Hayato, she expressed her disapproval without hesitation.
"Why?"
Ryo-senpai tilted her head, looking at her in confusion.
Her calm eyes seemed to understand everything, quietly looking at Kita.
Facing Ryo-senpai's composed demeanor, Kita felt as if all her hidden little thoughts had been seen through, and for a moment, she was speechless.
"Well… a boy and a girl shouldn't be alone together…"
She spoke weakly.
It was rather surprising that Kita didn't use words like 'Hayato is a Pervert' to stop him.
Nijika also quickly followed her in persuasion, her words much more tactful.
"Ryo-senpai, Hayato-kun is a boy, too. No matter what, it's not right, is it?"
"Do you all really think of me that way…?"
As soon as their words of protest fell, Hayato, who was sitting beside them, suddenly spoke.
His dejected voice made the two girls' efforts to stop him freeze.
The two of them turned around mechanically, looking at Hayato.
Apparently, speaking ill of someone openly in front of them was a bit difficult for these two kind girls.
As they found themselves in a dilemma,
Hayato generously confessed,
"You don't have to worry about that. I often spend time alone with Bocchi too."
"Eh!!"
Nijika and Kita almost jumped up in surprise, looking at Bocchi with disbelief.
Although they had only spent a day or two together, anyone could see Bocchi's timid nature and her reluctance to interact with people.
How could such a Bocchi dare to interact with Hayato?
Under their gazes, Bocchi clutched her hands to her chest, and with a blank look of bewilderment, she nodded at their questioning.
"Ishikawa-kun… is a good person…"
Pfft.
Hayato clutched his chest.
As the situation started to get chaotic again, he put on a look of being hurt by Bocchi's 'good person' card and continued the topic.
"Well… let's save that for later. Kita, what kind of music do you like?"
Because she was preoccupied with something, Kita's reaction was a bit slow. She paused.
"Hm?"
Hayato asked again at a normal pace.
Kita blinked blankly. Just as she was about to say, 'I don't know much about music genres, anything that sounds good is fine.'
She remembered Ryo-senpai's comment on Hayato-kun's similar answer to hers.
Oh no!
She absolutely didn't want Ryo-senpai to call her a troublesome person.
For a moment, she froze in place, beads of cold sweat forming on her face under the gaze of the four.
But at this moment, a fun-loving person saw her predicament and burst forth with an unpredictable power and speed.
With two quick movements, he held up a slip of paper to his chest.
Hayato had a gentle smile on his face, his eyes crinkling as he looked at Kita.
Kita immediately noticed this lifeline and hesitated.
Ishikawa-kun… he probably… wouldn't lie to her, right?
No, that's not right!
Given that she had just tried to stop him, this cunning guy would definitely mess with her!
But… besides this, she had no other choice.
She weighed the consequences of the two answers on the scales of her mind.
One was being coldly called 'a troublesome person' by Ryo-senpai.
The other… Kita chose the other without hesitation.
Her smile was brilliant, like a blooming flower, and she said in a cute and sweet tone,
"I like death metal. Blackened thrash is the best."
Whatever the consequences, it was ten thousand times better than being called "a troublesome person" by Ryo-senpai!
Kita was certain of this.
As her words came out, the entire scene froze for a moment.
"Ah…"
Nijika's mind buzzed as if she had been shocked.
Kita? Death metal?
She wasn't averse to this genre; in fact, this style actually fit what most ordinary people imagined rock music to be.
But seeing the sweet and radiant Kita say she liked it, she was startled and momentarily stuck.
It was like the gentle Little Red Riding Hood next door, who habitually smoked, drank, and chopped down the Big Bad Wolf.
When Ryo-senpai heard Kita's words, she quickly followed Kita's gaze, saw Hayato put away the slip of paper, and immediately understood everything.
"Pfft, that's great."
She covered her mouth and let out a small laugh, then held it in for a while, leaning on the table and shaking her shoulders uncontrollably.
"Ah… Kita-san likes it too?"
Bocchi's eyes brightened, and she leaned towards Kita in surprise.
Kita, meanwhile, thought… Ryo-senpai laughed!
This music genre would be her path from now on!
With a bright smile, she affirmed without hesitation,
"Yes!"
"Pfft."
Ryo-senpai almost burst out laughing when she heard that.
She desperately held back her laughter and exchanged a glance with Hayato, frantically hinting to him to leave the truth to Kita, so she could discover it herself.
Seeing the conversation end, Nijika picked up the dice again, but this time her actions were slightly hesitant.
Clearly, she hadn't recovered from the previous shock.
She began to worry about what other explosive news she might hear next.
She hesitantly threw the dice.
And when she saw the result, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"School topics ~ or 'School Talk' for short."
She quickly finished in one breath, then glanced at everyone present, wondering who should start.
Ryo wouldn't do; she'd talk endlessly once she found something interesting.
Kita… Nijika was still a bit timid, afraid she might say something shocking again.
Bocchi, it felt like they'd just end up in a deadlock again.
Hayato… Help me… Nijika cried out in her heart, and after silently pleading for him to be a bit more normal, she forced a smile and asked Hayato.
"Hayato-kun, what are you like at school?"
"I check on my classmates' bodies and minds every day," Hayato said with a bright, handsome smile.
He wasn't lying; he truly did pay attention to students who might be vulnerable, checking if they had suffered verbal or physical harm.
However, after getting used to his Pervert self-description, anyone would inexplicably think of it in a different way.
"Ahahaha, that's a lie, right?" Nijika awkwardly wiped away a cold sweat and laughed.
Hayato's sunny smile didn't change.
"It's a lie, right?!"
Nijika's smile faded as she asked him, almost in tears.
Hayato gave a thumbs-up, with a dazzling, unreadable smile, saying nothing.
Thud.
Nijika collapsed.
After she fell, Hayato took over the control of the situation.
"What about Kita?"
Hayato asked Kita.
Kita was hesitating whether to explain Hayato's previous answer, but seeing his expression, she dismissed the idea.
She then said.
"My… my school life is very boring. Classes, playing with friends, and after school too. I don't know what to do; I just wander around with friends, eat sweets, and play games."
Hayato looked to the side. When he first heard Kita describe her life as boring, Bocchi's eyes had lit up, and she leaned forward expectantly.
She seemed to have found a kindred spirit whose situation mirrored her own in every way, and her heart was brimming with joy.
But then, when she heard Kita say she played with friends, she was like a target struck by a flying Spear of Longinus, collapsing onto her chair, losing all motivation, and then being continuously impaled by more flying spears.
Even the soul escaping her lips was pierced by a spear.
Her HP visibly dropped in segments.
"Kita-chan, stop! Bocchi-chan is going to die!"
Before Hayato could speak, Nijika, who had recovered, noticed Bocchi's unusual state and quickly urged Kita to stop.
After Bocchi recovered from her near-death state and took a drink, still shaken.
Nijika propped her hands on her cheeks, looked at her gently, and asked her.
"Bocchi-chan, what is your school life like?"
Bocchi stopped. She couldn't continue talking about her life after Kita had spoken.
She felt that if she spoke, she would fall into an irreparable, miserable situation.
After hesitating, she didn't know what to say, and carefully turned to Nijika, asking.
"Ah, speaking… speaking of which, Nijika and Ryo-san go to the same school, right?"
"Yes, Shimokita. Kita-chan, Hayato-kun, and Bocchi-chan all go to Shūka High School, right?" Nijika said, nodding slightly.
Ryo also added.
"We all chose it because it's close to home."
Kita nodded, indicating the same.
Bocchi said, realizing, "Ah, everyone lives in Shimokitazawa."
Nijika noticed the strangeness in Bocchi's words and asked in surprise.
"Bocchi's house isn't around here?"
Bocchi lowered her head, her voice wistful, "Ah, no, my house is out of the prefecture. It takes two hours to commute to school."
Nijika was startled, unable to understand why she would come such a long distance for school.
Kita asked, dumbfounded, "Why?"
"I wanted to go to a high school where no one knew me…"
Bocchi's heavy, regretful voice, like a descending curtain, made the atmosphere in the room despairing.
"Stop! School talk ends here!"