What kind of person is Ishikawa-kun?
Bocchi-chan pondered quietly.
At the beginning of the school year, she wore Band merchandise, hoping to find companions. She still remembered Ishikawa-kun's surprised gaze when he looked at her.
She ran away immediately then.
Later, Ishikawa-kun came looking for her again.
The first time they met face-to-face, she couldn't imagine that the first 'companion' she encountered would be such a sunny, handsome guy.
She ran away again.
This time, she wasn't found.
But the next day, she was discovered again in her safe corner.
She was even invited to join the Band he was in.
At the same time, she began having lunch with him every day.
Later, when asked why he was so persistent with her, he said.
"Gotou-san, you actually want to change, don't you? Wearing that to school on the first day, you wanted to make friends and form a Band, right?"
So he had noticed on the first day.
He had unhesitatingly extended his hand to her on the first day.
After she agreed, Ishikawa-kun revealed his 'true colors.'
A Pervert.
But, although occasionally strange, Ishikawa-kun never did anything annoying.
Instead, he felt very free and easy, and also happy.
He was genuinely happy every day.
His joy truly made her feel envious.
That gentle aura around him was something she had never experienced.
During the days she didn't see him later, eating lunch alone felt much safer, but also a bit cold.
It was also particularly difficult checking her alternate account every day to see if there were any messages.
Later.
When her real account was discovered.
Amidst her shame, she also felt a bit happy.
She was still being cared about after all.
Later, when she brought her Guitar to school, she still carried unease.
Would that remark just be something Ishikawa-kun said casually? Had he not looked for her for so many days because he was tired of her and no longer intended to interact with her?
Or rather, was this normal?
Even she herself felt that she was very troublesome.
But when she received the call and saw him deliberately slowly retracting his hand from the stair railing, she knew she hadn't been abandoned.
She decided to try hard and improve herself.
Then she temporarily joined the Band Ishikawa-kun was in.
Facing her, who dared not stand in front of an audience and hid in a cardboard box.
He lied.
"Gotou-san, it's just the two of us now. Please play for me, something cool."
After her performance, where she desperately tried to prove herself.
The applause in the venue and his cheers, she felt, were unforgettable for a lifetime.
No matter where her life went from then on, she would remember his satisfied, loud shouts in the dark cardboard box, and the applause echoing within the box.
And today… he actually said he was willing to support her… wasn't that… Bocchi-chan herself didn't understand why she agreed so quickly.
But thankfully… thankfully…
It was just a joke to trick her into working part-time after all… "Bocchi-chan? Bocchi-chan?" Nijika's voice.
Bocchi-chan looked up in the direction of the voice.
Nijika, with some helplessness but not at all bothered, said.
"You didn't hear what I just said, did you?"
"Is… is it working part-time here?"
Although Bocchi-chan was thinking just now, she was also listening and hadn't ignored her surroundings.
Nijika was startled, then smiled, and then began talking about the Band.
And Bocchi-chan, while listening, secretly glanced to her left.
Ishikawa-kun still looked cheerful, listening to Nijika's words, and seemed not to have noticed her looking back.
Just then, Nijika said in a tone that seemed to conclude all topics.
"Then let's start working part-time here next week."
Feeling like it was time to wrap up, Ishikawa-kun raised his hand and suggested.
"Then shall we practice together next?"
"Okay!"
Nijika nodded happily.
Then the few of them stood up, preparing to go to the rehearsal room.
Hayato looked at Kita, who hadn't brought her 'Guitar,' and asked her.
"Speaking of which, how's your Guitar practice going, Kita?"
Kita, who had been excitedly walking towards the rehearsal room, suddenly panicked. She stopped, conflicted, slowly turned her head, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions.
"Um… um…"
"Everyone knows, don't worry about it."
Ryo-senpai calmly comforted her.
Realizing that everyone else had expectations of her, Kita lowered her head, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, everyone… No matter how much I practice, I can't play the Guitar…"
"All that comes out are deep 'boom boom' sounds."
Ryo-senpai paused, feeling hurt again as a bass player, and sighed.
"That's a bass, isn't it?"
Although she used an questioning tone, her words were full of certainty.
"Pfft."
Hayato turned his back and laughed.
Although he had known this scene would happen, seeing it in person made it truly impossible to hold back.
But to laugh more happily, his handsome face was strained and even slightly twitching as he said to the others,
"Kita… you… tomorrow, bring it to see, then you'll know."
Kita saw Hayato like this, and heard what Ryo-senpai had just said, and immediately felt a bad premonition.
But at this moment, Hayato, with his back to her, bit his lip hard, looked up at the sky, and comforted her.
"Well, maybe it's just a tuning problem."
After he finished speaking, he quickened his pace and rushed into the practice room.
Nijika watched Hayato rush into the practice room blankly, and she could even hear Hayato's insane laughter from the half-open door.
She turned around and earnestly instructed the others.
"Everyone, if Hayato-kun bullies you in the future, you must tell me."
But as she said this, she didn't dare to look at Kita, who already had tears in her eyes… "Bocchi-chan is very good at Guitar, why is she so bad during practice?"
The four of them were preparing to play, connecting the speakers and power, and chatting idly.
As for the one person left… Kita was squatting in the corner, muttering like Bocchi had possessed her.
Among her mutterings, the words Ishikawa, Guitar, and definitely won't buy the wrong one, she repeated countless times.
"Ah."
Facing Nijika's question, Bocchi opened her mouth, but didn't know how to explain.
At this time, Hayato explained for her.
"Bocchi usually practices alone and has never joined a Band, so she can't coordinate, and she's quite shy, she gets nervous when unfamiliar people are around her."
"Is that so?"
Nijika was a little skeptical of Hayato, and she confirmed with Bocchi.
Bocchi stared blankly at Hayato, and after a few beats, she came back to her senses and nodded to Nijika.
Nijika's resentment towards Hayato deepened in her heart; he actually tricked Bocchi like this.
She really didn't know if he was intentional or unintentional.
"Nijika~~"
After Hayato noticed Nijika's reaction, as if he was hurt by her, he covered his chest with one hand, and stretched the other hand towards Nijika from afar, calling her name with tearful eyes.
Nijika deliberately turned away her gaze, feigning indifference.
"Then let's start practicing."
…By evening, the girls emerged from the practice room, utterly exhausted, looking admiringly at Hayato, who was humming a song and skipping ahead of them.
He had practiced for most of the afternoon and was still so relaxed.
As expected of a Pervert!
And after this Pervert walked out of the practice room, he saw Manager Hoshika sitting at the bar and Miss PA lazily slumped over a table, looking at her phone.
He generously raised his hand to greet the two.
"Good morning, ladies~"
"Oh."
Seika glanced at them and then averted her gaze.
Miss PA, seeing the tired look of the group, looked relieved.
"You practiced very hard."
Hearing her admiring words, Hayato stepped on a nearby chair and said proudly,
"Of course, as a Pervert, I must be stronger and more perverse every second than I was the previous second."
"Clean it up for me." Seika glared at him with sharp eyes.
"Understood!"
Hayato didn't care about her fierce tone at all, saluted, and ran to the side to get paper.
"Hayato-kun is really energetic…"
Nijika looked at Hayato admiringly, and even Kita said respectfully,
"Yes…"