The classroom on the first floor wasn't particularly close to the rooftop.
Kita quickly descended the stairs, and no matter her speed, Hayato was always beside her, walking shoulder to shoulder.
In silence, she shifted her gaze from the stairs to Hayato. He was looking down, his gaze fixed on the steps.
His calm gaze, without the slightest waver, gave off a sense of reassurance.
Come to think of it, although she had liked him, she had never understood the Hayato beneath his arbitrary actions and Pervert exterior.
After looking for a couple more seconds, she realized something was off and quickly averted her gaze.
He was so quiet at this moment; he was too good at assessing the situation.
It really felt like an annoying sense of intimacy.
After turning the corner, the long corridor in front of the classroom was already silent, devoid of any human presence.
They reached the classroom door.
"Kita-san, Ishikawa-kun, please return to your seats quickly."
The teacher was already standing at the podium in the classroom, speaking calmly to the two of them.
Kita's expression stiffened.
Oh no!
Why did he have to come so early today!
She complained in her heart.
At the same time, she looked into the classroom; many classmates were watching them with sparkling eyes.
Wouldn't that make it even harder for her to explain?
She looked to her side.
Hayato wore an indifferent smile, seemingly oblivious to the gazes of his classmates and the slightly unusual look from the teacher, as he confidently walked into the classroom.
This man!
Kita complained in her heart, yet she admired him and followed closely... She attended class distractedly, and the morning quickly passed.
At lunchtime, Kita watched Hayato leave the classroom with his bento.
Where he was going and who he was meeting was very obvious.
Seriously... a girl in the morning, a girl at noon.
What a terrible boy.
But after she finished her bento with her friends, she also arranged to meet Bocchi-chan, as usual, in the storage room.
She knocked on the storage room door, and in response to Bocchi-chan's voice, she walked in.
Everything was the same as yesterday; Bocchi-chan was sitting on a chair, waiting for her.
After greeting Bocchi-chan, she took out her Guitar and sat on the chair opposite Bocchi-chan.
With her Guitar on her back, she opened her phone to select a song, and with anticipation for Bocchi-chan's guidance, she looked up at Bocchi-chan.
But what she saw was Bocchi-chan staring blankly, with an uncontrollable smile on her face, as if she was already immersed in happiness.
He's too good at charming girls, isn't he?
Seeing Bocchi-chan like this, she felt a little worried.
Although she felt Hayato-kun was a very good person, if this continued, she felt Gotou-san would become someone who would do whatever Hayato told her to.
What if Hayato-kun was actually terrible in some ways?
Kita's mind quickly conjured Hayato's frivolous demeanor from the morning, as well as his overly intimate actions with the seniors.
And... judging by Hayato-kun's tone this morning, he must have known, right?
He knew she had a crush on him.
Knowing that, yet still being so nice to her without explaining, that's too much, isn't it?
She suddenly became a little worried and asked Bocchi-chan.
"Gotou-san, are you really not dating Hayato-kun?"
Bocchi-chan quickly snapped out of it when she heard the voice, returning to her timid self.
However, facing this question, she seemed much more nervous, her eyes blinking as she constantly watched Kita's expression.
But in the end, she said nothing, obediently answering Kita's question.
"Ah... yes."
Noticing Bocchi-chan's wariness, Kita hesitated for a moment before warning her.
"Be careful, Hayato-kun seems like someone who might be two-timing."
Bocchi-chan nodded.
Feeling that the other person's reaction was too subdued, Kita felt that she wasn't listening seriously.
"Gotou-san?..."
Facing Kita's somewhat anxious inquiry, Bocchi-chan was not nervous. She lowered her head, touched the black finish of her Guitar, hesitated, and then said firmly.
"I trust Hayato. If Hayato finds a girlfriend, he will definitely tell me. I don't think he would be unfaithful by deceiving me."
Are you trusting him or not trusting him?!
After complaining in her heart, Kita also realized that Bocchi-chan was not as blindly obedient to others as she had thought.
Although she liked Hayato-kun, she hadn't lost her own ability to think.
She was a little surprised.
It seems she was meddling.
In fact, she reflected for a moment, 'Did I see Gotou-san as clearly as she saw herself?'
Gotou-san believed he would tell the truth, even though she wasn't sure if Hayato-kun would be unfaithful.
And her?
She suddenly began to wonder to what extent Hayato-kun would speak the truth this morning.
Would he answer everything honestly?
Or, in fact, she herself knew that Hayato had a terrifying pride in himself deep down.
A serious inquiry would definitely receive an honest answer from him.
And precisely because of this, his serious answers were terrifying; they were definitive.
That's why she avoided it this morning.
But now, she shouldn't be curious anymore.
Moreover, she also knew that her liking was only because she had received help, and was attracted by this boy's unique personality, as well as a slight attraction to his handsome appearance.
It was a superficial liking attracted by various external manifestations... After school, Hayato checked his phone.
At noon, Nijika had sent a message.
"Hayato-kun, please come to the store with Kita-chan and Bocchi-chan tonight."
"Am I being disliked? (cries)"
"No way! I'm just a little worried."
"Me?"
"...I suddenly don't know who I should be worried about."
"Then I'll take it as Nijika worrying about me, ding ding, Hayato's affection for Nijika is up!"
He turned off his phone and put it in his pocket, then strolled around the school, from the new school building to the old school building, and then to the building used for club activities.
He watched the students running on the track and field, and the distant swimming pool with fallen leaves that hadn't been cleaned up yet. Hayato leisurely walked back... "Kita-chan... did you also practice after going home yesterday?"
"Eh, you noticed."
"Hmm... this part yesterday... you couldn't play it smoothly, but today you play it very well."
"Because I don't want to keep dragging the Band down like this."
Kita!!
A dazzling light burst from the crack in the storage room door.
Hayato paused at the door, a trace of cold sweat on his face. With an uneasy feeling, wondering if Bocchi-chan had been purified, he opened the door.
"Gotou-san!?"
Inside the storage room, Kita was supporting a pale-faced Bocchi-chan, preventing her from falling.
However, she quickly noticed Hayato's arrival and asked him in a flustered tone.
"Wh-what should I do? Gotou-san suddenly became like this."
Her expression was very natural, as if everything from the morning had never happened.
Hayato looked at Bocchi-chan; she seemed to be petrified, staring blankly, unmoving.
He thought, even Nijika could be hurt by the power of a normie, Bocchi-chan was lucky to be alive.
"Kita, it's best to tone down that sunny demeanor in front of Bocchi-chan."
Hayato said as he walked over, squatted down, cupped Bocchi-chan's face, and gently called out to her.
"Bocchi-chan, Bocchi-chan."
Bocchi-chan heard the voice that reassured her and opened her eyes blankly. She saw Hayato in front of her, his profile illuminated by a faint glow from the orange-yellow setting sun.
"An... angel?"
Hayato stood up, ruffled her hair, then smoothed it out, and said.
"A male angel would be too unappealing."
Then, with a proud expression, he pointed to himself with his thumb and said.
"It's me, the Pervert!"
Bocchi-chan's face instantly turned red from bottom to top as she realized what she had just said.
Kita smiled as she watched the two of them.
And Hayato, seeing Bocchi-chan had crashed again, said to Kita.
"How about going to STARRY now?"
Kita checked the time on her phone, then said.
"Let's go then."