Although he didn't just know disguise, killing, and driving tanks, but could also make sushi, play the drum set, paint, do photography and all sorts of other things. In every field he had dabbled in some skill, except for giving birth himself.
But unlike Gotou Hitori, who had only him as a friend and could come here to rehearse anytime, since he had joined Ijichi Nijika's "Kessoku Band," if he didn't come to practice regularly, then wouldn't that be the same as not joining at all?
"It's not like that, I just want you to get on stage and calm Bocchi-chan's emotions a little, so that she won't be so socially anxious and withdrawn, so she can match our rhythm."
Seeing Hachiman misunderstanding her meaning, Ijichi Nijika hurriedly pulled him to the side and whispered an explanation.
"Don't you know invisibility magic? Like in class, hide invisibly beside us."
"Tomorrow during the performance, sneak up on stage and just like earlier, comfort Bocchi-chan. I'm not saying she has to perform her full ability, but at least it'd be good if she could sync with our rhythm."
"Hachiman, please! Just tomorrow, just once is enough!"
When talking about the classroom, Ijichi Nijika's fair cheeks couldn't help but flush red again, but she still tried her best to stay calm and not think about those embarrassing things, quickly explaining the reason for this.
If there were more time, she could find a way to build a good relationship with Bocchi-chan, at least so it wouldn't feel so awkward that even a few words were hard. As things stood, they couldn't match rhythms at all.
Tomorrow was the stage performance, and it was already late. She felt practicing further now wouldn't bring much progress.
"Go up on stage with invisibility magic, huh..."
Hachiman froze for a moment. He hadn't expected that after learning he could use invisibility magic, Ijichi Nijika would immediately think of using his power to make this performance work.
The feasibility of this idea was actually quite high. As Bocchi-chan's only close friend, with his bond of reliance and affinity, being by her side could stabilize her emotions to the greatest degree.
On top of that, since he could play guitar, bass, and drums, he could act like a conductor in an orchestra, controlling their rhythm from the center. Even if there were small mistakes, he could correct them in time. Even if the others didn't coordinate much with him, their only goal this time was to ensure tomorrow's performance went smoothly, the demand wasn't high.
However, sending Bocchi-chan along the original story's path to join Nijika's rock band was supposed to help her develop her Service Club side, make friends, and gain confidence. If he went up on stage to help, wouldn't that put Bocchi-chan right back into the awkward Service Club-like situation?
Right now, Bocchi-chan was already too socially anxious to join the Service Club's activities. If the band became the same, that would be troublesome.
"Hachiman, please! I-I'll find a chance to be with Yumiko and Marin again to fulfill your hobby!", Seeing Hachiman hesitate without answering immediately, Ijichi Nijika bit her lip, her face flushing scarlet, and proactively offered her "payment" for his help.
"Ahem! Nijika, you misunderstood. I'm not refusing because it's troublesome, I'm just thinking if there's a better way. I brought Bocchi-chan here so she could make friends with you, not stay so anxious and afraid of people."
Seeing Ijichi Nijika misunderstanding him, Hachiman quickly explained.
What did Nijika mean by this, was she testing him?
If he really wanted to play with Nijika and Marin, why would he need to do this?
If he opened his invisibility and soundproof barrier in class and pulled Yumiko and Yuina in, Nijika and Marin would naturally get dragged along to play together too. There was no need to make any such "request."
"A-anyway, it's not the first time... If you help me, I'll repay you together with Marin and Yumiko," Ijichi Nijika lowered her head without looking at Hachiman, cheeks burning as she whispered.
Given Hachiman's relationship with Yuina and Yumiko, in the future during class he might often run into similar situations.
Rather than waiting for Hachiman to say it in front of everyone and die of embarrassment, better that she take the initiative to fulfill his hobby in advance.
"...Cough. Let me say this first, whether you repay me or not, I'll still help. After all, I was the one who brought Bocchi-chan here. Making sure she joins the band and succeeds on stage is our common goal."
Seeing that Ijichi Nijika still wanted to give him something in return, Hachiman felt he had to clarify, lest Nijika think he was blackmailing her into bad things using the performance.
"I know, I know, it's my choice. But don't tell Yumiko, okay? Anyway, I'll help you then."
Ijichi Nijika felt the topic was becoming more and more dangerous, so she hurriedly shifted the subject, dragging Hachiman back to the others. She took a deep breath to suppress her blush, coughed lightly twice, and then explained, "Cough, well, Hachiman and I discussed it, tomorrow he'll be on stage with us. But he'll be hiding in the box with Bocchi-chan. With Hachiman there, Bocchi-chan should feel less nervous and can at least exchange eye contact with us to adjust rhythm."
Since Bocchi-chan was close to Hachiman, she probably knew about his magic, but since Ryou and even less-familiar Karuizawa Kei were here, Nijika couldn't just casually reveal that he used magic. So she simply said Hachiman would hide in the box with Bocchi-chan.
"Hiding in the box with Bocchi-chan? Isn't Hikigaya your boyfriend?"
Yamada Ryou stared blankly at Nijika and Hachiman holding hands, then at Gotou Hitori clinging happily to him, and finally at the quiet Karuizawa Kei.
Just now she had seen Nijika and Hachiman talking closely, shoulders nearly touching, Nijika's face flushing from time to time. She thought Hachiman was Nijika's secret boyfriend.
But now Nijika was saying he'd hide with Bocchi-chan in the box. She was puzzled.
The box Bocchi-chan used to hide her shyness was big enough for her to curl up in with some space, but with Hachiman too? That was probably impossible.
Unless Hachiman held Bocchi-chan on his lap while she played guitar?
"No! Ryou, you misunderstand! Hachiman and I aren't like that! We're just good friends!"
Ijichi Nijika hadn't expected her childhood friend Yamada Ryou to misunderstand her relationship with Hachiman, and her cheeks burned furiously as she explained.
Though normal good friends wouldn't do the sort of embarrassing things she and Hachiman had done.
But that was only to help Yumiko. At the start, she and Hachiman really were just ordinary good friends.
"Just good friends?", Yamada Ryou stroked her chin, staring fixedly at Nijika's red face, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
If they were just good friends, why such a big reaction?
Same class, on a first-name basis, blushing while talking, coming over late at night to help.
'This is an affair!'
"Hachiman is Yumiko's crush, and also Bocchi-chan's good friend. How could I have thoughts about Hachiman?", Nijika felt guilty under Yamada Ryou's stare, but forced herself to stay calm.
Yuina, Minami, Rin, they were all just Hachiman's good friends, weren't they?
Besides, she and Marin weren't at that stage yet, she only did that to help Yumiko.
Though now she felt the rivals' advantages were too great, each one had beauty and figure not inferior to Yumiko, with even higher status one after another. Even if she and Marin sacrificed themselves together, they couldn't really help Yumiko.
"...Still very suspicious," Yamada Ryou didn't believe the desperate explanation at all.
She and Nijika had grown up together as childhood friends. Nijika had only her as a friend most of the time, how could she not know Nijika's guilty reactions?
But this Hachiman was Yumiko's crush?
That was rock~
Gentle Nijika forming a band, now seeking taboo thrills, was this for the band, for rock, dedicating herself?
"I'm telling the truth! Hachiman, say something too!"
Nijika, knowing Ryou well, saw her meaningful look and faint smile, and instantly panicked.
She really shouldn't have let Hachiman help the band. If Yumiko misunderstood, she'd be in big trouble.
"Heh, actually Nijika was just asking me if I'd use invisibility magic on stage. She only wasn't sure whether I wanted to reveal magic to you."
Seeing Nijika glance at him pleadingly, Hachiman couldn't keep quiet anymore, so he laughed and explained.
Between him and Nijika, their relationship wasn't exactly "just friends," but whether people believed or not wasn't about the truth. It was about perception. So he simply shifted the subject.
"Oh... Invisibility magic? You can use magic?", Yamada Ryou blinked, eyes fixed on Hachiman.
At school she had no friends except Nijika, often wandering off alone. She didn't know much about Hachiman.
Nijika also wouldn't expose their ridiculous classroom antics.
"Yeah, I'm on good terms with the elf princess Iris, and I learned some magic from her. Nijika saw me use invisibility, that's why she thought of asking me to calm Bocchi-chan tomorrow."
Hachiman stroked Gotou Hitori's little head as he nodded calmly.
Magic wasn't something to make public, but here it was fine. These were all trusted people.
Listening to Hachiman's calm answer, Nijika couldn't help muttering inside.
More than just good terms, she felt his relationship with the elf princess was extremely close, only she hadn't seen it herself.
But she had seen firsthand the princess claiming to be an alien, Lala, and the dragon clan leader Ursula, all having deep, intimate ties with Hachiman. Naturally, she didn't believe Iris, who often came looking for him and was basically the reason he skipped class, would be any less.
"Can you show me this magic?"
Yamada Ryou glanced at Nijika and Kei, who seemed unsurprised, then at Bocchi-chan enjoying his petting like a tamed animal, and realized she was the only one who had just learned about his magic.
"Of course. Let me think how to show it..."
Hachiman thought for a moment, then placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll let you personally experience invisibility. Nijika, Bocchi-chan, Kei, wait here for us."
"Huh?", Yamada Ryou froze, then found Hachiman leading her out the recording room.
"Not only invisibility, but I'm good at soundproof magic too. Whatever you say or do now, the others won't hear. Try yelling near them, or doing something."
"..."
Yamada Ryou watched him sit beside PA, who showed no reaction, still chatting softly with Ijichi Seika. After hesitating, she waved a hand in front of them.
They didn't respond. It wasn't a trick, Hachiman wasn't lying. Realizing this, Ryou's wicked side stirred.
"Manager? Manager?"
"PA-san? PA-san?"
"Manager, you siscon tsundere!"
"They really can't see or hear me..."
Yamada Ryou, seeing Seika and PA completely unresponsive, sighed in wonder.
"Soundproof magic, invisibility... This magic's way too convenient..."
"By the way, during class, if you and Nijika kissed secretly, no one would know?"
"Uh? Huh?"
Suddenly seeing her turn her gaze on him, Hachiman didn't know how to answer.
Could he say he and Nijika had already done things even more intimate? She really was pure, though a bit rotten and quirky.
"You haven't kissed?", Ryou raised a brow at his reaction.
"...Haven't kissed, no."
After thinking, Hachiman answered honestly.
Though Nijika had done more intimate things for him, kissing, they hadn't.
Should he tell Ryou about their special relationship? He didn't care much, but Nijika definitely wouldn't want others to know.
"Just held hands then... Okay. You teach me magic, I'll help you chase Nijika!", Ryou, having understood the pace between them, stared into his eyes.
For Nijika's happiness, she decided to sell out her own best friend.
———
Yamada Ryou, nickname "Gremlin Ryou."
Outwardly a cold, aloof ice beauty, inwardly a bit goofy and rebellious.
Though her family was well-off, she often wasted money until broke, then ate grass.
All in all, reliable in big things, unreliable in small. Borrows money from friends without returning it, acts like nothing happened, a truly scummy woman.
Even though Hachiman had expected as much, knowing she wasn't as cool as she looked but a disappointing beauty, when he heard her so bluntly offer to help him chase Nijika, someone she'd just seen him with, he couldn't help being speechless.
"What are you hesitating for? Don't you like Nijika? Or do you not?"
Seeing him still hesitate, Ryou pressed, her tone flat and steady.
Nijika's attitude clearly showed she liked him a lot. If Hachiman agreed, the thin paper between them would tear, and she'd learn magic too. It'd be a win-win-win.
"Of course I like her. Nijika's so cute, so kind, who wouldn't? But what's that got to do with you helping me chase her? If you want to learn magic, you should pay your own price."
Hachiman shook his head. Ryou's suggestion sounded good, but Nijika was already almost his, just waiting for the right atmosphere. With Yumiko, Nijika, and Marin, the golden combo, they'd join the Gal Buddha combo fully soon enough.
As for Ryou, different class, only meeting through the band, she wouldn't have much impact. Naturally, he wouldn't agree.
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