It was around 9:30 a.m.—not too early, not too late.
The timing felt just right.
After copying the phone number left by Hana Under the Starry Sky, Aoki promptly dialed it.
The phone rang only briefly before being swiftly picked up.
"Hello? Who is this?" came the voice of a middle-aged man on the other end.
Aoki hadn't expected the famous animation director to answer so quickly, but as soon as he heard the voice, he responded without hesitation.
"Hello, is this Niijima-san? I'm the music creator known as suki-san on YouTube."
The real name of Hana Under the Starry Sky was Yusuke Niijima, a well-known anime director.
Aoki had done his homework beforehand, so he recalled the name easily.
There was a short pause on the other end. Then, the previously calm voice brightened noticeably.
"Oh! suki-sensei! You saw my message? I've been following your work since your first video!
I've always wanted to collaborate with you, but the timing never seemed right…
Until recently, when a friend of mine invited me to co-direct a movie. And you were the first person I thought of!"
"Just call me Aoki," he replied politely.
After Niijima's enthusiastic intro, Aoki continued, "I've followed your work too, Niijima-san. It would be an honor to collaborate with you. To have my music featured in a film… that's been a dream of mine."
It was a perfectly diplomatic reply—friendly, but not giving away too much.
After all, Aoki still had no idea what kind of project this was.
It was better to let Niijima take the lead in explaining.
Fortunately, Niijima took the hint and replied without hesitation.
"I'm glad to hear you're interested, Aoki-san! Then, how about we meet this weekend to talk details?"
"That works for me," Aoki replied.
The two exchanged a few more words.
Niijima lavished praise on Aoki's music, diving into topics like emotional depth, thematic layers, and even comparing him to legendary guitarists.
They agreed to meet Saturday morning at a café in Shinjuku.
There were still four days to go, so Aoki put the matter aside for now.
The call had lasted thirty minutes.
Having only recently woken up and still not having eaten—Aoki was starting to feel pretty hungry.
But it was that awkward time of day—too late for breakfast, a bit too early for lunch.
After a moment's thought, he decided to pass the time in his room until lunchtime.
He watched a one-hour variety show on his phone, and by the time it finished, it was just past 11 a.m.
Putting away his phone and grabbing his keys, Aoki headed out.
Normally, when eating alone, he would just hit a ramen shop—cheap and filling, even if the taste was only average.
But today, with time to spare and no pressing obligations, he figured he'd treat himself to something nicer than the usual.
After browsing Google Maps for a bit, he settled on a family restaurant about five kilometers from his apartment.
Five kilometers wasn't too far, but walking there wasn't ideal.
So he made his way to the train station.
After a brief ride, he arrived at his destination: a place called Loya.
Once inside and seated, Aoki ordered a hamburger steak, miso-braised fish, and a plate of whipped cream toast.
The prices were surprisingly affordable.
While waiting for his food, he leaned against one hand, staring idly out the window—he was seated by the glass, after all.
And then—
Well, it's like he'd always thought: romantic comedy light novels always featured these absurdly unrealistic "chance encounters."
At least, that was Aoki's opinion.
He didn't hate those novels he actually enjoyed them—but certain scenes always made him want to roll his eyes.
That opinion lasted until just now.
Because as he sat there, daydreaming out the window… a familiar figure entered his field of view.
Pale pink hair partially covered her eyes, and she wore a loose tracksuit that completely hid her figure…
It was Gotou Hitori.
And walking beside her—
Even though Aoki had never met her family before, it wasn't hard to guess who the three people accompanying her were: her father, her mother, and her little sister.
And where were they heading?
He watched in disbelief as Bocchi-chan followed her parents straight into Loya—the very restaurant he was in.
————————————————————————
Meanwhile…
Hitori Gotou hadn't gone to school today.
When she requested time off last Friday, she'd impulsively asked for an extra day.
Not because of her social anxiety, but simply because she was exhausted from band practice and needed a break.
What she didn't expect… was that her parents would stumble across a YouTube video of her and Kessoku Band performing live.
Even more unexpectedly, the video had gone viral.
So her parents—thrilled by their daughter's sudden "fame"—insisted on going out to celebrate.
Fortunately, Hitori could handle being around just her family.
That much social contact was tolerable.
So the Gotou family headed to Loya for a nice lunch out.
As they entered the restaurant, Hitori looked around curiously to take in the atmosphere.
And then her eyes landed on a familiar face.
Their gazes locked.
A pair of eyes half-covered by pink bangs met another pair through the dining room's soft lighting.
She blinked. Froze for a beat.
And then realization struck her like lightning.
"AA-AA-AA-AA-AOKI-SENPAI?!"