"Uh… s-sorry. I usually spend most of my time alone at school too…""It's hard for me to find anything fun to talk about in conversations."
Bocchi lowered her head, shoulders shrinking as she apologized for ruining the mood again.
Nijika hurried to comfort her."It's okay, it's okay. Ryo doesn't have many friends either."
Ryo nodded."Mm. Only Nijika."
After that brutal little incident earlier, Bocchi no longer dared to look at others with hopeful expectations of finding someone like her. Still, she sneaked a glance at Ryo with a faint sliver of hope.
At the same time, she heard Nijika explaining,"On her days off, Ryo likes going to explore ruins by herself, or checking out thrift stores."
Not the same at all!!
Ryo just likes being alone—she definitely doesn't have social anxiety. Someone with real social phobia could never set foot in a thrift shop!
She had nearly walked right into another trap.
Bocchi lowered her head again, gloomier than ever.
Meanwhile, Kita Ikuyo—who had almost become a murderer just moments ago—still didn't dare to say a word.
As the atmosphere grew heavier and heavier, Ishikawa Hayabusa suddenly stood up.
"Nijika, can I roll for the next topic?"
"Eh? Sure."
Nijika blinked in confusion at Hayabusa, then handed him the dice.
With a serious expression, Ishikawa Hayabusa walked to the spot directly opposite Nijika. As the four girls began to sense that something ominous was about to happen, he spoke calmly.
"Do you all know Chekhov's Gun? It's a principle in theater."
Holding the dice in one hand, he flicked it with his fingers. The cube spun rapidly on his fingertips, and with a few more pushes it whirled like a tiny, glowing sphere.
The die, painted in low-saturation colors, spun into a soft, almost pleasant shade of orange.
"The rule says: if there's a gun in the first act…"
Not good. Not good. Not good!
Every nerve in Bocchi screamed with danger.
But nobody could stop him. They all sat frozen, watching Ishikawa Hayabusa's stern, serious expression.
"…then in the third act—"
Hayabusa turned his back to them. His shoulders weren't broad, but somehow his figure radiated reliability.
With a tap of his finger, the die flew up, landed neatly on the table, and kept spinning.
"—it has to go off."
The girls' eyes shifted from Hayabusa's dramatic pose to the dice.
Almost like he had calculated everything, just as his words trailed off, the die slowed down.
Obedient as a baby.
Spin. Slow. Stop.
The sound of cardboard on wood echoed softly inside the dice with a faint pop.
The four girls swallowed hard as they looked at the upward face.
It read:
Bungee Jumping.
Ryo glanced at Hayabusa's back. Just as she carefully reached out to flip the result—
Still without turning around, Hayabusa said,"Ryo, you touched it, didn't you?"
"No."
Ryo's voice was flat, but her hand sped up, flicking at the die in a quick motion.
In an instant, Hayabusa moved like a phantom, catching her wrist before she could change the result. Smiling, he turned to the others.
"Let's all go bungee jumping. How about it?"
In their eyes, that smile was nothing short of a demon's grin. They all shouted at once.
Kita: "Absolutely not!"Bocchi: "N-no way… not happening."Ryo: "I'm not going."Nijika: "Let's skip that one!"
Seeing all four of them sitting at the same table, yet each refusing in their own way, Ishikawa Hayabusa paused—then burst out laughing.
A beat later, Nijika caught on too and laughed awkwardly.
"Totally not in sync, huh."
"Yeah…" Kita forced a troubled smile.
Ryo looked at the others and spoke quietly."Well, we are an end band, after all."
Hayabusa returned to his seat beside Bocchi, wearing a cheerful, slightly smug smile."What she means is—we should move toward that goal, right?"
"No."
Whether it was stubborn pride or simply honesty, Ryo's denial came lightning-fast.
The tension had finally eased. Nijika let out a breath, about to continue the topic—when Hayabusa cut in first.
"Let's make our shared goal the topic. That way, we'll get to know each other faster."
He turned to Nijika, who had just lost her turn."Nijika, after forming the band, what's our next step?"
"Eh…"
Nijika hesitated with a sigh.
Hayabusa knew why. Part of Kita's earlier meltdown had been because Nijika pushed things too quickly. At least, that's how Nijika saw it. So now, she wanted to slow down, start from getting to know each other better, and move forward steadily.
Pressed like this, she thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Then… next, we should write songs. At our next performance, we'll play our own music."
"Ryo can compose, and since Bocchi knows so many forbidden words, she should write the lyrics."
Hayabusa sighed inwardly. Nijika was too gentle. Being overly considerate would only make progress harder. But in this case, it worked out by chance.
He looked toward Bocchi, whose face showed pure shock. She bowed her head, bracing herself.
"What do you think? Good idea, right?" Nijika asked again, seeking confirmation.
Bocchi gave a small nod.
The sense of forward motion lifted the mood. Kita couldn't contain herself and leaned toward Ryo."I can't wait to hear your music, Ryo-senpai!"
Ryo's voice was calm and steady as ever."Mm. Look forward to it."
"Counting on you, Ryo." Nijika's smile was heartfelt. She then turned to Bocchi beside her, brightening her tone."And as for you—our lyric minister~"
Kita, who had nearly delivered a fatal blow to Bocchi earlier, now congratulated her."For you to take on such an important role, Gotoh-san—that's really cool."
"C-cool?!"
Bocchi repeated the word in shock, suddenly floating away in delight.
"Well, writing lyrics is nothing. Easy. Too easy.""I'll definitely write something that'll be an absolute hit—super band-like lyrics."
Kita forced a smile."Gotoh-san sure gets carried away quickly, huh…"
Ryo's gaze cooled slightly as it lingered on her cup of orange juice.
Seeing Bocchi settling in, Nijika felt a bit more relaxed. She thought aloud."And then, there's also…"
"I'll do it!" Kita raised her hand eagerly."If we're running an Insta account, leave it to me!"
"Good idea. Then you'll be our Minister of Social Media." Nijika nodded without hesitation.
"When the time comes, I'll update it every single day!"
Clutching her phone, Kita looked overjoyed at having found her place.
At that moment, Hayabusa raised his hand."If we need instruments carried later—or if we run into fights—leave it to me. Without firearms, I can handle thirty people at once."
"Then I'll leave it to… huh?"
Nijika's words froze as the second half registered.
"Oh~ very dependable." Ryo actually looked satisfied.
Anyone who had ever been in a band knew how reassuring it was to have a top-tier bodyguard.
"No, no, we're not that kind of rock band!" Nijika scrambled to rein in Hayabusa before he sent the conversation flying again.
Having witnessed his strength before, Kita twitched wordlessly.
Meanwhile, Ryo turned toward Nijika, who had been assigning everyone tasks without taking one herself."Nijika, what about you?"
Her words made the others look to Nijika as well.
Nijika froze like a deer in headlights.
Time itself seemed to stop.
Then, with an adorably vacant expression, she picked up the dice, tossed it lightly, and held up the face."Next topic: Index~"
The role of "straight man" abandoned, Ryo stepped in as the new one."You're blatantly bluffing."
Hayabusa sighed."Back to the same routine again…"
Even Kita didn't know how to play along this time. She and Bocchi just stared blankly at Nijika.
Under all their exasperated gazes, Nijika's face turned red as she shouted,"A-a drummer is like the lubricant that keeps a band running smoothly!"
"…Are you an intern?"
Ryo delivered the perfect punchline.