"F-forgive me! Hayabusa-kun, please punish me for saying I'd get a part-time job and then using underhanded tricks to get out of it at the last moment!"
Fresh from the shower, Ishikawa Hayabusa lounged lazily in the chair in his room, one elbow resting casually on the armrest as he tilted his head and listened to his phone.
On the other end, Bochi's voice was filled with guilt. In his mind, he could easily picture her—small and timid—kneeling in a perfect dogeza pose.
Just imagining that soft, pink-cheeked Bochi curled up apologetically like that made him think she was kind of cute.
Amused by the mental image, he smiled and spoke with a gentle tone.
"No, no, I'm just worried about whether Bochi did anything dangerous. If you really didn't want to go, I would have preferred you just tell me directly."
"Ah…"
Bochi let out a small, startled sound before falling completely silent.
Hayabusa didn't rush her at all. He simply waited, patient, letting her wrestle with her own hesitation and internal struggle.
After a while, her soft but certain voice finally came through.
"I… I can do it."
Smiling, Ishikawa Hayabusa ran his hand over the half-open textbook on his desk and said warmly,
"Then remember—liars have to swallow a thousand needles."
He heard what sounded like a nervous gulp on the other end, and then, as if to ease her anxiety, he added in a teasing tone:
"Just kidding. But I'll still ask my uncle to keep an eye on you. Don't go doing anything that might hurt yourself, alright?"
Bochi answered with a low, drawn-out sound.
"Mhm…"
After that, the wave pattern that represented their call went quiet, leaving only the soft, steady trace of low-frequency background noise.
Something about it felt warm and sweet.
For a long time, Hayabusa simply listened to her faint breathing before he finally pressed his lips together and spoke in a slightly tense voice.
"Alright then. See you tomorrow."
"Mm… see you tomorrow."
…
Meanwhile, not far from Ishikawa Hayabusa's home, near a local high school.
A few students, who had come to school even during the break to participate in club activities, were strolling lazily down the street.
Among them was a lively, athletic boy; a gloomy, introverted one with otaku vibes; and a tall, rough-looking delinquent type whose loose, casual clothes made him look downright menacing.
It was the kind of mix that made people wonder how this group even came together.
"Hey, Yu—looks like you can keep up with everyone's training schedule now."
"Yeah… though I'm still not used to being this sweaty."
"You've been sitting around way too much, man. Even if you're a shut-in, you should at least run once in a while!"
"Ha ha…"
As they laughed and joked, one of the boys suddenly spoke up with a hint of worry.
"By the way… it's been a whole month since Hayabusa-aniki suddenly transferred to another school. He hasn't made much of a splash since then. That's kinda not like him."
The delinquent-looking one grinned cockily. "Didn't you hear the rumors? Word is he already dominated that school."
"'Dominated'… don't make it sound so delinquent."
"I don't care—aniki's the best. Invincible. God-tier."
The first boy shook his head slowly.
"I just find it weird. We all go to schools in this area—why did Hayabusa-aniki suddenly switch? Feels like he's plotting something…"
"True… wouldn't it be better if he just stayed with us and changed the world together? I hear Daigo's school is in pretty bad shape too…"
"Relax. When they really need help, we'll step in."
Just then, the boy walking at the back of the group, who had been glued to his phone, suddenly shouted:
"Guys! Come look—this has to be aniki!"
At once, the entire group crowded around him, curious, their eyes all glued to the tiny phone screen.
There, on a stage under bright lights, was a handsome, confident boy their age, grinning radiantly as he played the keyboard.
Even with their limited knowledge of music, they could tell the song wasn't particularly skillful.
But…
Something about the music carried a carefree, liberating energy.
Still, their focus wasn't on the performance itself—it was entirely on the boy's figure, silhouetted at the edge of the spotlight.
After a moment, the delinquent gave a firm nod.
"That's aniki."
"Yeah…"
Once confirmed, an odd feeling welled up in each of them, leaving them strangely speechless.
The quiet boy quickly searched for a more complete video and found one.
After the band members finished their introductions, Ishikawa Hayabusa's voice rang out through the street like a declaration.
"Well then, let's begin our rock that will shatter loneliness."
The boy froze for a moment before glancing at the others. Their faces seemed to hold a vague understanding—but not quite clarity.
"So that's what it is," he muttered softly.
…
The next morning, Ishikawa Hayabusa cheerfully said his usual "gentle" goodbyes to his family, greeted every neighbor he knew along the way, and happily hummed a tune as he headed toward school.
Today, luck was on his side—he spotted a girl in a pink tracksuit with a skirt awkwardly pulled over her pants, a guitar case on her back.
He quickly closed the distance and greeted her once he was close enough.
"Good morning, Bochi."
Startled at first by the sound of fast-approaching footsteps, Bochi relaxed as soon as she heard his voice.
She turned her head, her anxious blue eyes glancing up at Hayabusa before she gave him a small nod.
"Good morning, Hayabusa."
After hearing her response, Ishikawa Hayabusa looked her up and down, then gave a satisfied nod.
"Looks like you didn't do anything stupid again."
At his words, Bochi immediately remembered yesterday's mistake and panicked.
"Ah…"
She wanted to apologize but was too flustered to get the words out.
"Ah… ah…"
She waved her hands helplessly, but before she could work herself up further, Hayabusa caught her wrist and smoothly changed the topic.
"So, you decided to go through with the part-time job?"
His slightly serious tone pulled her back into focus. She lowered her head, keeping pace with him as they walked, and said softly—hesitant, but with resolve:
"Nijika… she comforted me this morning too. I—I'll try my best."
After this first "voice-crack of the day," Bochi's speech sounded a little more natural.
But once she finished speaking, she felt like she'd just handed all the credit over to Nijika. Flustered, she turned quickly toward Hayabusa, even rising slightly on her toes as she raised her voice.
"But I still have to thank you too, Hayabusa. It's because—"
Her words cut off abruptly as her eyes met his—he'd been watching her the whole time—and she froze, unable to continue.
Seeing her suddenly avert her gaze, her expression sinking as if embarrassed, Ishikawa Hayabusa chuckled.
"Bochi, you're really cute."
Bochi immediately lowered her head even further.
Not far away, Kita—who had been about to greet them—saw the whole exchange and quietly swallowed the call that had risen to her lips.
…
By lunch break, with the feeling that the entire band was waiting for her alone, the ever-sociable Kita couldn't help but whip out her phone and message her "mentor."
"Gotou-san, can you practice with me during lunch break?"
As she typed on LINE, Ishikawa Hayabusa happened to walk past her and caught a glimpse of her phone screen. He let out a sigh.
"Ah… youth."
Feeling like he was teasing her, Kita let out a tiny huff and turned her phone away from him.
Hayabusa just smiled, not stopping, and strolled leisurely past her.
From the corner of her eye, Kita kept watching him until he finally left the classroom.
Almost immediately afterward, Bochi—who seemed to have no other social interactions and spent her whole day in "standby mode" at school—sent her reply.
"Kita-chan, can we practice in the storage room? Please don't bring anyone along… and make sure no one sees you."
Kita froze when she read the message.
She was talking about guitar practice, right?
Why did it feel kind of… dangerous?
She glanced at the doorway, but Hayabusa was already gone. After a moment's hesitation, she replied:
"Okay…"
Just as she hit send, a girl hurriedly darted down the hallway, her footsteps barely making a sound.
The notification from her pocket made her stop dead, panic flashing across her face. She pressed herself against the wall and glanced around nervously.
Other students only turned their heads when they happened to notice her, but no one seemed to be staring at her directly.
Once she was sure she wasn't being watched, she made herself even sneakier and dashed toward her safe place.
Back in the classroom, Kita heard the telltale LINE notification outside the door and immediately had a hunch.
Her gaze shifted to the classroom window, just in time to catch a glimpse of Bochi sneaking quickly down the hallway.
Watching her disappear in that direction, Kita thought of the place where she had found Bochi last time—then another thought struck her.
"Wait… which way did Hayabusa just go again?"