Kita stared, dazed, at the window where Bocchi had just passed by.That huge sliding window looked like the first page of a book, the beginning of someone else's story — and she was just sitting here, watching it unfold from afar.
When it came to Ishikawa Hayabusa and Bocchi's sudden departure, she already had a guess in her heart.And the moment that possibility crossed her mind, it was as if her chest had been clawed by a cat — her heart couldn't settle down.
Soon, it was time to eat with her usual group of friends, who approached carrying their lunchboxes.
The daily routine was about to begin again.
Kita glanced at her phone, re-reading the short LINE conversation she'd just had with Bocchi. Then she got to her feet and told the friends approaching with a bright smile,
"Sorry, I need to use the bathroom real quick."
But instead of strolling out casually like she normally would, she quickened her pace and strode out.
It was as if she'd left some invisible weight behind as she walked away from her seat.
She didn't even look back when her friend called out, "Wait, Kita-chan, I'll go with you!"
She just turned back with a bright smile and said—
"I'll be right back!"
…
"Bocchi, you know it's not very polite to sneak in without knocking."
Bocchi had just squeezed herself into the tiny nook formed by the desks and chairs, peeking her head inside, when she heard Ishikawa Hayabusa's voice.
"Ah—ah…"
The sound startled her so much she froze up, unable to process what was happening. She stayed crouched there, staring at Ishikawa Hayabusa smiling up at her from inside the little hideout, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.
But Ishikawa didn't tease her any further. His voice softened as he said,
"Welcome back."
Bocchi's shoulders jolted. A strange, hot blush bloomed across her cheeks as she lowered her head and muttered,
"I'm back."
And with that, she crawled fully into that small, shadowy corner.
…
"Hayabusa… how did you know the name I used when I uploaded my video?"
"I can read Bocchi's mind like an open book, of course."
"Ehh…?"
"Ha, just kidding. Once I saw when the account was created, I knew it was a throwaway. Then I just followed the trail through similar videos — it wasn't hard to find."
"Ah…"
Standing in the hallway, Kita watched the two of them in the corner — though from her angle she couldn't actually see either of their faces.
But her heart still throbbed with shock.
Hayabusa… Goto-san just calls him by name, doesn't she?
And more than that, that nervous, jittery Goto-san who's scared of everything… could actually talk this naturally around him.
It made Kita feel like she was being left out.
Like this little space wasn't welcoming her — like she was an outsider.
Like she had just become one of those background characters who happen to pass by during someone else's love story.
A dull ache rose in her chest.
Wasn't she the one who held Bocchi's hand on the day of the concert and pulled her up onto the stage?Wasn't she the one who got the story started?
Why couldn't it be her?
After standing there a while longer, Kita finally turned silently and left.
…
When the time they'd agreed upon arrived, Kita Ikuyo said goodbye to her friends, shouldered her guitar, and headed for the storage room alone.
On the way there, her thoughts were all over the place, and her nerves only tightened as she imagined what Bocchi might have planned for her.
She knocked on the door, got Bocchi's muffled reply, and opened it.
What she saw first was Bocchi sitting on a chair, clutching her guitar. She was staring down at it, clearly unsure what to do, idly tapping her pick near the strings.
Come to think of it, Goto-san was also a very unusual person.
She played the guitar so well, and though her personality was timid, the moment she held her instrument she seemed somehow apart from the rest of the world — quietly playing her own notes in her own little corner.
Kita stepped lightly into the room and called out brightly,
"Goto-san, thank you for all your hard work."
Bocchi jerked her head up so fast her bangs swished, her hidden eyes glancing toward Kita as she gave a small shake of the head.
"N-no, it's nothing…"
Kita noticed there was another chair already placed opposite Bocchi. There were plenty of chairs scattered around this storage room, but this one had been carefully wiped clean.
Did Ishikawa-kun prepare this for her?
She walked over, unzipped her guitar case, and carefully took out her instrument. Then she straightened and asked, standing by the chair,
"May I sit here?"
"Ah… please do."
Kita sat down without further ceremony, then grinned and said,
"Alright then — Goto-sensei, please teach me well."
"G-Goto-sensei?"
Bocchi flinched, then her whole face melted into a silly, bashful grin.
"Yes, Goto-sensei, please be strict with me."
Kita repeated with a little laugh.
Even if one path to her goal had been closed off, she wouldn't stop walking forward.
She still wanted to escape her boring everyday life. She wanted to be interesting, to be special, to work hard with her friends and do something amazing.
And besides…
She glanced at Bocchi, who had recovered from her brief daze and was now nervously holding her phone like a guidebook.
"Kita-chan, let's start from this section…"
"Okay."
Kita smiled and nodded.
Stories like this… they were only just getting started, weren't they?
…
After school.
Ishikawa Hayabusa finished packing up and stood, walking casually over to where Kita was putting her books away.
With the easy familiarity of a close friend, he clapped her on the shoulder and said,
"Kita, let's go. We'll head to STARRY together."
Kita had been in a good mood, but her expression froze.
She glanced sideways, then quickly whispered,
"Ishikawa-kun, you go ahead first. I'm going to practice with Goto-san for a bit before heading over."
"Huh? Why?"
Hayabusa didn't get it. Today was a workday — wouldn't it be more convenient to just practice at the shop while waiting for Nijika and the others to arrive?
Kita's face was conflicted, her gaze flicking nervously toward the side.
"Ijichi-senpai isn't there right now… isn't it rude to just use the shop's rehearsal room?"
"It's fine, just think of that place as your own home."
When Ishikawa said that, Kita blinked in surprise and turned fully toward him, seeing that he really meant it.
She couldn't help snapping,
"That place isn't your home, Ishikawa-kun!"
Her voice rose a little too much, and she quickly glanced around at the classmates nearby, then lowered her voice and hissed,
"And didn't we agree not to act so familiar at school?"
Hayabusa paused, thinking. Maybe she had mentioned something like that on LINE… but he hadn't paid much attention and couldn't even remember when she said it.
He looked around and saw that quite a few students who had been getting ready to leave had now sat back down, their ears obviously straining toward this conversation.
Putting that together with what Kita had just said, his grin suddenly widened.
Raising his voice, he said cheerfully,
"Kita-san, today we—"
Before he could finish, a panicked Kita clapped a hand over his mouth.
"What are you trying to do?!"
She hissed, face flushed.
"You owe me a meal."
Hayabusa shamelessly took advantage of the situation.
"Ghh… fine! Just please go already!"
Kita agreed without hesitation, quickly pulling her hand away so no one would misunderstand, all while keeping an eye on the classmates around them — and her own friends' faces — as she hurried Ishikawa toward the door.
And the shameless pervert who had just scammed a free meal off the poor girl finally shut his mouth, slung his bag over his shoulder with dramatic flair, and snapped his fingers as he swaggered toward the classroom door.
"Later~"
With a final, stylish spin, he exited.
Kita watched him go, both admiring his dramatic flair and feeling her blood pressure spike from sheer exasperation.
Was this guy really someone she could like?!
But the moment that disruptive presence left, the entire classroom erupted into chaos.
A beige-colored wave of uniforms surged toward her, almost everyone crowding around like reporters in a press conference.
"Kita-san! You and Ishikawa-kun — what stage are you at? A, B, or C!?"
"When did you two start dating!?"
"How did it happen!?"
"Who confessed first?!"
Kita froze as she was buried in a storm of questions, her face stiff.
This is bad…
She'd guessed this might happen and had tried her best to avoid it — but no matter how you tried to hide it, fire couldn't stay covered forever.
And on the very first day of school, of all times, the whole thing had been exposed.
What do I do, what do I do…
Should she just tell them the truth, that there was actually nothing between them?
Then watch everyone's excitement collapse into disappointment…
If she went against everyone's expectations, her dream of being a sparkling "normie" would die right here.
For a normie, losing that was like losing everything.
She didn't have the courage to make such a drastic change.
So at this point, she had no choice but to go with the flow…
Go with the flow…
Forcing a smile, Kita nodded along and said,
"Well… we actually just started dating…"
What am I even saying?!
"Whaaa!"
The entire class erupted in cheers and squeals at Kita's personal confirmation.
I'm doomed…
Cold sweat ran down Kita's temple.
Sorry, Goto-san!
Once things calm down a little, she'd clear up the misunderstanding.
But for now…
Forgive me — normies have all kinds of burdens to bear!