The final performance of the night came to an end.
It wasn't until the fans who had stayed behind to chat with the band members finally left that the venue entered its closing routine.
Sweeping the floors, counting inventory.
The girls moved quickly.
There was no need to even mention Nijika and Ryo, who were already used to helping out around here. Kita was naturally efficient at her work, while Bocchi, thinking that she could finally go home soon, unleashed an almost frightening level of energy—her anxious smile never leaving her face as she worked. With Ishikawa Hayabusa pitching in as well, it didn't take long before the entire place was spotless.
When they had just begun cleaning, Hoshika had gone to the back office to settle payments with the bands.
But when she came back out with the musicians, she stopped in her tracks.There the five of them were, leaning against the bar and chatting idly, the hall completely clean and tidy.
For a moment, Hoshika could only stare, speechless.
Bocchi gazed blankly at the musicians leaving the venue.
Some of them were cheerful and outgoing like Hayabusa, Nijika, and Kita—throwing their heads back, laughing, pulling their bandmates along.But there were others who were quiet and reserved, just like Ryo, speaking little if at all.
Still… she wondered if there were any who were like her.
Could someone like her really keep staying here?
She turned her head to the side. On her right, Ishikawa Hayabusa was arguing with Ryo.
"Aren't we partners in crime? How could you abandon me?!"
"That was the manager's decision."
"Then you should at least hang a sign that says—"
Ryo cut him off immediately.
"No. That's your job."
Bocchi shifted her gaze farther and locked eyes with Nijika by accident. Nijika smiled at her and turned back to her conversation with Kita.
But not even two seconds later, Nijika looked back again.
Her crimson eyes seemed to catch on something.
Ending her conversation with Kita, she stepped away from the group. Turning around with a bright, satisfied smile, she addressed the four of them:
"That's it for today's shift. You all did really well—thank you for your hard work!"
The four of them responded in unison.
Afterward, the three of them began packing up their things. When they were ready to leave together, Kita noticed that Ryo was still standing in the same place, not having picked up her bag.
"Ryo-senpai, aren't you heading back?"
"No. I'll stay for a bit longer."
"I see…"
Kita's reply sounded a little flat.
Nijika noticed her expression, not quite sure what had happened, and her smile faltered slightly—until her attention was caught by Ishikawa Hayabusa waving a hand reassuringly beside her.
Seeing his easygoing, leave it to me smile, Nijika relaxed and returned it with one of her own—bright and sunny as a spring morning.
Nijika and Ryo walked the three of them to the door.
Under the dark blue night sky, the three stepped out from the warm yellow glow of STARRY.
Just as they did, they ran into Hoshika, who had escorted the band to their after-party and returned earlier than expected.
Descending the steps, she looked at them calmly and said:
"Get home safe."
"Ah… yeah," Bocchi replied.
"Thanks for taking care of us," Kita said politely.
"Pretty sure that wasn't directed at me," Hayabusa added with a grin.
Hoshika chuckled softly at that, then stepped aside and went on her way.
The three were about to move forward again when Nijika called out hesitantly to Bocchi, who was nervously inching away.
"Bocchi-chan."
Bocchi froze, startled, then spun around awkwardly.
"Ah—y-yes?"
Their eyes met. Nijika smiled gently.
She remembered the first time she had found Bocchi at their meeting spot.
Back then, she had looked like a child abandoned by the world, walking alone, flinching at the slightest rustle of wind.
But now—though she was still timid—she could meet Nijika's gaze head-on.
Unconsciously, Nijika's smile softened.
"See you tomorrow."
"Ah—y-yeah…" Bocchi mumbled.
She looked away, hesitated briefly, then summoned a bit of courage and added:
"See you tomorrow."
As Ryo waved, Bocchi turned back around. Seeing Hayabusa and Kita waiting for her just ahead, she blinked and quickly hurried to catch up.
Under the streetlamps, the three of them walked home together.
The edges of the lamplight blurred into overlapping circles. Light spilled softly from the windows of the houses they passed.
This was the first time Bocchi, Ishikawa Hayabusa, and Kita had ever left STARRY this late together.
They walked along the half-lit street under a sea of warm lights.
Kita glanced sideways at the two beside her.
They had been walking for nearly a minute now, and neither of them had said a single word—completely different from how talkative they'd been at lunch earlier.
…Was she being a third wheel?
She was already thinking of an excuse to leave when Hayabusa suddenly spoke:
"Oh, right—Kita, about that thing you mentioned before…"
That thing?
Kita immediately remembered and, after a quick glance at the completely clueless Bocchi, she flailed her hands in panic.
"Idiot! You can't say that now!"
"You're overthinking it," Hayabusa said casually—and then, for some reason, grabbed Kita by the arm.
Kita looked down at his hand gripping her arm, then back up at him, confused.
He grinned.
"Just making sure the runaway lady doesn't run away."
"You're awful! This is literally illegal detention!"
Kita shouted indignantly, but she made no move to struggle free.
"Excellent. Another milestone on my road to degeneracy—illegally detaining a cute girl feels pretty good."
He said it so offhandedly that Kita went red and sputtered,
"H-hey!"
Hayabusa turned to Bocchi and explained,
"This idiot's been sulking all afternoon because a bunch of classmates asked her if we were dating, and she said yes—so she's been depressed ever since."
"W-wait! You can't tell that to Goto-san!"
Kita's protest did nothing to cover his words, and Bocchi clearly heard every single one.
Kita immediately regretted letting Hayabusa handle this. This wasn't resolving anything—it was blowing it up!
She tried to slip away, but Hayabusa still had a firm grip on her arm.
Feeling utterly betrayed, she braced herself for Bocchi's judgment.
"…Oh."
But Bocchi only responded quietly.
No anger. No complaints.
Kita turned her head, stunned, and found Bocchi looking at her with something like sympathy—like she understood exactly how she felt.
"Huh…?"
Kita hesitated, then asked carefully:
"Goto-san… you're not mad?"
Bocchi blinked innocently.
"Um… I don't really get it."
Hayabusa, who had already pieced everything together, said to Bocchi:
"Seems like Kita got the wrong idea—she thought we were dating."
Bocchi froze mid-step.
Her face twisted into a surreal expression, her mouth trembling as if it had slid halfway down her cheek.
"D-d-dating?!"
Kita panicked.
"Goto-san!"
But Hayabusa remained completely calm.
Letting go of Kita's arm, he turned to Bocchi and said:
"Alright, Bocchi. Time to fix this."
"A-ah…" Bocchi whimpered.
Hayabusa rubbed his hands together, then clapped them firmly on Bocchi's cheeks. Smack!
Her features instantly snapped back into place.
Still dazed, she didn't resist when Hayabusa grabbed her wrist with one hand, Kita's arm with the other, and started walking again as if nothing had happened.
Kita glanced down at his hand on her arm, then at his face.
"Ishikawa-kun?"
"Guess I'm addicted to detaining people now," Hayabusa said flatly.
"Let go!"
Kita blushed and struggled weakly, but his grip didn't loosen.
When she noticed some passersby staring at them in surprise, she quickly ducked her head.
The whole matter had been resolved so quickly that her emotions hadn't had time to build up—and now they were scattered before she could even process them, leaving only a faint, lingering flutter in her chest.
Hayabusa glanced at the two girls he was holding on either side.
For some reason, he felt that if he suddenly walked them into a shady-looking shop, they'd probably follow him in without question.
Well—Kita would probably realize what was happening and run away eventually.
It was a funny thought, but maybe he shouldn't push it too far, or they'd start avoiding him for real.
After a while, Bocchi began to recover. She looked down at her captured wrist and felt something unfamiliar stir inside her.
Unsettled, she wiggled her hand lightly. Hayabusa released her.
Strangely, she felt an emptiness in her chest the moment he let go.
Thinking back to Kita's misunderstanding, she turned her head. Looking past Hayabusa's shoulder, she caught sight of Kita's striking red hair.
Without thinking about timing, she blurted out:
"Um… Kita-chan, I'm not—Hayabusa and I aren't d-dating."
Kita froze.
The way they stood so close together, the way they spoke to each other, even how they'd hidden away to eat lunch earlier—she had been sure.
"Then… what are you two?" she asked cautiously.
Bocchi glanced at Hayabusa, thought for a moment, and whispered:
"It's… a keeper-and-pet relationship."
Both Hayabusa and Kita froze solid, their minds going completely blank.
The air around them turned ice-cold.
In Kita's mind, horrifying mental images appeared one after another, making her feel physically ill.
Less than half a second later, she forced a strained smile, glanced at Hayabusa's hand on her arm, then looked up at him and said in a voice so sweet it could rot teeth:
"Ishikawa-kun, could you please let go—otherwise, I might have to call the police."
"Wait! It's not like that!"
Hayabusa quickly explained:
"I promised Bocchi that if she ever had a hard time in life, I'd take care of her for the rest of her days."
Kita blinked.
She suddenly remembered the day Hayabusa had taken Bocchi's piggy bank, the words they had exchanged back then.
So it had been that moment?
Looking at them now, she realized that there really was something different about their relationship.
It wasn't romantic—they didn't have that sticky, awkward tension that couples usually had.
It was like they had stepped past that line entirely and found a different kind of bond.
And yet… even if Bocchi herself hadn't noticed, Kita could feel it.
The way Bocchi looked at Hayabusa—it carried just a hint of affection.
The kind that blooms only at the very start of love, while something else entirely is already running ahead of it.
Kita exhaled slowly, deeply, then smiled at the two of them.
"I see. So that's how it is, huh, Goto-san?"
"Mm."
Bocchi nodded softly.
Seeing her reaction, Kita finally understood.
Yes—this explained why Bocchi had been so tense when Hayabusa wasn't around, yet relaxed so much more once he was near.
And somehow, seeing them like this made Kita think that competing for Bocchi's attention would just feel wrong.
Hayabusa watched the new, resolute light in Kita's eyes and understood.
"So, Kita," he asked, "still need my help?"
Kita took a light step forward, then another, and turned back to face them.
Her usual bright smile returned, free of all burdens.
"No. I know what I have to do now."
Her shoulder-length crimson hair swayed gently under the night sky.
The neon lights reflected in her cheerful expression, and her short skirt swished as her lively steps kicked it up slightly.
She looked at them, her eyes curving into a happy grin.
This was Kita Ikuyo.
A clumsy but utterly straightforward girl.
Hayabusa stared for a moment, as though he could already see what she would do next.
Ignoring her cuteness entirely, he lazily offered her some advice.
"No need to rush. I know you'll handle it well. But just remember—being impulsive is both your strength and your weakness. Keep that in mind."
Kita puffed her cheeks slightly, her mood ruined by his offhand remark.
"Honestly, Ishikawa-kun, you really don't understand girls at all."
Even as she said it, her greenish-gold eyes glittered like they were full of stars.
Stars brighter and closer than anything in the night sky above.