Chapter 7: Bocchi-chan Remains Amusing
Ren hadn't started a harem before, so he didn't know whether it was difficult or not, but he did know that girls' thoughts were truly hard to understand.
Another day began with turning off the alarm clock and seeing a cold one million yen deposited into his account, a beautiful day indeed.
When Ren arrived at school, Hitori was there earlier than him. She glanced at every classmate entering the classroom, only stopping when she saw Ren, continuing to watch him with expectant eyes while wearing an expression that seemed to want to say something but holding back.
Seeing her conflicted appearance, Ren deliberately pretended not to notice the large package leaning against Hitori's desk. Judging by its shape, it looked like a guitar. He hadn't expected her to be so proactive, she had brought the guitar the very next day after their conversation yesterday.
After waiting for a while, Hitori couldn't bring herself to initiate conversation with Ren. Instead, under Ren's gaze, she slowly melted and turned into a slime again, mumbling incoherently.
"Is this a guitar?" Ren asked with a smile after seeing her state. Hitori remained as amusing as ever. He wondered how many different forms she could take.
"Y-yes, we agreed yesterday, right? So I brought it... It-it shouldn't take up too much of your time..." Hitori struggled to complete this sentence, her face turning pale as if she were suffocating. Speaking such a long sentence seemed to put considerable pressure on her.
"Take as much time as you need. I'm looking forward to it. Let's find a quiet place during lunch break for you to play for me."
Watching Hitori looking like she could barely breathe, Ren wanted to pat her back to help her catch her breath. But since they had just met yesterday, he felt it might be too forward, so he could only watch helplessly.
"I'll do my best."
After saying this, Hitori seemed completely burned out, her entire appearance turning gray as she collapsed onto her desk, not moving at all.
Ren didn't disturb her rest. Instead, he took out his phone to continue pretending to study and supplement his knowledge of music theory, while also checking the map for professional recording studios nearby.
"RiNG, RNG branch? Why switch from esports to music?" He found a live performance venue not far from Toyosaki with a somewhat familiar name. Ren muttered this complaint but still browsed through the shop's introduction page and habitually checked the comments section, discovering it had a 99% positive rating.
Moreover, the prices were quite reasonable, with supporting practice rooms and recording studios. Most importantly, there was a bulletin board for recruiting band members, finding some temporary help shouldn't be difficult.
After deciding on the recording studio to visit, Ren continued browsing RiNG. He found that the system's evaluation wasn't wrong, most of the active users there were indeed all-girl bands, and high school students made up the majority.
He had previously heard a saying that Japanese high school boys were into saving the world, while high school girls were now into playing in bands. That sounded quite lively.
This was an area Ren had never had the chance to explore before, and this peculiar phenomenon sparked considerable interest in him.
In the past, he lacked both the time and money to learn about these things, but now he could indulge to his heart's content.
However, before that, he needed to listen to Hitori's performance. He hoped her skill level matched his expectations; otherwise, even if he copied songs to impress her, if she performed them poorly, she might get criticized into social withdrawal.
Audiences might not understand composition, but they could certainly tell whether the performance or singing was good or not.
Thus, when noon arrived and most people in the classroom had either left or gathered around tables to eat lunch and chat, Hitori nervously brought Ren to the space under the staircase on the first floor of the laboratory building.
It was quite cool there, not only blocking out most of the noise from the teaching building but also rarely visited by anyone. Moreover, many cardboard boxes were stacked around, neatly arranged by Hitori to completely block the view from the corridor. Hiding inside, they were almost impossible to spot. Once they arrived, Hitori relaxed significantly, as if she had returned home.
"A secret base?"
Ren was somewhat impressed by Hitori's ability to find such a hidden spot in the school.
"Yeah, this dark corner is the only blessing the gods have left for a lowly creature like me. I come here every day for lunch."
Much more relaxed, Hitori no longer spoke with that suffocating tension. She felt entirely secure, but the thought of playing the guitar in front of someone other than her family made her nervous and insecure.
She even imagined the scenario where she played poorly and earned Ren's disdain. The embarrassment and pressure from that thought instantly turned her into a panicked mess, metaphorically crawling around on the floor like a paramecium.
"Can I take a look at your guitar?"
Ren acted as if he didn't notice her antics. By now, he understood why their classmates were so unfazed—such behavior was normal for Hitori.
"It would be my honor, Lord Watanabe. Please."
Once spoken to, Hitori returned to her human form and respectfully presented her guitar.
"Are there any precautions I should take? I'm afraid I might accidentally damage it."
Although his theoretical knowledge was extensive, this was Ren's first time handling a musical instrument. He knew well that different trades were separated by high barriers, and without proper guidance, he might make some basic mistakes that would infuriate experts.
For instance, holding the lenses when helping someone with their glasses, or pouring cola instead of soy sauce on rice noodle rolls. He was worried his brain might short-circuit and make him lift the guitar by its strings.
"Just don't grab the strings."
Hitori was also afraid Ren might commit a musical crime, so she cautiously reminded him.
Then Ren picked up the guitar with practiced ease. The moment he touched the instrument, various playing techniques instantly surfaced in his mind—every detail crystal clear—plunging him into a state of explosive inspiration. Without using a pick, he began an impromptu performance.
Hitori, who had initially assumed he was just randomly strumming like a summer fool, had been contemplating how to compliment Ren without appearing too deliberate. The only thing she felt somewhat confident about was playing guitar—surely she'd be better than a complete novice like Ren.
But upon hearing Ren's moving melody and highly infectious performance, feeling his skilled technique and rhythm, Hitori's jaw dropped.
This wasn't what she had imagined. How could Ren actually know how to play? And play even better than her?
C-could it be that Ren was a wolf in sheep's clothing? That wanting to hear her play guitar was just an excuse to mock her?!
Was even their friendship fake? Just entertainment to watch her perform like a ridiculous clown...
She knew it—there was no way anyone would actively want to be friends with her...
My life is over...
Hitori stood frozen in place, her entire body turning ashen gray. As a gentle breeze swept into the corner, she crumbled into dust scattered by the wind, completely transformed into particles.
"?"
Immersed in his playing, Ren noticed Hitori's abnormal state and fell silent. Had he done something again to upset Hitori?
He looked down at the guitar, wondering whether his playing was too good or too terrible that Hitori couldn't even bear to listen.
But that wasn't the most important thing now—Hitori had turned to dust. Would she be able to reconstitute?
"Hitori, are you okay?"
After hesitating for a moment, Ren reached out to sweep the dust together into a pile. He called Hitori's name repeatedly until she finally snapped out of her despair. Having returned to human form, she performed a dogeza at superhuman speed faster than Ren could react.
"I'm sorry, Lord Watanabe! I shouldn't have embarrassed myself in your presence! Please forgive my offense!"
"Wait, you haven't actually done anything yet, right? Was my playing that awful? And why the formal language? Aren't we friends?"
Ren had completely grown accustomed to Hitori's occasional breakdowns, though he still couldn't understand what triggered them.
"No, your playing was wonderful—much better than mine."
Just yesterday Ren had claimed he couldn't play. Could he have achieved enlightenment overnight? Hitori was convinced Ren had been acting all along, his goal being to mock a lowly creature like her who could only crawl in darkness.
"..."
Was he being misunderstood?
Hitori's inner sensitivity was evident from her constant physical contortions. After pondering for a moment, Ren realized his behavior must have seemed strange. Yesterday he claimed he couldn't play guitar, yet today when Gotou Hitori brought her guitar, he could suddenly play. In Hitori's eyes, could this be intentional bullying?
"This was just an improvised performance from a burst of inspiration. If you ask me to play now, I couldn't play that well again. After hearing yesterday that you play guitar, I went home and researched it, found guitar playing quite interesting, and watched some self-teaching videos."
"Think about it, Gotou, if friends both play guitar, wouldn't that mean double the happiness?"
Fortunately, Ren had already figured out how to interact with Hitori. Following the "friend manual" never failed.
Sure enough, hearing Ren's explanation and thinking he had learned about guitar specifically to have common topics with her, Hitori immediately dismissed her inner turmoil. Feeling unexpectedly honored, she didn't know how to respond.
"Calmed down now? Can you play for me?"
Seeing this, Ren smiled gently and returned the guitar to Hitori.
"Okay..."
Seeing that Ren truly wasn't mocking her, Hitori felt much more at ease. However, when she took the guitar and prepared to play, she found her mind completely blank.
She couldn't recall any of the songs she had previously played. It turned out that performing in front of Ren, the only boy who interacted with her and her friend - still made her nervous.
When the moment arrived, she forgot everything. Realizing what was happening, instead of quickly adjusting her mindset to remember those familiar songs, she grew increasingly nervous. Sweat beaded on her forehead, trailing down her cheeks and dripping onto the guitar. Her body became completely stiff.
Under Ren's gaze shifting from anticipation to confusion, she let out a small sound before collapsing backward onto the floor, lying completely still as if she had been dead for some time.