Chapter 47: Ice Cubes

On the way back today, Kita secretly observed the two people beside her.

Ishikawa-kun, as before, walked alongside them at their slower pace, casually observing his surroundings.

But Gotou-san was different.

Walking beside Ishikawa-kun, her spirits were noticeably higher than usual, and even her gaze beneath her bangs would secretly steal glances at Ishikawa-kun's face.

Her face was still flushed with a cute blush, which definitely wasn't from the streetlights or nearby lights.

It wasn't like this yesterday.

Did something happen afterwards?

In such a short amount of time?

As their steps continued, the place where she had to part ways grew closer, and Kita felt she couldn't do nothing.

Her heart began to clench.

Should she make a move? How should she make a move?

But seeing Gotou-san, who was usually timid and weak, looking so happy, she couldn't help but think for a moment that for Gotou-san, Ishikawa-kun was indeed the best boyfriend.

He would carefully protect Gotou-san.

Yet, even as she thought this, she felt a sense of unwillingness.

"Kita is very quiet today," Ishikawa Hayato suddenly spoke.

Kita, who had been lost in thought, was startled by the sudden voice. Noticing Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, she looked up and smiled evasively.

"I was just thinking about the guitar. Ishikawa-kun startled me."

"Really?" Ishikawa Hayato asked meaningfully, "You weren't thinking about something ridiculous, were you?"

"What do you mean!"

Kita, feeling her mood had been seen through, panicked and asked defiantly.

Ishikawa Hayato swayed his head, mumbling like a chant.

"Like running away, running away, running away, or something."

Although her embarrassing past was brought up, Kita breathed a sigh of relief, then feigned annoyance and explained.

"I only did it once, alright? And I'll never do it again."

As she spoke, she slowly lowered her head. She suddenly remembered that joining the band before was purely based on her momentary impulse.

And it was under that impulse that she did something that embarrassed everyone. Although that time was perfectly resolved, she wouldn't always have such good luck.

This time, should she also act impulsively and regret it later?

She looked at Hitori.

She gazed at the bangs covering Hitori's eyes and her tracksuit, which had no hint of girlishness.

Gotou-san might not even be Ishikawa-kun's type, and she had only known Ishikawa-kun for a month.

What to do... she would just wait a while and see.

...

After parting ways with Kita, who had been much quieter today, only Ishikawa Hayato and Hitori were left walking towards the train station.

Walking through the bustling streets with a beautiful but timid, tracksuit-clad girl—no, for now, she’s still just a unpolished diamond—it’s a strangely fascinating feeling.

Ishikawa Hayato teasingly lagged half a step behind her, perfectly matching her pace.

And Hitori, having lost her reference point and with a complicated mood, would slow down one moment and then, as if worried, speed up the next.

As she walked, her mouse-like gaze would constantly steal glances at him, secretly observing the reaction of the man beside her.

Ishikawa Hayato, feeling her gaze, looked down and met Hitori's eyes.

Then Hitori shyly averted her gaze immediately, lowering her head.

A lot happened today, Ishikawa Hayato thought.

A date with Hitori in the morning, going to Hitori's house at noon, a band meeting in the afternoon, and then going to Ryo's house.

It was a busy day, but also a day surrounded by girls.

The Harem King was about to be born.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, then said to Hitori, who was looking down and slowing her steps.

"Bocchi, is the part-time job okay?"

Hitori's steps stopped. Ishikawa Hayato also stopped in place, looking at her.

After a moment, her faint voice came.

"Mmm..."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't press, saying casually,

"Let's just assume it is. Let's go, Bocchi, you don't want to stay here forever, do you?"

Hitori shuffled over. Ishikawa Hayato watched her, her head drooping, whether from disappointment or habit, and couldn't help but reach out and pat her head.

The girl with pink long hair, tightly wrapped in a pink tracksuit, tensed her body slightly, then relaxed.

In the noisy, rushing crowd, Ishikawa Hayato heard her soft murmur.

"With Hayato beside me, I'm not afraid."

Ishikawa Hayato said nothing, put down his hand, and, holding her wrist, walked towards the station.

... 

"I'm home."

Hitori had just greeted her family when she heard quick footsteps coming from the living room.

"Hitori, welcome home."

Her mother walked out smiling, glanced at her, then at the already closed door, and her smile subsided a little.

As if disappointed in her daughter, she sighed a little flatly.

"Mom!"

Hitori understood the meaning in her expression and called out unhappily.

But her mother ignored her, walking towards the living room as if talking to herself.

"Hayato-kun is a good child. Why didn't Hitori bring him home..."

'Bring... bring him home?'

'Where would Hayato rest? Surely not in her room?'

And Hayato had just been to her house today. Were her parents really so trusting of the friends their daughter made?

Hitori thought, her eyes becoming much more pitiful.

She sadly changed her shoes alone and walked into her home.

After that, once she returned home, she seemed to get back on track.

Amidst the joyful sounds of her father and sister, and an occasional interjection from her mother, she silently finished dinner, then returned to her room, entered her closet, and began to cover popular songs and record videos.

After finishing, she practiced the guitar for a while.

Finally, she lay on the tatami mat, staring blankly at the familiar ceiling, beginning to review the day and think about what to do tomorrow.

And this girl, wearing a tracksuit and unsightly black socks, first curled up laughing, then rolled over to the other side.

Then she twisted and rolled back, tumbling on the tatami mat.

After thinking about the happy things, she felt some things she didn't want to think about quickly emerged.

Part-time job.

'Tomorrow... working at STARRY... working...'

 She suddenly sat up, her eyes wide with terror, and scrambled, thudding quickly downstairs.

She didn't want to work, absolutely didn't want to work!

And working at a livehouse definitely meant facing all sorts of people.

Hitori's mind instantly conjured images of men with post-apocalyptic mohawks wearing studded jackets, and women in similar attire carrying whips.

Although she had told Hayato she wasn't afraid, that was when he was there. Now... if you left her alone for just a bit.

Hitori hurried downstairs, and amidst her parents' puzzled expressions in the living room, she left the house.

A moment later, as they considered whether to cook red bean rice, Hitori returned, carrying a bag of stone-like objects that made a hard scraping sound.

The two got up from the sofa, bewildered, and looked out from the living room.

They saw Hitori take the bag into the bathroom.

And in no time, Hitori came out of the bathroom again, walking resolutely towards the refrigerator.

In front of her curious parents who followed her, she opened the refrigerator, took all the ice cubes from the ice maker, put them in the bag, and went into the bathroom.

The two followed her to the bathroom.

Seeing Hitori pour bag after bag of ice cubes into the bathtub, the two exchanged a silent glance and sighed in unison.

Hitori's parents were the more open-minded type and didn't interfere much with Hitori's own decisions.

Besides, their daughter had already done many strange things up until now, so there was no need to suddenly try and stop her today.

But today...

"It has to be about that, right?" Goto Michiyo looked at her husband.

Her husband nodded, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly.

"Hello, Hayato-kun, ah, you guessed right, Hitori is indeed doing strange things again. Mmm, I'll give her the phone, thank you. No, no, we're very happy that Hitori has a friend like you."

He finished speaking, holding the phone, and walked towards Hitori, who had come out of the bathroom and was about to go upstairs.

"Hitori, phone."

Hitori, who was preparing to change clothes for a race against death by cold, looked at her father holding his own phone and handing it to her, and was stunned.

Then, full of confusion, she took the phone, but when she held it to her ear, not knowing what to say,

Ishikawa Hayato's voice came from the phone.

[ "Bocchi, this is Ishikawa Hayato, what are you doing?" ]

Hearing the voice from the phone and the straightforward question, Hitori's eyes widened instantly.

"Ah, ah..."

She looked at her father in confusion, then at her bathtub where the ice cubes were already placed, her mouth opening and closing, completely unable to speak.

Her father actually tattling to Hayato was something she had never expected.

'When did their relationship become so good!'

'Is this the power of a normie?'

After a while, from the other end of the phone, without Hitori's response.

[ "I won't use Uncle's phone anymore, Hitori, use your phone to talk." ]

"Ah... okay."

After the sound of the call ending, Hitori stiffly returned the phone to her father, then, as if going to her execution, walked slowly up the stairs with a dejected expression.

And seeing their daughter like this, her parents smiled broadly.