Chapter 71: The Wall (Part 1)

After a break, the five of them resumed their playful search for filming locations on the streets of Shimokitazawa.

When Kita spotted a wall covered in many posters and curiously ran over to it, Ishikawa Hayato noticed Hitori beside him, her head lowered as if she was very tired.

He touched Hitori’s hand.

“What’s wrong?”

Hitori looked up, her face pale, seemingly under a lot of pressure.

“It’s my first time being out for so long… I feel…”

As she spoke, her gaze darted left and right, clearly nervous about the surrounding attention.

Ishikawa Hayato looked around; indeed, some people were noticing Hitori because of her strange outfit—a tracksuit paired with a skirt—and their group was also quite conspicuous.

Aside from the oddly dressed Hitori, the other three girls were all top-tier beauties, and Ishikawa Hayato was unusually handsome.

The other three members of the band also noticed them.

“Bocchi, let’s go rest for a bit longer over there.”

Nijika suggested worriedly, but Ishikawa Hayato shook his head, indicating it wasn’t necessary.

He leaned down and said to Hitori, “Don’t overthink it.”

After speaking, he ignored the others and directly pulled Hitori into his arms, resting her head against his chest and gently patting her back.

Hitori, held by him, trembled slightly, then slowly extended her arms to hug Ishikawa Hayato after a moment of hesitation.

Nijika and Kita, who were initially surprised by Ishikawa Hayato’s sudden action, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Hitori’s outstretched hands, then their expressions turned peculiar.

They all felt a bit of admiration for this guy.

Ishikawa Hayato saw that standing like this wasn’t ideal, so he said,

“I’ll take Bocchi to rest up ahead. Everyone, call me when you find a good spot for photos.”

“Okay, that works.”

Nijika nodded. Although she wanted to warn Ishikawa Hayato not to do anything strange, given their situation, it didn’t seem appropriate to say so.

Then Ishikawa Hayato reached out and took Hitori’s hand, saying,

“Let’s go a bit further ahead.”

Hitori, her head deeply bowed, took small steps back, moving away from Ishikawa Hayato’s chest, and nodded.

And the ear peeking out from her pink long hair was vibrantly red…

Hayato… Hayato actually hugged her in front of the other members of the band!

How bold!

After the initial tension, happiness, and relaxation,

Hitori now walked with Ishikawa Hayato, her head down, lost in thought.

The reason she thought this way was because she remembered Ishikawa Hayato saying he wanted a harem, and such a boy surely couldn’t perform particularly intimate acts with one girl within a group of girls.

That would disrupt the balance of their interactions.

And it had indeed been that way before.

When everyone was present, Ishikawa Hayato didn't interact much with her.

Hitori couldn’t imagine the consequences of doing this today.

She started to worry about Hayato’s thoughts now.

Because of her mistake, she had caused him such a big problem.

And it was their first time holding hands…

Oh no, she was too nervous, her hands felt sweaty, she really wanted to wipe them.

Her mood plummeted from its peak to its lowest point again.

They reached the end of the street and stood in an inconspicuous corner.

Ishikawa Hayato noticed that although Hitori wasn’t as nervous, she still looked deep in thought and gloomy.

He asked,

“Bocchi, what’s wrong?”

“Th-that, I’m sorry,” Hitori said hesitantly.

“Hmm?”

“For making Hayato take care of such a troublesome me… Getting so nervous from being watched that I feel like I’m going to throw up.” As she spoke, she made a broken-like expression.

“Someone like me really should be burned at the stake, then Nijika and the others won’t misunderstand Hayato.”

She said, as if intending to go prepare the pyre, but Ishikawa Hayato pulled her back.

Hitori stiffly turned her head, and what she saw was a slightly displeased Ishikawa Hayato, causing her heart to chill instantly.

“Bocchi forgot our promise, didn’t she? Originally, Bocchi wasn’t wrong, but now Bocchi is wrong.”

Ishikawa Hayato said, pulling Hitori. Hitori showed no resistance and was pulled in front of him.

He bent his finger and flicked her lowered head, neither too lightly nor too hard.

“Ow.”

Hitori clutched her head, then heard Ishikawa Hayato complain.

“Honestly, Hitori seems to have already forgotten what I said back then.”

That’s not true!

Hitori mentally protested, but immediately remembered why Ishikawa Hayato flicked her.

There were only two situations where she should apologize to him… Oh no… Oh no!

Ishikawa Hayato seemed to read her mind and said,

“But the punishment is done, it’s fine now.”

Yet, even so, Hitori still couldn’t let go of the apprehension in her heart.

Ishikawa Hayato looked at this troublesome little girl, sighed, and hugged her again.

He said in a very drawn-out, yet calm voice,

“It seems we’ll have to go on another date, my troublesome little Bocchi.”

Hitori, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the embrace, heard Ishikawa Hayato’s words and sensed that he truly wanted her not to worry, and her heart gradually returned to peace.

A moment later, Ishikawa Hayato’s phone chimed with a *ding-dong* notification.

He and Hitori separated slightly, took out his phone, and checked Line.

Nijika: [ How is Hitori-chan recovering? ]

Ishikawa Hayato thought about Hitori’s energetic appearance from earlier, when she was ready to prepare the pyre, put down his phone, and asked Hitori,

“Bocchi, are you more relaxed?”

Hitori realized that Nijika and the others had found a filming location and were about to call them over, so she immediately said with certainty,

“Mm… I’m fine now.”

“Really?” Ishikawa Hayato squatted slightly to meet her gaze.

But as he squatted, Hitori also lowered her head, nodding rapidly, her pink long hair trembling slightly.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled, stood up, and replied to Nijika on his phone,

[ She’s fine now. ]

Nijika replied instantly.

[ We found a great wall, hurry over! ]

Ishikawa Hayato: [ It’s not Kita’s escape wall, is it? ]

Nijika: [ Of course not! ]

...

After Nijika saw Ishikawa Hayato’s reply on her phone, she quickly replied, exasperated.

Then she noticed Kita looking over with a puzzled gaze.

Kita, seeing Nijika’s reaction, walked over a bit worriedly and asked,

“Ijiichi-senpai, is something wrong with them?”

Nijika thought about Ishikawa Hayato’s earlier comment and decided it was better not to let Kita know.

She awkwardly put away her phone.

“N-nothing at all.”

Kita looked suspicious.

A moment later, Ishikawa Hayato and Hitori walked back.

The three of them looked at the two, paying special attention to Hitori.

Seeing Hitori go from her previous pale face to her normal state—of course, 'normal state' here referred to her usual timid appearance—

They couldn't help but admire this guy.

But Kita, who had been bullied repeatedly, still approached cautiously and asked Hitori,

“Gotou-san, you weren’t subjected to anything strange, were you? Don’t be afraid, tell us, we’re all here.”

“Hey.”

Ishikawa Hayato called out blankly.

Kita, realizing she had successfully won a round against Ishikawa Hayato, paused, then smiled slightly.

Hitori quickly explained to Ishikawa Hayato,

“Um… Hayato is very gentle.”

Ishikawa Hayato was startled, looked at the others, and seeing that the girls didn’t seem to misunderstand her words, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed he was the only one with a dirty mind.

However, 'gentle' she says… He sighed, adding nothing more to the conversation.

The atmosphere quickly returned to the lively one they had during the photo shoot, with the girls discussing poses and standing order.

Ishikawa Hayato’s only suggestion, “How about a five-color Sentai pose? Red, yellow, blue, pink, and black fit perfectly,” was collectively ignored.

Ah, not entirely. Only Hitori, in a faint voice no one heard, said,

“I think that could work…”

Finally, they unanimously decided,

“Then let’s jump for the photo. Let’s try it.”

Once decided, Nijika happily ran to the camera to adjust its position, angle, and timer. After finishing, she quickly ran back.

With a joyful smile, she ran between Kita, Ryo, Hitori, and Ishikawa Hayato, wrapped her arm around Ryo’s, held Hitori’s hand, and reminded everyone,

“5.”

“4.”

Hitori was startled when Nijika grabbed her, and then hearing the countdown, her heart suddenly panicked.

It was only when it was time to jump that she realized she had almost forgotten what jumping felt like!

And it was only Nijika holding her.

Ishikawa Hayato wasn't holding her hand.

Ah, Nijika's countdown was almost over!

She had no choice but to jump without thinking.

After they finished, Ishikawa Hayato stood in the corner, arms crossed, with a proud expression as if waiting for the girls to praise his moves.

However, the voices from the four people beside the camera were...

Ryo's calm voice carried a hint of surprise.

"Ah, Bocchi's..."

Nijika's teasing, joyful voice rang out.

"We really got some incredible photos, didn't we?"

Ishikawa Hayato: ???

He looked over.

Hitori, with a gloomy expression, pointed at the camera.

"I'm really sorry you took something worthless. Please delete it."

Seeing the strange reactions of the few, Ishikawa Hayato walked over, puzzled, but only took one step.

Nijika, who had just been smiling teasingly, immediately sobered up, quickly hugged the camera to her chest, and looked at Ishikawa Hayato warily.

And Hitori, who seemed indifferent, even disgusted, heard Ishikawa Hayato's footsteps and looked at him, her mind going blank, and she frantically blocked Nijika.

"Hayato, Hayato, don't look!"

She cried out in panic.

Kita and Ryo also stood in front of Ishikawa Hayato, looking wary.

Seeing the four of them acting in such perfect synchronicity for the first time, Ishikawa Hayato paused, dumbfounded, and said,

"Did I... Did I do something wrong? Why are you all so cold to me?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at the four still resolute faces, his expression fell, and with tears in his eyes, he turned his head, squatted in the corner, and pitifully drew circles.

Crisis averted.

Nijika breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the other three, and reassured him.

"It's not Hayato-kun's fault, and Hayato-kun's pose just now was good, even quite good."

"Really!" Ishikawa Hayato looked up in surprise.

"Mm." Ryo nodded.

Seeing Ishikawa Hayato instantly recover his spirits, Kita didn't know if he was genuinely happy or pretending, and said weakly,

"Ishikawa-kun really is..."