Chapter 86: Sea and Sky (Part 1)

Looking at him, Nijika hesitated for a long time, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly as she asked,

"Then... did Ryo also go on a date with you?"

Ishikawa Hayato still didn't lie.

He looked at Nijika and said, "Although we didn't call it a date, she and I did go out to have fun together."

"Is that so, Hayato-kun, you really are..."

Nijika was a bit at a loss.

She put her hands behind her back and noticed an uneven spot on the concrete ground.

She poked it with her foot, but the bump clearly wouldn't flatten.

She exhaled, took another half-step back, and looked up at the faint stars, her voice soft, yet tinged with loneliness, saying, "A harem... it feels a bit unreal. Can Hayato-kun make everyone happy?"

"If I start doing it, it means I have a certain confidence that I can achieve it."

Nijika's gaze met Ishikawa Hayato's gaze.

Looking at his handsome face, and thinking of his usual strength, which always seemed to reveal only the tip of the iceberg, and his reliable actions...

She felt a little uneasy.

"Then, can we stop here?"

Ishikawa Hayato didn't avoid her gaze.

Instead, he looked at her very firmly, as if the emotions in his heart were fearlessly laid bare, and said to her, "If I decide to have a harem, I will try my best to include Nijika."

Nijika's expression flustered, and she averted her gaze, asking with a wavering voice,

"Why?"

Ishikawa Hayato didn't press her.

He also looked up at the sky, imitating Nijika.

"Because, if I'm going to be a playboy, then I must try to take in and care for the girls around me who make me feel uneasy."

Nijika didn't ask him how he would manage to care for them all.

Instead, she put on a smile that was hard to read, hiding her thoughts.

"Me? Uneasy? What are you talking about, Hayato-kun?"

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and said to her,

"Because Nijika is very good at putting on a brave front. I know Nijika can be impulsive sometimes, and then she tries hard to hold it together. Seeing her like that makes me feel very uneasy."

Nijika pursed her lips and hurriedly called out, "Let's go back!"

With that, she retreated back to STARRY as if escaping.

...

Finally, it was Saturday morning.

Sitting on the waiting bench at the station, Hitori remembered being pulled aside by Nijika for a private talk when she went home last night.

She was asked about her dreams, congratulated in advance on her relationship with Ishikawa Hayato, and reminded her to keep a tight leash on him so he wouldn’t stray away from her.

As Hitori thought about it, a happy, rippling smile appeared on her face, but she quickly snapped back to reality.

She definitely couldn't control Hayato, and she simply hoped Hayato wouldn't stray too far from her.

Her confession was for that very reason.

Moreover...

She recalled every moment she had spent with Ishikawa Hayato recently.

Hayato was always neither too close nor too far, always stepping in when she was in trouble, but then retreating to a safe distance.

She now felt as if she was making a suicidal confession, but this was also a confession that was using up all the courage of her lifetime.

She didn't want to delay any longer.

"Morning, Bocchi."

Hitori looked up, gazing forward.

In the bright, light blue, not-very-warm light, Ishikawa Hayato, wearing a white T-shirt with a short-sleeved shirt over it, stepped off the train.

He seemed to spot her immediately and raised his hand in greeting.

Hitori pulled the canvas bag strap on her shoulder, stood up, and walked towards the person she liked.

Although she had considered trying other clothes, she couldn't find anything that suited her, and she didn't know what kind of clothes Ishikawa Hayato liked.

When her time was almost running out, she still decided on her tracksuit.

She had already decided that if the confession failed, it would be the tracksuit's fault.

Leaving the station, it was a familiar road she had only been on once before.

"Speaking of which, it's been almost a month since we last went out."

"Ah, yes."

Hitori instinctively responded quickly.

Her gaze had been fixed on Ishikawa Hayato's hand.

His hand swung naturally with his steps, showing no intention of holding hers.

She didn't know what emotion she was feeling when she said, "Hayato, this time... are we still riding bicycles?"

"That's right."

That's great.

"By the way, that bike last time was really durable. I wonder if the owner has fixed it."

Ah, the 'Love’s Embrace Special'.

Hitori also felt a bit of anticipation.

It would be great if she could ride that bike again.

But a few minutes later,

"What? That bike isn't available for rent?"

Ishikawa Hayato cried out in disbelief.

"The Love’s Embrace Special can only be rented once! Besides, I'd never lend it to an unappreciative guy like you a second time!"

Eh...

The owner's shout cast a shadow over Hitori's heart.

"Are there other bikes, then?"

Ishikawa Hayato asked again.

For some reason, Hitori wanted to stop him, to ask him to try harder to convince the owner, but in the end, she gave up.

"Alright, but no more violence like last time."

The owner sighed and walked towards the back warehouse.

First time’s a stranger, second time’s a friend.

Ishikawa Hayato patted the seat, and Hitori sat on the back of the bicycle.

This seat was slightly different from the one she remembered.

This time, as the bicycle started moving, she deliberately didn't brace herself against the backward push, leaning against Ishikawa Hayato's back just like last time.

'He wouldn't scold her, would he...?'

Hitori thought, holding onto Ishikawa Hayato's waist.

Ishikawa Hayato, however, just casually teased,

"Bocchi's body is so soft."

Feeling that she hadn't been rejected, Hitori's lips curled up slightly, and she responded softly,

"Mhm."

...

The wind near the sea was a bit strong, but Hitori felt very comfortable.

The fierce wind didn't feel like it would blow her away, because she was holding onto someone who made her feel very secure.

The sun was warm, but not too hot.

Hayato rode very fast, so fast that the surroundings felt a bit chilly.

But it didn't matter; it wasn't cold behind him.

Hitori closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the cool breeze, the distant roar of the sea, and an occasional chirping of birds.

Cars occasionally sped past her, making a *whoosh* sound.

She still felt no unease.

But when she felt the bicycle start to slow down, Ishikawa Hayato said, "Bocchi, we're here."

She felt the surrounding temperature begin to drop.

Getting off the bicycle, the sunlight lingered on her back.

The warm sun of the summer clear sky didn't make her feel warm.

Instead, her chest felt cold.

Maybe... maybe I shouldn't confess after all.

This is fine as it is.

As she thought this, Ishikawa Hayato had already laid the bike down in the grass, walked over, and took her hand.

"Let's go, time to enjoy a Maldivian sunbath."

He was as excited as a child going on a spring outing.

Hitori followed his steps.

Sitting with her legs hugged on the waterproof sheet she and Hayato had spread out, Hitori glanced at Ishikawa Hayato lying beside her.

He had his arms spread wide like a playful child, as if wanting to bask in as much sunlight as possible.

After enjoying it for a while, he said lazily with a smile, "Sunbathing is like grilling fish, grill one side, then the other, ensuring that both sides turn golden brown."

Listening to his joking words, Hitori's confused mind didn't know how to respond.

She could only softly hum in agreement.

She felt her lifetime's worth of courage disappearing, and her mood grew increasingly gloomy.

Lying on the ground, looking at Hitori, who was gradually becoming withdrawn again, Ishikawa Hayato sighed inwardly.

He had originally wanted to explain when the atmosphere was better, but it seemed Hitori's mood wouldn't improve.

To prevent Hitori from running away because she was afraid to hear him speak, he took Hitori's hand and sat up, under her bewildered and uncertain gaze.

"Bocchi, I'm really sorry for taking so long to tell you this. Let me explain now."

Hitori, in a panic, immediately braced herself on the ground, ready to run, but realizing her hand was being held, she lost all momentum and sat back down.

Her gaze wavered, and she blinked a few times, a faint mist of tears appearing, as if she was prepared for the worst.

Now in a place where he could relax and speak freely, Ishikawa Hayato didn't beat around the bush and said directly,

"First, to be clear, Bocchi, I like you." He paused. "Although it's not to the extent of love, I genuinely like you."

Just those words alone made Hitori feel happy.

"A cute, well-behaved, and fun girl like Bocchi is probably the ideal type for many men, even if Bocchi is a bit eccentric."

"Eh..."

Hitori looked over, dumbfounded.

Her pitiful, lamenting expression was very cute, with faint tears in her eyes, making her look very endearing.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled, then composed himself and said,

"But I don't dare to get too close to Bocchi, I don't dare to be too intimate with you, because I'm afraid that if you were with me, you would just simply become like a pet kept by Ishikawa Hayato."

Hitori blinked, trying hard to hold back her tears.

Then she looked up and met Ishikawa Hayato's gaze for a moment, then quickly lowered her head, her eyes seeming to rest on his chest, as if she understood Ishikawa Hayato's meaning.

"Bocchi."

Ishikawa Hayato said, cupping Hitori's face, and spoke to her amidst her flustered and wavering gaze.

"I believe you are Cinderella without her glass slipper, a swan that hasn't shed its feathers yet. You still have greater room for improvement."

“The time you spend with Nijika, Kita, and Ryo in the band might be tough, but it will also be a once-in-a-lifetime memory. I hope you cherish it."

“As for us, if you’re willing to be with me, even after these few years pass, we’ll still have plenty of time to be together.”

"Perhaps you won't come back once you've grown, but I will keep a room for you to return to. So... just enjoy this one and only chance at youth."

Hitori's gaze, which had been wavering and avoiding looking up until now, gradually turned into a steady stare at Ishikawa Hayato's face, and her eyes slowly firmed up.

Her face was burning red.

She understood now why Ishikawa Hayato rarely spoke to her when everyone else was around, and why he maintained a somewhat distant demeanor unless she needed him.

Looking at the young man in front of her who had thought so much for her, she felt her heart beating incredibly fast.

A sentence seemed to jump out before it even passed through her brain.

"But, Hayato, I want to be closer to you..."

Ishikawa Hayato was stunned.

After a moment of thought, he lowered his hands and asked her seriously again.

"Closer, to what extent?"

As he released her, Hitori's head also lowered, and her gaze wavered intensely.

"It's... it's..."

Her expression wasn't that she didn't dare to say it, but rather that she didn't dare to be sure.

"Alright, don't rush to think about that for now."

Feeling like he could finally relax and enjoy the sun, Ishikawa Hayato lazily flopped onto the ground, spreading his arms comfortably and squinting at the azure sky.