Chapter 32: Bocchi-chan

After stopping the wicked act, Nijika hastily waved her hands at Bocchi-chan, saying.

“We won’t take it, we won’t take it. We won’t use such important money.”

“That’s right, how could such important money be used for anything else.”

Ishikawa Hayato also strongly agreed with Nijika, but his hand also unceremoniously shot out towards Bocchi-chan’s piggy bank.

“Let me take the money. If Bocchi-chan doesn’t want to work part-time in the future, I’ll support her.”

Nijika was about to stand up and slap Ishikawa Hayato’s wicked hand, but she froze when she heard those words.

“Huh?”

“Eh?” Kita also stared blankly at this sudden, strange development.

Bocchi-chan, with tears in her eyes, looked up and asked weakly.

“Really?”

Beneath her timid expression was a hint of fear of rejection, and some worry and anticipation for the future.

And from Ishikawa Hayato’s perspective.

Bocchi-chan bravely mustered her courage and looked up, her eyes, hidden by her bangs, nervously checking his expression through her strands of hair.

Ishikawa Hayato replied.

“Really.”

Hearing Ishikawa Hayato’s reply, Bocchi-chan hurriedly pushed her chair back and stood up, walked to the side, and bowed very seriously yet a little awkwardly, saying.

“This… this humble girl is unworthy, please take good care of me.”

Nijika, who had been watching the scene for a while, looked at the two with a conflicted expression. She always felt that Bocchi-chan was being deceived by Ishikawa Hayato.

She said to Ishikawa Hayato with some annoyance in her heart.

“Ishikawa-kun… it’s too much to treat this as a joke.”

“It’s not a joke.” Ishikawa Hayato reined in his smile, revealing some seriousness.

“Eh?”

Nijika and Kita were surprised.

Ryo also looked at him curiously.

“Bocchi-chan is interesting and cute, and she doesn’t seem like she’d be much trouble to take care of.”

As Ishikawa Hayato said this, he put the piggy bank down and pushed it back towards Bocchi-chan.

“But it’s also good to save it for a while longer.”

“Yes! I’ll work hard!”

Bocchi-chan seemed not to mind at all that Ishikawa Hayato’s words implied he was treating her like a pet. She raised her voice and said very seriously and earnestly.

Just as the others began to worry about the future relationship between these two.

They heard Ishikawa Hayato say to Bocchi-chan.

“Then, good luck with your part-time job.”

Bocchi-chan’s nascent happiness, her fleeting smile, froze, and then her entire being seemed to turn to stone, shattering in the cold wind.

Sure enough, it was like this!

But to deceive Bocchi-chan with such a marriage-like promise is too much!

Nijika was secretly angry in her heart.

But she inadvertently overlooked something she herself knew.

She knew that Ishikawa Hayato had high emotional intelligence and wouldn’t do anything that would genuinely displease someone.

Nijika just watched with dissatisfaction as Ishikawa Hayato, with a soft, teasing smile, gazed at Bocchi-chan.

...

'What kind of person is Ishikawa-kun?'

Bocchi-chan pondered quietly.

At the beginning of the school year, she wore band merchandise, hoping to find kindred companions. She still remembered Ishikawa-kun’s surprised gaze when he looked at her.

She ran away immediately then.

Later, Ishikawa-kun came looking for her again.

The first time they met face-to-face, she couldn't imagine that the first ‘companion’ she encountered would be such a sunny, handsome guy.

She ran away again.

This time, she wasn’t found.

But the next day, she was discovered again in her safe corner.

She was even invited to join the band he was in.

At the same time, she began having lunch with him every day.

Later, when asked why he was so persistent with her, he said.

“Gotou-san, you actually want to change, don’t you? Wearing that to school on the first day, you wanted to make friends and form a band, right?”

'So he had noticed on the first day.'

He had unhesitatingly extended his hand to her on the first day.

After she agreed, Ishikawa-kun revealed his ‘true colors.’

A pervert.

But, although occasionally strange, Ishikawa-kun never did anything annoying.

Instead, he felt very free and easy, and also happy.

He was genuinely happy every day.

His joy truly made her feel envious.

That gentle aura around him was something she had never experienced.

During the days she didn't see him later, eating lunch alone felt much safer, but also a bit lonelier.

It was also particularly difficult checking her alternate account every day to see if there were any messages.

Later.

When her real account was discovered.

Amidst her shame, she also felt a bit happy.

She was still being cared about after all.

Later, when she brought her guitar to school, she still carried unease.

Would that remark just be something Ishikawa-kun said casually? Had he not looked for her for so many days because he was tired of her and no longer intended to interact with her?

Or rather, was this normal?

Even she herself felt that she was very troublesome.

But when she received the call and saw him deliberately slowly retracting his hand from the stair railing, she knew she hadn’t been abandoned.

She decided to try hard and improve herself.

Then she temporarily joined the band Ishikawa-kun was in.

Facing her, who dared not stand in front of an audience and hid in a cardboard box.

He lied.

“Gotou-san, it’s just the two of us now. Please play for me, something cool.”

After her performance, where she desperately tried to prove herself.

The applause in the venue and his cheers, she felt, were unforgettable for a lifetime.

No matter where her life went from then on, she would remember his satisfied, loud shouts in the dark cardboard box, and the applause echoing within the box.

And today… he actually said he was willing to support her…

'Wasn’t that…'

 Bocchi-chan herself didn’t understand why she agreed so quickly.

But thankfully… thankfully…

It was just a joke to trick her into working part-time after all…

“Bocchi-chan? Bocchi-chan?” Nijika’s voice.

Bocchi-chan looked up in the direction of the voice.

Nijika, with some helplessness but not at all bothered, said.

“You didn’t hear what I just said, did you?”

“Is… is it working part-time here?”

Although Bocchi-chan was thinking just now, she was also listening and hadn’t ignored her surroundings.

Nijika was startled, then smiled, and then continued talking about the band.

And Bocchi-chan, while listening, secretly glanced to her left.

Ishikawa-kun still looked cheerful while listening to Nijika’s words, seemed not to have noticed her looking back.

Just then, Nijika said in a tone that seemed to be wrapping up the topic on part-time jobs.

“Then let’s start working part-time here next week.”

Feeling like the gathering was coming to an end, Ishikawa-kun raised his hand and suggested,

“Then shall we practice together next?”

“Okay!”

Nijika nodded happily.

Then the few of them stood up, preparing to go to the rehearsal room.