During lunch break, Chisato left his classroom and walked towards a narrow space at the end of the hallway.
His destination was a cramped area, barely over two square meters, filled with clutter.
If Hitori hadn't asked him to meet here, Chisato wouldn't have set foot in this place. He always felt like bugs might emerge from some dark corner.
At the end of the hallway, Chisato walked in, head down.
Hitori was oblivious to his arrival, her eyes unfocused, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.
Chisato sat cross-legged beside her, his gaze falling on the opened bento box resting on her lap.
He picked up a piece of fried chicken and ate it, still feeling unsatisfied, so he took another piece of octopus sausage.
He wanted to show the girl in front of him that when you're out, you need to stay alert, or else you might be taken advantage of by people like him.
"What's on your mind, Hitori?"
After wiping his mouth and fingers with a tissue to clean up any crumbs, Chisato spoke.
"…"
Like someone pressing the start button, the girl snapped out of her daze, her mind starting to function again.
"Eh! Chisato-kun! When did you get here?"
"I came a while ago. I noticed you were spaced out for quite some time. You even had a satisfied smile on your face. Were you thinking about something naughty?"
Chisato's smile turned mischievous.
"I…I wasn't!"
Hitori quickly denied it, covering her cheeks with her hands.
When she was spacing out, she was indeed troubled by yesterday's events.
But now, with Chisato's comment, her thoughts uncontrollably drifted towards more provocative ideas.
She recalled the scent she had smelled up close the day before and the vague feeling of the boy's back while she was unconscious.
Her pale face turned bright red.
"I see. If not, then forget it. By the way, it's the first time Hitori-san has taken the initiative to ask me out like this."
"Because… I wanted to discuss something with you, Chisato-kun… But if you're not interested, it's okay…"
During lunch break, Hitori cautiously said her piece and then slowly lowered her head, her bangs hiding her eyes as she secretly watched Chisato's reaction.
"There's nothing wrong with it, but I need to explain something first."
Seeing Chisato's serious expression, Hitori grew a bit nervous and sat up straight.
"You don't need to be so formal with me. We're friends now, so there's no need to be so polite. It's okay to be more relaxed around each other, like this."
Chisato reached into Hitori's bento box without asking and took a piece of fried chicken, eating it.
He hadn't intended to demonstrate this but couldn't resist the delicious fried chicken in her box. He ended up indulging his taste buds.
"I…I understand!"
Hitori quickly nodded her head.
However, when she looked down at her bento box, she was startled.
There were supposed to be many more pieces of fried chicken. Now only one remained. Had she subconsciously eaten them while spacing out?
"So, what's the reason you invited me out today?"
Chisato asked, bringing Hitori's focus back to the conversation.
"Ah… It's about what happened after school yesterday."
"Hmm."
Chisato nodded, indicating he was listening.
Hitori looked at him, feeling both reassured and shy.
Having a peer like Chisato listen to her seriously, without showing any irritation or urgency, was something she'd only imagined before.
Indeed, Chisato was a kind and gentle person.
Even with her lowly self, he could still be friendly.
If she worked a bit harder and improved herself, perhaps their friendship could evolve into something even more significant.
Hitori's thoughts wandered as she smiled vaguely.
"…"
Chisato watched her, waiting for her to continue.
After several seconds of silence, he cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry!"
"It's fine. Please continue. What happened after school yesterday?"
"After school yesterday, I went to a nearby park to clear my mind, and someone came up and started talking to me."
"A creep?"
Chisato's mind jumped to this possibility.
Despite Hitori's odd behavior and gloomy demeanor, she was undeniably a beautiful girl with delicate features.
"Not a creep. It was a girl."
"A girl?"
"Yeah, she saw me with my guitar and started talking to me. She then invited me to a nearby underground performance hall."
"She invited you to start a career as an idol?"
"Not an idol, a band. She wants to invite me to join her band as a guitarist."
"That's great! You've met someone with similar interests. You should seize the opportunity."
Chisato thought about the task from the Pure Love System.
To make the timid Hitori win the admiration or respect of 100 people.
Respect might be difficult, but gaining affection was manageable.
Originally, he planned to wait until he had some savings from working part-time and then try to take Hitori, dressed normally, to a welfare home or a senior care facility to do some volunteer work.
The children and elderly would get candy and help, Hitori would receive their affection and gratitude, and he would get task rewards—a win-win situation.
However, it seemed that the current situation might render that elaborate plan unnecessary.
Joining a band and performing on stage would naturally help complete the task.
But Hitori, like a frantic hamster, shook her head vigorously with her eyes closed.
"I can't do that."
"Why? It's a rare chance to make new friends."
"No, no, no! Just thinking about stepping onto a stage with all the lights makes me feel like I'll faint!"
"So, you want me to accompany you?"
Hitori's fingers fidgeted, her eyes darting around anxiously.
Chisato had a good idea of what she meant.
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