As the part-time work concluded, LiveHouse was also preparing to close.
Unintentionally, Shin found himself spending another night here – although, chatting with the girls wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
During their conversation, Shin added both Ikuyo Kita and Ryo Yamada's contacts to his phone. They seemed to naturally view him as part of their group.
Ryo Yamada even asked if Shin wanted to join their band, but he turned her down. He didn't have the time to practice an instrument, though with his current physical control, he'd likely learn quickly.
But joining the band would mean frequent rehearsals with the others, which seemed like a waste of time to him.
Though Ryo felt a bit disappointed at his polite refusal, she didn't press the matter. On the other hand, Nijika Ijichi seemed visibly disappointed by his response, as if she genuinely wanted him to join the band, even though she wasn't sure if he could play an instrument.
But given they had already accepted Ikuyo, who couldn't play either, they likely wouldn't mind too much if he was inexperienced.
…
After some persuasion, Ikuyo also agreed to join the band before leaving.
With that, the original four members of the band were complete, and judging by Hitori Gotou's happy expression, she was quite satisfied.
As they left LiveHouse, Ikuyo rushed off to catch the subway, leaving Shin and Hitori alone.
Almost predictably, Hitori looked extremely nervous when alone with Shin, too scared to even speak to him.
It wasn't surprising – even when Shin was around others, Hitori seemed more comfortable speaking with them. To her, it seemed, others were scary, but Shin was scarier.
Yet, strangely, despite her instinctual fear of him, she kept gravitating toward him.
On one hand, she was afraid of his supposed gang background, but on the other, she felt a strange sense of security with him around – her feelings were rather complicated.
"Want a ride? I've got a car," Shin offered, seeing her timid expression, finding the situation amusing.
Coincidentally, Kiryu had arranged for a car for him today, parked nearby. On a whim, Shin decided to offer Hitori a ride.
After all, he already considered her one of his own.
"Huh? Shin… you have a car?" Hitori looked stunned at his sudden offer.
But soon, she seemed suspicious, eyeing him with doubt.
"But… aren't you a high schooler? Do you even have a license?"
"…Do you want a ride or not?"
"Y-Yes! I'll go!" she stammered, almost as if forced into agreeing.
Thus, Hitori ended up in Shin's car, half-coerced.
The car Kiryu arranged was fairly high-end, though Shin wasn't much of a car enthusiast – as long as it ran, he was fine.
Although he didn't have a license in Japan, he'd driven before his transmigration. It had been two and a half years since he last drove, but with his reflexes now, he should be able to reacquaint himself quickly.
Originally, Kiryu had also arranged for a personal driver, ready to pick him up at a call anytime.
But since Shin hadn't driven in a while, he decided to take the wheel himself this time, reminiscing a bit about his life before transmigration.
"Where do you live?" Shin asked, looking at the shivering Hitori in the back seat.
To an outsider, it might look like Hitori was being kidnapped, given how terrified she seemed.
Still trembling, Hitori gave him directions.
…
Hitori's house was truly far. Though she had mentioned it before, Shin couldn't help twitching a bit when he realized it had taken him an entire hour to drive her home.
The subway would've taken even longer, which meant Hitori spent over an hour commuting to school every day…
In a way, she must have a great deal of patience.
"This is my house," Hitori said. Once they arrived, she practically fled from the car, bowing to Shin in gratitude.
"T-Thank you so much for bringing me home!"
Though clearly frightened of him, Hitori was still very polite.
"Your house is pretty far. Commuting every day must be tough," Shin said, looking at her through the car window.
"Have you considered moving closer?"
If Hitori lived this far, Shin would have to wait forever whenever he needed her for something.
While she did have the potential to develop a Stand ability, her distance was still a problem.
It would be convenient if her Stand could help her travel faster.
"Uh… I'll think about it." Hitori's eyes shifted evasively, clearly trying to delay the matter.
This was typical of social anxiety; when faced with questions they couldn't answer immediately, they'd try to deflect with "I'll consider it," hoping to forget about it later.
Shin, though, had only asked casually.
He gripped the steering wheel, preparing to drive back.
But as he did, Hitori hesitantly asked:
"Um… will you be at school tomorrow?"
It was clear that Hitori wanted to have lunch with him and Megumi Kato again.
Although Hitori disliked being around others, being with Shin was an exception.
Even though he made her nervous, she liked being near him.
Hearing this, Shin's expression turned a bit odd. How was it that, the more scared she was of him, the more she seemed drawn to him?
Had he accidentally given her Stockholm Syndrome?
Still, he didn't mind. Though Hitori dressed like a weirdo, she was a beautiful girl – who wouldn't enjoy being admired by a beauty?
"Unless something unexpected happens, I'll be there," Shin replied.
Hearing this, Hitori's face lit up momentarily with joy – though she quickly reverted to her anxious, fearful look.
"Alright, I'll get going. You should also think about explaining this to your family," Shin said, glancing behind her.
Unbeknownst to Hitori, the door to her house had cracked open slightly.
Through the gap, he could see her parents and younger sister peeking outside.
It seemed that tonight, Hitori would likely have to endure a round of "interrogation" from her family.
To be continued…
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