A moment later, Hayato's phone chimed with a 'ding-dong' notification.
He and Bocchi-chan separated slightly, took out his phone, and checked Line.
Nijika: "How is Bocchi-chan recovering?"
Hayato thought about Bocchi-chan's energetic appearance from earlier, when she was ready to prepare the pyre, put down his phone, and asked Bocchi-chan,
"Bocchi-chan, are you more relaxed?"
Bocchi-chan 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?" Hayato squatted slightly to meet her gaze.
But as he squatted, Bocchi-chan also lowered her head, nodding rapidly, her pink long hair trembling slightly.
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!"
Hayato: "It's not Kita's escape wall, is it?"
Nijika: "Of course not!"
...After Nijika saw 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 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, Hayato and Bocchi-chan walked back.
The three of them looked at the two, paying special attention to Bocchi-chan.
Seeing Bocchi-chan 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 Bocchi-chan,
"Gotou-san, you weren't subjected to anything strange, were you? Don't be afraid, tell us, we're all here."
"Hey."
Hayato called out blankly.
Kita, realizing she had successfully won a round against Hayato, paused, then smiled slightly.
Bocchi-chan quickly explained to Hayato,
"Um… Hayato is very gentle."
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… He sighed, saying nothing.
The atmosphere quickly returned to the lively one they had during the photo shoot, with the girls discussing poses and standing order.
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 Bocchi-chan, 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, Bocchi-chan, and Hayato, wrapped her arm around Ryo's, held Bocchi-chan's hand, and reminded everyone,
"5."
"4."
Bocchi 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; Hayato wasn't holding her hand.
Why...why not? Ah, Nijika's countdown was almost over.
She had no choice but to jump without thinking.
After they finished, 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?"
Hayato:???
He looked over.
Bocchi, 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, 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 Hayato warily.
And Bocchi, who seemed indifferent, even disgusted, heard 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 Hayato, looking wary.
Seeing the four of them acting in such perfect synchronicity for the first time, 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, quite interesting."
"Really!" Hayato looked up in surprise.
"Mm." Ryo nodded.
Seeing Hayato instantly recover his spirits, Kita didn't know if he was genuinely happy or pretending, and said weakly,
"Hayato-kun really is..."
A moment later.
They prepared to shoot again.
It was now 3:46 PM, and the approaching evening sun, though bright, had lost its harshness.
The soft, not dazzling white light gently illuminated the world, outlining Vague but clear contours.
It was the best time for shooting.
In a small open space in a corner of this world, Nijika's energetic and youthful shouts rang out.
"Alright, one more time!"
Her voice fell, and her pattering footsteps sounded, then quickly stopped.
Then came her expectant yet playful countdown.
"5. 4. 3. 2. 1."
All five jumped together.
Click.
The camera recorded the moment.
On the screen.
Kita, mid-air, happily hugged Ryo's arm, Ryo's expressionless hand was holding Nijika's hand.
Nijika's face had a blush of joy, and her other hand was intertwined with Bocchi's.
Beside Bocchi, Hayato stood as if suspended in the void, showing no sign of jumping, his hands slightly spread, and his head slightly tilted back.
His face was devoid of any color except for a faint pride.
Like a god transcending the mundane world.
Because it was so youthful and fantastical, his presence as a male in the same frame as these four girls blended perfectly... "That's great! It adds a youthful vibe on top of the Band feel."
Nijika said in surprise, holding the camera.
Kita also eagerly requested, "Can you send me the photo data?"
Bocchi looked at the photo and eagerly said, "Me too..."
Listening to their expectant voices, looking at the even more perfect Band photo this time.
Nijika felt a little relieved, and couldn't help but look around at everyone with joy.
"We're starting to have the demeanor of a Band; we're one step closer to our dream of becoming a popular Band!"
As Bocchi and Kita responded.
Hayato glanced at Ryo, who was silently walking away, holding her stomach; it seemed the time gained from eating grass was limited.
As he pondered whether to catch up, he recalled some scenes and stopped.
"Okay!" Nijika happily raised her hand with the ribbon.
"Then, let's hold a concert in the summer (tentative), release a demo CD (tentative), release our first album in winter (tentative), and become Shimokitazawa's passionate lyrical rock Band!"
Kita, with a brilliant smile, hit back, "There isn't a single definite goal, is there?"
Nijika awkwardly smiled and withdrew her hand.
"Indeed, we haven't even finished the songs yet."
And this time, it was Nijika's turn to hit Bocchi.
Bocchi froze completely, as if about to melt, stuck in place... And when she came to her senses, she suddenly realized everyone had already left.
Accustomed to this situation, she remembered what Nijika had just said, looked left and right, found a corner of the Park, and sat down.
The setting sun passed through the gaps in the leaves, leaving beautiful patches of light on the ground.
And she, looking at that beauty that seemed to require no thought, sighed and took out her notebook from her canvas bag.
Although after finishing the lyrics, she had desperately wanted to show them to Hayato.
But when it was time to hand them over, she hesitated again.
The moment she thought about handing them over, she suddenly lost confidence in the lyrics again.
Would the inspiring lyrics she wrote satisfy Hayato and everyone else?
Would Hayato, who encouraged and cheered on others, approve?
After much thought, she made a decision.
Although reluctant, she would ask someone else to review them... On the other side, Hayato caught up with Nijika, who was walking back.
Nijika heard the hurried footsteps approaching from behind and turned her head.
Seeing it was Hayato, she asked with her usual gentle and soft smile,
"Hayato-kun, what's wrong?"
"Nijika, I think..."
Hayato thought for a moment, and after reconfirming what he was about to say, he looked up but saw Nijika suddenly become tense, her smile receding, and her expression a little downcast.
He paused, quickly understood, and explained with a smile,
"It's not that reason; this wall won't become Hayato's escape wall."
Nijika, her thoughts exposed, stared blankly at Hayato, then covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
She said nonchalantly,
"Hayato-kun, it's really mean to tease Kita-chan like that. What is it?"
Hayato's expression became serious.
"Please don't worry and speed up the progress; everyone is ready."
...The next day, it was Monday.
After morning classes, Hayato and Bocchi ate lunch in a corner.
Afterward, he looked at Bocchi's heavy dark circles under her eyes and said to her,
"Bocchi, go back to your seat and rest for a while."
Bocchi hesitated.
"Um, I still have to teach Kita-chan Guitar..."
Hayato said very directly,
"I'll go explain it to Kita for you."
"Mm..."
Bocchi didn't object; although she felt a little apologetic to Kita, she agreed.
Later, after she finished tidying her lunchbox, as Hayato was about to leave, she mustered her courage and called out to him.
"Hayato."
Hayato stopped, turned his head, and what he saw was a notebook Bocchi handed out with both hands, and Bocchi's determined gaze, as if betting everything.
"The lyrics are finished," Bocchi said.
Hayato smiled, returned to where he had just been sitting, and took the notebook.
"Let me take a serious look."
Then, his gaze quietly moved across the pages, reading each line carefully as if repeatedly reviewing it. Bocchi nervously clutched the skirt over her tracksuit jacket.
A moment later.
Hayato exhaled and looked up at the anxious Bocchi, saying,
"Bocchi, I've always felt that you are a very important person who can help me achieve my goals."
Listening to these words, which contained neither praise nor disdain, Bocchi's heart soared even higher.
She didn't dare to speak, just quietly looked at the buttons on Hayato's chest.
She didn't know what expression Hayato had, only heard him say,
"Excellent lyrics, truly good."
Bocchi didn't ask Hayato what he meant by those words; after hearing them, she felt a wave of relief.
A radiant smile then bloomed on her face.
Feeling a bit carried away, she remembered Hayato saying she was a very important person, and suddenly decided to pluck up the courage to try.
She had hesitated for so long; now was surely the best time.
Hayato-kun probably wouldn't refuse, right?
She asked.
"Then, Hayato-kun, the date we talked about yesterday…"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Bocchi immediately apologized to herself, crying.
I'm sorry! She still needed a little more time to prepare!
Next time, she would definitely say it during the date!
Hayato thought for a moment, then smiled and held up two fingers.
"Two weeks from now."
...That night, Bocchi reminisced about the excitement of being praised by everyone at the venue earlier, while standing by the printer, watching sheet after sheet of paper emerge.
Everyone in the Band was truly wonderful.
She quietly recalled first meeting Hayato-kun, and agreeing to Kita's request for support at the performance, and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
It was truly great to have met everyone.
Although there were difficult things, the many happy moments completely drowned out those small difficulties.
Bocchi taped the printed papers to their appropriate spots, then lay on her made bed, gazing at the ceiling.
If only things could continue like this forever.
And then, take many more different photos with everyone.
It would be so wonderful if it could be like that.
Bocchi smiled.
On the ceiling directly above her, a multitude of photos of Hayato, with his head slightly tilted back and a proud expression, covered the entire surface.
Around her, the four walls were similarly covered with group photos of the five members of the Band.
In the dim room, countless photos were like a hellish scene.
Amidst this, Bocchi let out a perverted chuckle.
"Hehehe... hehehe..."