After throwing out those harsh words, the War Devil turned on her heel, ready to leave.
Makima said, "Wait. I want you to explain the reason clearly."
"Hmph. Forgetting everything sure is an easy way to live, isn't it, Makima?" the War Devil replied out of nowhere.
"What?"
"I don't feel like answering you. That would only make me annoyed. Besides, Kita still has to take photos with the rest of the band today. We're busy!"
Hearing that deliberate provocation, the warmth in Makima's eyes instantly dropped to freezing.
Her final warning was cold and sharp. "You'd better behave yourself, especially around Bocchi-chan. Try laying a finger on her and see what happens."
"Heh, I'll take that dare." The War Devil waved dismissively over her shoulder. "You'd better watch her closely, or I might just get my way. Bye-bye now."
Makima didn't follow. She simply stood in silence.
Then, she crooked a finger toward the bushes. A small black cat emerged.
"Good girl…" Makima crouched down, gently stroking its fur. "Keep an eye on Bocchi-chan for me."
The cat's eyes widened, as if its very soul had been stolen.
"Meow…"
Then, with a soft, obedient cry, the cat darted away as if nothing had happened.
Makima lifted her gaze again, looking toward her apartment building.
The War Devil's words still echoed in her mind, stirring an unexpected doubt.
"Have I… forgotten something?"
…
The War Devil returned to Makima's apartment door and handed control of the body back to Kita.
"Um, Miss War Devil," Kita asked, "what did you mean by all those things you said to Makima?"
"None of your business. Just do what you're supposed to and stop acting like a curious kid," the War Devil replied.
"But… you want to kill Bocchi-chan, right?"
"Yeah. I've confirmed she's the one I need to kill."
"But why? Why would Bocchi-chan be your target?"
Kita couldn't wrap her head around it.
She had only known Gotou for a few days, and their meetings and conversations had been few. But she knew Gotou wasn't a bad person.
Why would a devil target an innocent human who had done nothing wrong?
"You heard what I called Makima, didn't you?" the War Devil said.
"Ah… yes. You called her the Control Devil," Kita recalled.
The War Devil leaned in and whispered, "She's from Hell too. She's no saint."
"Don't forget, she's also got her eyes on Bocchi-chan."
"You really think Bocchi-chan is just an ordinary human girl? Why would devils like us even pay attention to her otherwise?"
Kita lowered her head, at a loss for words.
"Anyway, don't burden yourself with guilt," the War Devil continued.
"Think of killing Bocchi-chan as killing an evil devil. That's all there is to it."
"I've already told you more than I needed to. Enough stalling. Don't you have a photoshoot to get to?"
"…Okay," Kita nodded.
She couldn't completely shake off her guilt.
But the War Devil's words did help loosen the knot in her chest, even if only a little.
Would she really be able to do it when the time came?
No… the War Devil would be the one to act when that moment arrived.
Kita let out a long sigh and pushed open the door.
"Oh, Kita's back!" Nijika said cheerfully. "So? How'd it go with Makima? Did she threaten you or anything?"
How… how does she know?
Kita's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she even wondered if Nijika's identity was more complicated than she thought.
Ryo cut in, "Nijika went through a shoujo manga phase in middle school. Makima probably looks like some domineering CEO type to her now… You don't have to take her seriously."
"Haha, Nijika-senpai, you're too much," Kita said with relief. "Makima-san is very kind. Why would she threaten me?"
She lied without blinking.
"Eh? That's no fun," Nijika pouted.
The girls chatted idly for a while before heading out together.
Gotou slung her guitar over her back and picked up her bag.
"Bocchi-chan, you don't need to carry so much stuff," Nijika reminded her. "We're going to take photos. All this luggage will stand out and be hard to carry."
"But…" Gotou hesitated.
Just then, Makima returned, standing in the doorway. "It's fine. Leave your things here for now."
"When you're done, come back to my place and stay another night. You can head home tomorrow."
"Um…" Gotou blinked, clearly troubled.
"Oh, nice idea," Nijika chimed in immediately. "Let's do that! Bocchi-chan, just leave your things here and pick them up tomorrow."
Ryo, as usual, voiced no opinion. Whatever Nijika said, she simply nodded along.
Kita looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue.
With the atmosphere like this, Gotou couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Then… okay. I'll leave my guitar with Makima-san. But I'm definitely taking my backpack."
Gotou left her guitar but held onto her bag.
No matter what, she couldn't leave Pochita here.
If she left only the devil Pochita behind, Makima's sharp nose would catch on quickly.
"Have fun," Makima waved to them. "Bocchi-chan, I'll be waiting for you."
Nijika sidled up to Kita with a mischievous grin and whispered, "Kita, even if you're at a disadvantage, don't lose heart!"
"Haha… Nijika-senpai, please stop teasing me," Kita said helplessly.
The four wandered around Shimokitazawa, with Nijika snapping plenty of photos along the way.
They decided to take a group shot in front of a painted wall, choosing a jumping pose.
But Gotou, who rarely made jumping motions, ended up caught by an updraft that exposed her skirt.
There were quite a few little mishaps like that.
At last, a photo with a genuine "band vibe" was born.
"Yes! Now we really look like a band," Nijika beamed. "I made the merch, Ryo wrote the music, Kita's guitar skills have improved a lot, and soon we'll have our very first original song!"
"So… you've all been doing so much these past three days," Gotou said. "I feel a bit guilty. I haven't helped at all."
"That's fine, because you're in charge of the most important thing writing the lyrics!"
"Oh, lyrics… Wait, what?!"
"Bocchi-chan," Ryo fixed her gaze on Gotou, "you can do it, right?"
Nijika and Kita were also looking at her with expectant eyes, leaving Gotou no room to refuse.
"Ah… y-yes, I can…"