The band's activities for the day had officially come to an end.
Hitori, half under pressure, had ended up taking on the job of writing the lyrics.
After saying goodbye to everyone, she made her way back to Makima's house first.
Makima herself opened the door to greet her, looking to be in a good mood. She smiled and said, "You're back?"
"O-oh…" Hitori clenched her fists. "Um, Miss Makima, I think… I shouldn't stay at your place after all."
"Oh?" Makima's expression dimmed. "Why?"
"It's just… I'd be bothering you."
"I don't think of it as a bother. On the contrary, I truly hope you'll stay. Not just for one day maybe even longer."
"…"
Hitori understood Makima's meaning perfectly well.
But no matter how much she struggled with saying "no" to people, when it came to matters of principle, she wouldn't back down.
Because she was fully aware of the danger of living under Makima's roof.
The last time, Makima hadn't discovered Pochita's presence partly because of luck, and partly because she'd chosen to respect Hitori's boundaries.
But if she stayed longer?
Hitori didn't dare to gamble. That would be risking her life.
Makima saw the resolve in her expression and sighed.
"All right. At least let me take you home," Makima said.
"Thank you, Miss Makima," Hitori nodded. "In the end, I'm troubling you anyway."
"Please don't say that again. I'm doing this because I want to. To me, it's not trouble it's an honor."
"…Okay."
"I'll bring you your guitar, then call the driver."
With that, Makima turned back into the house.
Standing outside, Hitori finally let her tense nerves relax.
She was starting to get used to talking with Makima. Even though the woman always gave off a dangerous vibe sometimes making her feel like she'd stepped into an ice cave when Makima lowered herself in such a humble, almost embarrassingly courteous way, it was hard to feel entirely uneasy.
As long as her heart could take it, talking with her could actually be… kind of enjoyable.
Before long, Makima came back with Hitori's guitar and summoned a sleek black luxury sedan.
The two of them sat in the backseat as it slowly made its way toward Hitori's home.
They didn't talk much along the way.
But as the car rolled to a stop in front of her house, and Hitori opened the door to get out, Makima suddenly spoke.
"Pochi-chan, before you go, there's one thing I want to remind you of."
"Oh… what is it?" Hitori turned back.
"Be careful around Kita."
"Huh?"
"Goodbye. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."
Makima offered no explanation, only a smile as she said her farewell.
Hitori didn't press her. She grabbed her things, stepped out, and watched the black car drive away.
It was then she remembered something.
…I haven't been home for over three days. How am I supposed to explain this to my parents?
With that uneasy thought, she opened the door only to find her mother in the living room.
"Oh, if it isn't Ichiri," her mother said naturally, smiling. "You've worked hard these past three days."
"Eh?"
"Miss Makima already told me. You were on an assignment for Public Safety. The bonus has been transferred over too, so I know everything."
"I see…"
"Our little Ichiri is amazing! So young and already helping out with the household expenses!"
"Hehe… well, I'm just okay at it, I guess~"
Hearing her mother's praise made Hitori's steps feel a little lighter.
Once she was back in her room, she immediately poured Pochita a heaping bowl of dog food.
While she'd been stuck at the hotel, she'd occasionally thought about Pochita and even swiped some food to sneak into her bag.
But it had never been enough to fill his belly.
So now, she planned to make it up to him and next time, if she had the chance, she'd take him to eat something truly delicious.
With her free time, she pulled out a notebook, ready to start writing lyrics.
But staring at those empty lines, her mind went completely blank.
"Hmm… if I remember right, back in middle school or maybe even elementary school, I wrote something once…"
She rummaged through her room until she found an old, worn notebook.
Flipping it open, her face darkened.
"'Cursing one person a day.'"
…What on earth was this? Even for a hardcore loner, this was too dark!
"Most band lyrics are the type that celebrate youth," she muttered.
Just thinking about those high-energy, optimistic songs made her curl up inside.
"Or they're rebellious, cynical types… the kind that could get you banned any day."
"Eh? That kind I might actually be able to write. What if I turned my encounters with devils into lyrics?"
"…No, better not."
Leaving aside Public Safety's confidentiality rules, she herself wasn't too eager to relive those memories.
The lyric-writing task was proving to be a real headache.
Two days later.
Hitori was slumped over the living room table, still completely stuck.
She'd gone back to her usual routine school, part-time shifts at STARRY, band practice without missing a beat.
But her lyric-writing progress was moving at the pace of someone carving words into bamboo slips.
If only writing was as easy as cutting through things with a chainsaw.
She even caught herself thinking that once or twice.
At the moment, the only thing in her notebook she was actually proud of was a cute little "Pochi" signature.
She did have a finished set of lyrics, stitched together from bits of various youth rock songs full of forced positivity, tailor-made for the masses.
Well, might as well show it to someone.
Who should I ask?
Since Ryo's handling the composition, I guess she's the best one to go to.
Mustering her courage, Hitori messaged Ryo first.
To her surprise, Ryo replied within seconds.
"I'm out right now. Come meet me at this place."
She sent a message, followed by several photos a stylish sign, a dessert menu, and the exact location.
"Whoa… that's a really trendy café," Hitori muttered, her face turning pale. "Is this the kind of place someone like me can even go into?"
Then Ryo sent a sticker big sparkling eyes.
"Waiting for you~"
Oh no. She's already waiting.
She had no choice now.
Hitori slung her bag over her shoulder and set out for the café.
It took her less than twenty minutes to arrive. She reached for the door to go inside…
But her hand froze midair, her expression stiffening.
Her instincts were screaming at her, as if to say
Pochi-chan, don't open the door.
Don't go in.
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones and don't forget to add library maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.