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Pink long hair.
Beautiful azure eyes.
A tasteless pink tracksuit.
And a small, swaying cowlick on the side of her head…
Who else could it be but Bocchi-chan?
Clearly, Bocchi-chan's stealth skills were already at a master level. If the drink hadn't rolled out, Kitahara Makoto would never have noticed someone hiding in the corner.
"Sorry, I really wasn't eavesdropping…"
Hitori Gotō crouched defensively, clutching her head, her face filled with terror, trembling.
Getting closer, one could still hear the girl's incoherent apologies:
"Please don't kill me…"
"If I don't go home tonight, Mom and Dad will definitely be sad…"
"Futari might even cry…"
"A-at least let me finish my bento; it's a waste of food… Ugh…"
"…"
Looking at Bocchi-chan, who was curled up in the corner, trembling, Togawa Sakiko's expression was bewildered, unable to comprehend the situation.
"What's wrong with this girl?"
"Why is she hiding in a dirty, dark corner?"
"She seems to be hiding from something terrifying, just like I was escaping…"
"No, I wasn't hiding."
"I just killed my past weak self."
"…"
The atmosphere quietly fell silent.
Finally, Kitahara Makoto broke the silence: "Hitori-san, don't crouch with your head in your hands… It's me."
Hitori Gotō nervously looked up, and after seeing Kitahara Makoto clearly, her eyes widened:
"Eh? Kitahara-kun?"
"It's me."
"No wonder that voice just now felt so familiar…"
Togawa Sakiko came back to her senses, crossed her arms over her chest, and said in a cool voice:
"Kitahara-kun, do you know this child?"
Seeing a stranger, Hitori Gotō panicked again and quickly drew in her neck, as if she wanted to retreat into a shell like a turtle.
"This is Hitori-san, she's my friend." Kitahara-kun explained, "She's a bit introverted and socially anxious… She probably came here to eat her bento and unintentionally overheard our conversation."
Togawa Sakiko pursed her pink lips, a bit puzzled:
"Why would she eat her bento in a place like this?"
"B-because…" Hitori Gotō stammered, "I can only feel at ease in dark places…"
More than half a month had passed since school started, and most of her classmates had already made friends. Only she remained alone.
During lunch break, many people would share tables to eat their bentos, and being alone was too conspicuous, so Hitori Gotō chose to hide in a small, dark corner to relax and eat her bento.
Kitahara Makoto tilted his head to look at Little Miss Anxiety, and slowly said:
"Hitori-san, you heard everything just now, didn't you?"
Hitori Gotō didn't dare to lie, and timidly held up two fingers: "J-just a little bit…"
Kitahara Makoto mused:
"Hearing someone else's secret makes things difficult for me."
"S-sorry—!"
"You said we were friends, Kitahara-kun, don't bully her."
Togawa Sakiko subtly moved her pink lips. The Bai Yueguang Togawa-chan hidden within her quietly took control of her body, stepped forward, pulled Bocchi-chan aside, and then gently began to explain.
It must be said that Miss Fallen Ojou-sama's personal charm was quite good. Although she had now become Togawa, her personal charm remained, and she quickly managed to calm Bocchi-chan down.
"Eh… an evil spirit?"
Hitori Gotō's eyes widened blankly.
"Although it's unbelievable, I really did encounter a very terrifying evil spirit." Togawa Sakiko pursed her pink lips and gently explained, "I was just asking Kitahara-kun for help, hoping he could help me get rid of the evil spirit… This matter is truly quite bizarre, so please, Hitori-san, help me keep it a secret and don't tell anyone."
"I-I'll definitely keep it a secret…"
With a stranger present, Hitori Gotō's linguistic abilities regressed again. She could only shake her head rapidly like a rattle drum, while simultaneously casting a curious glance at Kitahara Makoto.
(Kitahara-kun can also exorcise evil spirits?)
(That sounds amazing…)
(But do evil spirits really exist in this world?)
"Although that evil spirit was scared away by Kitahara-kun, I still feel like it will come back for me." Togawa Sakiko clasped her hands together and softly requested, "Kitahara-kun, do you have time after school? Could you accompany me to Tsukinomori Academy?"
"I used to study at Tsukinomori Academy, and the source of that evil spirit should be there... No matter what, I don't want to be haunted by an evil spirit again."
Kitahara Makoto hesitated:
"I still have a part-time job after school this afternoon..."
With his parents deceased and no younger sister but a house, his life was actually quite difficult, and he usually needed to work part-time to earn money.
Togawa Sakiko gently bit her lower lip, bowed, and said:
"I can give Kitahara-kun 100,000 yen as compensation... I don't have more for now, but I will remember this kindness in my heart and will surely repay you generously in the future."
Seeing Kitahara Makoto deep in thought, Bocchi-chan couldn't help but reach out a finger and quietly tugged at Kitahara Makoto's sleeve.
"Hmm?"
Kitahara Makoto looked down.
"Um..." Hitori Gotō stammered, whispering, "Togawa Sakiko looks pitiful. If Kitahara-kun can help, please help her..."
Only then did Kitahara Makoto agree:
"Since Hitori-san said so, I'll help."
"Thank you, Goto-san." Togawa Sakiko turned around and thanked Bocchi-chan gratefully, then pursed her pink lips and said, "Goto-san, do you have time after school this afternoon?"
"I'm a little scared alone. Could you accompany me to Tsukinomori Academy?"
"..."
This was clearly Togawa's little trick.
After all, they had only known each other for less than half a day, and it was hard to say what kind of person Kitahara Makoto was. At a crucial moment, he might abandon her and run away... From the current situation, Kitahara Makoto's attitude towards the girl in front of him was clearly different.
So... if Hitori-san was called, at least he wouldn't easily run away, right?
"I, I, I..."
For a social phobic, refusing others was an extremely difficult task. Hitori Gotō naturally agreed in a daze, consenting to accompany them to Tsukinomori Academy after school to exorcise the evil spirit.
"Then let's meet at the school gate after school." Kitahara Makoto waved his hand, "Do you want to go to the cafeteria to eat together?"
"No, no." Hitori Gotō quickly shook her head, "I have a bento, I don't want to go to the cafeteria."
"Alright then, see you after school."
"Se-see you after school..."
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