"Haunted house, 6 votes; snack shop, 2 votes…"
Hitori Gotoh awoke with a start from her deep slumber, her eyes glazed over, with a string of crystal-clear drool still trickling from the corner of her mouth.
When did I fall asleep?
Lifting a hand, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Hitori Gotoh then noticed a small wet spot on the desk and quickly used her left hand to wipe it away, cautiously glancing around to see if anyone had witnessed the scene.
The good news was, only one person in the class saw it.
The bad news was, that person was her boyfriend, Jhin.
Jhin had heard the class meeting was to decide on the cultural festival program, so he had made a point to come back and attend. He didn't much care about the program itself; what was most important was whether or not Hitori Gotoh had any intention of signing up for a solo performance.
If she did, then Jhin had nothing to do. If she didn't, Jhin would quietly nudge things along to get Hitori Gotoh and Kessoku Band on the cultural festival stage. Fulfilling his girlfriend's dreams was one of his duties, after all.
Snapping a photo of Hitori Gotoh's dazed, drooling face, Jhin felt that this picture alone made it worth coming back for the class meeting today.
This personal terminal is so convenient. I don't even need to lift a finger, a single thought can take a picture.
Jhin rested his cheek on his left hand, his sky-blue eyes fixed on Hitori Gotoh, full of doting affection and amusement.
Hitori Gotoh was mortified that he had seen her sleeping so soundly and drooling. She was just shy of zipping up the collar of her tracksuit all the way to perform her ultimate technique for him—Social Anxiety Style: Invisibility Jutsu.
It was called an invisibility jutsu, but it really just involved retracting her head into her collar and pulling up the zipper—a makeshift version of burying one's head in the sand. Jhin preferred to call it the On-the-Spot Collar-Pull Face-Hiding Technique. He had seen Hitori Gotoh perform it at the hotel, but her bathrobe had no zipper and was exceptionally loose, which ended up just giving him a combat endurance BUFF.
"Based on the final tally, our class program will be a maid cafe. As expected, the classic projects are always the most popular."
A maid?
Hitori Gotoh instantly had a bad feeling, her brow furrowing into a knot.
"Then we'll have to get matching maid uniforms."
"Well, all the girls in the class have to wear one."
All the girls in the class! That means I have to participate too…
Hitori Gotoh's pretty face turned deathly pale, all color draining from it in an instant. A cold sweat broke out. Selling tickets to strangers at STARRY was already her current limit; serving customers in a maid outfit was something she was completely incapable of doing!
N-No way, I'm totally useless for this.
Hitori Gotoh hugged her legs in agony, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed powerlessly onto her desk.
If it were a haunted house, I might have been of some use.
She had a fair bit of confidence in her ability to play a ghost. All she would need to do is change into a white robe, let her hair down, and stand in one spot holding a sign that said "Entrance This Way." She wouldn't have to interact with anyone at all—it was a role practically tailor-made for her!
"Regarding the performances in the gymnasium on the third day of the cultural festival, anyone who wants to perform a solo act, please put this application form into the box in front of the student council office."
The class representative's words managed to pull Hitori Gotoh, whose soul was about to cross the Sanzu River, back to the mortal realm. She stared intently at the application form.
A solo performance… with the band. I never once participated back in middle school.
As if recalling some unbearable memories, Hitori Gotoh let out a dark chuckle, and the aura around her turned gloomy.
I think I've already imagined it in my head over a thousand times, haven't I?
After the class meeting ended, Jhin took Hitori Gotoh's hand, planning to go to the Problem Child Countermeasures Club room to talk with her. The other students in the class were used to this; they had long since accepted that the two were dating.
"Bocchi-chan, do you have any thoughts about the solo performance for the cultural festival?"
Jhin held Hitori Gotoh as they sat on the small sofa, burying his entire face in her pink hair.
Mm, today my girlfriend smells like cola.
"Jhin, that tickles…" Hitori Gotoh shrank her neck and held Jhin's moving head in place. "Actually, I-I want to participate in the solo performance with everyone from Kessoku Band."
With his head held still, Jhin had no choice but to rest his chin on Hitori Gotoh's shoulder, pressing against her fair, soft cheek. "Isn't that a great idea? I'll go get an application form for you."
"Wait!" Hitori Gotoh pressed down firmly on Jhin's thigh with her small hand. "I, I'm not mentally prepared yet."
"Alright, I'll go get the form later then."
Jhin was also reluctant to let go of Hitori Gotoh's soft body, happily continuing to cling to her and taking deep breaths of his girlfriend's scent.
This is the stuff!
Hitori Gotoh didn't resist Jhin's actions. Ever since their relationship had progressed, she saw this behavior more as Jhin's continuous validation of her, a girl with no merits. At the very least, it allowed her to have a tiny bit of confidence when they were together.
"Jhin, what have you been busy with at that Mihama Academy lately?"
"Eh? Bocchi-chan is asking about something like this on her own? Do you miss me?"
"N-No, that's not it. I was just curious about your life over there."
"Bocchi-chan, in situations like this, answering 'yes' can increase your affection points, you know."
You can do that!?
Hitori Gotoh was stunned, realizing she might have just missed a golden opportunity to raise her boyfriend's affection level. Trembling, she turned her head away and said weakly, "Th-Then, will my affection points drop since I didn't answer that way?"
"It dropped a little, but seeing you being so cute made it go up by two points!"
"Hehe, really?"
Hitori Gotoh giggled foolishly, squirming shyly. "So, so what's the affection level now?"
"101 points. The maximum is 100, by the way."
Isn't that already maxed out!
Hitori Gotoh felt like she was about to melt from Jhin's continuous stream of sweet talk.
I just want to drop out of school right now and be pampered like this by Jhin forever!
Although she thought that, Hitori Gotoh didn't actually act on it. She knew Jhin wouldn't agree to her dropping out, and besides, dropping out would only reduce the time they could spend together. The loss would outweigh the gain.
With Jhin's help, Hitori Gotoh filled out the application form, and together they went to the student council office.
An application box was placed to the left of the main door. Jhin gently pushed Hitori Gotoh's shoulder. "Bocchi-chan, put the form in."
"Can't you really do it for me?" Hitori Gotoh tried to use a pitiful expression to get Jhin to help, but unfortunately, Jhin was completely unyielding on this matter.
"This is also part of your training to build courage. You have to do it yourself!"
Hitori Gotoh nervously tapped her toes on the ground, slowly shuffling towards the application box as if it weren't an ordinary box, but a notorious Mimic from a certain Souls-like game. As if one wrong move would startle it, causing it to open its gaping maw full of sharp teeth and swallow her whole.
Just as Hitori Gotoh had managed to stuff the application halfway in, the sound of footsteps from behind scared her so much that she yanked the form back out and, with a swoosh, buried her head in Jhin's clothes.
___
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