Kanzaki Saku didn't return to the classroom but went straight to the school building's entrance. In front of the shoe lockers, he ran into Miura Yumiko, who had been waiting there for a long time.
"Kanzaki-kun, Boss Yukinoshita asked me to escort you home."
"Then I'll be in your care." Kanzaki Saku calmly accepted the beautiful girl's close protection.
"Earlier..." Miura Yumiko started, then hesitated. "Where did you go? I couldn't find you anywhere."
"I just wasn't feeling well, so I went to the infirmary to rest for a bit." Kanzaki Saku casually told a small lie.
"I see..." Miura Yumiko didn't press further, but a flicker of doubt crossed her eyes. She had, in fact, gone to the infirmary to look for him, but he wasn't there.
"It's best if you don't stray too far from me. A boy like you, acting alone in this school, or even in society, could easily run into sexually repressed women who might act aggressively."
Miura Yumiko couldn't bring herself to scold her boss's man for wandering off, so she could only hint at it tactfully.
Kanzaki Saku, of course, paid her words no mind. If he really did run into someone like that, it was still up in the air who was the bigger pervert!
And so, Kanzaki Saku was escorted home by Yumiko. Meanwhile, Gotoh Hitori was still waiting in the empty classroom for the deskmate who would never return.
You see, Kanzaki Saku's school bag was still at his seat. He would definitely have to come back for it, right?
When that time came, she, Gotoh Hitori, just had to present Kanzaki Saku with a cool and aloof view of her back, quietly playing her guitar, pretending not to notice his arrival, completely immersed in her own world of music.
Kanzaki Saku would surely be captivated by her melancholy and enchanting melody. Then, when he couldn't resist asking about it, she would only need to turn her head slightly, gesturing with her eyes toward the school bag she had been guarding. Everything would be understood without a word.
This cool and profound act of silent devotion would undoubtedly move him, leading him to admire her, become infatuated with her, and ultimately fall hopelessly in love with her, unable to pull himself away!
Next would be the requisite heart-to-heart talk between the male and female leads in an anime, and after that, it would be a fast-forward to the finale where they get married and have children!
Gotoh Hitori fantasized about this wonderful future, her fingers strumming the guitar with renewed vigor.
Playing and fantasizing like this, Gotoh Hitori entered a state of self-absorbed, in-her-head ecstasy, completely losing track of the world, even forgetting why she was playing in the first place.
Before she knew it, dusk had fallen. Bocchi-chan hadn't gotten her male protagonist, but she did get the person who would, from now on, be her strictest father.
Ijichi Nijika grew up relying on her older sister, and she was originally supposed to grow up to be a gentle, motherly type.
But in this reversed world, things went a little sideways. People who knew Nijika now had the uniform impression of her as a strict, fatherly type.
Well, either way, she's a reliable senior figure. Not much of a difference, really!
Recently, Nijika had been busy trying to form a band, hoping to attract more business to her sister's bar and ease the financial pressure.
Today, she happened to be passing by this classroom when a guitar solo coming from inside instantly caught her ear. The technical skill was one thing, but the emotion contained within was not to be underestimated!
For Nijika, who was desperately searching for a suitable guitarist, it was a case of finding something you've searched high and low for right when you least expect it!
Even though her persona had shifted from "gentle mom" to "strict dad," Nijika's manners were still impeccable. She stood quietly outside the classroom door until the passionate guitar playing inside came to a pause, then she politely raised her hand and knocked gently.
Having just finished an improvised solo and feeling a little down because Kanzaki Saku still hadn't returned, Gotoh Hitori heard the polite knock. Who else could it be? Of course, her god, Kanzaki Saku, was back!
Gotoh Hitori quickly adjusted her posture, turning her back to the door, and began her performance the moment she heard the door open.
Her fingers casually strummed the strings as she began to sing a carefully prepared love song in what she believed, after much practice, was her most soulful voice.
Of course, a try-hard like her wouldn't sing a proper love song, but rather one of those pretentious, angsty ballads.
Something like, "I'm not used to giving up smoking, what'll I do without you?"—a song Gotoh Hitori considered very cool and profound.
She deliberately elongated the final notes, making her voice slightly hoarse to give it a more "storied" feel.
When the song ended, she took a deep breath, imagining Kanzaki Saku utterly mesmerized by her musical talent and cool back.
It was time! She would execute a stylish turn and freeze this fateful moment of reunion in time!
Gotoh Hitori spun around abruptly, running one hand through her hair while the other rested casually on the guitar's neck. In a deep, magnetic voice she had practiced countless times—which in reality was a little cracked—she said, "What took you so long to come... ba..."
The "ck" sound of "back" never came out.
In her line of sight, there was no handsome face of Kanzaki Saku as she'd imagined. Instead, there was a strange girl with short blonde hair and a serious expression, looking at her with an inquisitive gaze.
"Eh?!" Gotoh Hitori's expression froze, her mind went blank. The shock of embarrassment and shattered fantasy made her lose her balance from her cool pose.
"Waah!"
With a short cry and a dissonant twang from her guitar, she, along with her chair, tipped backward and landed solidly on the floor, her limbs flailing comically in the air for a moment.
Ijichi Nijika at the door was clearly startled by this sudden development. She looked at the dazed pink-haired girl on the floor, then recalled the love song that had clearly been sung deliberately only after the door opened.
A shocking theory surfaced in Nijika's mind.
She subconsciously took half a step back, raising her hands slightly in a gesture that was both defensive and explanatory. Her tone was very serious, even a little nervous.
"W-Wait a minute! Uh, student, while I do admire your guitar skills, I'm not a lesbian! My sexual orientation is completely normal! Please, have some self-respect!"
Still lying on the floor, Gotoh Hitori heard the stranger's sharp comment. Her sense of shame went off the charts, and her entire face turned a shade brighter than her hair.
She scrambled to get up, her mouth instinctively resorting to the stubborn denials and nonsense her try-hard persona was best at.
"Wh-Who's a lesbian?! Stop being so full of yourself, you short blonde!"
"I was just... just testing the classroom's acoustics! Yes! The acoustics!"
"Love song? What love song? That was rock! Rock and roll! Got it?! You country bumpkin!"
"And the f-fall... the floor started it!"
She explained nonsensically while scrambling up from the floor with her hands and feet, quickly checking on her fallen guitar.
_______
🔥 Get 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories! 🔥
The 'Quarter of Fun' promotion is here, and that means 25% less on your bill. 🥳
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan