Nijika and Ikuyo, snapping back to their senses, were both furious and flustered.
Chisato was far too cunning—trying to distract them and slip away from the consequences of his actions.
They had almost let him get away with it.
No use struggling! There's no way we're letting you escape!
If you make a mistake, you admit it. If you're about to get scolded, you stand up straight and take it!
No matter what, he had to confess his wrongdoings today and make a sincere promise to Bocchi-chan that he would never betray her again!
That was their bottom line.
Their expressions were now filled with righteous determination, making it abundantly clear that they would not back down.
Chisato looked at them and thought to himself—this was going to be tough.
Reluctantly, he pushed the fruit platter back in front of Ryo.
Given his recent blunder, he even ordered several extra dishes for her.
This glutton might be unreliable in many ways, but she wasn't always so easy to fool. If he could just keep her occupied with food, that would be one less enemy to deal with.
The problem was, the situation had already escalated to this point. They had seen him and Iroha feeding each other, looking overly intimate.
At this point, saying "we're just friends" would sound like nothing but a weak excuse.
Still, he had no other options. Even if they found it hard to believe, telling the truth was still better than letting things spiral further out of control.
Just as Chisato made up his mind and was about to speak—
Next to him, Hitori timidly raised her head and lifted her hand slightly.
"Um... actually, everyone has misunderstood Chisato-kun."
Hitori soft voice drew Nijika and Ikuyo's sharp, accusing gazes away from Chisato and onto herself.
Chisato, whose words had been interrupted, was taken aback.
What was his timid, socially anxious little kitten planning? Such a proactive move was completely unlike her.
Hitori glanced at him briefly, tightening her grip on his hand.
Her eyes were filled with determination, as if saying, "Leave this to me."
Ikuyo, exasperated, slapped the table and raised her voice.
"Bocchi-chan! You saw what happened just now! That was not just a casual meal between friends!"
"I know you really like Chisato-kun, but that doesn't mean you should let him get away with everything!"
Nijika nodded in agreement.
"That's right, Bocchi-chan! Ikuyo-chan is absolutely right! No matter what the reason was, Chisato-kun did something wrong!"
"You have every right to know the truth about him and that girl! And he owes you an apology!"
Chisato, despite being the one caught "cheating," didn't seem the least bit guilty.
Instead, he found himself marveling at how great it was that Hitori had ended up in a band with such wonderful friends.
"Then... what if I told you that Chisato-kun did all this because of me?"
Hitori lowered her head again, her voice trembling with shyness.
"?"
"?"
"???"
Not only Nijika and Kita, but even Chisato himself was dumbfounded.
His brain momentarily shut down, unable to process how her words could possibly connect to the situation at hand.
"...You're saying Chisato-kun did this because of you?"
Though confused, Kita still asked for confirmation.
"Mm."
Hitori sneaked a quick glance at Chisato before immediately looking away.
Her demeanor right now was strikingly similar to how she had acted when they had first started dating.
"This doesn't make any sense!"
Nijika declared firmly.
"Bocchi-chan, you're just trying to cover for Chisato-kun, aren't you?"
After being tricked earlier, Nijika and Ikuyo were now more alert than ever. They wouldn't let vague, unconvincing excuses sway them again.
"N-No! That's not it at all!"
Summoning all her courage, Hitori raised her head to meet their gaze. Her voice, though still small, was firmer than before.
"Actually, from the very start... my relationship with Chisato-kun wasn't what you all thought..."
She covered her face, suddenly seeming like she had given up.
"If you really want to know the truth... I...! I was actually the third party all along!"
"!!!"
"!!!"
"..."
Chisato first looked at the two girls across the table.
Their previously righteous and indignant expressions had frozen in place, as if their brains had short-circuited.
Then, he turned to Hitori, his gaze complicated.
So this was how she planned to get him out of trouble?
But if she said this, what would happen to her identity and position?
Chisato shook his head slightly, unable to accept such a self-sacrificing way of handling the situation.
"Don't listen to her—"
Noticing his intent, Hitori immediately interrupted him.
"In the beginning! It was me! I was the one who—who couldn't resist Chisato-kun's handsomeness!"
"Even though I knew he already had a girlfriend, I... I still secretly seduced him!"
"!!!!!!"
Hitori's words were like a nuclear bomb—after an earth-shattering explosion, everything settled into silence.
The so-called dispute, the rights and wrongs, all ceased to exist.
The expressions of Nijika and Ikuyo changed from blank shock to sheer terror.
Their mouths and eyes were wide open at the same time.
Their bodies even had a faintly pale hue, as if a gust of wind could blow them away at any moment.
"Ohhh~"
Even Ryo, who had been quietly devouring her food, couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
So this is the real you, Bocchi-chan.
"I-I'm so sorry! I'm just such a shameless, hopelessly terrible woman! I've caused so much trouble for everyone—I'm really sorry!"
Hitori closed her eyes and repeatedly bowed her head in apology.
After saying this, she resolutely grabbed the dining knife from the table, sitting in her seat with a face of complete resignation.
"It's all my fault... Ikuyo-chan was right—there's no excuse for a woman who interferes in someone else's relationship."
"I'll take responsibility for myself now. Thank you for always taking care of me... I'm sorry for betraying everyone's trust... Goodbye..."
"Don't die, Bocchi-chan!"
"Hurry up and take the knife from her!"
"No, please, let me go! I have no face to continue living in this world!"
"Stop talking nonsense and stop struggling... Ahh, Bocchi-chan is stronger than I expected! Come help me, Ikuyo-chan!"
"..."
The dining table instantly turned into chaos.
Chisato covered his face with one hand.
Letting Hitori act on her own had made things even more complicated.
However, she had indeed managed to cleanly remove herself from the situation.
Now, the pressure was on Nijika and Ikuyo.
As for Ryo, she remained the most relaxed from start to finish.
Like a spectating weasel in a melon patch, enjoying the drama from multiple angles, completely entertained.
…
"Yo, nice job, Suzumiya. I heard Bocchi-chan is your little lover?"
The moment they stepped into Starry, the store manager, Seika, greeted Chisato with an amused smirk.
Judging from her cheerful mood, she must have been bored after being in the store for too long and had specifically come to find some fun.
But they had just arrived from Akihabara—how had she already learned about what had just happened?
"..."
Chisato remained silent, then turned to glance behind her.
Ikuyo and Nijika looked utterly confused.
Only Ryo avoided her gaze unnaturally, pretending to admire the graffiti-covered wall that had nothing on it.
Chisato chuckled.
"Ryo."
"Hm?"
"That 20,000 yen you borrowed from me—pay it back by the end of this week."
"Why bring up such a trivial matter now? Aren't we comrades who share hardships together?"
Ryo responded with an utterly serious expression, deliberately ignoring the topic of repayment.
"If you don't pay it back by this weekend, I'll deduct it directly from your next gig's earnings."
With that, Chisato walked off toward the storage room behind the bar.
"Uh..."
Ryo suddenly regretted indulging in her love of gossip.
She quickly jogged after Chisato.
"Suzumiya-kun, can't you give me a little more time to pay it back...?"
Seika watched them walk away with amusement before shifting her gaze to the remaining three.
Crossing her arms, she asked, "So, what exactly happened?"
Hitori covered her face, hurriedly running into the recording studio—tripping over a trash can on the way.
That left only Nijika and Ikuyo exchanging glances.
Finally, they both let out long sighs.
"Seika-nee, it's all too complicated. I still don't understand how things ended up like this, but no matter how much we don't want to believe it, judging by Bocchi-chan's reaction, she really didn't seem to be lying."
"Yeah, nee-san, just don't ask anymore. Our heads are a mess, and in the end, we didn't even buy Ikuyo-chan's guitar."
"Ahhh, band life, rock and roll—you guys have finally run into romantic drama. Now this is youth."
Seika shrugged.
"Nijika, come to my room tonight. I've got beer ready. You can tell me the whole story then. Sounds like I've got the perfect drinking topic for tonight."
"Who the hell would talk to you about this?!"
"That's fine too. If you don't, you can forget about using the recording studio from now on."
A light yet effective threat.
It struck Nijika's biggest weak spot in an instant.
"Fine, whatever. I'll tell you."
Seika chuckled as she walked away.
Meanwhile, Ryo, who had followed after Chisato earlier, was now walking back with her hands on her head.
She looked like she was in pain.
Nijika narrowed her eyes.
"What happened to you?"
"Suzumiya-kun hit me on the head. That guy has violent tendencies—you all better be careful in the future."
"I've never seen Suzumiya-kun hit anyone before. You definitely said something to piss him off, didn't you?"
"No way! I just calmly asked if he could extend my repayment period."
"I even made a concession, but not only did he refuse, he actually smacked my head so hard! If my incredibly intelligent and intricate brain gets damaged, what if I can't memorize sheet music anymore?"
Ryo grumbled indignantly.
Hearing this, Nijika felt an instinctive sense of dread, knowing Ryo's usual antics.
But curiosity got the better of her, so she asked anyway.
"Concession... What kind of concession?"
Ryo lowered her hands from her head and puffed out her chest proudly.
"I told him I could be like Bocchi-chan and become his—"
"BANG!"
A swift and precise karate chop landed on Ryo's head, sending her crouching down again while clutching her head.
"Ryo! That's way out of line!"
This girl never failed to shock people with her words.
What the hell went on in her head all day?!
"I had no choice! Nijika-chan, if you're willing to pay back my debt, I can be your—"
"Who the hell wants that, you idiot!"
Not wanting to waste more words on this eccentric, Nijika grabbed Ikuyo, who was smiling awkwardly, and walked toward the recording studio door.
But they didn't go in right away.
"We don't need to worry about Suzumiya-kun for now, but Bocchi-chan... we need to do something."
"Yeah... ah!"
Ikuyo suddenly clutched her head, shaking it frantically.
"I'm such an idiot! I said so many things in front of Bocchi-chan that I shouldn't have! Thinking back now, every single word must have felt like a needle stabbing into her heart!"
"Calm down, Ikuyo-chan. You don't even know the full situation yet. Even if Bocchi-chan was the third party, objectively speaking, what you did wasn't wrong."
"But Bocchi-chan is our friend. If possible, I didn't want to say things that would hurt her... There were definitely better ways to handle this."
"Don't think too much. I don't think Bocchi-chan will hate us... To be honest, my head was a mess back at the café—I had no idea what to do. But now, I've decided: no matter what Bocchi-chan did, she's still Bocchi-chan."
"If she's struggling, I'll help her. If she did something wrong, I'll make her realize it—even if she ends up hating me. That's what a real friend should do, right?"
"Mmm... Nijika-chan, I'm so glad you're here."
Ikuyo threw herself into Nijika's arms.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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