'No, no, that's not right! Kuramizaka-senpai is not that kind of awful guy! There must be some kind of misunderstanding!'
Bocchi secretly tried to cheer herself up in her heart, then fearfully replied.
[Gotou Hitori: Kuramizaka-senpai, is there… something you need?]
A new message quickly came from the other side of the screen.
[Kaito: There is indeed something important I want to talk to you about.]
[Kaito: Anyway, let's meet later at the abandoned clubroom on the sixth floor.]
'Something important?'
'Could it be a confessionconfessionconfessionconfession.... confession?'
Little Bocchi's face turned red with a 'whoosh'.
If this were drawn in manga form, the girl would probably already have mosquito-coil eyes with visible steam rising from her.
She finally made it through P.E. class and barely endured until school ended.
Little Bocchi, carrying her guitar bag, sneaked her way to a certain room on the sixth floor of the school building like a thief.
Then, she gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," A calm voice came from inside.
"S-sorry to bother you," Bocchi-chan tiptoed into the room sneakily, instinctively keeping her footsteps light.
In the center of the room, a familiar figure was sitting on a leather sofa. On the coffee table in front of him were two cups of black tea, still steaming lightly.
"Um, u-uh… Kaito-senpai, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Little Bocchi didn't even dare to lift her head, stammering as she drew circles on the floor with her toes.
"It's not really a big deal," Kaito pushed one of the black tea cups toward her, "But let's sit down and talk."
"O-okay," Bocchi-chan carefully sat on the sofa, only daring to sit with half her butt, her little hands having nowhere to go as she tightly clutched her clothes.
"After the last exorcism, there haven't been any strange happenings at home, right?"
Kaito's tone was very natural, like it was just a casual chat. The nervous pink-haired girl felt a bit more at ease and answered softly, "There haven't been any strange things happening, thank you for helping last time, senpai."
Actually, she still occasionally saw scary evil spirits on the way to school, but those times were very rare, and as long as she pretended not to see them, nothing happened.
She didn't feel comfortable bothering Kaito over such small matters, especially since he exorcised her house for free last time.
'If I keep owing him favors, I might only have the option of repaying with myself, right?'
'Though that will basically be rewarding me… but Kaito-senpai definitely won't be interested in someone as plain as me, so it is better not to fantasize.'
"…Forget it, I won't beat around the bush," Kaito originally wanted to ease into it, but felt there was no need, being long-winded didn't suit his personality, so he just got to the point, "Gotou-san, would you be interested in joining a club I just created?"
Bocchi froze, "Eh? Me?"
She felt like she had just been hit by a jackpot. If this opportunity got out, the girls in her class would probably fight over it until someone bled, right?
Kaito nodded slightly, "The Supernatural Research Club. You don't need to do anything troublesome, and there aren't any weird club activities. Just need you to be a member."
He thought for a bit and added, "If Gotou-san isn't willing, I of course won't force you. Just go with your heart."
"I-I-I…", Bocchi's face turned bright red from nervousness, nodding quickly, "Of course I'm willing!"
"Then thank you, Gotou-san."
Kaito smiled and handed her an application form, "Just fill out the contents."
Warm spring sunlight streamed in along the windowsill, wrapping the smiling boy in a golden veil. He looked like a holy child from an oil painting, about to lower his head and kiss his lamb.
'U-ugh, that smile should be illegal!'
'Ugh… my brain, my brain is going to overheat.'
Bocchi, feeling dazed, took the A4 paper, filled in her info while still dazed, and then dazedly left the clubroom.
Even on the way home, passing through a certain park, she kept smiling like an idiot.
At the same time, not far away, a blonde girl in little red shoes happened to see the guitar bag on Bocchi's back, her eyes lighting up, "A guitar!"
———
When Kaito got home, dusk had already deepened. The brilliant clouds on the horizon looked like layers of continuous flames.
After playing games in his room for a bit, he took a moment to glance out the window, only to realize it was already dark without noticing when it happened.
Then he went to the kitchen and made dinner for two. Mapo tofu, stir-fried chili pork, and fish-fragrant eggplant… just some classic homemade dishes that paired well with fragrant white rice, appetizing just by sight.
Ding! Dong—
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Seeing the blue-haired girl clearly dressed up, Kaito was a bit surprised, "Togawa-san?"
"Sorry to bother you all of a sudden," Togawa Sakiko tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and offered a finely wrapped gift box, "This is a visiting gift, please accept it."
Actually, Sakiko could've come earlier, but she suddenly had overtime last night. By the time she got home, it was nearly midnight. She couldn't possibly knock on Kaito's door at that hour and say, "We agreed I'd visit, so I'm here now."
"Togawa-san, you're too polite."
Kaito took her gift, then said, "Come in and have a seat. Slippers are in the shoe cabinet. They're all new, feel free to pick any."
Togawa Sakiko nodded.
She bent over to take off her rounded leather shoes, revealing her small feet in white lace-trimmed socks, then changed into a pair of dark-colored slippers and obediently followed behind Kaito.
Perhaps because she had just bathed before coming, she carried a faint, unknown fragrance. Her long blue hair was still slightly damp, and her fair, delicate face looked like a peeled egg, radiating that unique softness of a youthful girl.
Seeing the still-steaming dishes on the table, Togawa Sakiko felt a little awkward, "Did I… come at a bad time?"
After all, not everyone liked being disturbed during meals.
'What if Kaito-kun thinks I am trying to mooch a meal?'
"It's just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks," Kaito didn't mind at all. He went back to the kitchen to get another bowl of rice and placed it in front of Togawa Sakiko.
"T-then, I'll gladly accept," Togawa Sakiko discreetly swallowed a bit of saliva.
Her cooking skills weren't good. After her family's decline, she was busy working part-time to earn money and didn't have time to learn cooking. She usually ate out for all three meals.
Ever since she tasted Kaito's cooking last time, it felt like someone who had been forced to eat bland food for years suddenly got to eat gourmet dishes again.
That regained joy, combined with the delicious food, was hard to put into words.
Like most girls, Sakiko had a small appetite. She usually felt full after eating two-thirds of a convenience store bento.
But…
Looking at the empty rice bowl, not even a single grain left, Kaito naturally took it and served her another full bowl of rice.
This was already the fourth time she had asked for more.
At first, Sakiko felt a little embarrassed and wanted to maintain her image as a refined lady, but her hands had their own ideas.
A big plate of fish-fragrant eggplant was eaten clean by her.
And that was only because she couldn't handle spicy food. Otherwise, the other two dishes wouldn't have been spared either.
But humans have limits after all.
After finishing four whole bowls of rice, Sakiko put down her chopsticks in satisfaction, clasped her hands together, "Thanks for the meal. Today's dinner was just as delicious as always!"
Looking at the empty plates, the girl's face turned a bit red, "Um… did I eat a little too much…?"
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