Using a single bottle of Monster energy drink to get the intel he needed, Kazami Haru finally let out a long sigh of relief and slowly hung up the call.
Even the information from Ryo wasn't entirely useless.
At the very least, knowing that Bocchi wasn't at STARRY meant there was a good chance she was heading to the train station toward Shimokitazawa. Judging by the time school ended, there was a possibility she hadn't boarded the train yet.
There was still time!
At this point, there was one last way to contact Bocchi.
That was to open YouTube and search for [Guitar Hero]!
...
Meanwhile—
A pink-haired girl near the train station tiptoed with excitement, her face bursting with uncontrollable joy at the thought of band practice.
Thankfully, her bangs were long enough to almost fully cover her expression, which currently resembled a wild Shin-chan-like grin.
PIC: Bocchi[1]
"Hmph~ So I'm finally in a band now?"
"Yay!"
Now that she was going to Shimokitazawa to practice with everyone, she felt like she had evolved from an unnoticed bottom-feeder to a real band girl. Her dream of a popular school life was finally within reach!
And if she just casually fell in love next—say, got confessed to by a handsome keyboardist—
That! Would! Be! Killer!
Completely immersed in her fantasy, Hitori Gotoh (Bocchi) suddenly snapped back to reality.
Come to think of it, at the last "welcome party," she had been totally out of it, like her soul had left her body and hadn't even joined the band's LINE group.
She hadn't even exchanged contact info with Haru, her first real friend.
She had arrived before Ryo-senpai, but Ryo still got Haru's phone number first!
"This won't do, I have to work harder!"
"Starting tomorrow, I'll definitely ask Haru for her contact info!"
And not just that, she had to find a vocalist for the band.
Everyone was still struggling to find a vocalist, so if she managed to find one, everyone would admire her!
Even that arrogant Haru would bow before her!
[Bocchi! Thanks to you, we finally formed our band! You're the irreplaceable pillar of our team!]
[I like you, please go out with me!]
He might say something like that!
"Ghehe~"
Just imagining it made her euphoric!
Ding-dong.
A bubbly chime rang, Bocchi's custom YouTube notification.
As someone who maintained a hyper-sociable online persona, responding to DMs was part of Bocchi's daily routine as a content creator. It was essential homework for becoming a real video personality.
Every compliment in the comments sent her into pure bliss.
[Is this Hitori Gotoh from Haneoka High School?]
Bocchi: ???
I'm screwed.Boxed!
PIC: Bocchi [2]
Her hand shook so badly she almost dropped her phone. She tried to stay calm, but the sudden sweat pouring from her forehead betrayed her panic. Her heart was racing like a rocket.
She frantically checked her YouTube account again. Yep, it was her Guitar Hero channel.
But… how did the other person know her real name?
Was this what people online called "getting doxxed"?!
It must be because she talked too much trash online, and now someone who didn't like her had dug up her real identity!
She was doomed, completely doomed!
Her life was over…
[I'm sorry! I shouldn't have bragged online! Please don't sell my personal info!]
[Your little sister is in my hands.]
[I'm truly sorry!! It's all my fault for pretending to be popular and bragging about my fake boyfriend who's supposedly a piano-playing, super-hot band guy. I'll pay the ransom, just please don't hurt her!]
Kazami Haru: ???
What the heck is this girl even saying?
…
After a detailed explanation, Haru finally managed to get Bocchi to understand what was actually going on.
"Sis~!"
The innocent, bubbly Futari Gotoh ran toward Bocchi and slammed into her like a lightning bolt. Bocchi, still semi-soulless, just blankly hugged her sister.
Ah… My life really is over.
After saying all that crazy stuff in front of Haru, I should just die to apologize…
"Bocchi, are you okay?"
Kazami Haru looked genuinely concerned. Bocchi seemed like she could just ascend to the heavens any second.
Clearly, the shock of receiving a YouTube DM from Haru was overwhelming. Bocchi was still visibly shaken.
"I—I'm fine!"
Bocchi suddenly snapped back, her big eyes staring up at Haru like a nervous little animal.
Even after knowing she was Guitar Hero, he still had the same bored expression, like nothing had changed. He wasn't reacting to her confession at all.
Wait…
Did everything that just happened only occur in my imagination?
The meltdown, the confession. None of that actually happened?
Ohhh… so it was just a dream!
Bocchi's face instantly brightened like sunshine after rain. Her rapid shifts, from pale to panicked to cheerful, made it look like she was doing a one-woman face-changing opera. Haru was in awe.
"I didn't have your contact, so I could only reach you through YouTube."
Ahahaha~ So it wasn't a dream.
Bocchi dropped right back into despair ↓
"Sis! Big bro was the one who brought me here!"
"Ah, uh…"
Hitori Gotoh looked dazed again, lightly biting her lip, visibly torn inside.
She didn't know whether to ask Haru how he found out she was Guitar Hero.
"Hitori-san, your face looks pale… are you okay?"
"…Ah, I'm fine."
A gentle voice spoke beside her. Bocchi turned to see Tomori Takamatsu, who looked worried and held a clean white handkerchief, ready to wipe her sweat.
Wait, Takamatsu-san?
Why is she here too? Did she come to confront me because I invited Haru to the band on my own?!
Seeing Bocchi's bizarrely Picasso-esque expression and her instinctive step backward, Tomori froze mid-handkerchief-reach. Her small face clouded over with sadness.
PIC: Bocchi[3]
She looked down in shame, thinking she'd done something wrong again.
"U-um, I'm sorry… did I say something wrong?"
"Ah… no… I didn't mean anything bad. Please forgive me!"
What the heck is going on?
Kazami Haru glanced sideways at Futari Gotoh, his expression complex.
This kid looked totally used to her sister being like this. She even smiled innocently, genuinely happy.
He couldn't even imagine what Bocchi was like at home.
"Hey hey! Big bro, are you and sis dating?"
Gulp.
Futari's innocent question instantly froze the air.
[1] https://i.pinimg.com/474x/c5/6e/f3/c56ef38c0b5fdaebceb87106ee7ca277.jpg
[2] https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b0/86/8a/b0868adc706c61e5cc8649291b6afc54.jpg
[3] https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoSN0r_KpaM/sddefault.jpg