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V5 Chapter 11: When do you feel most relaxed?
🕑 Added 2025-06-13 10:18:18 +0000 UTCAfter seeing off the well-fed girls one by one, Kazami Haru finally found himself alone. The clock had just struck ten.
Just as he was about to clean up, take a shower, and hit the bed, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, followed by the distinct ringtone of "Blooming Blue Snowflower."
Haru thought maybe someone from dinner had forgotten something. But when he took out his phone and checked the screen, it wasn't any of the three: Sakiko, Ryo, or Mutsumi.
The caller ID read: "Mango Mask BOCCHI."
He closed his tired eyes for a moment, took a breath, and looked again. No mistake, Shimokitazawa's pink tsuchinoko, Bocchi, was actually calling him?
"You've gotta be kidding."
This was Bocchi.
Ever since Kessoku Band created their group chat on LINE, Gotoh Hitori had barely sent a message the entire summer and now, she was calling? At night? This wasn't just "unusual", this was impossible.
Honestly, if someone told him it was actually Son of Sparda, Vergil calling on the other end, Haru might've believed that more.
Because Gotoh Hitori would never, ever have the nerve to call him directly.
Still, Haru didn't hesitate. He answered.
"Is this Big Brother?"
A cheerful, childish voice came through the line.
Haru instantly knew who it was. It wasn't Mango Mask herself: it was her little sister, Gotoh Futari, borrowing her phone.
This, at least, made sense. He smiled in relief.
"Futari, are you calling me from your sister's phone?"
"Ah! I knew it was you!"
"Big Brother, Onee-chan's taking a bath right now, so I snuck her phone! Do you have time? Futari has something really important to ask!"
"I'm the Son of Sparda. Speak."
Haru sat up a little straighter, ready to hear what this "important matter" was.
"Big Brother, when can you come over again?"
"Big Sis is about to mold!"
Haru: ?
Wait… did she mean that literally?
…
A few days later, Haru found himself at the Gotoh residence once again.
He hadn't gotten many details from Futari, just that Bocchi had been holed up in her closet, even more paranoid than usual, and acting super weird.
Futari, genuinely concerned, had only one person in mind to call: Kazami Haru.
Less than ten seconds after he knocked, the door creaked open slightly, and a blue eye peeked through.
Then Futari quickly yanked the door open and looked around cautiously.
"Big Brother, come in quick!"
Only once she confirmed no one else was nearby did she nervously wave him in.
What is this, an underground resistance handoff?
Haru suppressed the urge to snark, changed into slippers, and followed Futari inside.
"Is your sister upstairs?"
"She's probably in the closet. She's barely come out lately!"
For someone her age, Futari was remarkably worried about her sister. It was clear Bocchi's image as the older sibling was already in tatters.
Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Gotoh weren't home, which gave Haru the perfect chance to check on her.
He climbed the stairs and approached Bocchi's room, only to feel a wave of gloom washing over him from the other side of the door.
"I'll open it!"
Futari's serious face was almost comically out of place with her baby-doll features. Before Haru could even prepare, she flung open the sliding door and what he saw froze him in place.
A classic pink-and-white tracksuit lay discarded to the side.
Silky cherry-blossom hair flowed over her bare shoulders, cascading down to her waist. A startled girl, hiding behind her bangs, blinked her dazzling blue eyes.
Midway through changing into a shirt, Gotoh Hitori stared back at him in pure shock. Clad only in plain white underwear, her full, mature figure was on full display without the tracksuit to hide it.
"..."
Haru calmly shut the door and turned to Futari.
Stop right there, criminal scum!
"Ahhh—"
Futari, realizing her mistake, broke into a cold sweat.
"Futari just remembered Komachi-chan invited me out to play! Bye, Big Brother!"
And with that, she bolted, leaving behind silence and Haru standing there, wondering what to do next.
What can I say?
The impact of what he'd seen… was blinding. No, he meant overwhelming.
He'd always known Bocchi had some hidden power under that tracksuit. But this? Seeing it firsthand? He had to admit defeat.
Other girls could lock him down with clever tricks. Bocchi just overwhelmed him with raw stats.
"Bocchi, can I come in now?"
Silence.
Worried, Haru slid the door open again.
There she was, face-down on the tatami, one arm stretched upward like a fallen hero. Fully dressed again, her body was completely stiff—like a stone statue weathered by wind and rain.
Haru approached and gently patted her cheek. From somewhere within, he heard a dull thump thump.
"She's totally passed out. This… is not good."
…
"Eeek!"
In the closet, Bocchi's eyes shot open.
She sat bolt upright, eyes wide, looking around in panic. Once she realized she was safely inside her closet, she slowly exhaled, the tension fading from her gaze.
That… was a dream?
She'd been changing clothes when someone suddenly opened the door and she'd locked eyes with Haru. After that, her memory went blank.
Maybe… maybe she'd just stayed up too late again and hallucinated a bit?
"Yeah, that's it… There's no way Haru-san would show up at my house."
Bocchi, slowly relaxing, gave a small, relieved smile and reached out to slide open the closet door.
The moment she did, her gaze locked onto Kazami Haru, who was seated at the table, again.
A sudden rush of blood surged through her body like a tidal wave, nearly knocking her out cold.
Haru is actually in my house?!
That meant… she really wasn't dreaming when she was changing earlier. He saw everything?!
Just imagining it made Gotoh Hitori 's whole body tremble. Her usually hidden, delicate face burned bright red beneath her long bangs, like a sunrise blazing across her cheeks.
Overcome by shame, she tumbled out of the closet and dropped into a perfectly fluid and textbook dogeza pose.
"S-s-sorry…! I showed you something I shouldn't have!"
"Stop! I didn't see anything just now!"
They spoke at the same time and both froze at each other's words.
Haru stared at the tracksuit girl with a complicated expression. Whatever comfort he'd planned to offer was swallowed the moment she blurted that out.
He hadn't expected her, the supposed victim, to be the first one to apologize so intensely.
"H-Haru-san… did you really not see anything?"
Bocchi peeked up at him with those crystal-blue eyes, clearly still reeling. Just thinking of the moment made it hard for her to breathe, her heart pounding with no sign of slowing down.
"I didn't. I shut the door right away."
A lie.
Sure, it was Futari's fault but Haru's sharp eyes had taken in everything in that split second.
"I-I see…"
For some reason, Hitori felt a tiny pang of disappointment, only to instantly panic at her own absurd reaction, terrified Haru might have noticed.
He was the last person she wanted to see her in a bad light.
"S-So… w-why did you suddenly come to my house?"
She lowered her head timidly but couldn't help sneaking a glance at his expression.
"I heard from Futari. She said you've been hiding in your closet and won't come out."
"Futari?"
Surprised, Bocchi looked conflicted and hesitated, not sure how to respond. She sat there nervously, opening and closing her mouth.
Haru just sighed.
"Bocchi, are you worried about the Fireworks Festival live show?"
"Mm!"
She snapped her head up, shocked that he'd seen right through her.
He got it?
She had been locking herself in the closet to practice, overwhelmed by anxiety over the upcoming live performance with Kessoku Band.
No matter how hard she practiced guitar or ensemble playing, it never seemed to ease her nerves. In fact, the more she trained, the more the dread grew.
Which is exactly why she didn't want to leave her "safe space."
"W-Why…?"
She hadn't said a word about it, so how did Haru know?
Could it be… he had psychic powers?
"I can't read minds."
"You're just really easy to read. It's all written on your face."
Haru propped his chin on his hand and chuckled. It wasn't hard to guess what Bocchi was thinking. Just consider her social anxiety and recent behavior, and it wasn't difficult to connect the dots.
Of all people in the band, Bocchi cared the most. So this sudden change obviously had something to do with the upcoming performance.
And the Fireworks Festival live was the only major event on the horizon.
"H-Haru-san… you're not nervous?"
Bocchi straightened up a little, her tiny figure still shrinking into herself.
Haru exhaled slowly. His narrow black eyes sharpened, and for once, he spoke with serious weight.
"Bocchi, sit up straight."
"Yes, sir!"
Startled, she instantly straightened her back, looking like she might cry. But Haru wasn't pulling punches.
"You're the cool 'Guitar Hero.'"
"Hold yourself with confidence. You're not cool if you keep slouching."
He furrowed his brow slightly as he spoke and he wasn't lying, Bocchi's guitar skills were in a league of their own. Anyone else with her talent would be walking around with their nose in the air.
"C-Cool? Me…?"
Her eyes lit up faintly. Then she hunched down again, smiling like a fool, and started muttering weird sounds like "guh-heh-heh."
Surrounded by imaginary angels, she brought her hands together in reverent prayer.
The great god Kazami has blessed this lazy sinner with praise. This is divine mercy.
Kazami-sama...
"Bocchi."
The tone in his voice hit like a curse, yanking her out of her fantasy.
"S-Sorry!"
She snapped back to her rigid dogeza form, too scared to even raise her head.
After a short pause, Haru finally spoke again.
"If I said I wasn't nervous, I'd be lying."
Even with his superior keyboard skills and original songs, Haru was no exception. This was a big stage—they'd all be nervous.
"But instead of worrying, I'm more focused on where we should go for the afterparty."
His lips curled slightly into a smile.
He could see how much this live show mattered to Bocchi—how deeply she cared.
And he understood.
This wasn't like their casual gigs at STARRY. This was a real, public performance.
STARRY was nice, sure. But its crowd was limited, and most bands there weren't exactly top-tier. It hadn't seen much promotion beyond flyers handed out by the band members themselves.
But the Fireworks Festival? That was on another level.
The festival drew massive crowds naturally. Performing there could be a launching pad into professional band stardom.
Naturally, it also drew in high-level competition.
And Kessoku Band… was barely scraping by on the STARRY stage. Competing against top bands? Yeah, there was reason to be worried.
Even if Bocchi performed at her absolute best, the outcome was uncertain and in public, she could never quite unleash her full potential.
"You don't have to be so stiff, Bocchi. Just relax."
"R-Right…"
She looked like she loosened up a little but her posture still screamed tension. Haru could tell this wasn't going to be an easy conversation.
So after a brief silence, he asked gently—
"Bocchi, when do you feel most relaxed?"
She paused, thinking. Then answered, unsure:
"Probably… when I'm in the closet?"
"In that case, let's go talk in the closet."
"Eh… eh?!"
Bocchi's head snapped up in shock. Haru was already on his feet and walking toward the closet.
She jumped to her feet in a panic.
Wait, we're seriously doing this?!
