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Chapter 34 — Hitori? [No Mercy]
🕑 Added 2025-05-05 04:18:39 +0000 UTCUpon hearing that Haru could play keyboard, the overjoyed Bocchi couldn't hold back her excitement and asked him to join a band. She hoped that a kind and cool guy like him would say yes.
If she could form a band with Haru, maybe she could become popular too!
CRACK!
With hopeful eyes still on her face, Bocchi suddenly felt an intense pressure tighten around her.
It was like drowning deep underwater with no way to breathe, and her shoulders felt as if they were weighed down by iron balls.
Already timid by nature, she frantically looked around in fear, but couldn't see anything unusual.
W-what's happening?
Wait— This pressure surging up from the soles of her feet felt like a black hole, dragging her into an endless abyss!
It was as if, with even the slightest misstep, she'd be crushed under the overwhelming weight of it all!
Just where was this pressure coming from!?
Hitori whipped her head around, her gaze slowly shifting to Kazami Haru's side—
There, Takamatsu Tomori sat curled up, her small head slightly lowered. Her trembling eyes shimmered with a faint, unshed mist, and her lips pressed together as if struggling to hold something back.
Tomori stared at him beside her, her words caught in her throat, yet at the same time, she seemed too afraid to speak, as though any sound might shatter her completely.
Her fingers had only dared to sneak out and lightly pinch the hem of his sleeve, her movements so cautious that it seemed even a single word could startle her into retreating, pitiful as an abandoned puppy.
PIC: Tomori
What's going on? Did I accidentally say something wrong!?
So scary. Takamatsu-san is so scary!
Sensing where the spiritual pressure(Reiatsu) was coming from, Bocchi's body began to tremble slightly.
If she wasn't careful, her face might just crumple like clay and she'd morph into a pink Sandshrew and run off.
"Uh, I just remembered I have something to do, so I'm going to go!"
"I'm really, really sorry waaaaaah!"
Frightened by the pressure, Bocchi's legs turned into blazing wheels and she made the fastest getaway of her life, just one wall jump and leap of faith short of a full-on parkour escape.
If she stayed any longer, something bad was definitely going to happen!
"Hitori?"
"The guitarist ran away…"
Takamatsu Tomori, who had just been looking dejected, stared blankly at Bocchi's retreating figure, unsure how to react.
But this also made her realize the current situation.
If Haru was going to join someone else's band, then what about her—
"Haru… do you want to start a band?"
Unable to hold back her swelling feelings of unease, the girl's voice no longer sounded as downcast, it had softened into a cautious question.
She was afraid that forming a band with Haru might end badly.
But she was even more afraid that Haru might join another band and abandon her.
Seeing her pitiful expression, Kazami Haru felt like he was seeing the same dependent Tomori from the simulations.
No… that must've been a hallucination.
The current Tomori was still trapped in the shadow of CRYCHIC. At best, their current relationship was "pretty good friends."
"I don't have any plans to start a band right now."
That was the truth.
Haru honestly didn't have any intentions of joining a band—neither Kessoku nor MyGO.
Simulations were one thing, reality was another.
Don't confuse the two.
"Really?"
"Really."
Knowing Tomori well, Haru responded without hesitation. His firm tone made the girl slowly raise her head, her melancholy gaze gradually replaced by faint joy.
"Well then, lunch break is almost over."
"If we stay here any longer, we'll be late."
Haru smiled and reached out a hand to Tomori. She immediately took it and used his support to stand up from the ground. As he felt the softness of her delicate hand, a voice echoed in his head:
[Simulation Count +1]
He was right, getting more simulations required direct interaction with the targets!
Still, Tomori's soft hand was a little too pleasant to let go…
The afternoon classes in Japan flew by.
Before long, the final bell rang. Bocchi, who had already been frightened earlier, immediately grabbed her guitar and bolted from the classroom like a sprinter.
Seeing her panicked escape, Haru instantly grabbed his bag and chased after her.
Bocchi was one of the few friends he had, he couldn't just let her keep running away every time she saw him.
"…?"
Tomori was left standing there, holding her bag and blankly watching Haru's silhouette disappear.
Bocchi's full-speed escape was impressive like a wild, shiny Sandshrew Pokémon, she shot out of the school grounds in the blink of an eye.
With his poor stamina, Haru spent quite a while just barely catching up to her at a nearby park.
She's carrying a guitar and still running this fast? Is she really a shut-in who never leaves the house?
"I-I don't have any cough drops on me!"
Gotou Hitori stared in horror at the panting Haru before her. Even though she ran all the way to the park, Haru had still managed to catch up.
Why did he chase her? Was he going to silence her!?
Sorry, Mom, Dad, Futari, and Jimi Hendrix! I might not make it back home!
"Why the heck are you running? I'm not going to eat you."
"B-because if Takamatsu-san saw us together—!"
Bocchi's face was twisted into full cyberpunk mode as she frantically scanned for any trace of Tomori. Only after confirming that she wasn't nearby did she breathe a small sigh of relief.
"So it's about Tomori?"
Haru rolled his eyes slightly, panting as he scratched his dark hair.
Honestly, he could understand Bocchi's feelings. Anyone would feel guilty after seeing Tomori's expression.
The truth was, Tomori was just a girl deeply lacking in a sense of security, always in need of comfort and support.
When she felt unsafe, the pressure she unconsciously emitted affected everyone around her.
And Bocchi, who had always been alone since childhood, was especially good at sitting in corners and watching others, naturally, she was hypersensitive to such atmospheres.
So being scared of Tomori made sense.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to run away!"
"Don't worry. Tomori just has some emotional scars from her past band experience, she doesn't mean you any harm."
Eh? That's all?
Bocchi opened her mouth in surprise. She had thought that asking Haru to form a band had upset Takamatsu-san.
"I'm sorry, Haru-san. I misunderstood."
"Hitori, shouldn't you be committing seppuku if you're apologizing?"
"Please spare me from that! I'm not ready to die yet!"
While the two were bickering next to the park swings, a flash of dazzling gold streaked past them. The brilliant glimmer left Haru momentarily stunned.
A blonde girl had suddenly appeared. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at them and quickly ran over with small, energetic steps.
"—Ah! A guitar!"
PIC: Nijika
