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Chapter 67: I Don't Want to Die in Loneliness
🕑 Added 2025-02-05 03:01:46 +0000 UTCHitori Gotou kept her head lowered.
There were still so many things she wanted to say.
One was to comfort Minami,
And the other...
Was about what he had told Seika Ijichi and Nijika Ijichi.
Minami had only met the Ijichi sisters a couple of days ago.
And yet—
How did he know so much about their mother?
It was as if Minami had known them for years.
That was the only way he could have made those accurate deductions.
This caught Hitori's attention.
She suddenly had a bold thought—
Could it be…?
Could Minami-senpai be like her?
Could he also have memories that shouldn't exist?
If that were true…
Then in her own strange memories,
Where she was married to Minami-senpai…
No, no, no!
That's impossible!
There's no way something so good could actually happen in real life!
Still, as she swept the floor,
her thoughts were all over the place.
Her eyes kept stealing glances at Minami,
Who had just come down from the kitchen on the second floor.
She was clumsy and awkward,
And couldn't tell if Minami's expression or tone had changed at all.
Meanwhile,
Minami had already finished cooking and was now reading at the bar counter.
With one hand supporting his face,
And the other flipping through a paperback,
He let out a lazy yawn.
Under the warm glow of the lights,
His handsome features looked even more striking.
Like a wandering nobleman,
gracing the mortal world with his presence.
Hitori absentmindedly scratched her head.
She didn't know why,
But there was this strange itch in her heart.
"What are you doing, Bocchi?"
Seika had already recovered from earlier and was curiously staring at her.
"Minami made you a plate too.
Come eat before practice starts."
"Ah… o-okay! Coming!"
Hearing Seika's voice,
Hitori hurriedly finished sweeping,
Then shuffled over to the table.
At the center of the table,
There was a neatly arranged meal,
Looking just like something from a high-end restaurant.
A thick, juicy hamburger steak,
Drizzled in black pepper sauce,
Seared to perfection on both sides,
Giving it a rich, golden-brown crust.
Served with steamed rice,
And a fresh vegetable salad to cut the grease.
But unlike everyone else's plate—
Hitori Gotou's tray had one extra dish.
A beautifully rolled tamagoyaki,
Still warm,
Sprinkled with bits of nori,
Perfectly golden and fluffy.
Hitori gulped.
Even though she had already eaten,
She couldn't resist.
She picked up a piece,
And took a bite.
She didn't say a word,
But the way her eyes widened behind her pink bangs,
And the soft, drawn-out "Mmm—" that escaped her lips,
Said everything.
"It's as delicious as always…"
Seika murmured,
Then suddenly turned to Minami with a pout.
"But Minami-kun, why does only Bocchi get tamagoyaki?"
Seika Ijichi,
Usually so mature and elegant,
Had completely abandoned her cool composure.
She pointed at Hitori's plate with a sulky expression.
"I just felt like making it."
"That's your reason?"
PA-san cupped her face, pouting cutely.
"You're obviously playing favorites."
"Ah… yeah.
PA-san, you're absolutely right."
Minami flipped through his book,
Completely unfazed by her teasing.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world,
He put his book down,
Turned to Hitori,
And smiled.
"I like you, Gotou-san."
"—Eh?!"
"Do you like me too?"
"Would you go out with me?"
"I-I-I-I…"
"When should we register our marriage?"
"A-Ah… um… okay."
One question hadn't even processed,
before another one landed—
And before Hitori could fully comprehend,
She had already nodded and agreed.
"Minami, you bastard.
You really can be cruel sometimes."
Seeing the timid and flustered Hitori being toyed with,
Seika sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple.
"Manager."
Tucking his paperback under his arm,
Minami, with his calm and refined demeanor,
Had the air of a scholarly gentleman.
He leaned in slightly, turning his handsome profile toward Seika—
"I like you.
Please go out with me?"
"Huh?!"
The sudden attack caught the 29-year-old, still-single woman completely off guard.
Her cheeks immediately flushed,
Her beautiful face filled with disbelief as she stared at the black-haired young man before her.
And only when she noticed the faint amusement in his smile,
Did the pure-hearted, nearly 30-year-old realize—
She had just been played by a high school boy.
A 29-year-old woman,
Blushing furiously,
Let out a frustrated cry—
"Do you want me to throw you out, Minami?!"
"It was just a joke."
Minami waved her off,
Casually reopening his paperback.
"This guy…"
Seika, face still flushed,
Didn't know if she was embarrassed or just furious.
She huffed, crossing her arms—
"You're going to grow up to be a terrible man,
tricking innocent girls with a straight face."
Meanwhile,
Nijika, happily biting into her beef patty,
Her eyes curved into a smile,
Murmured in bliss—
"Mmm—this is so good."
The black pepper sauce,
The coarsely chopped beef,
Every bite burst with flavor.
Even though the ingredients were so ordinary,
Somehow, when Minami cooked them—
The dish became something extraordinary.
"Minami-san, what are you reading?"
She finally looked up,
watching him flip pages effortlessly.
"Mitsuda Shinzo's 'Attack of the Headless Horror.'"
"Is it good?"
"Just okay."
"I see…?"
Nijika's curiosity grew as she noticed—
Minami's fingers never stopped moving,
flipping through pages at an almost unnatural speed.
"You're flipping through it so fast…
Have you already finished reading it?"
"Mhm.
It's probably just a talent.
I read fast, and I can remember everything."
The moment those words left his lips—
Seika burst out laughing.
"Hah! Yeah, right."
Reading that fast and remembering everything?
That was complete nonsense.
Minami was flipping pages faster than she could even skim.
That was obviously impossible.
"You don't believe me?"
Minami didn't argue.
Instead, he handed the book to Nijika,
gesturing for her to test him.
"Uh… um…
Chapter one, the scene on the thirteenth night, when the mother speaks—
What was the second thing she said?"
Nijika thought carefully,
choosing a passage that was relatively simple.
Without even pausing,
Minami recited it word-for-word—
"You mean the part where the apparition first appears?
I think it was—
'Can't you see? Look, your father is right there…
Your father, without a head.'"
From Nijika's point of view,
Minami hadn't even needed to think—
He just answered instantly.
"Uh… yeah.
That's… correct."
Nijika, Seika, and even Gotoh—
All fell silent.
Was he for real?
Nijika Ijichi's eyes widened in shock.
Minami had recited the exact passage from the novel, word for word.
To test him further, she picked out several more passages from different chapters.
But Minami answered effortlessly,
Without a single pause or hesitation.
"…What kind of monster is this?"
Seika Ijichi,
who had mocked him earlier,
Was now staring blankly at the paperback in her hands,
Doubting everything she knew about life.
She had tested him over ten times,
Yet Minami had repeated every passage perfectly.
"Minami-san, you're amazing!"
Beside her, Nijika handed the book back to Minami,
Her clear, cheerful voice filled with astonishment.
So this…
Is the power of Japan's No.1 ranked student?
"It's nothing special."
Minami replied casually,
As if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"No, no, no—
This is absolutely amazing!"
Seika's mouth twitched in disbelief.
"Your memory is at
straight-up monster level."
Seriously.
He just flipped through the book once
and memorized the entire thing?!
This was beyond ridiculous.
She turned to Bocchi,
Who had been silent the entire time.
"Right, Bocchi?"
"Ah—uh… ah…"
Caught off guard,
Bocchi panicked before mumbling,
"U-uhh… I-I guess… it's okay?"
The room fell silent.
Seika blinked.
"…Just 'okay'?"
Minami's memory was downright insane,
But Bocchi's reaction was so casual,
Like it wasn't that surprising at all.
What was that supposed to mean?
But Minami didn't seem to care.
He set the book aside,
Looked up,
And spoke.
"Actually, compared to this kind of trivial skill…"
"There's something else I wanted to discuss with the manager."
"Trivial…?!"
Seika clutched her forehead,
Completely exhausted.
"You do realize—
With just this memory skill alone,
You could go on TV and make a living, right?"
So this…
was the world of geniuses.
She was too dumb to understand.
Still, if Minami had something more important to talk about…
She let out a deep sigh
And leaned back in her chair.
"Alright, what is it?"
"I have an outdoor performance soon."
"Is there anything I should be careful about?"
Minami asked.
Seika tapped her smooth chin,
Thinking for a moment before shaking her head.
"Not really."
Shimokitazawa's shopping district was a pedestrian zone.
As long as you set up your amp and effects properly,
The police wouldn't interfere.
"If I had to say something…"
She crossed her arms,
Her tone turning serious.
"The biggest challenge is stage fright."
Even experienced musicians got nervous on stage.
And Minami…
"You've only been playing guitar for two hours, right?"
"More or less."
Minami nodded.
"Performing in front of people
is completely different from practicing alone."
Seika raised one finger.
"So my advice is simple—
Whatever happens, don't panic."
That sounded easy,
But in reality, it was hard as hell.
Even professional bands
Had members who choked under pressure.
And Minami was going to perform with only two hours of practice?
Seika had a bad feeling about this.
But Minami nodded calmly.
"Got it. Thanks, manager."
Seika stared at him,
Surprised.
"I'm actually curious."
She leaned forward.
"You're crazy smart."
"Why not practice more before performing?"
"What's the rush?"
Minami chuckled.
"There's… a reason."
A very, very big reason.
He couldn't exactly tell her—
"Oh, it's because I have Bocchi's 'Rock Queen' character card."
"Well, whatever."
Seika sighed.
Since he had already decided,
There was no point in arguing.
She grabbed a strawberry milk carton,
Pierced the straw through the foil,
And took a sip.
"By the way,"
She suddenly asked,
"What song are you playing?"
This piqued her curiosity.
"The song?"
Seika's question actually caught Minami off guard.
Yesterday,
He had been too busy with the whole Ryo IF scenario.
He hadn't even thought about what song to play.
To be honest,
Before picking up the guitar,
Minami had no interest in music.
All he ever did was study.
Listening to music?
Never did that.
So he had no idea what songs were popular.
Which meant…
For the first time,
He actually had no answer.
But then—
A song suddenly came to mind.
A song he would never forget.
"I've decided."
Minami spoke firmly.
"Oh? What's it called?"
Seika's interest grew.
"Is it from a famous band?"
Minami shook his head.
"No, it's an original."
"An original song?"
Nijika,
Who was helping clean up,
Turned around in surprise.
Her ponytail swayed slightly.
"What's it called?"
She was curious.
Very curious.
After all,
"Kessoku Band" had just passed Seika's test
And was preparing to debut their original song.
Minami having an original
sparked a sense of friendly competition in her.
Meanwhile,
Bocchi,
Who was also helping clean,
Subtly perked up her ears.
She stole a glance at Minami.
Then she heard his answer.
"It's a song written by some friends of mine."
"It's called—"
"I Don't Want to Die In Loneliness."
CRASH!!!
The sound of a tray hitting the floor.
"Huh? Bocchi?"
Seika turned around, confused.
But Bocchi wasn't listening.
Her mind was blank.
That song…
That was the song from her fragmented memories.
Why…?
Why does Minami-senpai know it?!
She stared at him,
shocked beyond words.
