Inside the meat processing plant, Gotou was pulling on a rope with all her might, using every bit of strength she had.
It was the cord on Pochita's tail. She hadn't expected that the pull cord on this little pup's back, which looked so short, could actually extend so far.
Thankfully, Pochita was helping her pull. Otherwise, there was no way she could lift what was attached on her own.
"Almost there... Pochita, come on, one, two, three, pull!"
Gotou braced herself and yanked with everything she had.
Whoosh!
Finally, the thing tied to the other end of the cord was hoisted up.
It was the little girl who had been swallowed by the Muscle Devil.
Gotou hadn't wanted to witness the grotesque process of the devil being shredded, but she forced herself to watch from start to finish, hoping there might be a chance to save the girl.
Fortunately, her body was still intact.
If she hadn't made it, Gotou knew she would've carried that guilt for the rest of her life.
But she didn't have the strength to carry the unconscious girl out of here. For now, she could only leave her in a safe spot.
"The rest... I'll file the report and let Makima handle it," Gotou sighed in relief. "Pochita, back into the bag."
"Woof~" Pochita barked and obediently crawled into the backpack.
Gotou rested for about two minutes, then slung the pack onto her back and stepped out of the factory.
She had only taken a few steps when she spotted Akane squatting alone on the ground, crying.
What's going on with her?
Akane wasn't just crying, she was sobbing and mumbling to herself.
Gotou crept closer until she could hear what Akane was saying.
"Sniff... I used to think devils didn't even exist... that being a devil hunter was actually a super safe job... that's the only reason I joined..."
"It's all because of my mom and dad... they forced me... told me it was either working at sea or taking a risky part-time job..."
"Just so they could pay for my brother's college... sob... but I wanna go to college too!"
Hearing her confession, Gotou felt a tangle of emotions rise inside her.
Even though I have social anxiety and no real friends, at least my parents love me unconditionally.
Compared to my peaceful life, Akane really... has it so rough.
With that thought, Gotou walked over and crouched beside her.
She remembered how her mom would often pat her head for comfort, and without thinking, she reached out to pat Akane's head too.
But just as her hand was about to touch her, she hesitated.
Wait, do I even have the right to comfort her?
What if it backfires and just makes things worse?
She was still hesitating when Akane, mid-sob, shifted and accidentally bumped her head into Gotou's hand.
"Yah!" Akane flinched like she'd been shocked.
Gotou was startled too and quickly pulled her hand back.
Akane looked up and froze when she saw it was Gotou.
"U-uh... I just... wanted to ask if... you're okay?" Gotou squeezed out the words.
The moment she finished, she wanted to slap herself.
What the hell was that?
She obviously isn't okay. It sounds like I'm mocking her.
But to her surprise, Akane actually nodded and said, "Y-yeah... I'm okay."
Then she made a very Akane-like face.
Her cheeks flushed an awkward pink, and her gaze darted away from Gotou with a strange, flickering look in her eyes.
"Oh, um... that's good," Gotou stammered.
"Mm." Akane nodded again, then looked away, fidgeting. "So... um... can we... keep going?"
"Keep going? Keep going with what?"
"..."
Akane pressed her lips together, refusing to say more, leaving Gotou completely confused.
They sat in silence for about half a minute before Akane finally mumbled, "It's nothing."
And then... silence again.
Gotou, the socially anxious wreck that she was, didn't know how to pick up the conversation either. She just stood there awkwardly.
Eventually, it was Akane who spoke first.
"Um, I just wanted to say... partnering with you today, it was... kind of fun, actually... or whatever... ugh, forget I said anything!"
"Anyway, I should get going. See you tomorrow!"
She suddenly sprang to her feet and took off running, leaving Gotou baffled all over again.
What's with her?
The more Gotou thought about it, the weirder Akane's behavior seemed.
How does someone go from bawling their eyes out in despair to blushing and acting all bashful just because someone touched their head?
It made absolutely no sense.
That shift in attitude was way too sudden, way too illogical.
But... at least her mood seemed to have improved.
So maybe... it wasn't such a bad thing after all?
Could it be that she's the type who bounces back from a head pat?
Gotou quietly made a mental note of that.
She stood up, looked at the sky, and saw the sun was starting to set.
"Alright, time to go home. Let's head out, Pochita."
"Woof woof~"
...
That evening, inside STARRY's rehearsal room.
Nijika sat on a chair, glanced at her phone, and checked the time.
"She really didn't come today," she murmured. "Bocchi didn't say anything in the group chat either."
"She probably had something come up suddenly and couldn't message in time," Ryo replied calmly from across the room.
"Maybe. I mean, I don't think we did anything that would make her not want to come anymore..."
It was nearly closing time.
Soon, they would all be going home. Naturally, their thoughts drifted to the missing Gotou.
Especially since her guitar was still sitting in the storage room.
Behind the counter, Seika listened to their conversation, her heart sinking.
Makima only said Gotou was probably still alive. She never guaranteed anything.
Could it be that Gotou really...
Seika had held onto a sliver of hope.
But now, with an entire day gone and not a single message from her, even that hope was crumbling.
She was starting to believe that something terrible really had happened.
"Nijika, Ryo... there's something I need to tell you," she finally said.
"What is it, sis?" Nijika turned to her.
Ryo looked over as well, her expression cool but curious.
Seika clenched her jaw and spoke solemnly.
"Bocchi... might not be coming back to STARRY ever again."
"What are you talking about?" Nijika shot up from her seat. "Weren't you the last one to see her last night? Did you say something mean again?"
"Yeah, the manager has a real talent for cutting people deep," Ryo added, deadpan.
"No, that's not it." Seika shook her head, her voice heavy. She let out a long sigh. "It's because... Bocchi might already be dead."
Nijika and Ryo froze, eyes wide.
"What?!"
"Manager, what are you even saying?"
"That's not funny! You can't joke about stuff like that!"
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones and don't forget to add library maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.