Chapter 14: A Performance Exclusive to Ren.
On the weekend, waking up naturally at noon without that groggy feeling from oversleeping.
Skipping breakfast was fine, skipping exercise wouldn't cause any issues—Ren felt like staying in bed all day. Sometimes it's nice to be a lazy bum with no dreams, just drifting along.
But what were his circumstances now? Beyond being a lazy bum, he could pursue many dreams that were once out of reach. For a recent example, just reaching the top rank in Apex was something he could only dream of before, but now it was easily within his grasp.
With so many things he could do, Ren sent Hitori a message asking her to hang out.
On their chat interface, their interactions were pitifully few, mostly initiated by Ren, with Hitori replying briefly before the conversation died.
To an outsider, it might seem like Ren was being strung along by Hitori, but those in the know understood that if Ren didn't reach out first, Hitori probably wouldn't dare message him for half a year, let alone invite him out.
So Ren had to be a bit proactive, and he'd noticed that Hitori rarely refused when he took the initiative.
As expected, when Hitori learned Ren wanted to hang out, she got so excited she nearly broke her closet's sliding door. Refusing was out of the question.
But going out with a friend...
She'd never even dreamed of such a thing in her life. After hurriedly replying to Ren's message, Hitori's brain short-circuited, having no experience with social outings.
What do you do when you go out?
Should she change clothes? Would it be too embarrassing for Ren if she just wore her school uniform with a tracksuit over it like usual?
How much money should she bring? Maybe she should bring all her saved-up dowry.
Hitori rummaged through her drawers, pulling out many fashionable and cute outfits she'd never worn—too afraid she wouldn't do them justice.
But this was her first invitation from a friend, and a male friend at that. If she didn't take it seriously, there might never be a next time.
After picking through clothes for what felt like forever without finding a satisfactory outfit—either feeling unworthy or too insecure and anxious in them—
Ren, waiting too long for a response, sent another message. Realizing she'd been dawdling, Hitori closed her eyes, grabbed a random set of clothes, changed quickly, and rushed out.
"Sister?! Mom! Sister went out wearing something other than a tracksuit!"
Futari, watching TV in the living room, gaped in shock as Hitori flashed by in a white blouse and black fitted skirt, then called out incredulously for her mother to witness this historic moment. But Hitori had already dashed off at an unusual speed.
On the other side, while waiting for Hitori, Ren had a quick bite to eat. Since he already knew where Hitori lived, he went directly to the nearest subway station to wait.
"My deepest apologies for making you wait so long!"
Just as Ren was killing time on his phone, Hitori rushed over from a distance. As soon as she reached him, she was about to perform a dogeza apology, but Ren managed to stop her just in time.
"I haven't been waiting long either. That outfit looks really good on you, Bocchi-chan."
After stopping Hitori, Ren took a moment to look over her outfit for the day and offered a sincere compliment.
One benefit of rarely going outside was that Hitori's skin was even fairer and more delicate than that of the average pretty girl. Moreover, she wasn't bad-looking to begin with—it was just that her fashion sense was rather questionable, and her bangs were too long, covering her eyes. Now that she had changed into a new outfit, she could easily debut as an idol and attract a large number of fans.
Additionally, the combination of a white blouse and a fitted skirt confirmed one of Ren's suspicions.
To say they weren't large would be an understatement—they were truly impressive.
As the saying goes, when a woman looks down and can't see her toes, she is a peerless beauty.
Hitori's curvaceous figure, which could be described as alluring, was only fully revealed after she changed her clothes, and it was noticeably larger than that of a certain childhood friend with fangs.
"R-really? And you called me Bocchi-chan, hehehe~"
After being praised, Hitori instantly broke into a happy smile, twisting her body unconsciously as she clasped her hands together.
"I heard Ijichi-senpai call you that, so I thought I'd do the same. I hope that's okay?"
The nickname "Bocchi-chan" was Hitori's moniker. Compared to calling her "Gotou" or "Hitori," this nickname sounded much better, and since it was thought up by Hitori's female friend, Ren felt it was appropriate to use it as well.
"Of course it's okay! It's an h-h-honor for you to call me that, Watanabe-kun, ehehe~"
Hitori continued to smile happily. Today, she had already fulfilled many dreams, and now even Ren was calling her Bocchi-chan.
"Glad to hear it. Let's go, we're going to watch a band performance."
Seeing her reaction, Ren smiled as well and led Hitori toward Ikebukuro.
When it came to deciding what to do or where to go with Hitori, Ren thought for a while and decided to focus on the band aspect. After all, Hitori played the guitar herself and had joined a band, so this was the perfect angle to take.
However, Ren didn't know many places with live band performances, so he could only take her to RiNG. Even if it meant just finding a practice room to play guitar with Hitori, it would be better than taking her shopping. Given Hitori's level of social anxiety, if they were to go to a commercial district or something similar, she might just melt on the spot.
And so, Ren and Hitori arrived at RiNG.
"Performances usually start at 7 p.m. If you're here now, you can only practice in one of the rooms or go somewhere else and come back in the evening."
After asking the staff member Shina Ritsuki and learning they had arrived early, Ren went ahead and booked a practice room.
"Bocchi-chan, you couldn't play last time, but you should be able to now, right?"
The guitar might be everything to Hitori, so Ren wanted to hear her play. It would mean he had managed to get Hitori to show everything she had, and the emotions conveyed through playing for him felt different from performing for an audience.
"I'm not very good with electric guitars... but I'll do my best!"
This time, Hitori didn't freeze up from nervousness. Ren had booked a practice room equipped with instruments, and seeing such professional equipment helped ease the tension in Hitori's heart—this was a field she was familiar with and relatively skilled in.
It's just that she hadn't brought her guitar today, so she might not play well with an electric guitar.
But having run away once before, she wouldn't run away a second time.
"I'll play along with you."
Ren also picked up an electric guitar. If just watching would put pressure on Hitori, then playing together would be better.
"Mm."
Hitori picked up the electric guitar, and the joy of playing with a friend filled her heart. It was precisely this joy that allowed her to immerse herself completely in the performance, not even noticing when Ren stopped playing later on.
Hitori, focused on playing the guitar, was dazzlingly brilliant and incredibly cool. Watching her like this, Ren found himself liking her even more.