Chapter 20: Preparing a Gift for Bocchi-chan
As mentioned earlier, it's unlikely for Hitori to take the initiative, so Ren had to be the proactive one.
From making friends to exchanging nicknames, playing guitar together, and watching band performances, all that was needed now was to repeat these steps.
After school, Ren accompanied Hitori to Shimokitazawa, intending to show through his actions that he had feelings for her.
Thanks to Ryo's prior warning, Hitori couldn't contain her joy when she realized Ren wasn't heading home after school but was instead joining her for band activities.
However, she only dared to giggle foolishly, not brave enough to ask why.
Unbeknownst to Ren, if he were to confess his feelings now, Hitori would immediately pull out her piggy bank and offer him her dowry.
"Ren-kun, you're here again. You and Bocchi-chan seem really close."
At Starlight Exhibition Hall, Nijika expressed surprise upon seeing Ren accompany Hitori once more. Her gaze shifted between Ren and Hitori before she smiled warmly, welcoming Ren's presence.
Even if Ryo hadn't mentioned anything about playing wingman, Nijika could easily guess Ren's intentions just from observing their interactions as classmates and friends.
"Not that close, hehehe~"
Hitori grinned proudly upon hearing Nijika's comment, her entire body swaying like waves.
Her happiness reached an unprecedented peak when Ren joined her bandmates.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
Ren smiled at Nijika. Accompanying Hitori to Starlight wasn't boring at all; simply being in the same room with them lifted his spirits, especially since they were all pleasant to look at.
He then exchanged LINE contacts with Nijika and Ryo for easier communication in the future.
After adding them, he found a spot to sit and started playing on his phone, careful not to disturb Hitori and the others.
With someone skilled in electronic synthesizers signing up, the members Ren wanted to recruit were now complete.
This was good news. After releasing a song, he could write one specifically for Hitori, which would also help alleviate some concerns from those around him.
After arranging to meet at RiNG on Saturday afternoon, Ren turned his attention to Hitori and the others.
They were discussing whether to recruit another member. They needed a lead vocalist and could also use a rhythm guitarist, since Hitori's performance was always unstable—sometimes exceptional, other times lackluster.
If Anon hadn't started her own band, wouldn't it have been perfect to introduce her here?
Listening to their discussion, Ren thought of Anon. Hitori posed no threat, Ryo was eccentric, and Nijika exuded a maternal aura—keeping an eye on Ryo to prevent any odd behavior while monitoring Hitori's mental state and offering timely comfort.
Anon probably gets along with them like a fish in water, but since they've already found their own band members, Ren decided not to interfere. Even as childhood friends, some matters shouldn't be meddled with randomly.
After Hitori and the others finished their discussion and decided to look for a lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, they wrapped up today's band activities.
For Ren, today's gains weren't substantial, but they were valuable enough.
Because he confirmed that Hitori isn't completely unaware—with Ryo's assistance, she's bound to understand his feelings.
And the fact that she didn't offer any explanation for him following her to the studio and walking home together after knowing his thoughts speaks volumes about her own feelings.
Given Hitori's personality, it doesn't seem like she's playing games or leading him on to create misunderstandings intentionally.
In other words, Hitori hasn't rejected his pursuit.
"Bocchi-chan, besides guitar and the band, is there anything else you like?"
When it comes to romance, Ren's approach is quite straightforward. If Hitori hasn't rejected his pursuit, he can consider giving gifts to deepen their bond. The favorability system from games has some real-world logic—who doesn't like receiving gifts?
But Hitori has very few hobbies, and Ren genuinely couldn't think of what to give her at the moment.
"Not really..."
Hitori replied shamefully, feeling embarrassed. Aside from school, she spends all her time at home playing guitar, recording videos, and editing them. It wasn't until joining the band that she gained another activity; otherwise, she'd still be playing guitar in her closet.
"I see."
Ren wasn't surprised, and he already had an idea.
A guitarist is a guitarist—why not just give Hitori a guitar? On top of that, he could tell her that the guitar carries his blessings, which might help reduce her social anxiety. At the very least, it could help her not get so nervous during performances that she can't play.
Besides, the guitar Hitori uses now looks a bit old. Now that she's joined a band and made friends, getting a new guitar for a fresh start and good luck isn't a bad idea.
Hitori was a bit puzzled by this, but her social life is even more limited than Ren's. She has no experience giving gifts to someone she likes—she hardly even gives gifts to family—so she had no idea such a thing was expected.
To surprise Hitori, Ren didn't explain clearly. After seeing her home, he took out his phone on the way back and searched online, eventually purchasing a Yamaha PAC611VFM (Pacifica Custom).
It wasn't too expensive, but due to the custom request, there was some markup, totaling around 180,000 yen—not so much that Hitori would feel too hesitant to accept it.
Additionally, Ren consulted about contract matters. After all, it's a 200,000-yen one-time hire; without a contract, the applicants might not feel secure.
So to save trouble, Ren decided to draft a contract and let the system handle it directly, with even the funds provided by the system.
A few days passed like this. Whenever Hitori went to RiNG, Ren would follow along. Though they couldn't go to school together, they could walk home together after school.
On Anon's side, she was also busy with band matters. As a result, their interactions actually decreased somewhat, though only relatively speaking.
By the weekend, the guitar Ren had ordered had arrived. But today he needed to record songs, so he sent a message to Nijika, hoping she could schedule the band activity for today so he could ask Hitori out tomorrow.
Nijika naturally agreed to this small request with both hands and feet, she didn't mind playing wingman for Ren.
This was the advantage of having a wingman, it made things much more convenient.
After resolving the gift matter, Ren headed to RiNG at the appointed time. Coincidentally, Anon was also there, surrounded by three people, one of whom was the staff member Shina Ritsuki.
Another one of them was a high school girl with short gray hair and slightly chubby cheeks. When Ren arrived, she was looking down and poking at a stone placed on the table.
The last one had long brown hair and an impressive bust, with a gentle and elegant demeanor. She wore a uniform from Tsukinomorijoshi Gakuen and seemed like an ojousama, but her speaking voice was different from Anon's natural tone, it somehow felt a bit forced.
And why did she give off a faint widow-like vibe?
Not simple at all.
After scanning them briefly, Ren marveled inwardly but still went over to greet them.