Chapter 23: What Gifts Should You Bring When Visiting Someone's Home?
Anon huffily went back to change her clothes. She was just sulking out of disappointment, but didn't insist that Ren give her a guitar too. From her perspective, Ren didn't have much money to spend.
"Is being in a relationship really that desirable?"
Clutching her clothes, Anon was utterly perplexed. To pursue a girl, Ren would even give away a guitar. Even if he earned money from songwriting, wasn't this kind of spending a bit excessive?
But this was Ren's business. Anon could only worry and offer a few words of advice; she couldn't and shouldn't force her way into interfering.
She just needed to make sure that if Ren got scammed, she could still ensure he had enough to eat.
Hmph! That vixen who asks for gifts right off the bat is definitely no good!
Anon's heart remained steady as a rock. She might be vain and crave attention, but she had never asked her friends for expensive gifts or engaged in comparisons. That's why she looked down on gold diggers the most.
Just wait until she met that evil pink-haired girl who was deceiving her childhood friend—she would definitely expose her true colors!
While Anon was worrying, convinced that Ren was being scammed by a gold digger, Ren sent a message to Hitori.
Hitori was different from ordinary girls; he always had to take the initiative. To give her the gift and to bring them closer, Ren decided to invite Hitori over to his place to hang out.
He had already walked Hitori home before. Although he hadn't gone inside, he knew where she lived.
But Hitori didn't know where he lived, so inviting her over might actually make her happy.
Exchanging home addresses could help deepen their bond, not to mention actually visiting each other's homes.
After receiving the message, Hitori, who had been hiding in a closet scrolling through her phone, abruptly sat up. She ignored the bump on her head from hitting the shelf and stared excitedly at Ren's message.
Ren invited me to his house?!
Is... is this like meeting the parents?!
Hitori suddenly felt her phone grow hot in her hands. Flustered, she typed a reply to Ren and accepted his invitation.
When visiting someone's home, you're supposed to bring a gift, right?
Hitori racked her brains about visiting etiquette but could only come up with bringing a gift.
"Mom!"
Realizing this was beyond her ability to handle alone, Hitori ran to the living room to find her mother, Gotou Michiyo, and asked her what she needed to do when visiting someone's home.
"..."
After hearing Hitori's request, Michiyo felt somewhat troubled and worried.
Futari had already told her about a handsome older boy who had walked Hitori home several times. At first, she was skeptical—though it might hurt Hitori's feelings, she knew her daughter's social situation well and believed Hitori shouldn't have any friends.
But now Hitori was telling her it was all true, and the other party had even invited Hitori to his house, and it was a boy!
"Hitori, you need to seize this opportunity."
Michiyo's eyes tingled with emotion. Was her daughter finally experiencing her one and only chance at romance in this lifetime?
So, Michiyo got up to prepare some desserts that could be shared with Ren, then went out and bought a mysterious item with "0.01" printed on the packaging, slipping it into Hitori's pocket without a word. She just patted Hitori's shoulder and shooed her back to her room to change clothes.
This was quite a challenge for Hitori. She hesitated for a long time but eventually changed into the white shirt and skirt she'd worn once before, though she added a pink sport jacket over it, which instantly made her feel secure.
Grabbing her things, she headed to the meeting spot she'd arranged with Ren.
"Ren, th-this is a gift."
After they met up, Hitori bowed deeply and presented the desserts she'd brought with both hands.
"I'll accept it then, but you don't need to bow next time—it's too formal."
Not accepting would have put more pressure on Hitori, so Ren took the bag.
She did it!
Hitori was so thrilled at having given her first-ever gift that her heart felt like it was leaping with joy. Then, with the excitement of visiting a friend's house, she quietly observed and memorized the surroundings, determined to remember the way to Ren's place in one go.
"Sorry for intruding."
Arriving at Ren's home, Hitori greeted formally before switching to slippers and entering the living room.
That's when she noticed something odd—it was too quiet, and there was very little lived-in feeling, extremely little.
The furniture was arranged too neatly; normally, there'd be some slight disarray or messy corners, but Ren's home had none of that.
This feeling struck Hitori as strange, but she didn't ask about it. Since all the fun stuff was in the room, Ren led her there.
This was a friend's room—and a male friend who had feelings for her at that. Hitori took a moment to mentally prepare before stepping into Ren's room with a resolute expression.
Ren's room was much tidier than hers. The bed was against the wall, the blanket casually spread out without being folded, some wallpaper adorned the walls, and a bookshelf stood beside the computer desk, sparsely decorated with a few books.
With a pilgrim-like reverence, Hitori contentedly sat down on Ren's bed.
And this time, she managed to take the rare initiative. Summoning her courage, she spoke up, intending to first ask about Ren's family. Since she was about to meet the parents, she couldn't afford to chicken out at such a crucial moment!
Hitori, don't lose your nerve!
"Ren, where are your mom and dad? I'd like to say hello to them."
Hitori asked cautiously, mustering her bravery, while feeling a bit excited inside. Not only was she visiting, but she was also meeting the parents—was Ren hinting that he wanted to marry her?
"..."
Ren could tell Hitori was trying hard to respond to him actively, and her question was perfectly normal. It's just that his family situation wasn't exactly normal.
Being an orphan wasn't something he found hard to talk about, so Ren told her the truth: "They actually passed away when I was very young. I live alone now."
"Ah..."
Hearing this, Hitori was shocked that she'd immediately touched on Ren's sore spot. Instantly, all color drained from her face, turning her pale gray. She was dead.
"I'm sorry Ren, you're magnanimous, please forgive my rudeness."
Hitori, who had been dead for a while, revived and dropped to her knees at a speed Ren couldn't perceive, assuming a dogeza position.
Then a small box printed with "0.01" slipped out of her pocket due to her exaggerated movement, sliding right to Ren's feet.
"?"
Ren's expression grew even more peculiar at the sight.
"..."
Hitori completely turned to ashes, vanishing from this world.