With tears brimming in her eyes,
Gotoh Hitori stood rigidly in the spot Yukima Azuma had pointed out.
Her gaze lifted briefly—only to imdiately flicker away.
Direct eye contact felt like a full-blown boss fight.
For soone suffering from communication anxiety, this kind of intense interaction might as well be torture.
At this rate, she was going to faint.
"Hurry up. Do it."
Azuma's voice snapped like a command.
"Y-yes!" Bocchi yelped, trembling as she slowly raised her hand.
"This is so hard..." she muttered, barely above a whisper.
Her fingers swept aside her long bangs—
—and in that mont, the full extent of her hidden charm was revealed.
A beautiful face frad by soft pink hair.
Big, deep sapphire-blue eyes shimred under the light.
She was undeniably cute.
If only her gaze didn't dart around like a cornered animal and her pupils didn't quiver in sheer terror...
She might've been stunning.
"N-Nice to... et you! I... I hope for your... guidance in the future!"
The words ca out in a stutter, her voice barely holding together.
And just when she braced herself for another command—
Azuma stepped forward.
And hugged her.
Gotoh Hitori froze.
Stiff as a board.
But Azuma didn't give her a second to spiral.
"Bocchi, that was amazing!" he said, genuinely impressed.
"You said it so clearly! I'm proud of you!"
Bocchi blinked.
Her soul levitated.
"H-hehe... It's not that big a deal..."
He let go and gently patted her head.
Bocchi entered another realm.
Headpats?
PRAISE???
Was this heaven?
"Gotoh Hitori, you're a first-year at Shuka High, right?" Azuma asked casually.
"Are you starting after spring break?"
"Y-yes. Shuka High, first year."
"That's kind of far from here. You don't live nearby?"
"N-no, not really. I actually live in that building over there," she said, pointing weakly.
"I wanted to go to a school where no one knows ..."
Azuma nodded like it all made perfect sense.
"Got any hobbies?"
"Guitar!"
"Birthday?"
"February 21."
"asurents from top to bottom?"
"90, 61, 86."
"I see. A D-cup, huh? Wouldn't have guessed."
"...Huh?!?"
Reality snapped back.
Wait. What had she just answered?!
Her mind spun backward like a VHS tape.
She had just revealed all her personal details—without a second thought!
Bocchi yanked herself out of Azuma's hug, shaking like a leaf.
"Devil. He's a devil in disguise!!"
anwhile, Azuma casually rubbed his hands together, savoring the feel of her soft, silky hair.
"From now on, we're friends," he said cheerfully.
"Don't forget to et next Saturday."
Bocchi's eyes widened.
It's over. It's really over.
I'm about to beco soone's pet!
Refuse! REFUSE RIGHT NOW!
But then—
"Shuka High, huh? Oh, right. My place is actually in that direction too. We're practically neighbors."
Azuma's tone was nonchalant, like he'd just rembered.
"Y-yes! I'll be there on ti next Saturday!"
...She had caved instantly.
Resistance level: zero.
Azuma waved as he walked off, humming to himself.
"Bocchi, huh."
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"She's interesting. Let's raise her a bit and see what happens."
Only after his silhouette completely vanished did Bocchi collapse back onto the swing.
The chains creaked softly as she rocked back and forth.
"It's over... it's really over."
"I'm becoming soone's PET!!"
Her thoughts spiraled into darkness.
Like that one web novel she'd read—where the heroine got tricked, then manipulated, then abandoned...
She pulled out her phone.
If this was the end, maybe it was ti to leave behind her final ssage.
Her will.
But—
As soon as her screen lit up, Line opened.
A new ssage.
From Azuma-kun.
[Bocchi, from today onward, we're friends.]
Her heart—shrouded in doom just monts before—
Suddenly felt pierced by a single beam of light.
A friend... I can actually call by na?
Her mind flashed back to Azuma crouched in front of her, eyes glinting like stars.
Those sharp brows, that confident posture...
Over 180 cm tall.
Stylish.
Charismatic voice.
Effortlessly handso.
A textbook prince.
Bocchi's ntal defenses crumbled again.
"Maybe... maybe being toyed with by soone like him isn't so bad?"
She mumbled her thoughts aloud, then instantly went red with embarrassnt.
As long as it's not too weird... it might be kinda okay?
Azuma's charm was overwhelming.
Dangerous, even.
But also... strangely comforting.
Once soone reaches a certain level of emotional numbness, even chaos starts to feel like stability.
"Hey, sis. What are you doing here? Daydreaming again?"
A bright voice cut through her thoughts.
"F-Futari!?"
Bocchi jumped.
Standing before her was a girl with short, bubblegum-pink hair and bright eyes—
Gotoh Futari, her adorable little sister.
"I ca 'cause you were taking forever. Mom told to check on you."
Futari tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"I was just... talking with a friend," Bocchi replied hastily.
"Lost track of ti."
Futari tilted her head again, looking at her like she was the strangest creature on Earth.
"A friend... from your imagination?"
Bocchi took 9999 psychic damage.
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