A black coffin, looking identical to the ones vampires sleep in in anime, was lying flat on the ground. Its interior, lined with blood-red cloth and soft sponge, was occupied by Hitori Gotoh.
"How long has Bocchi-chan been like this?" Nijika reached out and touched Hitori Gotoh's fruit candy hair clips, which had melted into two yellow and blue puddles of goo. It felt like touching modeling clay.
Kita Ikuyo said with a worried frown, "I'm not too sure. Jhin was the one who carried Miss Gotoh over."
"Can't we just cancel the application?"
"I heard that once you sign up, you can't cancel. If you want, I can ask a student council member tomorrow."
"In this state, Bocchi-chan is a lost cause, isn't she?" Ryo couldn't even make out any normal facial features on Hitori Gotoh's face; they were swimming around freely like fish in a tank.
"Hmm, I sentence Jhin for the crime of assassinating his girlfriend, to be executed immediately!" Nijika stood up and pointed at Jhin, delivering the verdict.
Ryo immediately produced a sign that read, "I am a criminal who assassinated his girlfriend," turned, and hung it around Jhin's neck.
Jhin shrugged and made a suggestion: "How about I try the method from the fairy tale 'Snow White'?"
"?" Nijika suspected he just wanted to kiss Hitori Gotoh, not wake her up. Everyone here knew that Hitori had been so shy about being seen kissing him that she'd delayed their date for a long time. If Jhin kissed her now, it might just stop her heart.
"Since no one's answering, I'll take that as a yes." Jhin moved even faster, leaning halfway into the black coffin and kissing Hitori Gotoh's twitching, cherry-pink lips.
The other three didn't dare to breathe, afraid of startling Hitori Gotoh. They were about to leave quietly, but a drunken voice shattered the momentary peace.
Kikuri Hiroi staggered into STARRY, a bottle of shochu in hand. She leaned against the staircase railing, her face flushed, turned her head to Seika Ijichi, and cheerfully raised the bottle: "Hey! Buy me a drink!"
"In your dreams! Get lost, you drunk," Seika Ijichi showed her alcoholic junior no mercy.
Kikuri Hiroi stumbled a few steps to Nijika's side, wrapped her arms around her, and rubbed her cheeks against Nijika's.
"Honestly... Your sister's words are a bit harsh, don't you think? Things are always more fun with me around, right, little sis?"
The strong stench of alcohol made Nijika's brow furrow. She looked at Kikuri Hiroi with lifeless eyes and said coldly, with a hint of disgust, "Please leave. We're about to open for business."
"You've learned to give a glare that's no less intense than your sister's." Kikuri Hiroi felt as if she were exposed to the extreme cold of a blizzard, her body slowly freezing into a block of ice.
"Oh?" Kikuri Hiroi noticed that no matter how much they chatted, it didn't seem to affect Jhin, who was still halfway inside the coffin. Curious, she leaned over. "What are you guys playing at?"
"Ohohohoho! It's a French kiss! Bocchi-chan's boyfriend, you're something else! Hahahaha!" Kikuri Hiroi roared with laughter and patted Jhin on the back.
Without looking up, Jhin released his left hand from the edge of the coffin, extended his index and middle fingers, and gave Kikuri Hiroi a "peace" sign.
"So what are they actually doing?" Kikuri Hiroi pointed at the couple and looked at the others.
"Because Jhin signed Miss Gotoh up for the cultural festival performance."
"Eh? Bocchi-chan is performing?"
Jhin's kissing had no effect, but Kikuri Hiroi's words scared Hitori Gotoh awake.
She pushed Jhin away, shot up, and shouted, "I! I can't do it! There will be way too many people, more than at a regular show."
"I think the main problem is that Bocchi-chan doesn't dare to perform in front of people she knows from school."
Jhin took out a handkerchief to wipe the moisture from the corner of Bocchi-chan's eye. The small gesture made Nijika and Kita Ikuyo's faces blush slightly.
Just how intense was that kiss to get like this!?
"Ah, um, yes," Hitori Gotoh said in a small voice, lowering her head.
The long hair at her temples covered Hitori Gotoh's face. Kikuri Hiroi couldn't see her expression, but she could feel her dejection, which reminded her of her own timid past.
Kikuri Hiroi reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out a purple ticket, and held it out to Hitori Gotoh. "Bocchi-chan, this is for you. It's a return gift for your performance before."
Hitori Gotoh carefully took the ticket with both hands, not understanding why Kikuri Hiroi was giving it to her.
"My band is performing today. Come watch if you have time."
"Eh, is it really okay?"
"Of course!" Kikuri Hiroi took out four more tickets and handed them to the others. "Here, these are for you."
"Thank you very much," Ryo said, respectfully accepting the ticket.
Nijika patted her legs and stood up. "Then I'll go get my wallet."
"Right, we have to pay for the tickets," Kita Ikuyo also prepared to get her wallet.
Kikuri Hiroi smiled and waved her hand to stop them. "It's fine! They're on me."
"But..."
"No need to put on a brave face."
"Huh?" Kikuri Hiroi was a bit baffled. "You don't think I'm some poor band member who would rip off high school girls, do you?"
"Aren't you?" Hitori Gotoh's eyes were wide with shock. She remembered that after Kikuri Hiroi's last street performance, she was the one who paid for her subway fare home.
"Damn it!" Kikuri Hiroi shouted resentfully at Seika Ijichi, "Manager, a bottle of shochu!"
Her only response was Seika Ijichi's merciless refusal.
"Like hell I'd give you any, you idiot."
Not getting her shochu, Kikuri Hiroi sat cross-legged, holding her ankles and swaying left and right. "Anyway, don't worry. I may not look like it, but we're very popular in the indie scene, right?"
Ryo, being a fan of Kikuri Hiroi's band, immediately agreed. "Yes, they have a lot of core fans!"
Kikuri Hiroi pressed a hand to her chest and said with relaxed confidence, "Our tickets sell out easily, and we make money from merch too."
Nijika stood with her hands behind her back, staring intently at Kikuri Hiroi. "Then why are you always drinking cheap booze and borrowing our bathroom to shower?"
Seika Ijichi stood with her hands on her hips, staring at her with the same look. "You should be paying me rent."
"Uh…"
Hitori Gotoh weakly delivered the final blow to Kikuri Hiroi: "You still haven't paid me back for the train fare from last time..."
"Well..."
Seika Ijichi's gaze turned dangerous. "So you did rip her off."
Kikuri Hiroi became flustered and started to explain, "There's actually a lot of hardship behind this!"
With tears in her eyes, she gave a bitter smile. "Every time I perform, I'm completely wasted, and I always end up breaking some equipment. All my money goes to paying for that."
Seika Ijichi said irritably, "You've brought this entirely on yourself."
___
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