"Sigh."
Inside the dormitory.
Hachigaya let out a sigh, lying on his bed with an exhausted expression.
Yesterday he finished buying return gifts for Kobashi and the others, and today he finished buying return gifts for Airi Sakura's group. Finally, all the return gifts had been sent.
With this rare winter break, it should finally be over, right?
Hachigaya fell asleep and didn't wake up until noon the next day, only to be startled awake by the sound of the doorbell.
"Who is it now?"
Hachigaya was somewhat annoyed.
Would this rare winter break ever let him relax? He quickly pulled out his phone to take a look, but he hadn't received a message from anyone.
In that case...
...it probably wasn't someone looking for him. It might be for a neighbor.
Hachigaya tossed his phone aside and continued to bury his head in sleep; these past few days had been far too exhausting.
In his hazy, half-dreaming state, Hachigaya felt something was off.
Why did he instinctively pull out his phone to check the situation first?
In the past, even if he heard someone shouting the name "Hachigaya" on the street, his natural instinct was to guess it was a coincidence or just a similar-sounding name.
However, without realizing it, he had grown accustomed to people coming to the fifth floor to find him. Habits really are terrifying things. Time to sleep.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell showed no intention of stopping.
Wait.
In his daze, Hachigaya frowned. It seemed he had forgotten something important.
The school's dormitory building had excellent soundproofing. Generally, you couldn't hear a doorbell unless it was your own. Since he could hear it, it meant someone was ringing his bell.
"Oh."
Hachigaya snapped awake.
He quickly threw on his pajamas and walked to the entrance, observing through the peephole. Ichinose was standing at the door, just about to pull out her phone.
Feeling a sense of relief, Hachigaya quickly opened the door.
"Ichinose?"
Hachigaya said apologetically, "Sorry, I was just sleeping."
"It's already noon, you know?"
"No, I've just been a bit tired lately."
"I see~"
Looking at Ichinose's bright face and her "I understand" expression, Hachigaya scratched the back of his head and asked:
"Ichinose, did you need something from me?"
Since she rang the bell, she must be looking for him.
"Eh? Didn't we agree?"
Ichinose tilted her head in confusion. "Since we didn't have much time before because of the special exams and Christmas, I came today to ask Hachigaya-kun to go to karaoke together."
"Uh..."
Hachigaya finally remembered. It seemed there really was such an arrangement. He suddenly felt awkward.
"I'm surprised you still remembered..."
"Of course."
Ichinose's face was serious: "I said it before, right? I must help Hachigaya-kun integrate into the class."
As expected of Ichinose, she truly was a woman of her word.
"That..."
Hachigaya began to hesitate: "I really don't like karaoke much. Maybe we should forget it?"
"How will you know if you don't try?"
Ichinose's sapphire-like eyes grew even more serious: "If you really don't like it, you can just sit on the side, and then we'll move on to the next activity."
Sigh.
No matter what he said, once Ichinose made up her mind, it didn't seem easy to change. Letting her continue to stand at the door would only be more troublesome.
PAGE 3
"Alright, wait a moment."
With that, Hachigaya closed the door, leaving Ichinose slightly dazed for a moment, though she didn't say much.
It was a normal choice.
After all, he lived alone now.
If it weren't for the fact that Kobashi and the others moved in a group and had essentially forced their way in, Hachigaya wouldn't let anyone into his room.
Except for those guys in Class B who never listened.
Inside the room, Hachigaya quickly washed up, put on his posture corrector and a trench coat. He had already sent the return gifts; strictly speaking, this was his own money.
Since he had bought it, it would be a waste not to use it.
"Sigh."
Hachigaya sighed, feeling like today would be another busy day before finally leaving his room.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Hachigaya walk out, Ichinose looked up and said in surprise:
"Hachigaya-kun, why do you suddenly seem taller?"
"I'm not. I'm just wearing a posture corrector," Hachigaya explained nonchalantly.
"I see."
Ichinose looked him up and down. "It looks good. You look more refreshed than before. This is really nice, Hachigaya-kun."
"Oh."
Hachigaya gave a brief response.
It should be a bit better than before, otherwise, wouldn't the money have been spent in vain?
At the Karaoke.
"Hachigaya-kun, what song do you want to sing?"
The two walked into the private room carrying drinks, and Ichinose immediately asked while operating the song selection machine.
"No need, I'll just sit here."
Hachigaya plopped down on the sofa.
Since he couldn't resist Ichinose, he could only come and sit for a while. Fortunately, that wasn't too difficult.
"No way!"
Ichinose turned back with a helpless expression. "Today is about getting Hachigaya-kun to sing. You must sing at least one song, otherwise, I'll pick one for you."
"Wait."
Hachigaya said sheepishly, "This is really embarrassing. You should just sing, Ichinose."
Except for girls, ninety percent of high school boys who liked singing or playing guitar probably did it just to be popular with girls.
Furthermore, he really didn't know what song to sing.
Whether out of sympathy or some other reason, he had actually gone to karaoke with his class in middle school.
Back then, he had enthusiastically wanted to show off his voice and chose an anime song, only to be laughed at by everyone. Singing "otaku songs" at karaoke was a taboo.
"It's fine."
Ichinose said dismissively, "That's why only the two of us came. There are no outsiders here, and I won't laugh at you. If you don't pick one, we'll just be sitting here doing nothing until the end. Hachigaya-kun wouldn't like that either, right?"
Hachigaya looked helpless. Ichinose was unexpectedly forceful.
"Fine."
"Then it's decided. I'll sing first, and then Hachigaya-kun will sing one."
With that, Ichinose picked up the microphone and stood in the center of the stage, picking a popular song he hadn't heard before.
Hachigaya leaned lazily against the sofa.
Come to think of it, there were too many people last time. This was the first time he was truly hearing Ichinose's singing voice.
It had to be said, as Ichinose swayed her body slightly to the rhythm, a voice as pleasant as a warbler's echoed in the room.
The dim lights falling on her made the usually cheerful Ichinose seem a bit charming.
"How was it?"
After finishing the song, Ichinose asked generously.
"How was it..."
Hachigaya responded frankly, "I can only say it sounded very good."
"Thank you."
Ichinose let out a sigh of relief, also feeling a bit embarrassed.
"I didn't expect that singing in front of just one person would actually be quite embarrassing. I was quite nervous."
Usually, in front of so many people, she didn't feel much.
But now there were only two of them in the room.
Seeing Hachigaya listening so intently, Ichinose also felt a strange sense of bashfulness.
Come to think of it, this was also her first time singing alone with someone, and that person was a boy.
Thinking of this, Ichinose's gaze toward Hachigaya became slightly subtle.
Actually, Hachigaya was quite handsome, had good grades, and was very strong. If it weren't for him, the situation in Class B would probably be much worse than it is now.
And he was very responsible.
He never asked for anything in return and was always silently contributing to the class.
Aside from his somewhat awkward personality, he didn't seem to have many flaws.
She clearly wanted Hachigaya to integrate into the class, but it seemed something else was slowly sprouting in her heart.
It was just that Ichinose hadn't realized it yet.
"I couldn't tell at all..."
Hachigaya felt she looked the same as always. To be able to hide embarrassment like that—one could only say, as expected of Ichinose.
She was probably really suited for standing in front of people.
"This song is called 'Kite'."
Ichinose walked over and sat down on the sofa. "It symbolizes dreams and hope. You probably didn't notice because the rhythm is quite light. It's a song I like very much. Alright, now it's Hachigaya-kun's turn."
"...."
Taking the microphone that Ichinose had somewhat forcefully shoved into his hand, Hachigaya walked to the song selection machine with a sigh.
Since there was no escape, he could only go for it.
Although he didn't know many songs, and most were anime songs, he at least had the lesson from middle school.
Hachigaya knew clearly that singing Pretty Cure wouldn't work, even if that song really was good.
After hesitating for a moment, Hachigaya chose "Blue Bird" from Naruto.
Compared to Pretty Cure, Naruto was a national-level series, so its songs should count as mainstream, right?
After picking the song, Hachigaya walked to the center of the stage, holding the microphone somewhat stiffly with both hands. As the music started, Hachigaya began to sing.
This song he had sung countless times.
Even without looking at the lyrics, he could remember every single line.
But... could Ichinose please stop looking this way!!!
There was no one else around, only a beauty like Ichinose sitting directly in front of him, a smile on her face as she listened intently.
I see... so this is what it feels like.
It felt like standing on a stage being appraised by someone.
This was way too embarrassing. Was this some kind of punishment? Was he going to be bought by Ichinose to be her slave starting today?
So embarrassing.
After finishing one song, Hachigaya felt exhausted, more so than the past few days combined.
"Oh..."
Ichinose clapped her small hands, making Hachigaya's face turn red instantly.
"Don't do that. It's embarrassing."
"No, it isn't."
Seeing Hachigaya sit back down on the sofa, Ichinose smiled. "The song was great. What song was that?"
"Blue Bird..." Hachigaya responded casually.
The song was indeed good; the implication was that the singer wasn't.
"Hachigaya-kun probably rarely goes to karaoke, right?"
"I guess so. This is probably around the fourth time?"
Hachigaya remembered clearly. Twice since entering this school, once for a class gathering in middle school, and once when he was dragged along to a popular "normie's" birthday party.
Every single "dark history" moment was deeply etched in his memory.
"As I thought."
Ichinose nodded understandingly. "Your singing is quite ordinary, but your low voice feels suitable for singing. If you come a few more times, you'll get better. Besides, it's not at a level where you should feel ashamed. Why do you dislike coming to karaoke so much?"
"Oh, oh..."
Hachigaya was slightly startled. He hadn't expected such a detailed evaluation. Even when giving special consideration, Ichinose wouldn't just say empty pleasantries.
"Well, how should I say this... thanks."
Hachigaya scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ordinary" level. That should be acceptable, right?
"Then let's do another one."
"Another one?"
Hachigaya suddenly felt troubled.
Although he felt "ordinary" was enough, it was nowhere near Ichinose's level.
"Yes."
Ichinose gave a sweet smile. "I actually quite like Hachigaya-kun's singing. That look of someone trying their best to sing well—it makes people want to work harder too!"
"Is... is that so..."
Hachigaya glanced over and took the microphone.
To be able to extract a grand life lesson from such a small thing, Ichinose's thinking was truly positive...