An hour later, the two sat on the sofa resting.
Actually, Ichinose had done most of the singing; Hachigaya had only sung a couple of songs occasionally.
"Come to think of it."
Ichinose asked curiously, "Hachigaya-kun, you're getting along well with Yumeko and the others, right? How does it feel?"
Hearing this, Hachigaya's face stiffened.
Had Ichinose been stalking him?
That was a terrifying thought, but a little reflection made it clear.
The "Hachigaya Group" didn't gather that often.
Most of his time was spent with Ichinose and her group; she probably heard it from Yumeko Kobashi and the others.
"A bit tiring."
Hachigaya took a sip of Coke, feeling inexplicably guilty.
"Hmm?"
Ichinose knit her brows before relaxing:
"I see. That means Hachigaya-kun is seriously spending time with them. At least you don't find it unpleasant."
"Well, I guess so."
Hachigaya was a bit evasive.
As expected of Ichinose, even when he phrased it like that, she could understand.
"Then that's great."
Ichinose sighed in relief and smiled. "It's really good to see Hachigaya-kun becoming friends with people. Mako-chan has also been saying lately that Hikki is super interesting and seems to really like Hachigaya-kun."
"No, I'm probably not that interesting of a guy."
This was probably just the "liking" between friends; Hachigaya felt truly embarrassed.
"Besides, we probably don't count as friends yet, since we haven't known each other long."
"Hmm?"
Ichinose's brow furrowed, her tone becoming slightly stern.
"Hachigaya-kun, you shouldn't say things like that. If Mako-chan and the others heard, they would be very sad."
"Oh, oh..."
Hachigaya felt apologetic. His old habits had surfaced again; they were completely different from his middle school friends.
If he said such things, Yumeko Kobashi and the others really would be heartbroken.
"Good."
Seeing this, Ichinose nodded in satisfaction and patted his shoulder, saying softly:
"Besides, friendship can't be defined; it depends on the feeling. Even if it's only a one-time meeting, if you get along, that's enough to call yourselves friends."
"Mako-chan said she's very happy being with you, Yumeko, and Yuki-chan. You're undoubtedly friends already."
"I see..."
Hachigaya scratched his head, troubled.
Friendship isn't allowed to be defined? Is this some kind of Lovecraftian concept that cannot be described?
If they were already friends...
"Anyway."
Ichinose nodded with satisfaction. "Seeing Hachigaya-kun as he is now, I can finally rest easy."
"Is that so?"
Hachigaya looked up at Ichinose and smiled. "Then this kind of 'special care' doesn't need to continue, right?"
Although it didn't feel bad, he really didn't like karaoke much. He preferred being alone, though it wasn't as loathsome as it once was.
"Honestly..."
Ichinose rolled her beautiful eyes, looking a bit helpless.
"I really can't tell if Hachigaya-kun is truly smart or just acting smart."
"What do you mean?"
Hachigaya was confused.
"I never thought about giving 'special care' to a specific person."
Ichinose gave a brilliant smile. " I just wanted to become friends with Hachigaya-kun, and now we are already friends."
"Then what about before?"
Hachigaya frowned, even more confused.
"Because if I didn't say it that way..."
Ichinose shook her head helplessly. "I felt Hachigaya-kun wouldn't accept it."
"True..."
Hachigaya gave an embarrassed smile.
If she hadn't explicitly said it was special care, he definitely would have thought Ichinose was just pitying him.
Since it was framed as special care, he was forced to accept it.
"Alright, let's head back."
As the two got up to leave, Ichinose glanced at his trench coat and said:
"Hachigaya-kun, even if you live alone, you can't be too careless. Your clothes are a bit dirty."
"Sorry..."
Hachigaya pulled at his coat.
He was also a bit helpless.
Actually, wearing pajamas in the dorm was fine, and he only needed to change into the trench coat occasionally when going out, but the frequency of outings had vastly exceeded his original expectations.
He felt he should buy another one.
As expected.
The number of friends and the number of clothes were proportional.
More clothes meant more friends?
The next day.
At the Keyaki Mall Karaoke.
Looking at the "dead-fish eyes" in front of him, the staff member's expression was somewhat subtle.
"Customer, you really do like singing."
"No..."
Hachigaya's expression was blank.
If you asked why he was appearing in this place again, it was because he had been caught by Yuki Himeno.
"Eh? What do you mean by that?"
Yuki Himeno stood beside Hachigaya, tugging at his sleeve. "Does he come here often?"
"Yes, he was just here yesterday."
The staff member nodded with a smile, casting an unobtrusive glance at Hachigaya Hachiman.
Yesterday he brought a beauty for a date.
Today he brought another beauty, and clearly not the same one.
Two-timing.
Truly, the world is declining and morality is collapsing.
"Hmph."
Yuki Himeno glanced at Hachigaya and led him toward the private room.
"What's the deal? Did you guess I would come find you today? Did you come early yesterday to practice?"
"How could that be?"
Hachigaya said helplessly, "Ichinose wanted me to come to karaoke, and I had no choice but to come."
"I see."
Yuki Himeno sighed in relief.
When it came to caring for companions and her values, Ichinose was indeed quite assertive; even Hachigaya found it hard to refuse.
The two entered the room, and Yuki Himeno went straight to the song selection machine.
"Hikki, what do you want to sing?"
"Oh, I want to sing 'Blue Bird'!"
"Hmm???"
Yuki Himeno whipped her head around, looking Hachigaya up and down.
"Wha... what?"
Hachigaya was suddenly confused and felt quite uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Nothing..."
Yuki Himeno's face still looked perplexed. "I originally thought you'd be all awkward and refuse to sing until I shoved the microphone in your face, and then you'd barely sing two lines. Did you have a personality change?"
"No..."
Hachigaya looked away, also feeling embarrassed. "Yesterday I was dragged by Ichinose into singing a few songs, and it felt... okay, I guess."
"Fine then."
Yuki Himeno looked back at the screen.
She felt truly uncomfortable inside.
Even though she knew Ichinose had no other intentions, if she had known, she would have come to Hachigaya to sing a few days earlier.
She hadn't expected Ichinose to beat her to it.
"Then I'll go first."
"Music!"
The room was suddenly filled with intense music, and Yuki Himeno grabbed the microphone, reciting a long string of English he couldn't understand.
Hachigaya sat on the sofa.
He was truly startled; he felt his heart was about to be shaken out of his chest.
Come to think of it, this girl's English was actually this good.
Although some parts were hard to hear clearly, it had to be said that Yuki Himeno's singing was quite good.
So even among those who are good at karaoke, styles can be so different.
No wonder Yuki Himeno didn't want to sing last time.
If Ichinose and the others saw this scene, they would surely be stunned.
"How was it?"
Yuki Himeno flicked her ponytail behind her with flair and asked with a proud face.
"Yeah."
Hachigaya nodded. "Even though I didn't really understand, it sounded good. It was just a bit loud."
"What kind of roundabout compliment is that?"
Yuki Himeno knit her brows, but then relaxed and said proudly:
"I'm actually quite confident in my karaoke skills. Alright, you're next."
"Oh!"
Hachigaya took the microphone without concern.
He was also quite confident in his own karaoke level.
Feeling Yuki Himeno's gaze, Hachigaya didn't take it to heart.
After all, compared to the pressure from Ichinose, this girl with the "nasty personality" was nothing.
After the song "Blue Bird" ended.
"I say."
Yuki Himeno looked at Hachigaya, whose mouth was slightly curled up, and said somewhat speechlessly:
"Your singing is so ordinary, what are you so proud of? Gross!"
"What's wrong with ordinary?"
Hachigaya kept the slight curve on his lips and handed the microphone to her.
With Ichinose, there was a possibility she was just being comforting, but Yuki Himeno would never say anything comforting in front of him.
Even in Yuki Himeno's eyes, his singing was "ordinary."
However, for Hachigaya, "ordinary" was already a very high evaluation.
His middle school classmates must have had ear problems; they should have been advised to go to the hospital!
Refreshing.
Yuki Himeno took a deep breath.
While it wasn't bad for Hachigaya to have a bit of confidence, the thought that it was Ichinose who changed him made Yuki Himeno a little unhappy.
"Forget it."
Yuki Himeno quickly adjusted her mindset.
Anyway, Ichinose didn't have any other intentions, so there was no point in obsessing over it.
"Then let's sing a duet next," Yuki Himeno said with a mischievous grin.
"Eh?"
Hachigaya was suddenly stunned. "Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
Yuki Himeno shoved the microphone from the table into his hand. "Isn't it normal to sing duets together at karaoke?"
Hachigaya thought for a moment.
Whether in middle school or Class B, it seemed people liked singing together.
"No need..."
Hachigaya quickly waved his hands. "I still think it's better to sing alone. Besides, we are clearly not on the same level; a duet will only pull down the score..."
As he spoke, Hachigaya realized something.
He suddenly felt speechless.
"You don't just want to show off your singing skills, do you?"
With anyone else, it might be different, but this nasty-tempered "gyaru" definitely had that possibility—using others' flaws to highlight her own existence.
"What does it matter? As long as singing makes you happy, it's fine."
Yuki Himeno dragged him to the song selection machine. Hachigaya was speechless, but if she just wanted to mock him, it wasn't a problem.
He watched.
Yuki Himeno flipped through for a bit.
In the end, she picked a song called "Love Phantom" (Taking Love to the End).
"No, this song is a bit..."
Hachigaya's face turned red. Wasn't this a song only couples sang?
"What? Is there a problem?"
"I haven't heard it, and it seems like a song only couples would pick."
"Ha?"
Yuki Himeno turned around and said: "What does it matter? If you haven't heard it, just look at the lyrics and follow the accompaniment. Don't overthink it."
"..."
Hachigaya's face froze.
Even girls like Ichinose, or guys like Shibata, seemed to sing some love songs or fast-paced songs.
It really seemed unrelated to being a couple.
Hachigaya couldn't help but feel awkward. Even now, his old habit of being self-important hadn't changed. Fortunately, Yuki Himeno didn't seem to take it to heart.
The two sat on the sofa and picked up the microphones.
"I... love..."
Hachigaya's cheeks were flushed red. Even though he knew the singing was unrelated to being a couple and Yuki Himeno had no other intentions...
But weren't these lyrics a bit too embarrassing? How could anyone sing them out loud?
"Louder."
Yuki Himeno put her arm around his shoulder and swayed, shouting happily into the microphone: "The voice is too small, louder!"
"I... Love..."
Hachigaya held the microphone with both hands, stuttering.
Damn it.
This nasty-tempered girl just liked teasing him.
Yuki Himeno put her arm around Hachigaya's shoulder, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, though her face was slightly flushed in the dim light.
As expected.
Being with Hachigaya was much more fun than being with Yumeko and the others.