The next day, after offering his usual—albeit bizarrely perverted—greetings to his parents, his little sister, and even a few neighbors, Ishikawa Hayabusa set off for school. One hand carried his bag, the other cradled his brand-new synthesizer.
Even though it was morning, he was already looking forward to the end of the day.Not because he disliked school, but because when they'd parted yesterday, Nijika and Ryo had invited him.
"If you're free after class, let's meet at Starry."Nijika's lively, cheerful voice still echoed in his ears.
"We usually practice there."That was Ryo's calm, detached tone.
Hayabusa could hardly wait to show off in front of them. Step aside, and behold the full power of a true pervert!
Walking the same route as yesterday, he scanned his surroundings.No sign of the girl in the pink tracksuit.A little disappointing.
When he reached class, he carefully stowed the synthesizer in his locker and went to his desk. From his bag, he pulled out Self-Study Guide to Synthesizers and held it with one hand, slender fingers pinching the spine. He completely ignored the noisy chatter around him, quietly reading in peace.
He showed no sign of being the timid loner—on the contrary, his composure had an almost dashing quality.
Only when lessons began did he put the book away. He opened his textbook, glanced through it, memorized the key points, then rested his chin in one hand, half-listening to the lecture while gazing at the infinite sky outside, lost in thought.
At lunch break, after finishing his bento, he made his way to the faculty office.There he happened to catch sight of Ishida Hane, who had just finished tidying his desk and was getting ready to leave.
The two came face to face.At the sight of Ishikawa Hayabusa, Ishida's eyes, visible beneath his glasses, widened slightly.
After yesterday's introduction, he had assumed Hayabusa was one of those arrogant, dismissive types who looked down on teachers. He hadn't expected him to actually show up.
"Ishikawa, you really came.""Of course. We had an appointment."
Hayabusa strode confidently into the office, stopped before Ishida's desk, and gestured with one hand.
"Sensei, please—have a seat."
Ishida: …??
For a moment, Ishida didn't know whether to sit or not, but in the end, he sank reluctantly into his chair.
Before he could even speak, Hayabusa said:
"Teacher, you wanted to talk about my self-introduction yesterday, right?"
As an adult and an educator, Ishida didn't want to be steered by a student, so he avoided answering directly.
"Well, that's part of it. Ishikawa-kun, you don't seem to interact with your classmates at all. Why is that?"
He tightened his expression, trying to sound serious.
Hayabusa, however, simply smiled.
"First, thank you for your concern, Sensei. But the reason is simple—I don't want to waste time on superficial socializing. If someone isn't interesting or unique, I'd rather not spend time talking to them.""But Ishikawa-kun, rich social interactions are what make school life enjoyable.""The definition of 'enjoyable' differs for everyone. To me, that doesn't sound enjoyable at all."
Hayabusa calmly explained, entirely unfazed by Ishida's nagging seriousness.
…
By the end, Ishida was left speechless.
Hayabusa, however, rose smoothly and said:
"I appreciate your concern, Sensei. But interfering with a lifestyle that harms no one is arrogance. Please keep that in mind."
He bowed politely, then left the office.
For a long moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Meanwhile, with time to spare, Hayabusa didn't hurry back to class. Instead, he strolled casually toward the stairwell on the first floor.
He felt like a man about to peek into a cat's hidden nest at home.
As for what he'd just said to Ishida about "a lifestyle that harms no one"—he'd already forgotten it.A true pervert always has a flexible moral baseline.
He softened his steps as he neared the corner. Amid the noisy atmosphere of school, the spot felt oddly quiet, almost as if no one else was there.
He wasn't sure if he'd find her, but it didn't hurt to check.
Peering around the stairway railing, he spotted it: strands of bright pink hair peeking out from behind a pile of desks and chairs. The hair shifted slightly, and he could hear the faint clink of chopsticks against a bento box.
Still eating.
Oh, I really want to bother her!
As soon as the thought struck him, his body was already moving toward the maze of desks and chairs. For Hayabusa, mind and body as a pervert were always perfectly in sync.
Looking at the narrow passageway into the corner, he wondered idly: If Gotō Hitori tried to run, how would she even escape from here?
Thinking that, he deliberately made his footsteps loud. His thick soles smacked against the floor.
Clack.
"Eh!"
A small startled cry came from the corner below.
"Who's there?"
Feigning ignorance, Hayabusa walked deeper in. But just as he stepped past the desks, he heard hurried shuffling, the sound of someone packing up in a panic.
"S-Sorry! I'll leave right away!"
A girl in a pink tracksuit, clutching her lunch, bolted toward him as if terrified to show her face.
No doubt—it was Gotō Hitori.
Naturally, Hayabusa wasn't about to let her run. If she got away now, finding her again would be nearly impossible.For someone with social anxiety, once their safe zone is exposed, they'll never return.
On her first day of school, Gotō Hitori had instinctively found this hidden spot with her acute "social anxiety radar."
Quiet. Empty.No risk of anyone seeing her eat alone.The perfect personal sanctuary.
Today, she was savoring her lunch, proud of her discovery, when—
Clack.
The sound of footsteps tightened every nerve in her body. She froze, breath caught in her throat.
"Eh? Who's here?"
Someone's coming?!No, no, please, don't come in.
But the footsteps ignored her silent plea, drawing closer.
Danger! Enemy approaching!
Panic surged through her. She looked frantically left and right—nowhere to hide.
In a flash decision, she snapped her bento shut, wrapped it in her handkerchief, and clutched it tightly to her chest. Then, with eyes squeezed shut, she charged toward the exit.
"S-Sorry! I'll leave right away!"
But just as she glimpsed the light of freedom, a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"Aaaahhhh—"
Her face twisted into an expression of pure collapse.
"Oh, it's you," the voice said.
…
Hayabusa looked at the girl's completely broken expression—no, her collapsed features—and marveled inwardly.
Wow. A human face can really do that?
He feigned ignorance.
"So it's you. Why are you here all alone?"
Hearing the familiarity in his voice, Hitori managed to calm down a little. She sneaked a quick glance up.
Ah. It was the guy she'd met on the first day.
The eyes…!
When Hayabusa saw her immediately cover her eyes again, he could more or less guess what she was thinking. But he didn't expect her to say much. Instead, he looked at the bento in her hands and asked directly:
"Are you eating lunch here by yourself? By the way, I never introduced myself properly. I'm Ishikawa Hayabusa, from Class 1-3."
At that, Hitori seemed to choke on air like a fish out of water, opening and closing her mouth without sound. Finally, after a long struggle, she lowered her head, her eyes hidden behind her bangs, and whispered:
"I-I'm… Gotō Hitori… Class 1-2."