Returning to the classroom, Gotou-san was still sitting there, not interacting with anyone.
Although Katou Megumi in the same class was the same, she had a naturally low presence and a quiet personality. Gotou Hitori, on the other hand, was purely at the extreme end of social anxiety, completely unable to communicate normally with others.
The curriculum at Toyogasaki was about the same pace as Shuchiin's, and even a little slower. But even if it were faster, he, Uchiha Ryo, had no intention of listening seriously.
He turned his head to look at Gotou Hitori sitting beside him. Maybe I'll go find some fun after school today. And tomorrow is the weekend. I can ask Hayasaka to come out and help too.
After school, Uchiha Ryo signaled for Takashi to go back first, saying he had something to do with a new friend.
Takashi was a little curious about the new friend Ryo-nii mentioned. Uchiha Ryo naturally didn't hide it, telling him it was the extremely socially anxious girl in their class and that he hoped to change her social anxiety.
Suddenly! Just after arriving at Toyogasaki, he was already thinking of helping a classmate. Takashi was moved by his Ryo-nii's kindness. As expected of the naturally kind Uchiha Ryo!
"Do you need my help?"
Uchiha Ryo: "Not for now. You should just head home after school."
....
In a remote park not too far from Toyogasaki, Uchiha Ryo was surprised to find that this socially anxious little girl actually chose a school that was quite far from her home.
Coincidentally, though, Uchiha Ryo's apartment was very close to both Shuchiin and Toyogasaki.
In the park, Gotou Hitori sat alone on a swing and sighed.
"It really is too far. It takes nearly two hours to get home by bus every day. Should I talk to my family about renting a small apartment near Toyogasaki..."
"Living alone... hehehe~"
For Gotou Hitori, putting aside the problem of food and shelter, she actually really wanted to try living alone.
Although she could still have normal conversations with her family, but! That was living alone! Alone in a room, wouldn't that mean....
Gotou Hitori was lost in her own fantasy.
"Just me... so what if it's just me! In this deserted park, I am a god-like existence. That's right! Why does youth have to have midsummer, the seaside, love, fireworks, and all that!"
"Venting the melancholy of youth is more suitable for me... hehe, youth is a sin!"
Uchiha Ryo: "You really do like to stay in your own little world, don't you."
In this remote park, a second person had appeared at some point, and was standing right in front of her, Gotou Hitori.
This was the ultimate... social death!
Gotou Hitori—entered a state of inner petrification, attempting to shut down her five senses to make herself less embarrassed.
Uchiha Ryo: "Hey~ can you hear me?"
He waved his hand in front of Gotou Hitori's eyes, then gently pinched her fair cheek.
"U... Uchiha-kun, when did you get here?"
Uchiha Ryo didn't speak, but silently handed over his phone.
Gotou Hitori's embarrassed heart and trembling hands took the phone and saw a video playing.
[Just me... so what if it's just me! In this deserted park, I am a god-like existence.....]
After the girl in the video had finished venting her fantasies, the girl watching the video felt her body go limp and was about to fall to the ground, but fortunately, Uchiha Ryo caught her in time.
A socially anxious girl had encountered social death. Everything she had just said had actually been recorded!
Gotou Hitori hugged Uchiha Ryo's phone, and a strange courage suddenly welled up in her heart.
→
His phone is in my hands right now! I will!! delete this video.
Gotou Hitori, who was leaning against Uchiha Ryo after almost falling, opened the video on the phone again and saw the delete button in the lower right corner.
Uchiha Ryo: "Hmm?"
Gotou Hitori's breathing was heavy. The moment she pressed the delete button, she felt the whole world light up.
Looking at the happy girl, Uchiha Ryo took back his phone.
"Um, Gotou-san, haven't you heard of something called cloud storage? The photos and videos on my phone are all sent to my home computer and another phone in real-time."
Cloud.... storage.
A certain summoning beast playing games in Uchiha Ryo's room—[Your master has sent a video]
Enyun-chan: "Are all humans this weird these days?"
Gotou Hitori looked up. The warm afternoon sun shone on Uchiha Ryo's body. Against the light, that smiling, handsome face was truly a little mesmerizing.
In an instant, Gotou Hitori felt a sense of inferiority. She was just a small person who liked the shadows, while he was a top student from Shuchiin, and the kind of normie with a lot of friends....
"Gotou-san?"
Ah, his voice is also very gentle. That's right... he wanted to help me get over my social anxiety. Is this a male angel?
Uchiha Ryo: "Gotou-san, you wouldn't want anyone else to see that video, would you?"
"Ehh!!"
Uchiha Ryo silently put his phone back in his pocket. "Didn't I say it? I hope that you, Gotou-san, can become my maid. Don't worry, you'll get a salary, room and board, and a professional maid will train you."
Gotou Hitori trembled. She wanted to take back her fantasy from just now. This guy was no male angel... he was a demon!
Uchiha Ryo: "Did you know? Around me, and even around you, there are many people who like to live their lives wearing masks."
Gotou Hitori: "...."
They would hide their true nature, being completely different in public and in private.
Some people were actually just high school girls who liked to act spoiled with their mothers and longed for an ordinary life, but had to act loyal and capable at home to gain the family's appreciation.
Some people were actually just simple sister-complexes, but in order not to let their sister get involved in family and social disputes, they showed an all-powerful front to handle everything, so their sister could live a free high school life.
And some were simpler. They just purely liked otaku culture but didn't want to expose it, so they wore the mask of a noble young lady at school, just to avoid being laughed at by others.
"Gotou-san, you are different from them. They are because of external factors, some are society, some are family. But what affects you is your own socially anxious personality. If you want to prove yourself, to make yourself a little more cheerful."
Uchiha Ryo extended his hand. "Please believe me!"
Gotou Hitori fell silent. After a long while, she finally looked up, her voice still a little timid.
"A person like me... can I really do it?"
Gotou Hitori saw the sincere look in Uchiha Ryo's eyes. She, who had always desperately longed to be able to communicate normally with others, but in the end, always because of the fear and panic in her heart, continued to close herself off.
"What... what should I do?"
This sentence was uttered by Gotou Hitori with a trembling voice. Perhaps she had finally summoned the little bit of courage she had accumulated for so long.
Uchiha Ryo: "The first step, you go buy a maid outfit."
Gotou Hitori: "???"