This morning, he rang Gabriel's doorbell for a long time with no response. If Jhin's guess was right, she must have been up all night gaming and was now fast asleep. With no other choice, he had to go to school alone.
The moment Jhin stepped through the gates of Maiten High School, he felt countless eyes fixed on him and could hear constant whispers from all around.
"Hey, that's the guy..."
"It's him. Look, he's even walking with a slight limp in one leg. It's definitely him."
"Looking at him like this, he's kinda handsome. His blue eyes are like jewels!"
Completely oblivious to what they were talking about, Jhin chose to ignore the stares. But to his surprise, he had barely settled into his seat in the classroom when the teacher called him out.
Accompanying his homeroom teacher to the office, Jhin saw Hitori Gotoh and her mother, Michiyo Gotoh, waiting inside.
"Jhin-kun, thank you so much for your heroic act yesterday." Mrs. Gotoh ran over as soon as she saw Jhin, grabbing his hand and thanking him profusely.
After an explanation from the homeroom teacher, Jhin learned that the delinquents he'd dealt with yesterday were notorious troublemakers in the area. Many students had been extorted by them, but because the leader often threatened people with a knife, almost no one dared to fight back.
The scene of Jhin saving Hitori Gotoh yesterday had been witnessed by many students from the same school. Plus, the delinquents, in their rush to get their friend to the hospital, didn't notice that their actions had been filmed on a phone and posted online.
The person who posted the photos only pixelated Jhin's and Hitori Gotoh's faces; the remaining delinquents weren't so lucky. If it had been a simple case of extortion, it probably would have ended with some online outrage.
However, the scene of the leader pulling out a knife and injuring someone was also captured. Upon seeing the photos online, the students who were filled with resentment and anger from being extorted in the past certainly wouldn't miss this chance to kick them while they were down. Most of them told their parents about being blackmailed by the delinquents.
The furious parents quickly raised a fuss with the principal through their parent group chats. To protect the school's reputation, the principal spent the night making calls and pulling strings to have the entire group of delinquents thrown in jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
It wasn't until the next morning, when Mrs. Gotoh saw the photos in a news report, that she learned her daughter had been saved from delinquents. That's why she dragged Hitori Gotoh, who hadn't told her parents anything, to the school to thank Jhin.
"Ma'am, it's really okay. It looked scary, but the wound is actually very shallow. The cut is just a bit long, that's all." Jhin repeatedly refused Michiyo Gotoh's request to take him to the hospital for a check-up.
"This child is so thoughtless, coming home and not telling us a thing. If you don't mind, please leave your address. I'll bring my foolish daughter to visit and thank you properly another day."
"That's really not necessary..."
"No! You must!"
Seeing Mrs. Gotoh's 'I'm-not-letting-you-leave-until-you-give-me-your-address' attitude, Jhin had no choice but to obediently write down his address for her. The homeroom teacher then gave Jhin a long lecture about staying safe in the future, not acting rashly, and a whole bunch of other caring words, before letting him and Hitori Gotoh return to their classroom.
"Ah, u-um!" In the hallway, Hitori Gotoh mustered her courage and called out to Jhin.
"What is it, Gotoh-san?" Watching Bocchi-chan's face get redder and redder as she flailed her arms around, unable to get a single word out, Jhin started to feel anxious for her.
"I-I-I-I-I-I... I do!" With her eyes squeezed shut, feeling like she had used up all her courage, Hitori Gotoh finally shouted out those two words.
Ngh... I finally said it. He won't turn me down, will he? What if he rejects me? The thought of being rejected made Hitori Gotoh tremble with fear.
It's just teaching me guitar, is it really necessary to be this nervous?
Jhin looked with amusement at Bocchi-chan, who stood before him, her face flushed red from holding her breath, hands clenched into fists at her chest, eyes shut tight, and her whole body trembling.
To prevent her from holding her breath until she passed out, Jhin quickly replied, "Thank you, Gotoh-san. I'm very happy."
Yes!
Hitori Gotoh, thinking Jhin was responding to her confession, felt a surge of joy. She never expected that right after starting high school, she'd get a boyfriend before even finding a fellow guitar enthusiast.
Even though they had only met twice so far, Jhin had saved her from vicious delinquents, he had the same eye color as her, he wanted her to teach him guitar, and they were classmates. What should I do, my heart is beating so fast...
Jhin had no idea that he and Hitori Gotoh were having a conversation on completely different wavelengths, and that he had just gained a girlfriend who was now intensely winning herself over.
"Quest - The Rise of the Guitar Hero has been completed. Please proceed to the Problem Child Countermeasures Department to collect your reward."
Getting Bocchi-chan to teach me guitar completes the quest?
Jhin stared blankly at the system notification. Just last night, he was wracking his brain trying to figure out how to complete the quest within a week, and now, after a night's sleep and coming to school, it was completed so easily.
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it. Jhin couldn't be bothered to overthink it; as long as the quest was complete, that's all that mattered. The thought of 'Kessoku Band' disappearing because of him was something he absolutely could not accept.
Upon returning to the classroom, the two naturally attracted the attention of everyone. A frightened Hitori Gotoh immediately hid behind Jhin. To her, Jhin, who was now her boyfriend (though he himself was completely unaware), was the perfect person to shield her from all the curious gazes.
Jhin shielded Hitori Gotoh as he limped back to his seat. Although their classmates were curious, seeing Jhin's injured state, no one came over to bother him, opting instead to whisper among their friends.
"I never thought Jhin-kun looked so gentle, but he's so fierce in a fight."
"What's wrong with being fierce? They were delinquents extorting people!"
"That's the girl he saved, huh? Whoa, she's actually wearing a tracksuit."
Jhin didn't mind being talked about, but Hitori Gotoh found it unbearable. Already unaccustomed to being the center of attention, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, about to melt into a puddle of pink sludge and slide off her chair onto the floor.
"Ahem, everyone, Gotoh-san hasn't recovered from yesterday's shock yet. If you could, please don't give her more pressure by staring. If you're really curious, you can come talk to me." Jhin promptly came to her rescue.
Hearing his words, Hitori Gotoh's affection for her boyfriend rose another huge notch.
My judgment really was right. This boyfriend is just too considerate. I'll ask him later when I can teach him guitar.
To stop others from looking at her, Hitori Gotoh buried her head in her arms on the desk, a happy smile spreading across her face.
During the break, Hitori Gotoh stealthily approached Jhin and, like a spy making contact, whispered, "Jhin-san, when should I teach you guitar?"
You really don't want to attract attention, but don't you realize that coming this close to me is doing exactly that?
Jhin was amused by her. He played along, adopting the air of a cautious spy surveying his surroundings, and replied, "We'll rendezvous at the Problem Child Countermeasures Department during lunch break."
Jhin's cooperative attitude undoubtedly hit Hitori Gotoh's sweet spot again. He was actually on her wavelength!
Seeing Bocchi-chan staring at him with stars in her eyes, like a child overjoyed by an unexpected piece of candy, Jhin couldn't resist reaching out and stroking her soft, pink hair.
"Ngh..." Hitori Gotoh showed no resistance. Instead, she enjoyed it, even nudging Jhin's hand to encourage him to continue. In her mind, this was probably just a small interaction between a couple.
Enduring the even more intense stares of his classmates, Jhin steeled himself and continued to pat Bocchi-chan's head. It wasn't until the class bell rang that she snapped out of it, scurried back to her seat, and went back to her 'I-don't-know-anything-don't-look-at-me' pose,趴 on her desk.
Since it was only the second day of school and no one knew each other that well, very few people actually came over to ask Jhin about what happened yesterday.
When lunch break arrived, Jhin hadn't bought a guitar yet, so he had no choice but to take Hitori Gotoh to the Problem Child Countermeasures Department. There, he listened to her play a few songs, learned some beginner tips, had a meal together in the clubroom, and they agreed that she would teach him guitar there from now on.
Jhin was surprised that Hitori Gotoh had absolutely no reaction to the unscientific blackboard floating in the middle of the room. But on second thought, the name 'Problem Child Countermeasures Department' and the club's entire existence were pretty illogical, yet no one else seemed to find it strange. Jhin came to terms with it. This must be the work of a god.
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