"Then I'll head home. Bocchi-chan, you should get some rest too."
"Okay, goodbye, Hiratsuka-sensei."
Goto Hitori waved goodbye to Hiratsuka Shizuka.
She watched the car drive away and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Today, I successfully made friends, joined a band, performed on stage for the first time, and even had such a good teacher looking after me. Today was truly…
…too exhausting."
Goto Hitori felt as if all her strength had been drained, and her entire body sagged.
Today had been a long day for her.
From meeting Tanaka Masao on the train in the morning, to chatting on her phone all afternoon until 1:30 PM, and then performing at Fanxing Concert Hall in the evening.
The richness of today's experiences was almost more fulfilling than her entire life of more than ten years.
Although fulfillment was a good thing and very satisfying,
for Goto Hitori, who had suffered from social anxiety for years, it was also a considerable test.
She now felt extremely mentally and physically exhausted, needing to find a comfortable environment to relax immediately.
"I'm home."
As soon as she returned home, Goto Hitori collapsed onto the sofa.
"Hitori, you're back. Why do you look so tired today? Did something happen?"
Goto Hitori's parents had been waiting at home. If Goto Hitori hadn't sent a message in advance saying she would be home late,
they would have been tempted to call the police by now, with her not being home so late.
Goto Hitori seemed to bury herself entirely in the sofa and replied to the question.
"Oh, a friend formed a band, and we had a performance, so I came home a little late."
?
Goto Hitori's single sentence plunged the other three family members into a brief silence.
Goto Nili was the first to speak.
"Is this Big Sister's fantasy?"
Goto Michiyo shook her head, a little helpless.
"Sigh, has our daughter failed to make friends and started fantasizing again? How pitiful."
Naoki Gotō: "Sigh, it's good that Hitori can face the world so optimistically. It's good, it's good."
Goto Hitori looked up and saw the pity and disbelief in her family's eyes. She was a little displeased.
"What do you mean by this? You don't believe me?"
"No, no, of course we believe you."
Seeing her family's perfunctory expressions, Goto Hitori puffed out her cheeks.
"This time, I really did make friends and joined a band for a performance. If you don't believe me, look."
To prove herself, Goto Hitori took out her phone.
Seeing their daughter's confident demeanor this time, the Gotou Couple were a little unsure.
"Could it be that Hitori is telling the truth this time? Did she really make friends in real life, not just online?"
The three of them leaned closer, looking at Goto Hitori's phone screen.
Goto Hitori said with considerable pride,
"Look, these are the photos my friends and I took while performing on stage."
Looking at the content of the photos, Goto Nili asked, somewhat confused,
"Where is Big Sister?"
"Here."
"Where?"
"Right here."
"But isn't there only a box here?"
"Exactly, I'm in the box."
…
"Hahaha, I see, I see."
The three members of the Gotou family all gave awkward but polite smiles. After placating Goto Hitori, they retreated to a corner of the room in perfect synchronicity, whispering loudly.
"Sigh, the condition has worsened."
"Indeed, now she's fantasizing about being a box."
"Big Sister, really, even if you're going to lie to us, you should at least come up with a better excuse. Even a child like me can see through such a clumsy lie."
Hearing her family's conversation, Goto Hitori loudly retorted,
"How can you not believe me? Everything I said is true!"
Goto Hitori scrolled through her phone's photo album again.
I originally wanted to show you photos of my performance, but all I got was doubt and disbelief. I'm not pretending anymore…
"Now you must believe me, right?"
This time, Goto Hitori showed them a group photo she had taken with a few people in private.
Because there were no other audience members, Goto Hitori didn't hide in a cardboard box, revealing her full appearance.
"It really is Big Sister!"
Goto Nili exclaimed as if she had seen something incredible.
The Gotou Couple were also very surprised.
"It looks just like her."
"It can't be Photoshopped, can it?"
"What are you saying? How can you doubt Hitori like that?"
"My mistake. After all, she's our daughter; I should give her more trust."
"Exactly, we need to trust Hitori, because she can't Photoshop at all."
"Oh right, I almost forgot."
The Gotou Couple, with bright smiles on their faces, said to Goto Hitori,
"Hitori, we believe you. You finally made friends."
Goto Hitori's expression was quite calm.
"If you had said that a few minutes ago, I would have felt blessed.
But now, you have deeply hurt me."
"Oh, Hitori, don't be so petty. Come on, introduce us to your friends."
"Exactly, exactly. I also want to know what kind of people Big Sister's friends are."
Seeing her family's somewhat eager expressions, Goto Hitori couldn't control her desire to show off.
"Since you're so eager to know, I'll reluctantly tell you.
It all started this morning when I took the train to school…"
Goto Hitori embellished and exaggerated, either omitting things that were unfavorable to her or completely altering them.
For example, her description of the train ride this morning became:
Tanaka Masao suddenly fainted, foaming at the mouth, and she, out of kindness, gave him a piece of candy.
Because it was a life-saving act, Tanaka Masao cried and begged to be her friend.
And the afternoon performance also transformed into Goto Hitori learning that Ijichi Nijika's band's guitarist couldn't perform, and like a hero descending, she proactively offered to help.
Finally, with her full assistance, the performance was successfully completed.
Looking at Goto Hitori, who stood on the table like a hero proclaiming her deeds, the three members of the Gotou family exchanged glances, seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes.
"Could our Hitori really be that amazing?"
They didn't quite believe it.
To say that Goto Hitori could do all this was less convincing than saying she had become a Magical Girl.
After some hesitation, the Gotou Couple decided to trust their daughter one more time.
"Then Hitori, how about inviting your friends over this weekend so we can host them properly?"
Goto Hitori, who had been full of fighting spirit, suddenly had her momentum greatly diminished upon hearing this.
"If I really invite them over, what I just said shouldn't be exposed, right?"