Tanaka Masao followed Goto Hitori into her room and commented on the decor.
Not only were there all sorts of streamers, balloons, and garlands, but the room also had a disco ball.
Combined with the dim lighting, it gave off a vibe like a bar or nightclub.
"Bocchi-chan, are you planning to have a party with me?"
Goto Hitori scratched her head, a little embarrassed.
"It's not really for a party, but if Tanaka wants one, I can..."
"No need for a party. Can I look around Bocchi-chan's room?"
"Look around my room?"
Goto Hitori seemed hesitant after hearing that.
"But there's nothing good to see in my room. It's not as cute as other girls' rooms, and it smells a bit moldy."
Her voice got softer and softer as she spoke, clearly feeling a bit self-conscious about her room.
"Bocchi-chan, if you put it that way..."
Tanaka Masao paused, then continued under Goto Hitori's uneasy gaze.
"Then I definitely need to explore it."
"Eh, why?"
"Because I've been to many beautiful girls' rooms. Everyone's room style is different, but I've never really encountered such a unique style."
Goto Hitori couldn't help but retort after hearing Tanaka Masao's words.
"You've been to many beautiful girls' rooms. Tanaka sounds like a playboy."
Goto Hitori didn't think Tanaka Masao's behavior was sleazy like an ordinary person might; instead, she thought he was amazing.
"To be able to go to so many beautiful girls' rooms, Tanaka must have so many friends. I'm so envious."
Feeling Goto Hitori's adoring gaze, Tanaka Masao put his hands on his hips and proudly declared.
"Since you know how amazing I am, then let the experienced Lord Tanaka appraise your room."
Goto Hitori immediately prostrated herself completely.
"Welcome, Lord Tanaka, to inspect and appraise."
Meanwhile, Goto Nili, who was almost right behind them, peered in from the doorway and curiously asked Goto Michiyo above her.
"Mom, what game are Sis and Masao-nii playing?"
Hearing her daughter's question, Goto Michiyo felt a bit flustered. She wiped away non-existent cold sweat from her forehead and said, somewhat awkwardly.
"This... well, they should be playing a game."
"A game? What game?"
Her daughter's innocent eyes made Goto Michiyo unable to meet her gaze directly.
"What game? How would I know what game this is?
It looks like a master and pet, what kind of play is this? I don't understand either. Are young people playing this wildly now?"
Goto Michiyo felt she couldn't keep up with the times anymore.
After a moment of thought, Goto Michiyo smiled and explained to Goto Nili.
"Actually, they are playing a game."
"Playing a game? What game?"
"This game is called King's Game. Masao-nii is playing the king, and Hitori-nee is playing the subject."
"King's Game? I think I've heard of that game. So that's how you play it! I want to play too; I want to be the princess!"
Goto Michiyo quickly reached out and pulled back her daughter, who was about to rush in, and advised her.
"Futari, let's wait a bit. You see, rushing in suddenly would disturb them, and that's not good.
Besides, do you know the rules of the game?"
Goto Nili shook her head.
"No."
"Since you don't know, how about we watch from here? By understanding the game rules beforehand, we can play with them better, right?"
"That's true."
Goto Nili nodded, accepting the suggestion.
Seeing that she had successfully stopped her, Goto Michiyo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then let's quietly watch from here."
She said this out loud, but Goto Michiyo made up her mind inwardly.
"If they do anything inappropriate later, I'll definitely send Futari away.
As for myself, of course, I'll choose to stay, just in case..."
Ah, no, I should say to supervise, to prevent them from doing anything inappropriate.
Hehe, just how inappropriate will it be? I'm so excited!"
Goto Michiyo cast an expectant gaze towards the room, her eyes full of anticipation.
Behind the two of them was Naoki Gotō, who had followed them, gritting his teeth somewhat.
"What King's Game? This brat is definitely bullying my daughter. Hmph, my feeling was right after all.
This kid must have been faking it in front of us. Now that no one else is around, when he's alone with Hitori, he's showing his true colors.
But why does Hitori seem to be enjoying it? Is this also her true nature?
No, my daughter would never be like this!"
...
In the room on the other side, Tanaka Masao's "Goto Hitori's Room Development Diary" officially began.
Abbreviated as "Hitori's Development Diary."
Tanaka Masao first turned off the disco ball light and opened the curtains, making the room brighter.
"Ah, sunlight."
Goto Hitori shielded her eyes with her hand, clearly unaccustomed to the stimulation of the light.
For a gloomy shut-in, a brightly lit room made her feel uncomfortable all over; if she could, she would only want to hide in a dark closet at this moment.
However, because Tanaka Masao was there, Goto Hitori had to endure it.
Tanaka Masao inspected Goto Hitori's room while asking.
"Bocchi-chan, how have things been with the band lately?"
"Ah, it's been pretty good. Everyone is great, and our coordination is getting better and better. We even have a new member.
After a bit more practice, we plan to perform again next week."
"Oh, is that so? Then Bocchi-chan, you really need to work hard. Your last performance was good, so you might even have fans come."
"Fans..."
Hearing those two words, Goto Hitori broke into a silly smile, her body feeling light and airy, fantasizing about something that made her so happy.
Just as Goto Hitori was floating in bliss, Tanaka Masao came to a cardboard box and glanced inside.
Finding a large stack of photos, he curiously picked them up.
The photos showed four beautiful girls: Ijichi Nijika and Yamada Ryo, whom he knew, and a red-haired girl he hadn't seen before.
That must be the deceased guitarist, Kita Ikuyo.
Goto Hitori stood in the middle, but judging by her evasive gaze, distorted posture, and unpleasant expression.
She didn't look like a band member but rather a pitiful heroine surrounded by a group of sleazy older men.
Tanaka Masao flipped through, finding dozens of identical photos.
Further down, the photos finally changed; they were of her with Yukinoshita Yukino before Kita Ikuyo joined.
Like the photos above, there were also dozens of these.
Tanaka Masao was a bit speechless. Why did Goto Hitori seem so much like a stalker?
Taking out these photos, he noticed an unusually large photo at the bottom of the box and curiously picked it up to look.
Upon seeing the content, Tanaka Masao couldn't help but gasp.
The photo, it turned out, was a close-up of his own face.