Looking at the crowd in front of her, Gotoh Hitori's heart tightened. She wanted to break free from Lucas's hand, but she didn't dare to. She could only let Lucas lead her into the crowd.
"Got it," Lucas said as he turned around.
There were indeed a lot of people ahead.
Lucas was afraid that Gotoh Hitori might suddenly let go and get lost in the crowd—like a helpless little kitten thrown into unfamiliar streets.
Lucas struggled to push through the crowd with Gotoh Hitori until they made it to the front. There, they saw a band performing—but missing a vocalist.
The band had only two members: a bassist and a drummer.
Both were girls. One had a sweet look, and the other had a unique vibe—she looked feminine but dressed in a more masculine style. That girl was the bassist, and she was also singing.
Gotoh Hitori looked at the two girls on stage and felt a restlessness in her chest.
She seemed to have found people who shared her interests.
Then, from seemingly nowhere, she pulled out her guitar.
Lucas was startled for a moment, then calmed down.
It made sense—she could've fit it in her schoolbag.
Still, it felt like she had pulled it from a fourth-dimensional space.
The drummer happened to glance down just then and saw the guitar in Gotoh Hitori's hands. Her eyes lit up instantly.
She gave a subtle signal to the bassist to stop singing.
"Ryo, look at that girl in the audience."
"Huh? What?" the girl named Ryo stopped playing and turned toward the drummer.
"You'll see. Look down at the audience."
The drummer chuckled.
"Oh."
Ryo lazily shifted her gaze to the crowd.
Both pairs of eyes landed on Gotoh Hitori.
Gotoh, startled by their attention, hid timidly behind Lucas.
"Lucas-san, why are they looking at me?"
Lucas was confused at first, but after thinking it through, he realized what was going on.
"Didn't you notice? Their band only has two people. The bassist is already singing lead—and then you pulled out your guitar. They probably think you want to join them."
"Ah… ah?"
Lucas sighed lightly. Had he really not talked much lately? Was his voice assistant going haywire?
"It's fine. Let's go."
"O-okay…"
Lucas led Gotoh Hitori away.
The two band members on stage were left watching in frustration as a strange boy escorted away the girl who might've been their new lead singer.
The drummer stood up and walked to the front of the stage.
"Sorry, everyone! That's it for today's performance. If you want to hear more, please come to the back stage."
The onlookers exchanged puzzled glances, shrugged, and wandered off. They'd only come for the fun of it anyway.
"Come on, Ryo, that girl can't have gone far."
The drummer grabbed Ryo and dragged her off the stage.
"Hey, Nijika… do you think she'll actually agree?"
Ryo asked, raising the most practical question.
"Ah, I haven't thought that far ahead."
Nijika's steps faltered, and her head tilted.
"But it's okay! I feel like she will."
"…Right."
And so, Ryo was dragged by Nijika to chase after Lucas and Gotoh Hitori.
Not far away, they spotted them.
"Hey! Girl over there—please wait!" Nijika shouted as she ran.
Lucas stopped and turned slightly.
"Can I help you?"
Nijika caught up and smiled.
"Yes! May I ask if the girl behind you would consider joining our band?"
"We're short a singer right now."
"?"
Lucas was briefly stunned, but then recognized Nijika as the drummer from earlier.
Since she didn't seem like a bad person, he gently nudged Gotoh Hitori forward.
"Gotoh, I think you should talk to her. When you introduced yourself in class, you said you wanted to find people with similar hobbies, right?"
"Y-yes…"
"Okay. You two chat. I'll listen."
Lucas stepped back behind her.
"Hi! I'm Ijichi Nijika."
"Hello… I'm Gotoh Hitori."
"So… would you like to join our band?"
Nijika grabbed Gotoh Hitori's hands and looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"T-this…"
Gotoh Hitori tensed up under Nijika's intense gaze, and her mental voice system began to overload.
"Gotoh-san, don't be nervous. Just speak slowly," Lucas encouraged with a gentle smile.
"O-okay…"
"I-I can join… but why me? Can't you ask someone else?"
"Because we're a brand-new band, and we're not popular yet," Nijika explained.
"Our lead singer bailed on us a few days ago."
"Ah… I see."
Lucas stepped in again.
"You're Nijika Ijichi, right? Let me explain: Gotoh-san has mild social anxiety."
"Ah—got it."
Gotoh Hitori looked at Lucas gratefully.
Amaki-san… I'll repay you someday. If you told me to go west, I'd never go east.
"She just said yes. I heard her. But don't push her to sing during practice too soon. It's already hard for her to talk to people, let alone sing in front of them."
"That's okay! As long as Gotoh-chan comes!" Nijika beamed.
"Gotoh-chan, can you give me your LINE ID?"
"Uhm… I don't have my phone with me."
Lucas took out his phone, opened LINE, and showed his ID.
"Here. You can add me. I'll make a group and invite her."
"Okay."
Nijika entered Lucas's ID and sent a friend request.
He accepted, then put his phone away.
"Done."
"Thank you, Gotoh-chan!"
"No… you're welcome."
"Okay, I'll head back. Ryo's waiting."
"Okay… bye."
Nijika waved happily and ran off to find Ryo.
She spotted her at a fast food place.
Pushing open the door, she ran over to her.
"Ryo! Good news—the girl said yes!"
"…Hey Nijika, can you help me pay the bill?"
"…Seriously?"
***
"Goto-san, order anything you want," Lucas said as he brought Gotoh Hitori out to eat.
They went to a KFC.
"Amaki-san… how about we split the bill?"
"No way. I'm the guy here—how could I ask you to pay?"
Lucas ordered an A-set meal and two portions of fried chicken nuggets, then handed the menu to Gotoh Hitori.
She stared at the nuggets.
Does Amaki-san like fried chicken too?
"Amaki-san, do you like nuggets?"
"Yeah. I usually make some at home."
Lucas replied nonchalantly, but the corner of his lips curled slightly.
"If you like them, Gotoh, I can make some and bring them to school for you."
"Okay! N-no, I mean… thanks."
Gotoh Hitori looked down shyly, her cheeks a light pink.
Lucas looked at her and felt his heart tremble slightly.
Gotoh-san, you're actually very cute… but…
We're just pretending to be a couple.
The one who's truly right for you hasn't shown up yet.
Until then… I'll keep pretending.
I'll be your silent guardian.
May you be happy.
Go chase your dreams.
Lucas reached out, gently patting her head.
"I'll stay by your side and support you quietly… until your dream comes true."
Gotoh Hitori's heart jolted, like a cat with its fur bristling.
It was so… adorably flustered.
"Amaki-san… what you said…"
"Don't take it seriously. I was just speaking my mind."
***
"Are you full?"
Lucas asked Gotoh Hitori while looking at the empty plates on the table.
If Gotoh Hitori wasn't full, Lucas could take her somewhere else to eat more—it was unlikely she'd be satisfied with just this.
The best part? He didn't have to pay!
His mom had messaged him when he first took Gotoh Hitori out:
"Take good care of my future daughter-in-law. If you don't have enough money, just ask me for more."
After hearing that, Lucas stopped worrying about his wallet.
Still, he had to wonder—is he really her biological son?
The moment a daughter-in-law appears, the son is forgotten.
"I'm full,"
Gotoh Hitori said, gently patting her stomach with a relaxed expression.
But the next second, she remembered what Lucas had said to her earlier and unconsciously lowered her head again.
She always assumed Lucas was just joking with her. She didn't feel worthy of him.
Lucas is so amazing.
And I'm just an ordinary person.
He'll eventually meet someone a hundred times better than me.
I'll just be a passing character in his life.
If Lucas knew what she was thinking, he would definitely refute it.
Because everyone has their own kind of brilliance.
Once you find the place where you truly belong, that's when you shine the most.
Gotoh Hitori, you're already amazing.
"Let's go then. There's still a long time left in the day."
After paying the bill, Lucas returned to the table and gently pulled Gotoh Hitori up from her seat.
Since most of the food had been eaten by Gotoh Hitori—all three servings of fried chicken nuggets were given to her—Lucas only had a hamburger and a box of fries.
He was the one who actually wasn't full.
After leaving the restaurant, Lucas started wondering where they could go for fun.
Shimokitazawa?
Nah.
Fuyuki City? Definitely not—there were gas leaks there every day. He'd probably die.
Amusement park?
Too many people.
And he had a socially anxious kitten with him.
They'd probably have to leave five minutes after getting in.
Hiss…
Dating is kind of annoying.
Never mind. I'll just ask.
"Gotoh-san, do you want to go to the amusement park?"
"Lucas-san, do you want to go?"
"I just want you to come with me."
Lucas slowly stepped closer to Gotoh Hitori, their bodies inching together—though he left a bit of distance between them.
It's common knowledge that people with social anxiety have a hard time saying no.
But still… wasn't that line a bit weird?
"A-Am…Amaki—no, I mean—Lucas-kun, why are you… you… standing so close to me?"
Gotoh Hitori's body began trembling at Lucas's sudden closeness. Her breathing grew uneven, and her face flushed deeper with each second.
"Huh? I was just asking if you wanted to go to the amusement park,"
Lucas said innocently, scratching the back of his head like he had no idea what just happened.
"Y-Yes… okay."
Gotoh Hitori nodded nervously.
"All right, let's go."
Lucas spotted a taxi and grabbed Gotoh Hitori's hand as they trotted over.
He reached the taxi first and knocked on the window.
"Driver, two passengers to the amusement park, please."
"All right, hop in,"
the driver replied, unlocking the door.
"Gotoh-san, go ahead."
Lucas opened the door for her.
"O-Okay…"
Gotoh Hitori slowly stepped inside. Lucas followed after her and closed the door.
"Buckle up. We'll be there soon,"
the driver said, starting the engine and turning on some music.
After a while, they arrived at the destination.
Lucas stepped out first and asked,
"How much is it, sir?"
"That'll be 820 yen."
Lucas pulled a 1,000 yen bill from his wallet and handed it over.
"Thank you, here's 180 yen in change,"
the driver said, handing it back. Lucas placed the change in his wallet as the car pulled away.
"I'm sorry, Lucas-san. I made you spend money again…"
"It's nothing. I didn't even pay for most of today."
"Eh…?"
Gotoh Hitori looked confused but didn't ask any more questions.
"Don't worry. All you need to do today is eat well and have fun,"
Lucas said with a bright smile.