I Just Want A Single Ending!

After letting her mind wander briefly, Chihaya Anon quickly snapped herself out of it. Gotoh Hitori might share a few similarities, but she was certainly not her daughter.

Anyway, it was more important to focus on the real task at hand: helping Hitori study.

"For this one, start with…"

As Saku continued his detailed explanation, Hitori realized something troubling—she wasn't absorbing a single word he was saying.

Her entire attention was fixed on him alone.

In fact, she was completely preoccupied with just how close they were sitting.

Isn't this a bit… too close?

Even though she understood it was necessary for studying, she couldn't help but dwell on it.

The last time they'd studied together at his house, Saku had been sitting next to her too, but he'd been helping Ikuyo Kita back then, so it was easier not to think about it.

This time, though, he was close by, and his focus was solely on her.

It was amazing.

Almost intoxicating.

The only problem was… she started worrying about whether Saku could smell her.

After all, she spent most of her time hiding out in her closet with her guitar, which left her with a faint hint of the closet's musty smell. Or rather… the scent of bug spray.

Meanwhile, girls like Anon, Ikuyo Kita, and Nijika always smelled fresh and clean, with a faintly sweet fragrance.

Compared to them, the difference felt way too big.

Please don't notice… please don't notice…

And Saku's voice is so nice…

With her worries drifting elsewhere, Hitori's attention shifted to something else entirely.

His voice was gentle, calm—almost like a soothing bedtime story.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Saku finished explaining the section and was about to have her try a practice problem, but he noticed her distracted expression.

"Bocchi, are you even listening to me?"

"Huh…? Oh, um—sorry! I, uh… got a little distracted and didn't catch what you said…"

She snapped back to reality, flustered as she tried to explain herself, her voice growing softer and softer until it became barely a whisper.

Here he was, giving her his time and attention, and she'd completely zoned out.

She'd ruined everything.

I'm such a failure as a friend. I should just vanish into thin air.

"Am I explaining things poorly?"

Saku, unaware of her real thoughts, began questioning his teaching ability.

"No, no! You're explaining it really well!"

Hitori shook her head frantically.

This was her fault, not his.

"If I explained it well, then why did you get distracted? It has to be my fault."

Saku seemed genuinely unwilling to blame her for it.

"…"

Hitori desperately wanted to take the blame to stop him from feeling bad.

But how could she explain that her distraction was all because she was too focused on him? Saying that would be social suicide!

The first time she'd died from embarrassment had been physiological; saying this out loud would be a full social death.

If Saku knew, he'd surely look at her with disgust.

Right then, Chihaya Anon jumped in to save her. "Hitori's probably just not used to you tutoring her, Saku. I've been the one helping her before, and you know she's a bit socially anxious, so it's probably just that."

"That's… that's right!"

Hitori quickly latched onto Anon's explanation, nodding in agreement.

This reason was a thousand times better than the truth.

And, importantly, it kept her social life intact.

"Of course. In that case, would you mind taking over, Anon? I'll go help Ikuyo then."

Saku had thought Hitori was comfortable enough around him by now, but it seemed that he'd been a bit too optimistic.

Social anxiety was a tough hurdle—it didn't just vanish overnight.

"...Sure."

Anon hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.

If she took over tutoring Hitori, it meant fewer chances to interact with him.

But Hitori clearly wasn't learning anything with Saku as her tutor, so it made sense to help her focus.

For her part, Hitori had no objections to Saku moving on to help someone else.

After all, with him by her side, concentrating on studies was practically impossible.

So Saku moved to a nearby table where Ikuyo was studying.

"How's your review going?"

"It's alright."

Ikuyo responded with a casual smile.

Her grades had been solid before she'd started playing with the band, but they'd dropped a bit since then.

Now that band activities were on hold, she'd been catching up quickly with her studies.

"Anything you need help with?"

"Not really. I'm still a bit shaky on a few areas, but a bit more practice should take care of it."

Ikuyo figured she didn't need to bother him with minor issues and preferred to handle them herself.

"So, I guess I'm out of things to do, huh?"

Looking around, Saku saw Nijika fully focused on helping Ryo, and Anon had taken over with Hitori. Meanwhile, Ikuyo seemed more or less fine on her own.

"If that's the case, I'd be happy to chat with you, Saku-senpai."

Ikuyo set her pencil down.

"But don't you have more practice problems?" Saku gestured to her workbook.

Ikuyo closed the book. "I can always do them at home. Besides, I was just about ready for a break."

A complete lie.

She only wanted to keep Saku company so he wouldn't feel left out.

"Then let's chat for a bit."

Saku was more than happy to have a conversation with a friend.

After all, it was a perfect chance to get closer.

"Mm-hmm."

Ikuyo replied softly.

Staaaare.

Sitting nearby, Chihaya Anon watched them closely, having overheard every word.

What was going on?

Saku had promised to help her tutor Hitori, so how had things suddenly shifted like this?

Could it be that her earlier attempt to help Hitori had somehow handed Ikuyo a perfect opportunity?

---

Oh, hey there, Traveler! 🍃 My friend here is the one bringing these stories to you—quite the talent, wouldn't you agree? If anything feels off, just give them a nudge—they're always happy to make things even better.

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Here's to more adventures and endless inspiration~ 🎵