Chapter 24: Bocchi: It's Over! I'm Becoming a Pet!

Chapter 24: Bocchi: It's Over! I'm Becoming a Pet!

With a face on the verge of tears,

Gotoh Hitori stood in the spot Yukima Azuma had pointed to.

Her gaze briefly lifted but quickly darted away.

For Gotoh Hitori, who suffered from communication anxiety, such face-to-face interactions were almost more excruciating than punishment.

If this continued, she would undoubtedly pass out.

At this moment, she desperately needed someone to push her forward.

"Hurry up! Do it!"

Yukima Azuma commanded in a firm tone.

"Y-yes!" Gotoh Hitori trembled, hesitantly raising her hand to brush aside her bangs. "It's... it's... so hard..."

She swept her bangs away from her eyes.

Revealed beneath her hair was an undeniably cute face.

Especially her sapphire-blue eyes, which were breathtakingly beautiful and impossible to look away from.

There was no doubt about it—Gotoh Hitori was a beautiful girl.

If only her gaze didn't dart around and her pupils didn't tremble, she would look even more stunning.

"N-nice to... meet you! I... I hope for your... guidance in the future!"

Finally, with a shaky, stammering voice, Gotoh Hitori managed to get through the phrase.

Then, as she nervously awaited Yukima Azuma's next command,

Yukima Azuma took a step forward and hugged her.

Gotoh Hitori immediately froze, turning as stiff as a log.

Thankfully, Yukima Azuma didn't give her time to overthink.

"Bocchi, you were amazing! Saying that so clearly—you did great! Amazing! Truly amazing!"

Hearing the praise, Gotoh Hitori felt as if she were floating on air.

"Hehe... it's nothing special, really."

Yukima Azuma let her go and gently patted her long pink hair.

Noticing Bocchi elated state, Yukima Azuma asked casually:

"Gotoh Hitori, you're a first-year at Shuka High, right? Are you starting there after spring break?"

"Y-yes, Shuka High, first year this year."

"Shuka High, huh? That's pretty far away. Bocchi, you don't live around here?"

"N-no, not really. Actually, I live in that building over there. I just wanted to go to a school where no one knows me."

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Guitar!"

"When's your birthday?"

"February 21."

"What are your measurements from top to bottom?"

"90, 61, 86."

"I see. A D-cup, huh? Wouldn't have guessed."

"Uh... huh!?"

When Gotoh Hitori finally came to her senses, she realized she had just answered a series of unbelievable questions.

She had divulged every detail about herself without restraint.

Quickly, she pulled away from Yukima Azuma's gentle hug and head pats.

Once again, Bocchi was trembling.

'Devil! He's definitely a devil!'

Yukima Azuma rubbed his hands together, savoring the lingering sensation of Bocchi's soft hair.

"From now on, we're friends. Remember to meet me next Saturday."

Gotoh Hitori's eyes widened in shock.

'It's over! My life is over! I'm about to become someone's pet!'

'Quick, refuse! Gotoh Hitori, refuse and then run away as fast as you can!'

Bocchi fell once more into a spiral of internal conflict.

"Shuka High, huh? Oh right, my house is actually in that direction too. We live pretty close, actually!"

Yukima Azuma's tone was casual, almost as if he had just remembered.

"Y-yes! I'll be there on time next Saturday!"

Bocchi had abandoned all attempts at resistance.

.....

Waving goodbye, Yukima Azuma left the park in a cheerful mood.

"Bocchi, huh."

He smirked to himself, clearly amused.

"She seems interesting. Let's nurture her for now and see how it goes."

.....

It wasn't until Yukima Azuma's figure had completely disappeared from sight that Gotoh Hitori snapped out of it.

She plopped down onto the swing, her body swaying lightly along with its motion.

"It's over... it's over! I'm about to become someone's pet!"

Her mind flashed back to a web novel she had read before, one with a protagonist trapped in a similarly dark situation.

Her life suddenly felt bleak and hopeless.

She pulled out her phone.

Gotoh Hitori decided it was time to leave her last will and testament.

The thought of being played with, discarded like an old rag, and eventually dying filled her with despair.

But as she opened her phone, the first thing that appeared was the Line app.

The chat with Yukima Azuma.

The contact was labeled "Azuma-kun."

And on the screen was a single message:

[Bocchi, from today onward, we're friends.]

Gotoh Hitori heart, which had been shrouded in darkness, suddenly felt illuminated by a beam of light.

"Could it be... I finally have a friend I can actually call by name?"

She recalled Yukima Azuma's handsome face, his most striking feature being the way he crouched in front of her, his starry eyes locking onto hers.

"Those sharp eyebrows and eyes like stars"—this phrase seemed tailor-made for someone like him.

Add to that his height of over 1.8 meters, impeccable fashion sense, and warm voice, and Yukima Azuma truly was the epitome of perfection from every angle.

A clean-cut, dashing prince.

As she thought about it, Bocchi began to rationalize.

'Maybe... being toyed with by someone like him isn't so bad?'

"As long as the game isn't too bizarre... it might even be acceptable?"

Bocchi mumbled her thoughts aloud.

Immediately, she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Yukima Azuma undeniable charm, combined with his borderline overbearing yet intriguing actions, left a lingering impression in her mind.

Once a person starts seeing things clearly, they often become more accepting of certain situations.

After all, aren't limits just things meant to be surpassed?

"Hey, sis, what are you doing here? Daydreaming again?"

As Bocchi swayed aimlessly in the park, a sweet, clear voice interrupted her thoughts.

"F-Futari! What are you doing here?"

Bocchi scrambled to her feet, startled.

The voice belonged to Gotoh Futari, her younger sister with short, bubblegum-pink hair.

"I came because you were taking too long. Mom told me to check on you."

Futari answered, tilting her head slightly.

"Oh, I was just... just talking with a friend, so it took some extra time."

Bocchi hurried to provide an explanation that wasn't entirely untrue but still avoided raising suspicion.

However—

"A friend from your imagination?"

Futari tilted her head again, the adorable gesture hitting Bocchi's heart like an arrow.

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