178: Smooth Progress

"Touma, good afternoon."

As usual, Chisato directly pushed open the door and walked into the music room. He approached Kazusa, whose expression was becoming increasingly unsettled, and stepped aside to reveal Hitori.

"Let me introduce you. This is Touma Kazusa, and this is Gotou Hitori. I hope you two get along from now on."

He spoke casually, as if what he was doing was completely natural.

"H-hello! Pleased to meet you!"

Hitori cooperatively placed her hands in front of her and bowed deeply, a very respectful self-introduction.

Kazusa immediately recognized her. Girls with pink hair were rare at school, and her distinctive outfit made her easy to identify.

She was the girl Kazusa had seen by the window that day, the one with Chisato, holding a guitar.

"...Hello."

Kazusa suppressed her rising anger and responded with a forced greeting, then glared at the person responsible for her discomfort.

Did this guy misunderstand something? Just because she had been a bit nicer to him for a few days, did he think they were on friendly terms now?

She had allowed him to freely enter and leave the music room, but she never said he could bring other people here.

What did he think this place was, some public lounge?

"Don't be so mad."

Chisato had expected Kazusa's reaction and still wore his usual smile.

"I just wanted to introduce you to a friend."

"Who told you to act on your own? I don't need—"

"Don't be so quick to reject her."

Chisato stepped closer, lowering his voice and speaking more earnestly.

"Think of it as a favor to me. This girl doesn't fit in well at school." 

"Not only is she bullied and forced to pay 'friendship fees,' but she also doesn't even have a place to go during lunch. She eats alone in a storage room under the stairs. Isn't that kind of sad?"

"..."

Kazusa swallowed the refusal she had been about to give. She didn't think Chisato was lying.

Looking at how the girl had kept her head down, looking uneasy ever since she arrived, it was clear she wasn't good at socializing—similar to Kazusa herself, but giving off a completely different impression.

"What are 'friendship fees'?"

"It's an excuse some shameless people use to justify taking money. I'd call it a form of bullying."

"Bullying..."

Kazusa glanced once more at Hitori, who still stood in the same position, bent over and barely moving.

"I noticed her early on in the school year. She seemed pitiful, and I couldn't just ignore it."

"…"

As she listened to Chisato, Kazusa raised her head and met his gaze.

Something about what he said gave her a strong sense of déjà vu.

"What is it?"

"...Why are you telling me all this?"

"I thought you might get along well with her."

Before Kazusa could ask further, Chisato continued with his reasoning.

"Look, you two actually have a lot in common. You're both into music—you play piano, and she plays guitar." 

"You're both girls, so it's easier to talk about personal topics. And most importantly, neither of you seems to have many friends at school."

The first two points Chisato made were objective facts, but the last one was an unmistakable provocation.

And Kazusa's way of responding to provocation was simple and direct—she had a history.

She lifted her leg and kicked toward Chisato's thigh. It looked sharp, but she didn't use much force. It would hurt, but it shouldn't affect his ability to walk.

Kazusa fully expected her sudden attack to land, but to her surprise, Chisato caught her ankle in his hand.

"Kicking people isn't a good habit," he said calmly.

Chisato's gaze sharpened for a moment as he looked in a particular direction.

Realizing what was happening, Kazusa's face turned redder, and she started to struggle in frustration.

"Let go of me!"

"Oh, sorry, sorry... oof!"

Kazusa grabbed Chisato by the collar, her raised fist trembling with embarrassment and anger. He chuckled and said, "There are others watching us, you know. Give me some face. Besides, Kazusa's hands aren't meant for punching, right?"

"…You annoying jerk!"

Kazusa muttered this, thinking it was an aggressive comeback, then released her grip and turned back to sit at the piano.

Unbothered, Chisato casually walked back to Hitori's side and said, "It's great! Kazusa said she's happy to be friends with you."

Who said that?!

Kazusa shot him a glare so cold it seemed to reject everything around her.

"See? Look how happy she is."

No, that face doesn't look happy at all!

Hitori shifted slightly, using Chisato's body as a shield to block Kazusa's terrifying stare. That classmate was so scary! 

She wanted to run, but she couldn't because it was Chisato who had asked her to do this.

Afterward, Chisato pulled a desk and chair from a pile of clutter nearby, and Hitori obediently sat down to eat her lunch.

Chisato moved toward Kazusa, intending to ask her for piano advice as he usually did, but she completely ignored him.

The atmosphere grew awkward, but after experiencing that dream, Hitori was no longer the timid person she used to be.

Even if something scared her, she could now push herself to try it.

After finishing her lunch, she dashed out of the music room. A moment later, she returned with three cans of drinks, one of which she carefully handed to Kazusa.

It was a clear gesture of goodwill. Combined with her shy and timid expression, even someone as resistant to socializing as Kazusa couldn't bring herself to dislike her.

"...Thanks."

Kazusa accepted the drink and expressed her gratitude.

"Oh, it's nothing!" Hitori seemed a bit flustered by the response. 

She noticed Chisato giving her a discreet thumbs-up from the side, which boosted her confidence. 

Recalling the experiences she had gained in the simulated world, she started to engage Kazusa in conversation.

Although she stammered a bit during their talk, and Kazusa's replies were short, their first meeting went surprisingly well.

It exceeded Chisato's expectations and left him pleasantly surprised.

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