"This is not netorare," Gremlin Ryou shook her head with a hopeless child expression all over her face, "It's just letting Boyfriend-kun make a tiny bit of use of his own advantage to have a friendly and close conversation with Kita's mother. There's no need to do anything excessive."
'No matter what, really making Boyfriend-kun become Kita's stepfather, that kind of thing will be too insane.'
'Whether Boyfriend-kun will agree or not was another matter, but at the very least, once Kita finds out, she will definitely explode without a second word.'
"Besides, there's no better way now, is there?", She looked around, glancing at the hesitant Nijika and the conflicted Bocchi, and spread her hands, "Or do you two have a better idea to help Kita out of her current predicament?"
A better idea, of course, they couldn't come up with one so quickly.
'But just sitting by and watching Kaito-kun sell his looks, it still feels... weird...'
The two girls wanted to refute, but didn't know what to say. They just lowered their heads, looking gloomy and unhappy.
"Seems like you two have no objections, then," Gremlin Ryou put her hands on her hips, lightly cleared her throat, and turned to look at Kaito beside her, "So, Boyfriend-kun, what do you think?"
After all, the core of the beautiful man strategy lies in the beautiful man himself.
'If Boyfriend-kun doesn't agree, everything would just be empty talk.'
"My opinion?", Kaito sighed, "Next time you come up with a bad idea like this, don't bring it up again."
'If Master finds out that I actually used a shameless tactic like the beautiful man strategy on another woman, she'll probably get so mad she'll puff up like a pufferfish, scolding me for disgracing the sect and kicking e out.'
However, even if the beautiful man strategy was out of the question... he still had to go to Kita's house.
He had no idea what had happened to that sunny girl. Nijika and Ryou had sent her messages, but got no reply. In fact, even the sent messages stayed marked as "unread."
That scene was all too familiar to the two girls.
Back when Kita had run away before the band's performance, it was the same. No matter how many messages Nijika and Ryou sent, there was no reply, as if she'd disappeared from the face of the earth.
Ryou even thought something bad had happened, and prepared a black-and-white memorial photo for Kita at home, lighting incense for her now and then.
Since they couldn't reach her by phone, they had no choice but to go to her house in person.
He asked Nijika and Ryou if they wanted to come, but both girls shook their heads.
They had met Kita's mom once before, but the meeting had ended unpleasantly. If they went again, it might have the opposite effect.
As for Bocchi... of course the little mouse chose to stay behind with Nijika and wait for news.
———
It was already six in the evening.
Kita Ikuyo glanced at the wall clock, then looked away. She sat curled up in bed, hugging a plush toy with a gloomy expression.
The cold war between her and her mom seemed to be getting worse.
It had all started when her mom found out she had secretly joined a band, and ordered her to cut ties and focus on studying.
Kita had intended to just fake it, to act obedient on the surface while secretly contacting Nijika and the others.
But her clumsy trickery obviously didn't fool Mrs. Kita, who had years of experience in the corporate world.
To make her daughter give up, she not only demanded Kita return home immediately after school, but also forbade her from going out on weekends.
She even confiscated Kita's phone, cutting off all possible contact with the band members.
In response, the only form of resistance Kita could muster was locking herself in her room. She only came out briefly to eat, and even then, she stayed silent.
Though they lived under the same roof, the mother and daughter had become like strangers.
Mrs. Kita wasn't willing to give in either, thinking her expectations for her daughter to focus on studies were perfectly reasonable.
Kita, on the other hand, refused to give up on her dream of playing in the band, and she hated her mother's controlling behavior, completely unwilling to back down.
It was a deadlock that could only be broken with outside help.
Unfortunately, Mr. Kita was on a business trip, and the one person who could have mediated between mother and daughter wasn't around. The situation was only going to get worse.
'I wonder how Nijika-san and the others are doing…'
The date of their first official live performance was approaching fast, yet she was stuck at home, unable to even attend daily practice.
And who knows how long this situation would last?
Kita's biggest fear now was, 'What if Nijika-san and the others find a new guitarist to replace me?'
What made her feel even more miserable was, 'Even if Nijika-san really do that, won't it be reasonable?
'After all, the band has to perform. If someone is absent, the leader naturally has to find a replacement.'
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!", The more Kita thought about it, the sadder she got. She started rolling around on her bed, kicking her bare feet in the air.
She even looked at the nearby window with a sudden urge to climb out.
But the bedroom was on the second floor. Even if she miraculously didn't get hurt jumping down, how would she get back up?
She couldn't just walk back in through the front door, right? That would be like clearly telling her mom, "I snuck out."
It would only make her mom angrier, and she might even seal the window shut.
'Ugh… I really can't do anything...', At this thought, the once bright and lively girl, like a small sun full of energy, grew despondent. The light faded from her amber eyes.
Just as Kita was wallowing in self-pity, the bedroom door was suddenly knocked on.
The next moment, her mother's voice, oddly strained, came from outside.
"Ikuyo, there's a friend… here to see you."
———
[Five Minutes Ago]
"The nameplate says Kita… this should be the one," Kaito stopped walking, looked at the detached house in front of him, released his spiritual sense, and instantly sensed a familiar presence on the second floor.
'…Kita? Why is she rolling around?'
'Forget it. Don't stare at things you shouldn't.'
Kaito withdrew his spiritual sense and rang the doorbell.
Ding~Dong~
Soft footsteps came from the living room to the entrance, then to the door.
["This is the Kita residence. May I ask who you are?"]
The door didn't open immediately. A cold female voice sounded from behind it.
Japan's public safety was only so-so. It was a country where even yakuza existed openly. It made sense to be cautious.
"I'm a friend of Kita's from school. I heard she was sick, so I came to visit," Kaito bowed slightly, "Sorry for coming uninvited."
"A friend?", Kita's mother, Kita Kuruyo, sounded a little confused. Her daughter didn't have many friends, so someone visiting wasn't exactly normal.
Her tone softened slightly, but she still had no intention of opening the door, "Ikuyo's not feeling well. I can take care of her myself, no need to—trou—trou…"
Her voice suddenly stopped.
Through the peephole, she happened to meet the eyes of the beautiful boy outside, who looked up just then.
Dazed, as if she were in a dream.
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