Chapter 202 — Eh? Kita and the others like Aoki-senpai?

The voice wasn’t exactly familiar, but Aoki could still guess who it belonged to just by the tone.
He lifted his head and followed the sound.

As expected—it was Bocchi-chan’s mother.

Gotou Michiyo.

Aoki remembered her.

They’d met once a few months ago. Back then… well, because of Bocchi-chan, she had probably gotten the wrong idea about him.

He wondered if Bocchi-chan ever explained things to her afterward…

But knowing Bocchi-chan’s gloomy personality, it was safe to assume she hadn’t.

Which meant… was her mother about to misunderstand him again?

Recalling the last time he had to face Bocchi-chan alone, Kei felt a small wave of unease rise inside him.

But he quickly pushed it down.

Looking up at the woman who had spoken, he greeted her politely.

“Ah—Gotou-san, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Ichiri-chan.”

It was just Gotou Michiyo and Bocchi-chan who had walked in.

Kei kept things simple with his greeting.

Calling her “Bocchi-chan” in front of her mother seemed inappropriate, so to make the distinction clearer, he went with her full name instead.

She probably wouldn’t mind… right?

Gotou Hitori froze.

It was the weekend.

Her younger sister didn’t want to go out, her father was still asleep, and her mother didn’t feel like cooking—so her mom decided to take her out for lunch.

And who would’ve thought… the moment they walked into a random family restaurant, she spotted Aoki-senpai sitting in the corner, eating with his head lowered.

Hitori had no intention of greeting him.

For someone like her with crippling social anxiety, even if her relationship with Aoki-senpai had improved a lot, walking up to him now… no way.

After what happened last time in a family restaurant, she swore she’d never recklessly approach him again.

But—

But!

Even if she managed to avoid his gaze, her mother obviously hadn’t.

And so—

“Ah, Hitori, isn’t that the senpai from your band?”

Her mother’s voice rang in her ears, and Hitori’s heart immediately turned to ash.

She braced herself for the awkward small talk, the mortifying situation where her parent and her bandmate would interact.

But before she could even react, Aoki-senpai had already responded—
Greeting her mother first.

That was fine.

He even looked at her and her mother—still fine.

But then came his next words—

He looked at her, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and instead of calling her “Bocchi-chan” or “Gotou-san”… he directly called her name.

“Ichiri-chan.”

H-he actually called me Ichiri-chan?!

Hitori’s face immediately burned crimson.

Being called “Bocchi-chan” never bothered her.

It was just a nickname among friends—a sign they were close.

Being called “Gotou-san” was also fine.

It was the most standard, safest way of addressing someone.

But—

But!

Back in middle school, during her most girly, dreamy phase, she used to secretly read shoujo manga like Heartbeat 100% Love.

She had abandoned that girlish side of herself quickly, but still… she had at least some idea of the clumsy, fumbling feelings between boys and girls.

And in her impression—using each other’s given names… wasn’t that something only couples did?!

T-this… this is something lovers do, isn’t it?!

Her head started spinning.

No, no, she was probably misunderstanding.

Maybe Aoki-senpai just slipped up and said it without thinking.

Yes, that must be it—she was definitely overthinking.

After all, all her knowledge about romance came from shoujo manga, so obviously—she was mistaken.

But… but what if she wasn’t?

What if her mother misunderstood because of this?!

Ahhh…

Hitori’s cheeks burned even hotter as she spiraled into her own world.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, Aoki frowned slightly.

What was with this kid?

She’d been perfectly fine when he greeted her mother, but the moment he spoke to her directly, she suddenly dropped her head, clammed up, and acted like she was terrified of him.

Usually she was strange, sure, but this was even more extreme than normal.

He just hoped her mother wouldn’t get the wrong idea—like thinking he bullied Bocchi-chan in the band or something absurd like that.

Then again, with how often Bocchi-chan’s behavior was bizarre, her mother was probably used to it by now.

So… it should be fine.

And even if it wasn’t, well—it wasn’t his problem.

Judging from her posture, she was clearly just lost in her own thoughts again, as usual.

No way this reaction was just because he called her “Ichiri-chan,” right?

Either way—

Kei decided not to dwell on Bocchi-chan’s antics any further.

He turned his attention back to Gotou Michiyo.

At that very moment—

Sitting across the table, Gotou Michiyo was quietly studying the boy in front of her.

Truthfully, she didn’t know Aoki all that well, her daughter’s senpai.

But to say she knew nothing about him wouldn’t be accurate either.

As a housewife, Michiyo had plenty of free time at home.

And when she was bored, she sometimes picked up magazines.

Titles like Fudge or Bungeishunjuu—and when nothing else was around, she’d even flip through a copy of Shuukan Bunshun.

And so—

Not long ago, maybe just a month earlier, she happened upon an article about Kessoku Band in Shuukan Bunshun.

It was a long piece. At first, it praised the band’s rising influence and their musical ability.

Michiyo had been pleased when she read that part.

But as she continued… her smile faded.

Because a large portion of the article was dedicated to painting Aoki—the soul of the band—as being suspiciously close with all the girls in it.

The moment she read that, a heavy unease settled in her heart.

Sure… that Aoki boy didn’t look like a bad person.

But what if—what if he really did try something with her daughter?

Michiyo knew her daughter well.

Even if Hitori was gloomy, she was undeniably cute, with a sweet face and a perfect figure.

And, more importantly… she was far too easy to deceive.

If Aoki ever harbored bad intentions…

But then again, Michiyo also understood the nature of Shuukan Bunshun.

As a semi-regular reader, she knew how they exaggerated gossip about celebrities, spinning wild claims.

So it would be cruel to judge Aoki’s entire character based on just that.

Still—

Still!

A mother’s worry could not be brushed aside.

She had the distinct impression that the other girls in the band probably did have feelings for Aoki.

The article had written it with such certainty, without hedging or ambiguity.

Thankfully, it hadn’t mentioned her daughter’s feelings.

Which meant… there was still hope.

Of course, Michiyo could understand why Aoki was attractive.

Even from what her daughter had told her, it was clear enough:

“Kind,” “handsome,” “brilliantly talented,” “patient with others”…

There were even stories like, “he held an umbrella for a stray cat on a rainy day,” “he works at the livehouse for free,” or “he hides his own burdens so the band won’t worry.”

She still vividly remembered one particular moment: when Hitori told her about Aoki concealing his hardships from the others, her daughter’s eyes had brimmed with tears.

That alone showed how deeply the matter had affected her.

Yes, Aoki had plenty of good points—Michiyo wasn’t blind to them.

But—

But as a mother…

None of those virtues mattered more than her daughter’s happiness.

What she truly wanted was for Hitori to find someone steady, someone who could walk with her through life.

Not a boy like this—surrounded by girls, adored by the masses, a walking invitation for heartbreak.

So—

‘Ichiri-chan, even if you’re in the same band, you mustn’t be swayed by this Aoki boy!’

Resolute, Gotou Michiyo gave Kei a polite nod.

Then she turned her eyes to her daughter—

Only to freeze.

Because there Hitori was—her face flushed crimson, eyes downcast, looking painfully shy—just from hearing Aoki greet her by name!

…It’s over.

It’s all over.

Despair welled up in Michiyo’s chest.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, Aoki was completely oblivious to her thoughts.

He glanced between Bocchi-chan, who stood frozen in place, and Gotou Michiyo, standing beside her.

Out of politeness, he hesitated for a moment, then spoke up:

“Um… Gotou-san, Ichiri—would you like to join me? I just ordered, but I can ask them to bring more and we can eat together.”

H-he dropped the “-san” too?!

Hitori’s face grew even redder, her head sinking lower.

Her mind had already taken his casual words and twisted them into a romantic fantasy.

While Bocchi spiraled into delusion, Michiyo’s heart pounded in alarm.

No.

Absolutely not!

A surge of regret washed over her.

Why, back then, when her daughter was still shy and kept her distance from Aoki, had she ever thought it was a good idea to push the two of them closer?

She thought back to that family gathering—when she left Hitori alone with Aoki for an entire afternoon.

That must have been the trigger.

That must have been when her daughter began feeling… strange things toward him.

Foolish!

So foolish—both her and her daughter!

Now the path forward was painfully clear.

Michiyo looked from her blushing daughter to the boy across the table.

Clenching her teeth, steeling her heart, she answered firmly:

“N-no, that won’t be necessary, Aoki-kun. This place’s… ahem, atmosphere—yes, the atmosphere—it doesn’t suit me. Ichiri and I will try somewhere else. You enjoy your meal.”

And though they had been inside for barely five minutes, after only a few words exchanged with Kei.

She grabbed her daughter by the wrist and practically dragged her out of the restaurant—Mango Maltose Family Diner.

Leaving behind a bewildered Aoki.

…That reaction…

So she really had misunderstood, hadn’t she? Probably thought he was bullying Bocchi-chan.

A trace of frustration flickered across his face.

———————————————————————

At the restaurant entrance—

Michiyo stopped, still holding her dazed daughter’s wrist.

Taking a deep breath, she furrowed her brows, deliberately making her expression sterner.

In her heart, she resolved to become the “bad mom” who would shatter her daughter’s fleeting happiness.

“Ichiri-chan! Listen to me carefully. No matter what—absolutely no matter what—you must never pursue that Aoki-senpai!”

“Eh?” Hitori blinked, finally snapping back to reality.

“Think about it! Kita-san, Yamada-san, even Ijichi-san—they’re all after him. In a situation like this, you could never end up happy with him!” Michiyo said, her face deadly serious.

Hitori, who had never read Shuukan Bunshun or kept track of gossip, stared at her mother in shock.

Her blank confusion slowly turned into wide-eyed disbelief.

“Eh?”

“Ehh?”

“Kita… and the others… like Aoki-senpai?”