In the end, Yan Xi still couldn't figure out what the purpose of Sasaki Ai's actions was.
Although he could easily pry open Sasaki Ai's mouth using Heaven's Door.
But he had already switched to Star Platinum when submitting his homework this morning. He would have to wait for 24 hours for Heaven's Door's ability to cool down before he could use it again.
Well, that's what we call being meticulous.
In most cases, Yan Xi was still willing to respect the privacy of others, as long as it didn't conflict with his own interests.
Like when he wrote Heaven's Door commands on most of his classmates, he didn't have the morbid curiosity to look at their embarrassing XP.
Before separating from Sasaki Ai, the girl's words sounded like a confession, and Yan Xi's response was a vague "I guess so."
Sasaki Ai rarely did unnecessary things, her actions were most likely orders from Shijo Kaguya.
So, was the one interested in him the 'Kaguyahime'?
Shijo Kaguya was indeed one of the few people he hadn't used Heaven's Door on.
This young lady always had a cold and distant demeanor, keeping people at arm's length, but she didn't treat Yan Xi differently, just like any ordinary classmate.
Tsk, look at this grand scheme, no wonder she's the protagonist.
Yan Xi walked towards home, pondering.
Then he ran into a certain pink-haired girl downstairs at his apartment building.
Goto Ichiori was hiding in the shadows, seeming to be debating whether or not to enter the broadcasting room.
"Yo."
"Boo!"
Yan Xi patted Goto Ichiori on the back, and the girl immediately let out a scream like a prairie dog, her face turning pale as she fell to the ground.
Yan Xi was shocked, he had been extorted by the Mango Mask!
"Hey, are you alright, hey, Pochi-chan~," Yan Xi pushed on Pochi-chan, placing his finger under her nose… thankfully, she was breathing.
"If you don't get up, I'm going to give you CPR," Yan Xi said.
You're not even trying to save her? You're just trying to get close to her! It's too obvious!
"No no no, don't, I'm awake!"
Goto Ichiori sat up with a sudden jolt, a medical miracle.
"If you're awake, why didn't you say so? You made me excited for nothing," Yan Xi said frankly.
"...Sorry."
Although she didn't know what she was apologizing for, Goto Ichiori still apologized.
As for "excited for nothing"... It's better to pretend you didn't hear it?
"Can you get up?" Yan Xi extended his hand towards Goto Ichiori, wanting to help her up.
"I I I I..."
Goto Ichiori stuttered, her expression flustered.
Holding hands... this counts as intimate contact with the opposite sex, right?
Even if it's just someone being kind enough to hold her hand, it's still contact with the opposite sex!
Goto Ichiori, with her social anxiety, felt like a slipper animal living in the sewer.
She had fantasized about having a good relationship with the opposite sex, of course, but that was just fantasy!
She would never dare to do it in real life!
Especially someone like Yan Xi, who looks like a real popular guy, the glow around him would blind her!
She could only sneakily think about it at night under her covers!
"Did you hurt anything else?" Yan Xi asked.
"N-No!" Goto Ichiori lowered her head, secretly pleased… a handsome boy was concerned about her.
Since it was a kind gesture, it wouldn't hurt to hold his hand for a bit.
After all, this might be the closest she's ever been to a boy in her life!
"Th-Thank you..."
Goto Ichiori took Yan Xi's hand.
Ah, so this is what a boy's hand feels like, this is the first time I've held hands so formally... Can I smell it?
No, I'll be labeled a creep!
Goto Ichiori had been teased by Yan Xi before, but it was nothing compared to this! She didn't care about it.
Yan Xi and Pochi-chan were quite in sync at this moment.
Probably because Pochi-chan thought she was taking advantage, and Yan Xi had similar thoughts.
Even though Goto Ichiori was top-notch in terms of both appearance and figure, her social anxiety made her even more beloved by a scheming guy like Yan Xi, but she was too insecure.
But this was the Pochi-chan he knew.
Yan Xi thought, being with Pochi-chan would be fun, doing some embarrassing play paid content, or something.
"Pochi-chan, you... have calluses on your hands," Yan Xi said suddenly.
"S-Sorry!"
They were still holding hands, and Goto Ichiori thought Yan Xi was uncomfortable, so she quickly apologized.
"It's not something to apologize for," Yan Xi said. "I just wanted to say, practicing must be very tiring."
"Don't worry, the calluses on your hands are a testament to your hard work and sweat."
Yan Xi really just wanted to compliment Pochi-chan, because she was so insecure, he wanted to help her gain some confidence.
However, Goto Ichiori heard it differently.
"Sweat? Did he smell my body odor? OMG!"
One Goto Ichiori lost her dream, turning completely gray.
To be smelled by a good-looking person with body odor… she wanted to die.
"...Are you okay?"
Goto Ichiori's behavior confused Yan Xi, social anxiety was hard to understand.
The first day without Heaven's Door, miss it so much!
If Heaven's Door was there, why bother guessing what others were thinking, just read their minds directly!
When will he get a bug arrow to upgrade his Stand, so he can have multiple Stands online at the same time!
Goto Ichiori broke free from Yan Xi's grasp and shook her head frantically.
Yan Xi was puzzled and couldn't understand.
"Forget it, that's not important." Yan Xi shook his head and said to Goto Ichiori, "There's something I want to tell you."
Goto Ichiori clutched her shoulder bag, lowered her head and replied, "...Yes."
"Pochi-chan, you wouldn't want your friends to know about your Guitar Hero account, would you?"
This line, seemingly etched into the NDA of the Japanese people, immediately made Pochi-chan feel something.
"W-Why do you know?" Goto Ichiori said in shock.
"I just happened to find out," Yan Xi shrugged.
Guitar Hero was Goto Ichiori's social media account name, with a mere 30,000 followers.
Don't underestimate these 30,000 fans.
Considering the number of Japanese internet users, 30,000 fans was quite impressive.
And Guitar Hero was quite famous in itself, people like Ijichi Honoka and Yamada Ryo knew about it, and they even thought she played very well.
Guitar Hero was something that Goto Ichiori was proud of, if her friends found out, she would be ecstatic for a whole day.
...Until Ijichi Honoka said that.
"The name Guitar Hero is a bit old-fashioned, it's like an old man."
After that, Goto Ichiori was deeply affected, thinking that Guitar Hero was an embarrassing name, and kept it a secret from her bandmates.
…………
PS: Today's first chapter.