It's common for people to want to have lunch with friends or even a romantic partner.
So, after walking around the school, Shin and Megumi Kato quickly noticed that any place that was even remotely quiet already had people sitting there.
"How about we check the rooftop?"
Seeing that places like the courtyard were occupied, Shin thought for a moment and suggested the rooftop.
After all, in various manga, it seems like the trope of eating lunch on the rooftop during break is quite popular.
"But the door to the rooftop is locked…"
Megumi Kato pointed this out with some doubt—many students had wanted to go to the rooftop, but no one ever went there.
The reason is that the door to the rooftop is locked, and only school staff have the key.
"That's not a big problem; I can unlock it."
Shin smiled as he spoke—it's just a lock, after all, not particularly difficult to open.
Now, Shin's stand, Black Bird, has the ability he obtained from Kiryu; that white slime isn't limited to just forming weapons.
By letting the liquid seep into the keyhole and then hardening it, he could create a key that perfectly fits the lock.
Of course, brute-forcing the lock was also an option, but that would turn the rooftop into a one-time deal—there might be new security measures next time.
To ensure access to the rooftop in the future, it was better to use the stand to create a key.
"Shin-chan, you know how to pick locks?"
Megumi looked at Shin in surprise, something she hadn't expected.
Although she had talked with Shin about many things recently, he hadn't mentioned having this kind of skill.
"I guess you could say it's something I learned recently."
Shin replied, then glanced over at Hitori Gotou, who was trying to sneak by them, pretending to be just a passing student.
"Bocchi, why do you look like you're trying to sneak away?"
Hitori Gotou, who was holding her lunchbox and hoping to slip past Shin and Megumi unnoticed, panicked and quickly waved her hands.
Earlier, when Shin and Megumi were discussing where to eat near the courtyard, Hitori Gotou happened to pass by with her lunchbox.
Clearly, Hitori was also looking for a quiet place to eat, but she had run into Shin and Megumi.
She thought she could slip by while they were engrossed in conversation, but Shin noticed her as she walked by and called out to her.
"Shin-chan, who's this?"
Seeing Hitori Gotou freeze up when Shin called her, Megumi looked at him in confusion.
"Hitori Gotou. I think she has some potential."
Shin pulled the tightly-eyed Hitori Gotou over as if he were leading someone to their execution and patted her on the head.
Hitori became even more anxious at this, with visions of the "Guitar Hero vs. Yakuza" mini-drama playing in her head once again.
Megumi looked a bit puzzled but soon glanced at Hitori with a subtle expression.
"When did you meet Shin-chan, Hitori?"
"Just… this past weekend."
Hitori Gotou replied nervously, then abruptly bowed, perhaps imitating a yakuza underling.
"Hello, Boss' Wife! I'm Hitori Gotou, but just call me Bocchi!"
"She's just quirky , don't mind it."
Seeing Megumi blushing at the title, Shin chuckled helplessly.
Apparently, this morning's attempt to get her to socialize with her classmates hadn't made much of a difference; her social anxiety was as strong as ever.
He didn't expect a single morning to change things anyway. Google seaʀᴄh 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩
Interestingly, Hitori wasn't ignoring Megumi but seemed aware of her presence.
Maybe it was because Hitori herself has a weak sense of presence?
But unlike Megumi, whose presence was naturally low, Hitori's was a result of her social anxiety and deliberate behavior to avoid attention.
If she adjusted her behavior, she could still draw people's attention.
Megumi, on the other hand, seemed unlikely to change.
Initially, Megumi felt a little tense when Shin suddenly called over a girl, but when Hitori called her "Boss' Wife," she found Hitori quite likable.
Megumi wasn't a bad person; she just felt some instinctive competitiveness earlier. Now, she let go of her hostility.
"Hitori, would you like to join us for lunch?"
As for Hitori's earlier "Just call me Bocchi," Megumi chose to ignore it.
Who would go by "Bocchi," anyway? Isn't that a dog's name? Surely that nickname wasn't given to her as a form of bullying?
She didn't realize Shin had just called Hitori "Bocchi."
Hitori blinked in surprise at Megumi's invitation.
A person with high emotional intelligence would probably realize that they'd be interrupting Shin and Megumi's alone time and politely decline.
High EQ: "No thanks, I won't intrude on your alone time. I've got something else to do."
Hitori Gotou: "Ah… okay."
As a socially anxious person, Hitori had no idea how to refuse someone, so she simply accepted.
Just like how she was dragged into the band by Nijika Ijichi.
Placing his hand over the lock, Shin used his stand's black liquid to seep into the lock and harden into a key inside.
Then, with a twist, the door clicked open effortlessly.
"Wow, how did you do that?"
Megumi expressed her surprise, though her expression barely changed.
Meanwhile, Hitori curiously eyed Shin's hand—she felt like something strange had just appeared on his fingers.
And it seemed like he'd used it to open the lock.
"Probably just my imagination…"
Hitori brushed it off as a trick of her mind.
As a socially anxious person, she was used to her own weird thoughts.
Hoi Ningen, FBI is after you after going through your search history. Hand over your Power Stones to me so I can bribe them for you winks.
Btw from tomorrow onwards, one chapter will updated on a daily basis with 2-2 chapters on weekends occasionally.
Advance 50 chapters are up on my .
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus