The door swung open. "Bocchi-chan! We’re here!" Kita’s aura was so bright it physically pained Hitori’s eyes.

For the first time, the "Home of the Bocchi" didn't feel like a fortress meant to keep the world out. It felt like a place where the world—or at least the three most important parts of it—finally belonged.

Hitori Gotoh sat in the corner of her room, her face pressed against the floorboards as she contemplated the impending doom. In thirty minutes, the Kessoku Band—Nijika, Ryo, and Kita—would be arriving at her house for their first official meeting to design band T-shirts. To anyone else, this was a fun afternoon. To Hitori, it was a tactical siege on her sanctuary.

The afternoon was a whirlwind of glitter, markers, and Hitori’s internal screaming. While Kita and Nijika debated fonts and logos, Hitori found herself tasked with drawing a mascot. She poured her entire soul—and her deep-seated anxieties—into the paper. When she showed them the result, a jagged, melting creature that looked like it was crying static, the room went silent. "It’s... unique," Nijika said, trying to be supportive. "It looks like a curse," Ryo added, clearly pleased.