Kessoku Kokoro | A Bocchi the Rock Fanfic

Chapter 32: The Squirrel, The Dog and the Bird

Author: Wow, you guys are smart. You guys managed to find out what Tokumei's real name is.

Author: Have a chapter as a reward.

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"Bro... You okay? You haven't done this for like... months now," PA-san dragged her brother outside of the spider infested underside of his bed. The spiders moved around him gently, almost as if they were comforting him in a way. Not long afterwards, they returned to collect bugs that might prove a nuisance.  

"Hitori barfed after getting close to me-" He looked at her with pitch black eyes that no longer had a soul. If only they could be seen, since he wore a paper bag on his face. 

'DON'T LAUGH, DON'T LAUGH, DON'T LAUGH. YOU'RE HIS BIG SISTER DAMN IT-' PA-san tried her best to not laugh at her brother's misery. He doesn't need that right now. She kept it in her lungs and breathed out the desire to laugh. 

She smiles with pity and pats his head, "I... am so sorry for you. You gonna take that paper bag off your face?"

"No. I should've done this a long time ago," He retreated back into the darkness where the spiders greeted him once more. 

"You mind giving context so I can give some sisterly advice?" She laid down on the floor.

"I guess..." He began to narrate the events that occurred earlier that day.

-

He laid down on his bed. It was a weekend. Nothing to do. No work to be done. He wasn't in the mood. He lied on his back, mindlessly scrolling in his phone. He's seen this all before. He hoped that maybe taking a break from social media would perhaps reignite that spark within him again. That desire to just let the content that's just been published build up so he can reap the rewards of his patience.

Alas.

Nothing new. 

Nothing interesting.

Or maybe he was just outgrowing his social media phase?

His ringtone rang. The phone vibrated as his startled hands let go. Only to smack screen first right in his face. He picked up the phone once more and saw that it was Hitori calling him. Odd. She never calls him. She rarely texts him. He should be excited but...

What if this is an emergency?

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" He asks after he answers the call. 

"KITA'S COMING OVER TO MY HOUSE-" Hitori's panicked voice overpowered his. 

"...And that's a bad thing because...?" He calmed down a bit. Only to be immediately confused.

"Her extrovert energy isn't something I can tolerate for an entire day!" Her voice faded out and then went back to booming. He decides it's better off to leave it on speaker rather than put it straight on his earphones. 

He smiles a bit. She's such a dork. He really wasn't feeling like it today. Having to hang out with Hitori takes a lot out of him more than the others. For Ryo, what keeps him going is his anger. Nijika, his vulnerability. Ikuyo, his curiosity or sadism. Maybe it was sadism for all of them. 

He realizes that he's probably screwed up in the head. 

Ignoring that. He decides to leave her to her own devices. Hitori's strong. She can handle social interaction better compared to her past self. If he could do it, then so can she. He gives her his answer, "...Then you better start building resistance. Ikuyo's pretty great. You can hang out with her without dissolving into dust."

"Your confidence in me is very misplaced."

It was deadpan. Depressing even. He can't even comfort her properly.