Unlikely Duet

Chapter 15.5: New Horizons

The Unlikely Duet

Foreword: So about that hiatus...Hello internet, Mayflower Productions here, back with more Unlikely Duet. With this chapter, we are well and truly done with middle school. I've been experimenting with my writing style lately, saying more with less. Thoughts about a new story cover? I've been thinking about updating it for Part 2. In any case, introducing our next contestant! Enter, Unlikely Duet Chapter 15.5: New Horizons!

General Information: Unlikely Duet- line break, "It's a thankless job."- Dialogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Bocchi the Rock, Oregairu, or any other intellectual properties that may appear in this story. Please don't sue me.

Chapter 15.5: New Horizons

[Hitori POV]

"So I was at the arcade the other day—"

"..." I couldn't believe it.

"There was this long line outside the Heroic Guitarist cabinet—"

"..." It was over.

"I tried your technique, but the game's pretty complicated—"

"..." I tried everything: following him around, acting coy, a last-minute pivot to Soubu, but it wasn't enough. I never stood a chance.

"—Hitori-nee-san."

"..." I couldn't say a thing as he left. The words died in my throat. I reached out. His back got smaller with every step.

"Hitori-nee-san?"

"..." The Unlikely Duet slipped between my fingers.

"Hitori-nee-san!" He liked—

The idea of me. Not the real thing.

"Huh?" I jolted awake as someone squeezed my shoulder. What was going on again?

"Hitori-nee-san, are you okay?" Right, Komachi. It was Spring Break. She had come over today. How could I forget? This wasn't the first time she's done this. If not her, then it's Kaori-san or Ebina-san. People were always here.

"Yeah... Heroic Guitarist's tricky..." I softly smiled, retracing her previous words.

"You're not okay."

"W-what? N-no way," I denied.

"Oh, yeah? Then where's your tracksuit?" She pointed at me. I was wearing my middle school uniform, despite having graduated. I understood Komachi's confusion. I usually wore my pink tracksuit at home; we were synonymous, one never complete without the other. It had become something of a habit for me.

"It's in the wash." I lied.

I hadn't worn the tracksuit since graduation. I couldn't bring myself. Just looking at it made me feel—sad. It wasn't for me anymore. It belonged to the girl who still had a duet.

These days, I only put on the tracksuit when working on guitarhero. It suited her, Ohtube's mysterious rocker. Alone in my room with my guitar, it's like a switch flips once I grab a pick. I was...happy.

The channel's doing better than ever. The songs are slightly darker, but that's fine. I've been super motivated too, working on this one song: Guitar, Loneliness—I still haven't figured out the title.

With my tracksuit ruled out, I had limited options. My mother bought me outfits, but they weren't great. I couldn't get my new uniform dirty before the first day. And I wasn't ready to go clothes shopping yet. That left old reliable as the winner. There's no choice, like no choice, after all!... T-that sounds like something he'd say.