That little penguin band-aid made Nagasaki Sumiyo suddenly think of someone.
And that someone, through a chain of associations, reminded her of someone even more important.
Bai Qiu looked at the dazed Nagasaki Sumiyo and thought she was frozen from the pain.
The sound of her fall earlier had been quite loud.
"I'll help you move your things," Bai Qiu said.
He decided to lend a hand—otherwise, he probably wouldn't make it home today anyway.
Hearing his voice snapped Nagasaki Sumiyo out of her thoughts.
Now wasn't the time to be spacing out!
"Ah, no need, really—you don't have to…"
She hurriedly refused and tried to get up on her own.
But the moment she took a step, pain flared in her ankle. Her leg gave out immediately.
She was about to fall again when she shut her eyes in panic.
"Ah!"
"Careful!"
Bai Qiu reacted quickly, reaching out just in time to catch her by the arm.
"See? Let me do it. Besides, we're neighbors now."
He spoke casually.
For Nagasaki Sumiyo, who attended an all-girls school, this was her first time being in such close contact with a boy. Her face instantly turned red.
Bai Qiu didn't think too much about it—though he could feel her soft, cool arm and a faint fragrance drifting through the air.
"T-then… sorry to trouble you," she murmured, her voice full of gratitude.
With her ankle twisted, it was obvious she couldn't move the luggage by herself anymore.
Bai Qiu first helped her sit aside, then began picking up the items scattered across the ground.
Otherwise, she might trip again.
As he moved things, the two naturally started chatting and learning about each other.
Bai Qiu found out that Nagasaki Sumiyo was a first-year high school student at the nearby Tsukinomori Girls' Academy.
He'd heard of that school—it was a famous elite academy.
No wonder she looked so graceful and composed.
Sumiyo, in turn, learned that Bai Qiu, like her, lived alone in the same apartment complex.
She also found out he was from Tianchao—China—which gave her an idea on how to thank him later.
And she noticed he had bought a lot of instant noodles, which probably meant… he wasn't good at cooking.
…
Half an hour later—
After some busy work, and following Sumiyo's instructions, Bai Qiu managed to move all the luggage into the apartment and stack it neatly in the open space inside.
She could sort through it slowly later.
"Phew…"
Bai Qiu exhaled, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
He couldn't help but sigh—girls really did have a lot of stuff.
Unlike him, who could pack everything into a single suitcase.
After finishing, he picked up his bag of instant noodles and prepared to leave.
He was looking forward to a long, hot bath once he got home.
"Thank you so much, Bai Qiu-kun," Sumiyo said sincerely, bowing slightly as she offered him a gift box with both hands.
"Ah, that's really not necessary," Bai Qiu said, embarrassed. "It was just helping you move some luggage."
But Sumiyo insisted. "Please accept it, Bai Qiu-kun. Without you, I wouldn't have known what to do today. Besides, it's a gift from your homeland."
She smiled gently and continued, "Also, in Japan, when someone moves into a new place, it's traditional to give gifts to neighbors. So… please take care of me from now on."
Her tone was soft and polite—she clearly hoped he wouldn't refuse.
Bai Qiu thought for a moment. She did have a point.
And he was curious—what kind of "Tianchao" gift was it?
When he opened the box, he saw Chinese characters printed on it.
Wuyi Mountain Black Tea.
Ah, so it was tea.
And not just any tea—this kind wasn't cheap.
Gulp.
Bai Qiu swallowed unconsciously.
The taste of home… how could he refuse that?
Alright then—he'd gratefully accept.
Come to think of it, that reminded him—he still hadn't given cute Denki-chan a return gift yet!
Seeing him smile as he accepted it, Sumiyo relaxed a little and smiled warmly in return.
It was one of her favorite teas, after all.
…
Bai Qiu returned home.
A hot shower.
Instant noodles.
A pot of tea.
A convenience store bento.
He opened up a video site—
Enjoying his meal while letting short clips play in the background.
But even as he relaxed, his mind began to organize today's "harvest."
[Became Gotou Hitori's first and only friend in sixteen years — Gained 500 Notes.]
[Invited Gotou Hitori to form a band — Gained 450 Notes.]
Bocchi-chan sure is generous!
But wow, Bocchi-chan… you really live such a tragic life.
Even though the rewards were good, Bai Qiu couldn't help but laugh helplessly.
Good thing this was a "music anime world." Everyone here was a good person.
Otherwise, she'd definitely have been bullied at school.
Don't worry, Bocchi-chan—you'll have more friends soon!
[Became Nagasaki Sumiyo's neighbor — Gained 100 Notes.]
Huh?
Bai Qiu blinked. Even helping the new neighbor earned him a reward?
Then again, that made sense. A noble school girl—she probably had some talent in music too.
Good thing he'd helped. Looked like it was worth getting along well in the future.
So now, Bai Qiu had over 6,000 Notes in total.
He looked over the week's System Shop items:
[Bass Lv3:—— Notes][Single-thread Processor:—— Notes][Photographic Memory:6,000 Notes][Absolute Pitch:—— Notes][Drums Lv1:1,000 Notes][Piano Lv2:6,000 Notes]
…
"Oh ho…" Bai Qiu's face broke into a grin.
Some nice stuff this week.
Wait—something's not right.
He frowned.
There it was—Hirasawa Yui's skill, [Absolute Pitch]—why did it get more expensive?!
That's unfair!
Even if it didn't go up in price, he couldn't afford it anyway!
System, what are you so worried about?!
Bai Qiu couldn't help but curse at it.
But the System, as always, stayed silent.
So, it seemed that each time these skills appeared, their Note requirements might change slightly.
Though not by too much.
After hesitating for a moment, Bai Qiu decided to redeem Piano Lv2.
Since he didn't have an electronic keyboard yet, piano skills would do for now.
Close enough.
And with Lv2 piano skills, he'd be good enough for the band's early days anyway.
After all, the only one at professional level right now was Gotou Hitori.
They could improve together.
Hehehe…
Once the band officially started, he'd probably be able to earn Notes much faster.
Still, that [Absolute Pitch] from Hirasawa Yui looked so tempting.
As for [Single-thread Processor]—yeah, no thanks.