*step* *step*

As the street echoed with the rhythmic beat of shoes hitting the pavement, a vision in pink—no, scratch that—a pink-haired apparition tiptoed along the asphalt, her guitar case slung over her shoulder like a burdensome backpack, her back arched like a frightened feline, and her gaze glued to her shoes like they held the secrets of the universe.

"Uhm... Where am I?..."

This pink-haired protagonist? None other than Hitori, from Kessoku Band, or as they're affectionately known, the "ziptie band." Her bandmates call her Bocchi-chan, and honestly, who can blame them? You may know her for her cameo appearances on their lead singer's Instagram reels, she's the one who always looks like she's stumbled into a parallel universe.

Lost in the labyrinth of the city streets, Bocchi's confusion grows as she frantically scans her unfamiliar surroundings.

In her mind, chaos reigns supreme. "AHHH! WHY DID I FALL ASLEEP ON THE TRAIN?! Now I'll be late for practice! My phone's dead, I can't read a map to save my life, and I'm... a-alone, in this strange place! What if... what if I accidentally offend someone with my mere presence? What if I disrupt the delicate balance of the societal norms? I'm doomed!"

Bocchi, darling, you're in a city, not a scene from "Survivor: Concrete Jungle Edition." Yet, in Bocchi's mind, she's already been tied to a stake on a campfire.

She lets out a blood-curdling scream.

"AAAAAH! I'M TOO YOUNG TO BE EATEN ALIVE!"

Realizing she's just provided the entire street with a free sideshow, Bocchi clamps her hand over her mouth.

"I-I-I got to go back the train station..."

"..."

"I-I... I... I FORGOT!! WHERE IS IT?! I'm too focused, I just walked without thinking!"

"I'm screwed, It's over!"

She raked her fingers through her pink locks, turning them into a mess. After hours of aimless wandering, she realized she could've been marching in circles for all she knew.

"I-I don't wanna! I don't wanna ask for directions! I'm scared! People scares me!"