Virtual Dreams • Bocchi the Rock!

Chapter 1 - Christmas Eve

It was Christmas Eve. Bocchi sat on the living room couch, staring at the large wrapped box under the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Her parents had bought her a present she'd been wanting for months: a virtual reality headset.

The clock on the wall had just completed another turn, it was 7:00 PM. There's no way in the world Bocchi would wait until the next morning to unwrap that gift. She stood up and walked closer to the pile of gifts, she ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the wrapped box, Bocchi couldn't help feeling a little anxious. She'd never used a VR headset before, and she wasn't sure what to expect. But she knew this was going to be a big deal.

Suddenly, the sound of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts. Bocchi's heart skipped a beat as she realized who it might be.

"Kita's here!" Bocchi's mother called from the kitchen.
Bocchi took a deep breath, feeling her heart race with excitement and nervousness all at once, as she stood up and smoothed down her skirt. Kita was no ordinary friend; she was someone who had managed to break through the walls of her social anxiety and become a cherished and trusted companion. Not only that, but she felt something different when Kita was around, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but it was definitely there, and nobody else would make her heart race and her palms sweat like that as she did. Bocchi wanted to make sure that their first Christmas together would be unforgettable, a moment that they would both look back on with fondness and warmth.

As she walked towards the front door, Bocchi could already hear Kita humming one of their songs in the hallway. With a mix of nervousness and excitement, Bocchi slowly opened the door to find Kita standing before her, a bright and welcoming smile lighting up her face.

"Merry Christmas, Bocchi!" Kita exclaimed, holding out a beautiful pink box with a lace on the top.

Bocchi's face lit up at the sight of her friend. Kita was always so full of energy and enthusiasm, it was hard not to be happy around her.

"Merry Christmas, Kita!" Bocchi replied, taking the present and giving Kita a shy hug.

The two girls made their way back to the living room, while Bocchi's parents were busy preparing the food in the kitchen. As they sat down on the couch together, Bocchi eagerly took the present Kita's given her and began to delicately remove the bow and ribbon, not wanting to damage the cute packaging that her friend had put so much effort into, her eyes sparkling with excitement, she was really anxious to find out what Kita had brought her.

The box was pink as Bocchi's hair, with shiny silver stars everywhere. As she lifted the lid, she gasped in surprise and delight. The box was filled with dozens of guitar picks, in all different colors, thicknesses and designs, and below them, a black, super cool t-shirt with the words “Guitar Hero” emblazoned across the front, in a cute, stylish font. Of course, a reference to her YouTube channel.

"Oh, Kita! This is amazing!" Bocchi exclaimed, a huge smile spreading across her face. "How did you know I needed more picks? And this shirt is perfect! I can't believe you managed to make this!"

Kita beamed at her. "I remember you mentioning that you were running low on picks the other day, and I figured you could always use another guitar shirt!" she said. "I'm glad you like it!"

Bocchi hugged Kita tightly, overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you so much, Kita!" she said. "This is the best Christmas gift ever!"

Bocchi couldn't contain her excitement any longer, she jumped out of the couch and said: "I just have to try this right now, sit tight, Kita-chan! I'll be right back!" and rushed to the bathroom to change into her new t-shirt.

Bocchi took off her usual pink track jacket, and then the white t-shirt she was wearing beneath it. She held out her new t-shirt in front of her and took a good look at it before wearing it. She couldn't believe Kita-chan went through all that trouble of making a custom t-shirt just for her, she was beyond grateful and impressed by Kita's amazing taste.