A charming face appeared before Hikigaya’s eyes.
With snow-white skin and a bright, radiant smile, Honami Ichinose had a presence that could make anyone feel at ease. It was the kind of smile that ward the heart, the kind that made people believe she could shield them from anything.
Standing around her were several familiar faces—Rina Haruki, Yuki Hino, Kanzaki, and Shibata. Behind them stood a group of unfamiliar girls, all gathered as if forming an entourage.
As expected of Ichinose. To command such attention on the very first day of school—it was impressive.
Hikigaya blinked, slightly confused. What’s going on?
"Are you okay, Hikigaya-san?" Ichinose asked in a concerned tone. "I saw you dozing off in class."
Hikigaya rubbed his sleepy eyes and replied, "Yeah, I just didn’t sleep well last night."
Wait... so they weren’t planning to gang up on ? That’s a relief.
"Hikigaya-san is like this too, huh?" Shibata grinned. "I barely got any sleep last night. It was my first ti living alone, and I got a little excited. But man, I didn’t expect our rooms to be so luxurious! This school is incredible."
"Right?!" Rina Haruki chid in excitedly. "And the food at Parlet Café is amazing! Plus, we get so many points to spend—it feels great!"
No, no, no. Why are you guys casually chatting in front of like we’re friends?
Kanzaki, ever the responsible one, crossed his arms and said, "Having this many points right from the start can be dangerous. If we’re not careful, we might develop bad spending habits. It’s best to be a little more cautious."
"I know," Rina Haruki said, her excitent quickly dying down.
Ichinose, noticing Hikigaya’s awkwardness, changed the subject.
"Actually, Hikigaya-san, since you left early yesterday, you might have missed our discussion. We were talking about how the monthly points seem to be linked to our behavior and academic performance."
"In other words, if we want to keep earning points, we should act like proper students and be mindful of our spending."
As expected of Ichinose. They had already figured out how the point system worked.
"That’s right," Shibata added, smiling at Hikigaya. "So if you’re feeling really tired, you should probably ask the teacher for permission and rest in the infirmary."
Wait... so this whole conversation was just to tell to stop dozing off in class?
Hikigaya turned his gaze to Rina Haruki and Yuki Hino.
"I’m really sorry about earlier," Rina Haruki said, blushing slightly as she bowed.
It was obvious she had thrown her eraser on purpose—probably just to create an excuse to poke him. After all, dropping an eraser was a normal thing, and it likely looked more innocent than just poking soone out of nowhere.
"No, it’s fine. Actually... thanks," Hikigaya said with a small nod.
It was reassuring that Rina Haruki wasn’t so sadistic torntor.
"You don’t need to apologize, Rina," Yuki Hino said nonchalantly. "This guy wasn’t planning to pick it up anyway. He even looked at , clearly hoping I would do it."
She knew exactly what was going on but still refused to help.
Damn, she really is ruthless.
Ichinose sighed. "Hikigaya-san probably just looked at you because he thought the eraser was yours, Yuki. It’s not good to assu the worst of people."
"Yeah!" Rina Haruki quickly added, "Besides, Hikigaya-san picked up my eraser more than a dozen tis without complaining. I think that’s pretty amazing."
"Hahaha, it’s not that impressive," Hikigaya said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
If a normal person had to pick up soone else’s eraser that many tis, they’d probably snap.
Yes, yes, I’m a great guy in your eyes. Sure.
Yuki Hino gave an embarrassed smile. "Alright, I’m sorry for misunderstanding, Hikigaya-san."
"It’s fine," he replied indifferently.
Wait a second... why does it feel like Yuki doesn’t fit in with this group?
Before he could dwell on it, Kanzaki reached into his desk and pulled out a bottle of coffee.
"I bought this earlier," Kanzaki said, handing it to Hikigaya. "If you don’t mind, take it. It might help you stay awake until lunchti."
Wait, what?
Why did it feel like the world was suddenly being overly kind to him? Was this so kind of divine retribution for all the suffering he had endured in life?
Was he suddenly... a rich man now?
"Hahaha, thanks, but I’m good," Hikigaya said, waving his hands.
He had slept just fine last night—he was only nodding off because liberal arts class was unbearably boring.
"Alright," Kanzaki nodded. "I’ll keep it for now. If you need it, just let know."
Hey, hey, hey. That’s a little too considerate. What’s with this kindness overload?
"Nah, it’s really fine," Hikigaya said awkwardly.
This was the first ti he had been surrounded by so many people, having what seed like a normal, friendly conversation. It felt... strange.
"By the way," Shibata suddenly spoke up, "there’s a club information session after school. Hikigaya-san, want to go together?"
"Hahaha, nah, I—" Hikigaya started to refuse, but Kanzaki cut in.
"You’re coming."
"Huh?"
That wasn’t a question. That was a statent.
"Yeah," Ichinose nodded with a smile. "Shibata-san visited the football club yesterday to ask about joining. Usually, the club orientation is hosted by the student council on the second day of school at five in the afternoon."
"So we decided this morning that we’d all go together, right?"
Hey, hey, hey. You guys actually went around gathering club info in advance?
Shibata scratched his head. "Well, I was just interested in joining the football club."
"Yeah, Hikigaya-san, co with us after school!"
"By the way, is there any club you’re interested in?"
"You weren’t here when we talked about it yesterday, so let’s go over it again!"
"Let’s just book a private karaoke room in advance! Hikigaya-san, do you have any food restrictions?"
Ichinose’s casual question sohow led to a chaotic flurry of voices as the entire group began discussing plans around him.
"Uh, no, that’s really not necessary," Hikigaya said, forcing a smile. "I have sothing to do later, so I can only attend the club orientation."
"Aww, that’s a sha," Ichinose said, looking genuinely disappointed.
"Maybe next ti!" Hikigaya replied awkwardly.
It wasn’t like he wanted to attend the session, but he had read in the school guidebook that the student council handled most school affairs. It might be useful to observe.
As for karaoke? Yeah, he’d rather pass.
Besides, their excitent felt way too artificial.
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