Chapter 3 – A Strange School
Aniverse
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression grew sharp, her disapproval plain to see.
Such self-destructive behavior—hurting himself for the sake of others—was something she could never condone.
Yes, he had helped many people in the past through that method, but at the cost of his own well-being. Yukino knew this better than anyone.
Hachiman, of course, didn't respond. To him, it was the most efficient, practical approach.
He could never sit idly by when something unfolded around him. Unlike Hayama Hayato, he lacked the charisma to redirect situations with ease. His only weapon was his own stubborn, twisted way of intervening—now being judged and denied by others.
Sure enough… he hadn't changed at all.
---
Video Projection
The bus gradually slowed to a halt. The students, all dressed in the same uniform, whispered among themselves. A few cast Hachiman looks of disdain as they filed off.
Keeping his distance, Hachiman followed the crowd until they stopped at the gates of Tokyo Koukou Ikusei High School.
Just as he prepared to enter, the black-haired girl who had sat beside him on the bus stopped and turned toward him.
Her sharp gaze reminded him immediately of another proud girl he knew all too well.
Though… compared to Yukinoshita, this one carried a slightly different air.
Horikita Suzune narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not interested in you. Your little provocation back on the bus didn't work, and it only dragged you into trouble. Idiot."
Hachiman smirked faintly.
"Sharp tongue, huh? Haven't seen one like that in a while. Let's call you Yukinoshita No. 2."
"Call me whatever you like," Horikita shot back coldly. "Just know I don't give up what's mine."
With that, she turned and strode into the school.
"…A warning before classes even begin," Hachiman muttered. But he didn't take her words to heart. Instead, his eyes drifted to the school gates—so different from Sobu High—before following the rest inside.
---
Aniverse
Horikita Suzune sat frozen in Class D, her mind spinning.
That video clearly showed her speaking with the strange boy. Yet she had no memory of it at all.
This was supposedly at the start of the school year… but such an exchange had never happened.
Her denial did little to calm Class D's growing excitement.
Even if no one knew why this footage suddenly played, many whispered that it might be some new special exam. And after the ordeal on the uninhabited island, something mysterious and unpredictable like this only thrilled them more.
Compared to dull, paper-based tests, this was far more exhilarating.
The classroom buzzed with anticipation. Only one boy, sitting quietly in the corner, remained still.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"If this is all the White Room can throw at me," he thought coldly, "it's laughable."
He understood the true danger: replacing his very existence with this boy's image, erasing him from memory.
But simply saying it didn't make it so.
Glancing briefly at Horikita, Ayanokouji recalled their first meeting. In this strange shifting of events, it was only a matter of time before her seat—and her attention—shifted to the boy now on screen.
When that happened, the classroom would explode with suspicion.
Until then, he would remain still, unchanged.
---
Video Projection
After confirming his placement, Hachiman followed the signs to Class D.
Four classes total—A through D. And if his instincts were right, D was the bottom of the barrel.
"Figures," he thought. "I've never accomplished much. Never contributed anything to society. My best subject is classical literature… and the only 'achievement' I can recall is rescuing Yuigahama's dog in middle school. Ended up hospitalized for days after that."
No wonder he was dumped in Class D.
But it hardly mattered. A, B, C, or D—if he could scrape by in peace for three years, that was good enough.
The school itself was… unusual. Once admitted, students were apparently not permitted to leave for three years. Yet the campus was fully self-contained, with dorms, gyms, cafes, cinemas, karaoke, shopping centers—practically a miniature city.
For Hachiman, who had no intention of "living it up," all of that was wasted space. His holidays would be spent in his dorm room.
At least the dorms were single rooms. That, he admitted, was genius.
But calling this place a school was misleading—it was more like a commercial complex disguised as education.
As he walked toward Class D, he did some quick mental math. Around 25 students per class, only three grades, 12 classes total. Roughly 300 students in all. Which meant most of the people wandering the campus weren't students, but shopkeepers.
No wonder there were cameras everywhere. With outsiders moving freely on campus, surveillance was the only way to keep order.
To Hachiman, though, cameras were fine. If anything, they'd protect his personal safety.
"All I want is three quiet years," he muttered. "If this is the price… I'll play along."