As the sun reached its peak in the sky, the Class A-led group headed toward the cafeteria. It was the first chance to mingle with others since arriving that morning—the first true social encounter after stepping off the bus.
"Let's go."
The voice came from Sena, one of the more composed members of Class A. Her tone was flat, cold. It was as if Hikigaya didn't exist at all.
No one made eye contact with him. No one addressed him. They'd chosen to pretend he wasn't there.
Let him act out, they seemed to think. They'd just work harder and succeed without him.
As they walked away, Hikigaya watched them, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small smirk. He had already managed to become the class outcast—and it was only the first day. Impressive.
Honestly, how many people could claim such an achievement?
But when he turned his gaze to the cafeteria, his smirk faded. The room was overcrowded. Students from all grades were packed in tightly, shoulder to shoulder. There was no quiet corner, no peaceful table for a loner to hide behind.
This wasn't a normal school lunch. It was still an exam. And that meant there was no avoiding people forever.
Across the room, he spotted Ichinose, Kanzaki, Kobashi Yume, and several other Class B students gathered together. They were chatting, smiling—even enjoying themselves a bit.
Hikigaya sighed and gave up the idea of waiting for the cafeteria to clear out. He found a half-empty table and sat down. The students next to him glanced briefly in his direction but quickly looked away. He was a stranger to them—and strangers were invisible.
---
On the other side of the room…
"Hey, Ichinose."
Kanzaki's voice drew her attention. He motioned with his chin toward the corner.
Ichinose followed his gaze—and saw Hikigaya sitting alone, silently eating his lunch among strangers. The scene made her pause.
"Eh? Why's he sitting by himself?" she asked softly.
"I'm not entirely sure," Kanzaki said, frowning. "He's in a group with fourteen Class A students. They promised earlier they'd be tolerant, as long as he didn't intentionally sabotage anything. I really didn't expect them to isolate him like this."
"Maybe… he chose to sit alone?" Ichinose offered, though she didn't sound convinced.
That was a possibility. Hikigaya had always been distant, even within their own class.
Still, watching him eat like that—alone and silent in a crowd—it felt wrong.
"I'll go talk to him," Ichinose said suddenly and stood up. Kanzaki rose too, following her lead. They made their way across the noisy cafeteria and stopped beside Hikigaya's seat.
"Hikigaya."
He looked up, startled.
Ichinose and Kanzaki stood before him.
"…Is something wrong?" he asked, blinking.
"No," Ichinose said quickly. Her expression was full of concern. "I just saw you sitting apart from your group. You weren't… kicked out or anything, right?"
That kind of isolation during an exam could ruin someone.
"Oh, that?" Hikigaya shrugged. "Nope. I'm the one who pushed them away, not the other way around. Class A has been great. Really."
He even raised a hand, signaling there was no issue at all.
Kanzaki's frown deepened, but he nodded. "If anything happens—anything—you come find me, understood?"
"That's right," Ichinose chimed in. "Even if you're alone, you're not really alone. You've still got us."
For a moment, Hikigaya didn't know how to respond. He shifted uncomfortably and raised both hands. "Well, thanks. But I'm fine. I'll be safe during this exam, I promise."
"Alright," Ichinose smiled gently. "We'll be nearby. And you can always chat with Menlai and the others in the cafeteria."
As they walked away, Hikigaya watched their backs in silence.
Ichinose still radiated her usual energy, but something about her looked tired. Her shoulders drooped slightly, and her smile didn't seem as bright.
Maybe she was starting to realize it too.
That girls had it even harder in this competition. Even though Ichinose cared deeply about others, she couldn't fix everything.
But she'd still try anyway.
That was just who she was.
---
That night, in the boys' dormitory…
The forest outside was quiet. Inside, it was even quieter. The lights had been switched off early, and all the Class A students were already in bed.
It was only ten o'clock, but they followed a strict routine. Discipline was part of Class A's strength.
At the window, Hikigaya stood with his back to the others. He stared up at the moonlight, the cool breeze brushing against his skin.
And then, without warning, he began to sing.
> "If I fly high… I said I will never come back."
> "The goal is that, blue… blue… future…"
> "Before I remember the sadness, I began to understand the pain…"
> "Turn into a thousand words… wake from this unknown world!"
Hikigaya's voice echoed through the dorm, completely disrupting the peace.
He didn't care how soundproof the building was. He didn't care who heard him.
He just sang. Loudly. On purpose.
From the shadows, an angry voice exploded.
"Are you serious right now?!"
The short-haired boy with glasses bolted upright. "Hikigaya, you looking to die or what?!"
"No, no," Hikigaya replied, scratching his head sheepishly. "Someone told me recently that my voice had potential. Said if I practiced, I could be good. So I'm just trying it out."
"Do you know what time it is?!" Sena groaned from her bunk.
"If you want to practice, do it in the daytime! We're trying to sleep!" another student barked.
Then came the deep, commanding voice of Katsuragi.
He flipped on the light and stepped toward Hikigaya in his slippers.
"Hikigaya," he said sternly, "it's one thing if you refuse to participate in the exam. But if you start interfering with our rest, you'll be responsible for dragging the group to the bottom. And if that happens…"
His voice dropped.
"I will personally make sure you're expelled alongside me."
Katsuragi's threat was no joke. He was the one person in Class A who would follow through.
"And don't think the school will buy some excuse about 'vocal training.' They'll see right through it."
The dorm erupted in murmurs. Everyone realized Hikigaya wasn't just lazy—he was actively sabotaging them.
Their physical condition depended on good sleep. And exams held in the forest weren't exactly easy on the body. If they couldn't rest properly, their performance would suffer.
And that could be fatal.
"Damn it…" the glasses boy growled, throwing off his blanket and jumping out of bed. "This guy needs a real wake-up call!"
He was ready to attack.
A few other students moved quickly to hold him back.
"Don't do it," one whispered. "He's baiting you. He wants you to hit him so he can report it."
Hikigaya watched them with amusement. "What's the big deal? If Class A lands in last place, you lose 170 points. Class B only loses 105. Seems like a fair trade to me."
Even Katsuragi was momentarily speechless.
"And if Class B wins elsewhere," Hikigaya continued, "we might just get promoted to Class A."
Katsuragi narrowed his eyes. "You'll be expelled. You know that, right? Ichinose… she won't forgive you."
Hikigaya shrugged. "She probably won't. But it's my choice. It has nothing to do with her."
Katsuragi stared at him. Then, slowly, he nodded. "I see. So this is how you really feel."
Ever since that day they'd gone shopping for gifts for their sisters, Katsuragi had sensed a strange familiarity in Hikigaya.
Now he understood.
They were the same.
The kind of people willing to sacrifice themselves for their class—even if no one asked them to.
The room fell into uneasy silence. Class A's members looked at Hikigaya with a mix of hatred and fear.
Until now, they thought he was just bluffing. Just trying to stir up trouble.
But now they knew.
Hikigaya really wasn't afraid of being expelled.
To him, it didn't matter if he was a student or a social dropout. He'd just find another school. Or another job. Or go home to see Komachi.
What was there to fear?
"What now?" the glasses boy asked, still seething. "He's disgusting. Should we just hit him anyway?!"
Everyone stared at Hikigaya.
They wanted to punch him. Desperately.
But they didn't dare.
Because if they did, he might really report it.
And if that happened, they wouldn't just lose this exam. They'd fall behind every other class.
He looked like trash. But he was a spiky, dangerous kind of trash.
Still, they had to face the truth.
No matter how hard Horikita Manabu or the others worked… if they couldn't rest, they couldn't perform.
Their big group might very well end up in last place.
Sakayanagi's carefully crafted plan would collapse.
Class A's dominance would crumble.
All because of one shameless, unpredictable loner from Class B.
And the worst part?
They couldn't do a damn thing about it.
--
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