Chapter Five: Hikigaya Hachiman Senses Danger
After leaving the gymnasium, Hikigaya Hachiman's class completely dispersed.
In contrast, Classes B and A ahead of them continued walking in formation. However, unlike Class A, several students in Class B began whispering among themselves.
Hikigaya Hachiman, walking unnoticed in the crowd, observed this scene and subconsciously recalled what the student council president had just said in the gym: "Merit-based ranking, A, B, C, D…"
"What?" asked the tall white-haired girl beside him, having heard Hachiman's muttering.
She looked at him in confusion.
"...Nothing. Just talking to myself," he replied.
Noticing that the white-haired girl was trying to strike up a conversation, Hachiman shifted his gaze away awkwardly and subtly quickened his pace to avoid her.
Not good! I'm definitely being targeted!
He didn't know what this white-haired girl was up to, but it was definitely nothing good.
Considering his earlier encounter with Sakayanagi Arisu that morning, Hachiman figured that white-haired girls were probably all weird.
"Ugh…" the white-haired girl murmured curiously, seeing Hachiman's evasive and suspicious demeanor.
She had also caught his earlier mutter, and softly repeated, "Merit-based?"
If Hachiman had turned around and seen her expression just then, he would've thought this girl was truly an enigma.
Because a normal girl wouldn't even bother acknowledging him.
And if she did, it would only be to badmouth him behind his back, probably with a group of "close friends" in class to ruin his reputation.
But Hachiman didn't look back.
Instead, he lowered his head and stared at the patterns in the pavement, deep in thought about this school.
Based on what the student council president had said — "anyone who graduates from here can enter any university in Japan" —
Hachiman felt there was a hidden meaning.
The promise sounded too good to be true. He didn't believe in free lunches.
If there was one, then it probably meant the place it fell into was a massive trap.
Thinking carefully, the key phrase was likely "graduates from here."
Perhaps there would be tests or other methods to constantly filter out students, preventing many from graduating — that explanation made a lot more sense…
Just as he was thinking this—
Hachiman suddenly felt some commotion behind him, and a girl swiftly brushed past his side.
A light, pleasant fragrance followed.
She smells really nice, was Hachiman's first thought.
And based on the short glimpse he had of her face, even just a profile, Hachiman was certain — she was an extraordinarily beautiful girl.
She had long, waist-length black hair, with a butterfly hair ornament and a single long braid on her left side. Her elegant fox-like eyes and overall aura gave her a cool, aloof beauty.
Her legs were slender and proportionate.
The black thigh-high socks she wore exuded both an innocent and seductive charm.
She was from Class D.
Hachiman glanced back and confirmed that the students from Class D had already exited the gymnasium.
Suddenly—
"Tch! Get the hell out of my way!"
Hachiman turned his head again upon hearing a familiar voice.
It was the red-haired boy who had helped him earlier. He roughly shoved aside a classmate who had stopped to ogle the beautiful girl.
"Idiot! Ryuuen, this isn't your old school!" the pushed student shouted.
He had a delinquent look as well, and judging from the familiarity, probably went to the same middle school.
Feeling the stares of those around them, and not wanting to be humiliated on the first day, he turned to confront Ryuuen.
"Pah!" the red-haired Ryuuen spat disdainfully. "Get lost! Or I'll beat your ass!"
The surroundings quickly quieted down.
The bullied delinquent swallowed nervously and, between pride and getting beaten, chose self-preservation…
"That's Ryuen-kun. Full name, Ryuen Kakeru,"
At some point, the white-haired girl appeared next to Hachiman again.
"I don't know him personally, but I've heard his name. He's a well-known delinquent in the Kanto region."
"He enjoys subduing others by force."
"And now he's a student in our class…" she said with concern.
But Hachiman didn't feel any particular aversion toward Ryuen Kakeru. After all, he had helped him on the bus earlier.
What puzzled him more was why the white-haired girl kept approaching him, even after he had clearly distanced himself earlier.
It gave him a subtle sense of danger.
Because if she were normal—
She wouldn't be trying to talk to him again after being avoided.
So Hachiman was sure of it:
This white-haired girl definitely has some kind of motive.
.
.
.
They arrived at the first-year Class C classroom.
At the podium stood a tall, thin man wearing rectangular glasses.
His facial structure was sharp and distinct, though his skin was a bit rough with wrinkles and acne scars, making him look prematurely aged.
Nonetheless, he exuded a strict and elite aura.
"Sit in the seat labeled with your name. I'm your homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma," he said.
"The number on the blackboard is my ID. You can write it down."
After speaking, Sakagami scanned the students of Class C.
Name tags were placed on the corners of the desks, so everyone found their seats easily.
Hachiman's seat wasn't in the classic rear window spot.
Instead, it was first column, third row — in the middle, near the hallway.
By coincidence (or perhaps fate), the white-haired girl was sitting directly in front of him. When Hachiman was looking for his seat earlier, he had seen her name.
Shiina Hiyori...
Hiyori — a pretty good name, he thought.
What caught his attention most was that she shared a surname with Shiina Mashiro, the heroine from The Pet Girl of Sakurasou.
Hachiman's impression of Shiina Hiyori subtly improved…
Sakagami, seeing everyone seated, walked behind the podium and said solemnly, "Now then, let's begin Class C's first homeroom session!"
"First, congratulations on being placed in Class C. Our school does not change classes each year, so for the next three years, I will be your homeroom teacher. Let's work hard together."
"Now, regarding the school's special policies — you've likely already read them in your acceptance packet, but I'll go over them again."
"First: All students must board on campus until graduation. No one is allowed to leave the school."
"Second: On the first of every month, the school will deposit private points into your student ID account. These points can be used to buy anything on campus, so consider them as money — 1 point equals 1 yen. Of course, forced transfers of points are strictly prohibited…"
"Third…"
Although Hachiman had already read the student handbook several times before entering school, hearing it from the teacher again still shocked him.
Aside from the first rule, which he strongly disliked, the rest were unbelievably generous perks.
It was like a dream school for students.
"100… 100,000!!!" someone suddenly shouted, having checked their balance on the school-issued phone app.
That set off a chain reaction — more students excitedly checked theirs.
"It really is 100,000!"
"Whoa!!! Is this a dream?!"
"Do we get this much every month?!"
To students fresh out of junior high, who were used to getting just 2,000–5,000 yen a month as allowance…
Suddenly having 100,000 yen was enough to make anyone ecstatic.
Even Hachiman, seeing 100,000 points in his account, started breathing heavily.
He used to get only 1,500 yen per month in middle school…
Sakagami noticed the students' excitement and smirked slightly.
"Shocked by the huge amount of points?"
"This school evaluates students based on ability. The fact that you were admitted means you have considerable value."
Value, huh…
But most students were now entirely distracted by the joy of getting so many points.
Very few were still paying close attention to Sakagami.
"All right!" Sakagami said, signaling for silence, and then turned to the hallway. "Come in!"
To the students' confusion, two men in black suits and sunglasses entered the room, each holding a device that looked like a scanner for electronics.
"Now, turn in all your electronic devices except the school-issued phones," Sakagami said. "Don't worry — we'll take good care of them. If anything gets lost or damaged, the school will compensate you tenfold…"
"Got it~!"
Perhaps it was the power of money — hardly anyone resisted.
Except for Hachiman...
He felt deeply troubled, because this meant not seeing Komachi for three whole years…
And even worse — he couldn't contact her either.
This hurts too much...
o(╥﹏╥)o o(╥﹏╥)o o(╥﹏╥)o