Nibutani Shinka's energetic state didn't last long. She quickly walked toward Hiratsuka Ryosuke. A light pink hair clip held back her bangs, and her brownish-orange hair was tied into a side ponytail that bounced with every step.
Her tiny face was puffed up, looking exactly like a pufferfish that had just been caught. She stopped ten centimeters from Ryosuke.
"How come you left without me today?" she said with a tone of complaint. "We always go to school together!"
Then, she noticed the cute girl following Ryosuke. Her bright eyes filled with curiosity. "Huh? My knight, who's this kid? I didn't know you knew other girls your age besides me."
Because they were so close, the warm, sweet scent of a young girl enveloped Ryosuke. He extended his index and middle fingers, held them together, and lightly poked her on her fair forehead, making her instinctively take a small step back.
"Ah! You idiot knight, you poked me again!" Shinka said, covering her forehead and squinting her eyes.
Ryosuke was used to her dramatic performance.
"We were a little late today because I had to wake up Shizuka-san," he explained, then pointed to Nishimiya Shoko. "This is Nishimiya. She's my new deskmate."
"Your deskmate?!" Shinka's eyes widened, her golden irises dilating slightly, as if she had heard a completely new word. She then gave Shoko a gentle smile and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Nibutani Shinka, the true mage protected by my knight, Ryosuke."
A knight? A mage? What's that?
She's a little strange, but she's a very cute girl, Shoko thought.
Shoko let go of Ryosuke's jacket, politely bowed to Shinka, and quickly flipped to the first page of her communication notebook.
「It's nice to meet you, my name is Nishimiya Shoko.」
Shinka immediately noticed Shoko's situation, but she maintained her kind smile.
"Yes, this is the great 'Mori Summer,' my childhood friend," Ryosuke said to Shoko, his usually expressionless face showing a rare shift as he spoke with a sense of certainty.
Ryosuke's unconventional name for her made Shinka feel embarrassed. She waved her hands frantically, a bit flustered. "No, no, no! Ryosuke, what are you saying in front of other people!"
At some point, his childhood friend had become strange, often saying things that made no sense. For example, she'd talk about hearing the voices of spirits or having become a true mage. A quick search online told him this was called chūnibyō—"Eighth-Grade Syndrome."
Normally, Nibutani Shinka was a very cute, cheerful, and kind girl. But once she entered her chūnibyō state, it gave Ryosuke a headache. The internet said the onset of the "illness" was in the second year of middle school, so he was surprised that Shinka was afflicted so early, even though she was just in elementary school.
She often dragged him into games of "spirits," "mages," and "guardian knights." At first, Ryosuke tried to talk to her like a normal person, but that only seemed to excite her more. Until one time he discovered that if there was an outsider present, and he said the name "Mori Summer," Shinka would become embarrassed and wouldn't enter her chūnibyō state for a long time afterward.
Shoko looked at the two of them, talking to each other with their strange, incomprehensible words. She didn't really understand, but she felt a little envious. They have such a good relationship.
Ring, ring, ring!
The sharp sound of the school bell rang out.
"Hmph, I'll let it slide this time. Just remember to wait for me after school!" Shinka said, her hands on her hips. When she looked at Shoko, her gentle demeanor returned. "See you next time, Nishimiya-san," she said softly. She then ran off toward her classroom.
"Let's go, Nishimiya. We should get back too," Ryosuke said, walking ahead.
Shoko nodded quietly. She wanted to grab the hem of his jacket like she had before, but she pulled her hand back just before it touched him. She looked up and saw that he hadn't turned around, which made her feel a little relieved. She was also a bit sad, though, thinking about the cute girl she had just met.
Maybe only a cute and wonderful girl like Nibutani-san can be with Hiratsuka-kun.
I'm so lucky to have Hiratsuka-kun help me. You can't get greedy, Shoko.
The two of them walked into the classroom, one after the other, and attracted everyone's attention. The sixth-grade classroom was unusually quiet before the teacher arrived. Ryosuke didn't mind the stares and went to his seat as usual.
"Hiratsuka-kun, you're amazing." A voice from behind him made Ryosuke turn his head.
"Hikigaya-kun?" he said, his voice as cold as ever.
Hikigaya Hachiman, who had just felt a surge of heroic inspiration, felt his enthusiasm immediately cool down.
"Never mind," he said, a bit deflated. "I was just saying that maybe I couldn't have done what you did, Hiratsuka-kun."
Hachiman's words surprised Ryosuke. Instead of mockery, he heard a genuine appreciation. He looked into Hachiman's eyes and asked seriously, "Hikigaya-kun, if I hadn't stepped in, would you have stopped Ishida?"
"Of course!" Hachiman said without hesitation.
Ryosuke nodded. "Then what would you have done?"
Hachiman scratched his head awkwardly. "I probably... I probably would have provoked Ishida and his friends to get their attention on me," he said uncertainly. "That way, they wouldn't bother Nishimiya anymore."
Ryosuke didn't comment. "Redirecting the conflict" was certainly one way to solve a problem. It was clear that his classmate, Hikigaya, thought differently than others his age. Ryosuke, based on their conversation, didn't see him as a bad person, but rather a kind and conflicted one.
He continued, "If I hadn't intervened and you had provoked Ishida, what would have happened is that Nishimiya wouldn't have been bullied, Ishida's attention would have been on you, and he and his friends would have probably cornered and beaten you up after school. Isn't that right?"
"Well... yeah, something like that," Hachiman said, putting his hands on his desk, his eyes darting around.
"In that case, you would have been the one who got hurt, wouldn't you, Hikigaya?" Ryosuke said, stating the inevitable outcome. His voice was emotionless, but the sensitive Hachiman could hear that the coldness was gone.
Hachiman didn't answer. He just looked at Ryosuke, opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know how to continue. Ryosuke had expected this reaction. He rested one hand on his desk, and turned to face Hachiman.
"Hikigaya-kun, I don't like trouble either, but when trouble appears, I actively deal with it."
"If there's something you want to do, give it your all."
"For example, if you want to protect someone, you must take the initiative. If your sword is fast enough, you can cut down any enemy. But if you just redirect the enemy's attention and let their sword cut you instead, the person you want to protect won't get hurt, but you'll be in a lot of pain."
Ryosuke didn't wait for an answer. He turned to face the blackboard as the teacher entered the classroom.
Hachiman looked at the back of the person in front of him and whispered to himself, "Give it your all if there's something you want to do? He's a true 'hero' who goes straight forward."
Alright, that's it. I, Hikigaya Hachiman, will become someone like Hiratsuka-kun.Even though I was always alone in elementary school, if I meet a girl I like in middle school, I'll be brave and confess to her, and start my own youthful romantic comedy. Thank you, Hiratsuka-kun.
Influenced by Hiratsuka Ryosuke, the elementary school-age Hikigaya Hachiman found the courage to face his problems directly. But he had no idea what he would go through in middle school. As a child, he couldn't grasp the seriousness of the situation. This led to him becoming a much more cynical and twisted teenager in high school, using his philosophy to express his disdain for youth.