Projection
["Beep!"
After retrieving his room key from the dorm manager, Hachiman swiped it to unlock the dormitory room assigned to him.
Room 304.
The room wasn't very large, roughly four meters by five meters.
However, it was well-equipped:
A single bed covered with white bedding, indicating that it was brand new and completely clean, allowing him to move in with peace of mind.
• A computer desk, a swivel chair, and a landline telephone sitting on the desk, with a storage cabinet beside it.
• Above the desk, an air conditioner was mounted on the wall.
• Directly across from the entrance was the bed.
• To the right of the entrance was a bathroom with a shower and a toilet.
• The wall outside the bathroom was a wardrobe.
• Between the entrance and the bed, there was also a small kitchenette.
That was everything in the room.
Simple—yet fully functional.
For a student, it was an unquestionably excellent living environment.
For Hachiman, who had never experienced sharing a room with others, it was a relief.]
Commentary
Komachi: "Wow! Onii-chan finally gets a room that's actually clean. No dirty futon for you this time!"
Yui: "Eh… it looks like a hotel room! Way better than my dorm back in our world."
Yukino: "Functional, efficient. Nothing excessive, but nothing missing. Suitable for concentrated study."
Ichika : "…Tch. Private rooms from the start? That's a privilege. No wonder so many classmates get lazy."
Ichinose: "Still… it's kind of nice, right? At least they won't be distracted by bad living conditions."
Ryuen: snorts "Babied. Put them in real barracks, see how long they last."
Sakayanagi: soft laugh behind her fan "Ara~ even a cage feels luxurious if you polish it well."
Hiratsuka: "…At least he won't use being 'distracted by roommates' as an excuse this time."
Projection
["Alright, I'll leave the books here."
Hirata Yosuke said as he placed the textbooks down.
"Do you have any plans next, Hikigaya-kun?" Hirata asked.
Was he planning to stick with Hachiman for a while?]
Commentary
Komachi: sparkles "Angel-kun is helping Onii-chan already! Carrying his books too!"
Yui: "Hirata-kun is sooo nice. If only Hikki had someone like that earlier…"
Yukino: "It's commendable, but also excessive. He's mothering the entire class already."
Ichika: "That guy… he's dangerous in another way. Everyone leans on him too much."
Ichinose: gentle smile "That's just how Hirata is. He wants everyone to get along."
Ryuen: "Hah! Class babysitter. He'll break sooner or later."
Sakayanagi: "Indeed. A boy like that burns brightly… but burns out quickly."
Hiratsuka: "…Still, he's exactly the type Hachiman avoids. Watching this will be fun."
Projection
["I'm thinking of heading to the shopping district to pick up some daily necessities," Hachiman replied.
"And maybe do a little exploring around the school.
After all, we just enrolled, and I haven't even had the chance to check out the campus yet."]
Commentary
Komachi: "Exploring, huh? Onii-chan actually being proactive for once!"
Yui: blinks "Hikki… volunteering to go out? Not hiding in his room?"
Yukino: "It shows awareness. Information-gathering is necessary."
Ichika: "…Huh. He's not useless after all. Knows to scout early."
Ichinose: nodding "Yeah, learning the layout right away is important."
Ryuen: grins "Good. The rat's got instincts. Better prey that way."
Sakayanagi: light chuckle "Ara~ curious already. He might stumble into trouble sooner than later."
Hiratsuka: "…See? He doesn't just rot when pushed into new ground."
Projection
[After Hirata left, Hachiman placed the textbooks on the desk and took a moment to familiarize himself with the dormitory.
Then, he leaned back in the chair and sat down.
"Click—"
He opened his phone and took a picture.
It wasn't because he liked doing this, but because he wanted to send a photo to his sister, Komachi.
He wanted to tell her that he had settled down and, as a bonus, show off how good the living conditions were.
But—
[Message not sent] ]
Commentary
Komachi: pouts "What?! I didn't even get my picture of the room?!"
Yui: "Aww… he really thought of you first, Komachi-chan."
Yukino: "…Even here, his first instinct was family. Admirable."
Ichika: "…Cut off from the outside world, huh? That explains a lot."
Ichinose: "Yeah… we all went through that shock. It feels lonely."
Ryuen: snorts "Good. Isolation makes weaklings crack faster."
Sakayanagi: smirking "And yet… some thrive under isolation. I wonder which he'll be."
Hiratsuka: "…Knew that wall would hit him hard. But he'll adapt."
Projection
[Hachiman opened the school forum and found that it required him to log in with his ID number.
He scrolled down the forum and suddenly stopped.
A new post caught his attention.
[Chess Tournament, 100,000 yen entry fee, best of three, but challengers who win any match will receive 1,000,000 points.]
This was from a regular student.
The title was quite bold.
1,000,000 points—who was this rich person?
Her name was Sakayanagi Arisu.
[ID14520, Real Name Verified, First Year, Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu]]
Commentary
Komachi: "Eh?! A million points for chess? That's crazy!"
Yui: "She's… showing off, right? Who has that kind of money already?"
Yukino: "Calculated arrogance. She's making a statement."
Ichika: grimace "…Yep. That's her alright."
Ichinose: "Sakayanagi-san… always so bold. But she does get results."
Ryuen: laughing "Hah! That cripple really thinks she can bait people like that? Still, not bad."
Sakayanagi: smiling serenely "Ara~ even in this retelling, I leave an impression. How flattering."
Hiratsuka: "…Kid, don't get lured. That girl's a shark."
Projection
[Then, he also had to start completing the tasks that Chabashira-sensei assigned.
Finishing her tasks would earn him a reward of 200,000 points, which still sounded pretty tempting.
However—
Hachiman stood by the elevator, waiting. The elevator doors opened automatically as it came down.
He saw that a girl was already inside the elevator.
She had short golden hair, shiny wine-red eyes, and a smooth face.
Her lips were also slightly glossy.
She was quite a cute girl.
And Hachiman recognized her because she was the second person to stand up and introduce herself during Hirata's self-introduction session.
He remembered what she said.
Her name was Kushida Kikyo, and it seemed like she wanted to be friends with everyone.
If it wasn't only an ambition, then she must have strong social skills.]
Commentary
Komachi: eyes sparkling "So this is the 'make friends with everyone' girl. She looks really nice, Onii-chan!"
Yui: nodding quickly "Kushida-chan seems like the type everyone would love instantly. She's super approachable."
Yukino: coolly "Overly so. Declaring to be 'friends with everyone' is less sincerity and more ambition."
Hiratsuka: half-smile "Sharp observation, Yukinoshita. Still, for Hachiman, running into someone like this could be… educational."
Ichika (COTE): arms folded "…Looks harmless, but anyone who tries that hard to connect usually has an angle."
Ichinose: softly "Or she just wants to bring people together. That's not a bad thing."
Ryuen: snorts "Tch. Too perfect. People like that are always hiding something."
Sakayanagi: hiding a sly smile behind her fan "Ara~ a little golden-haired angel. How charming… on the surface."
Projection
["You are...?" she seemed to think Hachiman looked familiar.
But Hachiman thought about how his self-introduction had been interrupted.
So, it was normal for people not to know him.]
Commentary
Komachi: pouting "Eh?! How could she forget Onii-chan already? He's unforgettable!"
Yui: laughing nervously "W-well, his intro did get cut off… kinda easy to miss him."
Hachiman: deadpan "…Thanks, Yuigahama. I'll just go fade into the wallpaper now."
Yukino: flat tone "It isn't unusual. You deliberately reduce your presence, so being overlooked is inevitable."
Ichika: smirking faintly "So he slipped under even her radar. Interesting."
Ichinose: frowning sympathetically "That's kind of sad… but also understandable."
Ryuen: grinning "Ha! Guy's so forgettable even the friendliest girl blanks on him."
Sakayanagi: eyes glittering with amusement "Ara, that makes him more unpredictable. The invisible ones are always the trickiest pieces on the board."
Projection
["You are Hikigaya Hachiman, right?" she said. "Back then, when Chabashira-sensei came in, you didn't finish your introduction, but I remember you said you're from Chiba."
"Chiba? I have a classmate whose hometown is also Chiba. The scenery there is beautiful, and many dramas are filmed around the seaside Makuhari area." Kushida seemed very chatty.]
Commentary
Komachi: grinning wide "See! She does remember! She even remembered Chiba—Onii-chan's hometown!"
Yui: relieved "Ahh, so she's just chatty, not forgetful. That's… kinda sweet, actually."
Yukino: thoughtful "She's skilled. Remembering details like that establishes familiarity quickly. It's intentional."
Hiratsuka: chuckling "Classic social butterfly move. She's good at making people feel seen, even if it's rehearsed."
Ichika: narrow-eyed "…She's smooth. Too smooth."
Ichinose: soft smile "No, I think it's nice she's trying to connect over something small. That's how friendships begin."
Ryuen: snorts "Tch. Flattery. Works on normies. Bet she does this with everyone."
Sakayanagi: playful tone "Ara~ but see how easily she pulls him in? That's talent, whether genuine or not."
Projection
[Eh!
That meant she remembered his incomplete self-introduction?
"Hey, Hikigaya-kun, can you tell me about Chiba sometime?" Kushida looked at him with her cute, moist eyes.]
Commentary
Komachi: mock gasp "Moist eyes?! Onii-chan, you're doomed. No man can resist that!"
Yui: blushing furiously "E-ehhh?! She's totally flirting!"
Hachiman: groaning "…Moist eyes? What am I, a fish in an aquarium?"
Yukino: raising an eyebrow "This is blatant. She's testing how easily she can engage him."
Hiratsuka: snorts "She's laying it on thick. Don't let the eyes fool you, Hachiman."
Ichika: clicks tongue "…Yeah, that's bait if I've ever seen it."
Ichinose: half-smiling, half-worried "But maybe she just wants to talk…? It doesn't have to be manipulative."
Ryuen: laughs "Hah! She's got him on the hook already."
Sakayanagi: eyes glittering, amused "Ara~ such a dangerous little angel. Even I might be charmed."
Projection
[So cute.
This was the first time Hachiman... was being looked at by a girl with such a gaze.
Hmm.
What's going on? Not only does Class D have Hirata, the "mom," but now there's also this "little angel" Kushida?]
Commentary
Komachi: beaming "Onii-chan finally gets noticed! By an angel, no less!"
Yui: flustered "S-she's totally too good to be true though, right? Right?!"
Yukino: flatly "He's falling for surface impressions again."
Hachiman: mutters defensively "…It's called cataloging threats. Angel today, demon tomorrow."
Hiratsuka: smirks knowingly "Good. At least you're suspicious."
Ichika: quietly "…Angel act. Always the dangerous kind."
Ichinose: smiles warmly "She really does look kind, though. I can see why he's flustered."
Ryuen: grins wolfishly "Two angels in one class? That's a setup for chaos."
Sakayanagi: fan snapping shut softly "Ara~ That worlds Class D is becoming far more entertaining than I expected."