Spring break ended, and the new semester at Soubu High School officially began.
As it was the first day of the new semester, high school students usually woke up very early. First-year students hoped to get to school quickly to meet new classmates and make new friends. Students in their second year and above, on the other hand, hoped to meet familiar classmates and friends when the new class assignments were made.
For every normal high school student, the first day of the first semester is a crucial day in their entire high school youth, and they hope to arrive at school early.
And I, Hikigaya Hachiman, as a high school student officially entering my third year today, am currently riding my bicycle in a frantic rush to school, under the pressure of being ten minutes late.
In fact, his sister Komachi had called Hikigaya in the morning, but he was too sleepy to really respond, so his cute sister heartlessly left him behind.
"Sigh."
Hikigaya let out a long sigh, feeling that even the fresh air was awful. As someone who had experienced a painful failed start to a school year before, he had originally planned to wake up early today, ready to greet a new class, new teachers, and new classmates, to start a perfect third year.
Unfortunately, accidents happen.
Because Yukinoshita had forcibly kept him for an entire afternoon yesterday, even after a night's rest, he was still sore all over, both physically and mentally exhausted.
See, even riding his bicycle now, he had to be cautious, to prevent his aching legs from cramping up.
"Sadistic Demon! Sigh, she's clearly a Demon Lord!"
Recalling what happened between the two of them yesterday afternoon, Hikigaya's mind was currently filled with terrifying shadows.
Before this, Hikigaya had been full of confidence in himself. As a male, he completely believed that he could easily conquer Yukinoshita in that regard, but who knew that reality would deliver him a brutal blow, directly making him emo.
Even though Yukinoshita's athletic ability was very poor, and she sometimes even went to the infirmary during PE class, yesterday afternoon she seemed to have been buffed, like a max-level LV99 tormenting his pitiful LV1 who had just left the beginner village.
Damn it, how can I be so weak!
The thought of meeting Yukinoshita at school today, and inevitably being mocked and ridiculed by her... Hikigaya grew more and more disheartened the more he thought about it. He even worried that if he lived with Yukinoshita after marriage, she would look at him with regret and say things like, 'Zako-kun is indeed a Zako-kun, from now on I'll always call you Zako-kun~' 'If you can't do it, Zako-kun, maybe take some medicine~' 'Sigh, never mind, as long as you can have children.'
Ahhh! I have no dignity at all!!
Hikigaya's expression twisted into a bitter gourd.
No.
I can't give up on myself!
If my youth story has problems, my married life story absolutely cannot have problems!
With the heavy academic load of the third year, Hikigaya decided that while ensuring his studies, he would put physical exercise in second place. No matter what, he didn't want Yukinoshita to look down on him.
Hikigaya pedaled his bicycle vigorously, increasing his speed. Though tired, he considered it pre-emptive exercise.
"Huh... Woah woah woah! Watch out!!"
Just as Hikigaya was enthusiastically cycling forward, a girl suddenly darted out from around a corner. If he hadn't braked in time, he would have likely gotten into an accident like last year.
That was close, that was close.
Good thing I'm physically weak, otherwise, with a little more force, I would have hit her.
After stopping his bicycle, Hikigaya propped one foot on the ground and actively asked the short-haired girl with concern: "Sorry, sorry, are you not hurt, classmate?"
...Huh, her uniform is from Soubu High School?
We're both in the same boat, it seems.
"I'm fine."
"Oh, good that you're fine..."
Hikigaya nodded with a sigh of relief. However, before leaving, he touched the back seat of his bicycle and looked at the short-haired girl in front of him, whose forehead was beaded with sweat, with some hesitation.
Seeing this, the girl paused for a moment and asked in confusion:
"Are you asking me to sit on the back of your bicycle?"
"Eh?"
Oh, you have mind-reading abilities!
Since he was found out, Hikigaya, enduring the social embarrassment, had no choice but to say: "It's only natural for a senior to help a junior. We're about to be late, and if you sit behind me, we can get to school faster."
This is really tough.
On the first day of school, I'm actually telling a strange junior to sit on the back of my bicycle.
Ah, I won't be seen as a pervert, right?
Hmm... After all, if it were a certain little devil junior, she would definitely cover her chest with both hands and tremble, saying, 'Senior, you wouldn't happen to like me, would you?' 'Sorry, I have someone I like, I'm sorry.' Something like that, right?
"Thank you." To Hikigaya's surprise, the short-haired girl actually nodded and calmly walked to the back of the bicycle, sitting down on her own accord. "Thank you, Hikigaya."
"Huh?" Hikigaya, who was steadying his bicycle, immediately turned his head and looked at the girl behind him in surprise. "You know me?"
"Hikigaya is a celebrity at Soubu High School, so all normal students know him," the short-haired girl said after she was seated, nodding to signal Hikigaya that he could start riding.
"A celebrity? I'm just an ordinary, unknown student."
"A member of the Service Club, involved in organizing the Culture Festival, Sports Festival, Joint Dance Party... many large and small school events. Is that considered unknown?"
"Ah?"
When he heard the girl clearly recount his entire second year's embarrassing history, Hikigaya almost broke out in a cold sweat.
Because he was carrying someone behind him, he was now cycling at a deliberately slower speed. It was precisely because of this that he managed to steady his bicycle in time.
Did you stalk me or something!
Although Hikigaya had participated in all the activities mentioned, he had tried to remain as invisible as possible during their execution. He was confident that, apart from the few people very close to him, no other student could possibly know all of it, let alone a junior he didn't know at all.
Hikigaya instantly became wary of this woman.
Could it be... this junior secretly has a crush on me?!
Ahaha.
Someone like me, an old salted fish, actually has a secret admirer?
No, no, no!
I have a Girlfriend now.
Sorry.
"Ju... Junior, I, I..."
Hikigaya's lips trembled as he opened his mouth, preparing to take the first step and proactively reject her.
He had a strong intuition that he needed to quickly distance himself from the girl behind him. She inexplicably gave him a very dangerous signal.
However, the short-haired girl spoke first, calmly interrupting: "Hikigaya, I'm also a third-year student, just like you."
..."Eh, eh, eh?!"
Also a third-year?!
No way!
Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat. Because he had participated in so many activities during his second year, he had even collected the names of all the students in the school at one point. Therefore, he had an impression of not only students in his own grade but almost all students in the school.
But for this girl who suddenly appeared, his mind was now a blank slate, as if she had materialized out of thin air.
Oh!
Is she a transfer student?
Idiot Hachiman!
She just rattled off a string of things related to me, how could she be a transfer student?
In any case, embarrassing history +1.
"I remember now, you were in Class B before... Fujiwara?"
"I'm Kato from Class E."
"Ah, sorry."
It's over.
Embarrassing history +1 again.
After writing down the embarrassing history, Hikigaya racked his brain to remember.
Ka... Kato?
Class E?
I'm in Class F.
So she's just in the class next to mine?
Hiss!
Is there really such a person in the next class?
Oh no!
I have absolutely no impression of her!
What is going on with this woman?
She's too strange!
Hikigaya, who had accumulated two more embarrassing incidents, inexplicably felt a sense of suffocation. He felt that the person sitting behind him on his bike was not a cute girl at all, but a terrifying, invisible Demon Lord, the super-invisible kind!
"It's fine." Kato shook her head, her expression calm, and said matter-offactly, "I'm not very noticeable to begin with. My grades are average, I haven't participated in any club activities, I haven't been a class committee member, and I don't have many friends. It's perfectly normal for Hikigaya not to know me or have any impression of me."
What's with this familiar sense of déjà vu?
Isn't that just me?!
Uh... No, no, no!
Even a salted fish like me at least participated in a club, and while my other grades are average, I'm third in the entire grade for Japanese language!
How dare I compare myself to you!
"That's not true, Kato-san is actually quite cute."
At least in one aspect, you're even better than Yukinoshita, who has the best grades in the entire grade!
"Hikigaya is very kind," Kato continued, without changing her expression. "However, you don't need to comfort me. If I were truly cute, Hikigaya would have noticed me long ago, wouldn't he?"
..."Eh?"
Hikigaya was speechless, and as he selectively shut his mouth, the alarm bells in his heart rang even louder.
Not only did he have absolutely no impression of this girl—none at all!
Yet, this invisible monster seemed to know him very well, and just talking to her brought an unnamed pressure, leaving him constantly on the defensive.
Hikigaya even wondered if this accidental encounter with Kato was part of this 'adult's' evil plan?
Hikigaya was on high alert.
Ancestor Yukinoshita, save me!