Hikigaya Hachiman and Horikita Suzune left the classroom one after another, but there was no communication between them.
Hachiman wasn't narcissistic enough to assume she had followed him on purpose. Even now, they were simply walking in the same direction. He had no extra thoughts.
Out of the teaching building.
The two continued along the same path…
Hikigaya paid it no mind. Suzune, however, couldn't resist asking:
"Why are you following me?"
"Ask if first, then ask why," Hachiman replied, pointing ahead to the school supermarket. "I plan to buy some daily necessities."
"…"
Suzune was momentarily stunned, then remained silent. Apparently, she had the same intention.
No conversation took place along the way.
Suzune entered the women's products section, and the two parted ways.
Hikigaya didn't rush to shop. He strolled through the aisles, observing the variety of goods.
The campus supermarket's scale rivaled that of any outside store. It stocked everything from food, drinks, and hygiene products to digital cameras, laptops, and handheld game consoles.
For ordinary high school students, such consumption was far beyond their means.
But with the highly developed S system, all purchases could be made using points.
So they're basically encouraging students to work hard to earn personal points… Hachiman narrowed his eyes, a faint scent of conspiracy in the air.
Even more intriguing: the supermarket had a free section.
Is this a minimum living allowance for students who spend all their points?
It was hard to imagine that the school would be so generous toward a genius capable of burning through 100,000 points in a single month.
Recalling Chabashira Sae's explanation, "the school will issue a certain amount of points to the terminal every month," Hachiman realized she had never specified that the "certain amount" was a fixed 100,000 points.
This is a school where strength is paramount. But how do they measure strength?
The answer: competition.
Whether it was individual or class-based—or both—he did not yet know.
Oh, what a headache… Hachiman sighed.
Still, there was no reason to complain. He had never trusted good things that fell from the sky anyway.
In short, grab your points first.
Hachiman decisively collected essentials from the free section: towels, toothbrushes, shampoo…
Compared to the branded goods requiring points, the free section was stocked with obscure products, but Hachiman didn't care about labels. Quality was good enough if it was stocked by the school.
Once he finished grabbing the basics, he moved to the beverage section to buy coffee.
The assortment of powders in the free section didn't interest him—they were soulless and mediocre.
Found it!
He spotted the Max Coffee he had been longing for, prominently displayed. Waving his hand, he grabbed two sets.
12,000 points to swipe his student terminal. A little painful, but Max Coffee was worth it.
Satisfied, he prepared to leave—when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two suspicious figures.
One was a tall woman with long purple hair in a side ponytail. Her slender legs, accentuated by ankle socks, moved cautiously as she surveyed her surroundings. One hand reached for a cooler marked alcohol section.
The other was an extremely petite silver-haired girl, dressed in white suspender stockings, her skin unnaturally fair. A short stick supported her fragile body.
Minors aren't allowed to buy alcohol…
Was she trying to steal? Hachiman observed quietly.
The silver-haired girl used a shelf as cover to discreetly take out her phone. The camera light turned on.
Photographing criminal evidence?
As a self-proclaimed righteous citizen, stopping crime made sense. But judging by the mischievous grin on her face, her motives were clearly not pure.
Change the genders, and suddenly this becomes a complicated plot…
"You don't want anyone to know you're stealing, do you?" he muttered internally.
"You've got leverage over her—just obey."
Hehehe~
Aside from a very unlikely lesbian scenario, the silver-haired girl would probably use this as blackmail to control the purple-haired girl—and maybe dictate her entire three years of high school.
If she misbehaved, punishment would follow.
Hachiman had no intention of intervening.
That is…until his eyes fell on a bright hairpin worn by the purple-haired girl. Instantly, memories surged uncontrollably.
It was the winter break of his second year in junior high. To buy a birthday present for his sister, he had lied about his age to get a part-time job at a jewelry store.
The store had stocked a batch of celebrity-related merchandise. Hachiman couldn't understand how a small hairpin, resembling a celebrity's accessory, could cost 12,000 yen.
A pair of sisters came to the store, and the younger sister fell in love with it instantly.
His sister, short on money, refused to give up and cried, determined to have it. Hachiman was moved. If Komachi wanted it that badly, he would buy it at any cost.
Of course, Komachi wasn't that pushy.
Conclusion: Komachi is truly the cutest sister in the world!
Eventually, the elder sister took the risk and stole the hairpin. Hachiman was shocked.
Her love for her sister surpasses even my own!
Out of sympathy for a sisterly bond, Hachiman didn't stop her. With so many customers in the store, exposing the theft could have ruined her life.
He planned to privately retrieve the stolen hairpin later.
But the next day, the mother dragged the girl to the store and forced her to kneel and apologize in front of everyone.
The daughter's eyes went blank, and her self-esteem shattered.
Parents disciplining children is fine—but this is clearly excessive.
Even Hachiman, who had been punished for petty theft as a child by his father, knew this could have been handled privately.
The memory ended here.
"Huh~" Hachiman exhaled, steadying himself.
Time to act.
"That…"
"Excuse me!"
His sudden shout drew the attention of passersby.
The purple-haired girl, about to pocket the beer, froze, her hand trembling.
"???"
The silver-haired girl put down her phone, her brows creasing.
Her intended toy had slipped away!
Someone's trying to interfere with my fun… interesting, she thought lightly, tilting her head.
She glanced at the approaching boy with deadpan curiosity, her polite expression suggesting she was more intrigued than upset.
"Excuse me, classmate. What can I do for you?"