Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't really be blamed for being overly cautious. Ever since that rainy-day conversation he'd had with Shirase, and after witnessing firsthand that this supposedly aloof, popular guy was secretly a hidden riajuu, each encounter left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable.
Partly it was the pressure from facing someone whose thought process was too strange, partly it was the oppressive aura unique to riajuu themselves.
That was why, even though Hikigaya could manage polite greetings whenever they'd crossed paths over the past few days, he absolutely did not wish to engage Shirase in deeper conversation.
At this moment, Shirase was standing beside him, having clearly noticed his tense expression. Yet Shirase said nothing about that, instead resting his hand casually on the stair railing, speaking softly:
"The soccer club—which should have died out—is now fully revived and has even secured approval from the principal for a friendly match."
Hikigaya blinked in surprise, unsure why Shirase had suddenly brought this up. Still, he'd heard the other was a core member of the soccer club.
So he nodded politely: "Congratulations. With you and Hayama supporting it, I guess the club won't collapse anytime soon."
"That might not necessarily be true." Shirase's gaze lingered ahead, speaking almost as if to himself. "The reason I just asked if you wanted to play soccer is because right now, the club seriously lacks members."
Why's he so serious today?
Hikigaya found himself oddly unaccustomed. "How bad is the shortage?"
"Besides our main lineup, we only have three substitutes—and one of those is a reserve goalkeeper," Shirase answered plainly.
Hikigaya thought inwardly, That really is tragic.
He'd heard plenty about how well the baseball and basketball clubs were thriving, and while he didn't follow high school soccer closely, even he knew a goalkeeper rarely got injured.
Which basically meant the reserve goalie was just decoration, with virtually zero chance to play. Only two substitutes for all other positions—that was indeed pitiful.
"I see." Shirase's rare seriousness prompted Hikigaya to take a deep breath and respond earnestly, "So because the club is severely lacking members, you came looking for me."
"Exactly." Shirase looked straight at him.
Hikigaya replied bluntly: "Allow me to refuse."
"Reason?" Shirase didn't seem surprised at all.
"I'm no good at soccer, nor do I have any interest in it."
Having answered, Hikigaya let out a sigh of relief. He'd finally managed to speak normally in front of this hidden riajuu. Of course, he knew clearly this was only possible because Shirase was being unusually serious today.
Suddenly, Shirase continued: "Right now, there are plenty of rookies in the soccer club just like you. Actually, when three of them joined, they didn't even know the rules very well."
"Hah?" Hikigaya's mouth hung open in disbelief. Was the soccer club really so miserable?
He'd certainly heard the rumors about the club's internal strife and worsening performance over the last few years, but he'd never imagined it was quite this bad.
"That's exactly why I invited you. At school, I don't actually know many male classmates. Besides you, there's just Hayama Hayato." Shirase counted on his fingers.
That's only two people. Do you really need the phrase "not many"?
Hikigaya retorted inwardly but replied with a serious expression: "Sorry, I really don't want to join the soccer club."
Shirase shrugged lightly. "Actually, you don't need to refuse so firmly. Since the friendly match was just approved, and it'll take place after school on Wednesday, you could always just stop by and watch."
"Watch the match?" Hikigaya resisted a bit.
"No," Shirase slowly clarified. "Watch how the soccer club captain—determined not to graduate with regrets—throws himself into the game, fighting with everything he's got. I've always believed that only the books we're willing to carefully read, digest, and reflect on truly become the spiritual treasures of a lifetime. Likewise, only the matches we fight through gritted teeth give us the right to savor victory."
Hikigaya understood. The soccer club's shortage of substitute players had reached a critical level.
He fell silent briefly, then replied, "But the grander the dream, the greater the effort and pain required to achieve it."
Hearing this, Shirase met his gaze and suddenly smiled.
This smile left Hikigaya stunned. It was the first time he'd ever seen Shirase smile.
"If humans never attempt climbs beyond their limits, what meaning does the sky hold?" Shirase tossed out those words and began walking away. His voice drifted back leisurely, "It's fine if you're still not interested in the soccer club. But if you're not in a hurry to get home Wednesday afternoon, maybe consider stopping by."
Hikigaya stared blankly at Shirase's departing figure. After nearly a minute, scratching his head, he muttered quietly, "He actually seems like a pretty decent guy. How come none of those rumors ever mention this?"
Just then, he spotted a lovely figure running up to Shirase. Her adorably pretty face looked part-annoyed, part-pouting: "Shirase! Are you really baking cookies for Itsuki? She was just bragging to us about it."
"Yeah, got it. I'll bake extra for you tonight," Shirase replied easily, smiling.
"That's more like it." A happy blush bloomed on the girl's cheeks.
The pair's figures gradually faded away.
Nakano Nino again, huh.
Hikigaya stared lifelessly, thinking bitterly, Just hurry up and get married already, and stop flaunting your lovey-doveyness in front of me.
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Nothing particularly big happened to Shirase during those three days.
Isshiki Iroha had exchanged contact info with him, but surprisingly, this sharp-minded, cute girl didn't go bother Hayama Hayato. Instead, she constantly messaged Shirase.
Every message was trivial, entirely without substance or importance—pure daily chatter.
At first, Shirase responded seriously, but seeing Isshiki clearly enjoying herself, he soon became too lazy to reply regularly.
He used [Free Hosting] twice in those three days, thankfully the damned system didn't cause any trouble this time. Even the wheel lottery surprisingly gave him normal prizes for once.
A pair of Adidas soccer cleats, and a limited-edition springtime lipstick somehow just materialized in his bedroom, instead of making him physically "snatch" them from somewhere.
Precisely because of this, Shirase strongly suspected the damned system had deliberately messed with him previously.
When he first saw the lipstick described as "springtime limited," he'd felt utterly baffled. Only after receiving it did he realize what "lipstick" meant.
He had no use for such an item, so he casually gifted it to Kojima Kana—who'd happily glowed for an entire day afterward.
But perhaps his luck had run out; both cashback evaluations yielded only experience cards, granting no further enhancements. His only gains came from the two lottery spins, boosting various physical capabilities.
Still, the progress bar for unlocking new features successfully reached 68%.
After school, the soccer club's atmosphere was tense and solemn, heavy with the sense of battle.
Led by their captain, aside from Shirase and Hayama, every team member wore a grim expression.
"We have to win today's friendly match at all costs. Even if we're short-handed, we have to give everything. Because if we lose, we'll have wasted all the effort Isshiki-san and Kojima-sensei put in. Plus, it might mean we'll never get approval for another match again."
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing their unified reply, the captain—who'd been nervously tense—forced out a small smile. "Alright then. Next, our manager Isshiki-san will share the intel she's gathered."
"Ahem."
Isshiki Iroha cleared her throat with exaggerated seriousness. She quickly glanced toward the front row at the calm-faced Shirase before speaking gently, "Well then, allow me to briefly say a few words..."
What's with that overly familiar leadership-style opening...?
Shirase silently endured in speechless resignation.