Chapter 2: On the School Bus
After the man left, the driver started the engine, and gentle music began to play from the bus speakers.
The mood inside gradually relaxed. Some students closed their eyes to rest, some admired the scenery through the window, and some chatted softly with their seatmates, occasionally letting out a few chuckles.
Since he had given up his seat to the girl, Hikigaya stood beside the cooler — or more precisely, near the seated girl.
Taking into account what the silver-haired man had said earlier about the long, bumpy ride, and considering the girl's frail health, Hikigaya decided to remain nearby in case she needed assistance.
N-not because he felt awkward being stared at while standing in the middle of the bus or anything like that.
"Poke poke—"
While spacing out, Hikigaya felt something like a metal rod lightly poke his calf.
What the heck? School hasn't even started, and he didn't know a single classmate yet. Was he already being bullied?
Hikigaya turned to look and found that the silver-haired girl was seated primly like a proper young lady, tapping him with her cane to get his attention.
"Good day. Nice to meet you. I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A. Thanks to your kindness, I'm able to travel to school comfortably like this," she said with a composed and graceful smile, her presence giving off an aura of natural authority.
'Didn't your father just say earlier that your butler was supposed to escort you?' Hikigaya silently retorted.
Feeling uncomfortable under her smiling gaze, Hikigaya scratched his neck awkwardly. "I'm Hikigaya Hachiman. I'm in the same class as you."
"You're quite interesting. You deliberately gave up your seat when you saw me get on — was that out of empathy?"
Indeed, Sakayanagi had noticed Hikigaya suddenly vacate his seat as she boarded.
Recalling his awkward posture as he tried to hide behind the cooler door, she couldn't help but smile.
"No, I was just thirsty."
"Oh? Then may I ask why you didn't take any drink? Is it because there's nothing you like?"
"So noisy..."
Caught off guard by her pointed question, Hikigaya had nothing to say.
He turned away, purposely avoiding her teasing gaze.
.
.
.
The bus traveled along the highway, and the atmosphere inside had become quite friendly. The previously unfamiliar students were now chatting and laughing, and even Sakayanagi had joined in the conversations.
The only one who didn't fit in was Hikigaya.
He stood in place like he was on pins and needles, wishing he could disappear into a hole.
The reason for this discomfort? He was standing right next to the cooler.
After so much chatting, many students felt thirsty and began heading to the back of the bus to grab free drinks.
As a result, Hikigaya, stationed by the cooler, naturally became the unofficial drink server.
"Hello, could you get me a can of cola? Thanks."
A bald-headed student politely requested.
"Oh, sure. Here you go."
Hikigaya handed him a cola.
"Please give me a lemon water."
A girl with long purple hair said coldly.
"Okay."
Hikigaya retrieved a lemon water. She took it without a word and walked away.
Hikigaya sighed in relief — at least she didn't look disgusted. He thought back to a bad memory from elementary school involving a friend...
"I want iced tea!"
Lost in his dark memories, Hikigaya was caught off guard as a blonde-haired, hyper boy snatched the iced tea from his hand.
"…Tch."
Damn it, I'm not a waiter! Hikigaya cursed internally.
"I want melon soda."
Hikigaya scanned the cooler but didn't see any.
"...No melon soda."
"Eh? That sucks!" the girl in black tights complained.
"Sorry…" Hikigaya forced a smile, trying to look apologetic.
Wait, why am I the one apologizing?
"Forget it. Just give me a bottle of water."
After a while, everyone had gotten their drinks and returned to their seats. The lively chatter resumed.
Hikigaya exhaled deeply, as if trying to breathe out all the fatigue from his body.
It wasn't even the first day of school, yet he already felt like he was at work.
Corporate drones have it way too rough, he thought.
The experience only strengthened his resolve to become a stay-at-home husband in the future.
"It must've been tough. But in this one area, Hikigaya-kun, you're surprisingly reliable," came Sakayanagi's lazy comment from nearby, emphasizing the phrase "in this one area."
"That 'in this one area' was unnecessary."
"Hikigaya-kun is only reliable in this one area."
"That's even worse!"
"You helped others, but put yourself in an awkward position… Sharing a class with you, I can already tell my high school life won't be boring," Sakayanagi said meaningfully, her gaze full of intrigue as she looked at Hikigaya.
That look made Hikigaya's internal "bad woman radar" go off like a siren.
A cold sweat formed on his back.
She didn't seem like the fragile and cute girl she appeared to be. She was more like a top-tier predator sitting at the apex of the food chain.
This girl, despite looking so adorable, clearly enjoyed making sarcastic comments and watching her classmates squirm for amusement!
She's basically a Tyrannosaurus rex!
Yeah, that's it. From now on, I'm calling her Little Tyranno.
Not wanting to keep talking to her, Hikigaya grabbed the overhead strap with one hand and brought the can of coffee he had randomly picked from the cooler to his lips.
"So bitter…"
Forcing himself to finish the bitter coffee, Hikigaya stretched his legs, which had gone a bit numb from standing.
The other students seemed tired from all the excitement and began closing their eyes to rest. The bus grew quiet, save for the soft music playing in the background.
Just when Hikigaya finally had a moment of peace since boarding, the bus intercom announced their arrival.
"This bus will soon arrive at Advanced Nurturing High School. Please prepare to disembark in an orderly manner through the rear door. Don't forget your personal belongings, and please don't leave any trash behind. We wish you a memorable high school life!"
Hikigaya checked to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, then slowly followed the other students off the bus.
Standing before the grand and luxurious school gate, he looked up at the sign that read "Advanced Nurturing High School."
Although this was the place he'd be spending the next three years, Hikigaya didn't feel any sense of reality.
All around him, students in uniform entered the campus one after another, their faces full of hope and anticipation for their school life.
From afar, Hikigaya watched them, his dead fish eyes seeming even more hollow than before.
"If you keep spacing out like that, Hikigaya-kun, you're going to miss the entrance ceremony," came Sakayanagi's voice from behind.
Hikigaya turned around and saw that she was accompanied by a tall, muscular boy with a frightening face.
Despite his intimidating presence, he stood quietly behind Sakayanagi like a bodyguard.
Even though it wasn't fair to say this about the guy...
Whoa, whoa, whoa — she already has a servant before school even starts?!