Chapter 12 – MAX Coffee, Getting Up
After parting ways with Kamuro and returning to the dormitory, Hikigaya couldn't help but let out a deep sigh. "Haah—so tired…"
It was such a long day. Seriously, this day has been so long.
It felt completely different from spending a day at home reading novels or watching anime.
So this is what they mean by a fulfilling day versus a lazy one.
Suddenly, he gained a new respect for the extrovert crowd…
Hikigaya placed the plastic bag on the desk and began taking out the items one by one, putting them where they belonged.
After finishing these small chores, he collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with a dead-eyed look.
Although he had bought a bunch of daily necessities, he hadn't managed to buy the thing he wanted most—MAX Coffee.
Originally, Hikigaya had planned not to leave the dorm again after coming back, so he had specially bought a bento and some bread to pair with MAX Coffee, planning to blissfully enjoy the sticky sweetness on his tongue while relaxing both body and mind.
Just as Hikigaya lay down, his phone suddenly beeped with a new message.
What the—? I just got a new phone, and Amazon ads are already trying to conquer its inbox?
He raised the phone high above his face. Surprisingly, it wasn't an ad—it was a text from Kamuro.
"Hikigaya, open the door."
"Eh?"
Just as Hikigaya was still confused, Kamuro sent another message.
"I'm at your dorm room door."
"Eh? Uwah—!"
Startled, Hikigaya fumbled and dropped his phone. The brand-new device slammed straight onto his face like a brick.
What the hell?! That's terrifying. How does she even know where I live? Have I been targeted by a stalker!?
Panicking, Hikigaya scrambled up and slowly opened the door like he was diffusing a bomb.
A long-legged purple-haired girl stood quietly at his door, casually playing on her phone. Thankfully, the hallway was empty at the moment. If someone saw a girl standing at a boy's dorm room door…
The class would definitely get points deducted.
The moment she saw Hikigaya open the door, her already indifferent expression twisted into one of annoyance. "You're too slow. I've been waiting forever."
"Um, Kamuro-san, h-how did you find out which room was mine?"
"I asked the receptionist in the lobby."
"I-I see. But if you'd been waiting so long, why didn't you knock?"
"I did knock."
"Uh, sorry, maybe I was too tired to hear it…"
Before Hikigaya could finish explaining, Kamuro cut him off. "Of course you didn't hear it. I knocked specifically so you wouldn't hear it."
"No, then what's the point of knocking?! That's basically just touching the door… Forget it. So, did you come here for something?"
Kamuro frowned at his sarcastic remark and stared at him without saying a word.
Just when Hikigaya started wondering if there was something on his face, Kamuro suddenly shoved a black plastic bag into his hands.
…This texture—is it that beer can?
Ah, maybe because I touched it earlier, she was grossed out and came to return it?
Before he could think further, Kamuro spoke up.
"I honestly don't get what's so good about MAX Coffee. It's so sweet it's like expired syrup."
In an instant, Hikigaya felt a wave of rage shoot straight to his head.
Hah? Is this girl trying to pick a fight with me? How dare she insult MAX Coffee?! I'm seriously pissed!
Just as Hikigaya was about to start preaching the virtues of MAX Coffee like some crazed cultist, he suddenly realized something and quickly calmed down.
S-She mentioned MAX Coffee out of nowhere. D-Don't tell me…
Hikigaya looked down at the bag in his hands, his hands trembling slightly as he opened it.
Inside the black plastic bag, a yellow-and-black can lay quietly.
It was the treasure Hikigaya had long dreamed of!
I-It's actually MAX Coffee!
Seeing the joy on Hikigaya's face, Kamuro said coolly, "Well, it's the drink you asked me about earlier… Since I already brought it, I'll be going. Contact me if there's anything."
"Kamuro-san, thank you so much—I love you!!"
"Huh? Just for a drink? What nonsense are you talking about."
Saying that, Kamuro's ears turned slightly red as she walked off looking annoyed.
.
.
.
The sky was a deep, clear blue.
The morning sun peeked out shyly, and golden beams of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, forming thick and thin shafts of light that illuminated the campus wrapped in a veil of mist.
The warm sunlight spilled into Hikigaya's room, dyeing the entire space golden.
However, inside Hikigaya's dorm room, a war was currently underway.
A war titled: "When Will Hikigaya Hachiman Get Up?"
Team "Get Up Now" and its rival, Team "Sleep Ten More Minutes," were locked in fierce battle.
First, on Team Get Up Now, the player "It's the First Day of School" launched with the ball, but it was stolen by "Spent All Yesterday on Orientation" from Team Sleep Ten More Minutes.
That player passed the ball to "Too Tired to Even Move a Toe," who then passed it to "Need to Take Care of My Body," preparing for a goal shot! Ah! So close! It was intercepted right in front of the goal by "If I Don't Get Up Now I'll Be Late," and Team Get Up Now counterattacked again.
"Being Late Means Running to Class is Embarrassing" and "Running Means I'll Smell Like Sweat All Day" performed a combo move, but were completely blocked by Team Sleep Ten More Minutes' "Just Call in Sick Today."
Now for Team Sleep Ten More Minutes' offense!
A beautiful assist from "Warm and Cozy Under the Blankets," followed by a decisive shot from "Stayed Up Reading Manga Until 2AM and Now I'm Exhausted"! The shot! The shot! "Skipping Class Will Get Our Class Penalized" leaps to block… Ah! It's—It's blocked!
Team Get Up Now scores a point as the alarm goes off for the third time and claims victory in this war.
What a shame. The heavily favored Team Sleep Ten More Minutes falls on the very first day of school.
Hikigaya got up reluctantly, radiating an aura of "Don't wanna go to class, don't wanna go to class."
After a quick and careless wash-up, he stuffed the day's textbooks haphazardly into his bag. With a tuft of hair sticking up, a slice of square bread dangling from his mouth, Hikigaya rushed toward the classroom.
"Riiiiing——"
"Phew, just made it." Hikigaya plopped into his seat just as the bell rang and let out a long sigh of relief.
The girl sitting in front of him, Yukinoshita, glanced at him coldly.
"…Yo."
Since they were classmates—and seated front and back—it felt only polite to say something.
"Oh, it's Hikigaya-kun." Yukinoshita let out a light sigh and immediately turned back to her textbook.
Can she please not talk like she's the girl who's disappointed after a seat change? That kind of natural tone really hurts.
"So unfortunate—Hikigaya-kun almost being late on the first day of school," said Sakayanagi, who had arrived at the classroom quite early, with a faintly regretful expression. "And here I was seriously considering the '180 punishments for being late.'"
"Please, I beg you—have mercy…"
What's so unfortunate about it? I was almost late, not actually late. And punishments? 180 of them?!
"Well… since you're so earnest about it, Hikigaya-kun, I suppose I'll downgrade your punishment from dismemberment to public execution."
"I'm still gonna die either way?!"