Asougi Shion.
A quiet, cool girl with long black hair that framed her pale face like silk.
According to Komachi, Hachiman had apparently met her once before. To jog his memory, she even pulled out an old photo of Shion from her phone. In the picture, Shion looked… surprisingly pretty.
But even as Hikigaya Hachiman crawled into bed that night, he still couldn't recall which "doujin heroine" this girl might've been based on.
Maybe he was overthinking it. Asougi Shion was probably just a random pretty background character.And in a world like this—a world that had already crossed into the realm of the second dimension—pretty background girls were practically everywhere.
"Hachiman! Wake up already!"
In what felt like the blink of an eye, the night vanished. The moment he opened his eyes again, morning light poured in and a loud voice called out from beside his bed.
Hachiman rubbed his eyes and blinked groggily. His blanket had already been yanked away, and standing beside his bed were two blue-haired twin girls who looked like they'd stepped straight out of an anime character design sheet.
He sighed, dragged himself out of bed, and shuffled over to open the window.
Komachi's room window faced Kaede and Kané's house next door, while his own faced the old three-story apartment building beside them. It had always been half-empty, with only a few tenants at most—quiet enough that he never worried about noisy neighbors.
He glanced out at the weathered building, his gaze drifting toward the distant skyline. The morning air was crisp, cool, and full of quiet life.
"Living next door to a demon, huh…" he murmured. "Honestly, that feels safer than living next to an angel."
His so-called "Romance System" wasn't just a dating sim interface—it clearly had other hidden functions. But so far, it wasn't exactly powerful. Until he grew stronger, his best strategy was to keep a low profile and—figuratively speaking—cling to Vignette's leg for survival.
Yup… definitely needed to cling.
Hachiman opened his Romance System interface mentally and selected: Add to Relationship List → Vignette.
"Hey! Hachiman, are you even listening? I came all the way here to wake you up!"
Kaede's voice snapped him out of his daze. She glared at him, her bright blue eyes narrowed in irritation. When he didn't react, she stomped up to him, grabbed the collar of his pajamas, and gave him a shake.
"You've done this so many times already," Hachiman replied flatly. "What do you expect me to do? Act surprised? Get flustered? If I just said 'thanks,' you'd probably call it half-hearted."
He gently pried her hand off his collar and shook his head in mild exasperation.
Kaede's temper hadn't changed at all. He'd thought that after becoming the student council president, she might tone it down a little. But no—still the same impulsive, fiery Kaede.
Then again, maybe that was why Shirogame-senpai had chosen her for the role. Her direct, energetic personality was exactly the kind of charisma that drew people in.
"If only you were more like Kané—quiet and well-behaved," he muttered, glancing toward the other twin.
Kané stood beside Kaede, watching them silently. She didn't say a word, her calm eyes blinking once in acknowledgment.
"Quiet and well-behaved?" Kaede scoffed. "Kané just doesn't talk much. That's all."
Kaede rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. She wasn't the "obedient type" herself—more like the cunning one who always had a dozen mischievous thoughts running through her head.
Kané, on the other hand, rarely showed any expression. Her emotions were subtle, hidden beneath tiny gestures that only surfaced when she was truly stirred.
"Alright, you two, out," Hachiman said, waving a hand. "I need to change."
He pulled open his closet and started looking for his uniform.
Sōbu High's uniform was sharp and stylish, modeled after a Western design—but it wrinkled easily, which made it a pain to keep neat. He couldn't even wear it casually around the house, not with the strict disciplinary committee waiting at the school gates to inspect students' appearances.
Otherwise, he'd probably have gone to sleep fully dressed, ready to just roll out of bed, grab breakfast, and leave.
"Hmph! Like I even want to watch you change. Come on, Kané, let's go," Kaede huffed, turning on her heel.
Kané lingered a moment, glancing back at him once—her expression unreadable—before quietly following her sister out.
Hachiman quickly changed into his uniform, tied his necktie half-heartedly in front of the mirror, and headed downstairs.
The Kaede–Kané twins—blue-haired beauties with matching faces but opposite personalities. One fiery and loud, one calm and reserved. He couldn't help but be reminded of a certain other pair of twin heroines from a franchise he'd always loved.
Too bad that particular series didn't exist in this world. If it did, and if his crafting skills were just a bit better, he'd have begged the twins to cosplay with him.
Of course, knowing Kaede's temper, that would probably just end with him getting pinned to the bed and punched.
When Hachiman reached the living room, he found Komachi and the twins eating sandwiches at the table—and a third girl sitting perfectly straight on the sofa.
A girl with long violet hair, wearing a freshly pressed Sōbu High uniform.
Her posture was flawless—legs together, back straight, hands neatly folded just above the hem of her skirt. Her black socks hugged the pale curve of her legs, the morning light glinting faintly off the smooth fabric.
"Morning, Vignette," Hachiman greeted casually. "Want to grab breakfast with us?"
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun! Ah—no, I've already eaten," she replied quickly, shaking her hands. "Sorry… I might've come a little too early."
Her voice carried a polite embarrassment. It was her first day attending school in the human world—a "training period," technically—but she couldn't hide her excitement. She'd woken up early, gotten dressed perfectly, and rushed out the door… only to realize she'd arrived far too soon.
And worse—she'd promised to walk with her neighbors. Now she was the awkward guest who showed up before breakfast.
"It's fine," Kaede said cheerfully before Hachiman could reply. "Hachiman doesn't care about stuff like that. You're way too cute for him to complain anyway."
Kaede waved her hand dismissively, flashing a teasing grin.
She'd already met Vignette yesterday when the demon girl stopped by to introduce herself. The new transfer student had made a good impression—sweet, polite, and easy to talk to.
Still, Kaede hadn't expected to find her waiting outside Hachiman's door this morning. The poor girl had been standing there awkwardly until they invited her in.
If Kaede hadn't insisted, Vignette would probably still be out there nervously staring at the doorbell.
"P-Please don't say things like that…" Vignette murmured, her face turning pink.
Yesterday, Hikigaya-kun had flustered her with a compliment, and now the student council president was doing the same. Did everyone in this world enjoy embarrassing her?
Sure, she knew Kaede was joking—but still, this kind of teasing made her heart flutter in ways she wasn't used to.
"Yeah, Vignette, no need to be so formal," Hachiman added casually, as if nothing were amiss. "Everyone just calls me Hachiman—you can too."
Kaede froze mid-bite, her smile twitching.
Wait.
Did this guy just—Did he just flirt with the new transfer student right in front of her?!
Her eyes darkened dangerously.
Unbelievable.
This guy seriously has the guts to steal the spotlight from the student council president herself?!