Chapter 2: Hikigaya Hachiman of Class B! Setting Sail!
Hikigaya Hachiman discovered that he had indeed transmigrated.
He had ended up inside the novel Classroom of the Elite, which he had been reading while idling away time in the Service Club, waiting for the club president, Yukinoshita, to arrive and start their activities.
He was now a student in Class B, having just enrolled at the beginning of the story.
The setting of this world was quite unique, adopting a meritocratic "ability-first" system.
The student classes were ranked in a hierarchy. Class A was the strongest at the top, while Class D was considered the weakest and "trash."
Ultimately, only those who graduated from Class A were guaranteed the privilege of entering their ideal university or securing their desired job without entrance exams. Students graduating from other classes would have their school records transferred to different, ordinary institutions.
However, the school wasn't a total autocracy; it gave all classes a chance to compete. The school waived tuition and provided living expenses to all students, but these expenses were distributed by class units based on "Class Points." If a class's points dropped to zero, their living expenses would follow suit.
Furthermore, the number of Class Points determined the class's rank.
At the start, every class was given an identical 1,000 points, which is why everyone received an initial 100,000 Private Points as their first month's allowance. To cultivate elite students, the school organized "Special Exams" every month. Each class worked together to tackle these exams, gaining or losing Class Points based on their performance.
In short, every monthly Special Exam was a trial or a competition.
Do you want money? Do you want to move up? Do you want to graduate from Class A? Then shine in the Special Exams and show your full strength!
Of course, all the information above was summarized by Hachiman as a veteran bookworm who had read all 23 volumes of the light novel.
'So, what kind of daydream am I having, dreaming that I transmigrated into a novel? Regardless, might as well go eat first. Maybe I'll wake up after a night's sleep. At least let me have lunch first.'
Hachiman's usual allowance was even lower than Shibata's.
In middle school, it was 1,000 yen, and after entering high school, it only rose to 2,000 yen. After visiting an amusement park with Yukinoshita and Yuigahama this month, he only had 200 yen left. He didn't even have enough to buy milk for his sister, Komachi.
So...
[Name: Hikigaya Hachiman]
[ID Number: ST1045666068]
[Class: 1-B]
[Gender: Male]
[Private Points Balance: 86,995 points]
Mhm. Hachiman's starting class was B, which was quite good.
While the school gave all classes a chance to compete, the initial placement was inherently unfair. Students in higher classes generally had better overall capabilities, while lower classes were filled with "problem children" or students with specific academic deficiencies.
Once placed in a lower class, you'd be surrounded by people dragging you down, making it impossible to reach Class A—or even guarantee your living expenses.
But Hachiman's current focus was on the point balance on his phone.
'As expected of me' he thought. Even after ten days of enrollment—a period when everyone was buying daily necessities because of the mandatory dorm life—he still had 86,000 points left out of the initial 100,000.
He was incredibly thrifty.
'If this is a dream, don't let me wake up yet. Let me experience the feeling of being a "big spender" before I wake.'
Creak—
Hachiman pushed back his chair, stood up, and prepared to follow Shibata to the cafeteria. But as they walked toward the door, a stunningly beautiful girl with strawberry-blonde hair walked in from the front entrance.
"Um, Shibata-kun, could I 'borrow' Hikigaya-kun for a moment?" Ichinose asked.
"Eh? Sure, of course you can!" Shibata said immediately, scratching his head and grinning like an idiot. He gave Hachiman a knowing look—as if sending a signal—and headed off to the cafeteria alone.
'Wow. Shibata-kun. Ichinose-san just said that and you have zero resistance?'
"Hikigaya-kun?" While Hachiman was lapsing into silence, a gentle, inclusive female voice rang out beside him. Her voice sounded a lot like Yui Yuigahama's.
And she smelled nice.
'What perfume is she using? Or is she like Yukinoshita—the type who doesn't use cosmetics at all, possessing that natural beauty unique to top-tier pretty girls?'
"Uh, Ichinose-san, is something wrong?" Hachiman said, maintaining a neutral expression.
Internally, he was already wavering.
'Wait, did she catch me badmouthing her in my head?
But that should be impossible. I didn't say anything out loud.
Then again, if I can transmigrate, then other weird things are possible.
I should hurry up and spend some points so I can wake up from this dream.'
"..."
Ichinose was about to respond, but now the words were stuck in her throat.
Or rather, she had definitely found him.
'Hikigaya Hachiman-kun... all those voices I heard, the source really is you!'
Even though his mouth wasn't moving, the voices kept echoing in her heart.
Ichinose felt that as a class rep, she might have failed slightly by not interacting with him much in the first ten days, but did she really deserve to be slandered like this in Hachiman-kun's mind?
'And what did he mean by "transmigration"? Does he think all of this is a dream?'
However, she also felt like she was dreaming.
How could she possibly hear the inner thoughts of a male classmate? But then again, Chihiro must have heard Hachiman-kun's thoughts too; that's why she ran away crying.
'So... have Chihiro-chan and I triggered some supernatural event?' As the representative of Class B, Ichinose Honami thought rapidly.
"Even though I'm the class rep for Class B, I haven't talked to you much yet. You're always alone, so I was a bit worried," Ichinose said.
"If you're okay with it, how about we have lunch together?"
She offered the invitation proactively.
While it was partly social etiquette, there was a large degree of sincerity involved. She truly felt she had neglected Hikigaya-kun—they had been classmates for ten days, yet she hadn't spoken a word to him.
The invitation to lunch was real, too. If possible, she hoped he would explain his internal comment about Chihiro liking her and being a "loser," so she could comfort Chihiro-chan.
After all, being suddenly told you like someone of the same sex was a bit much, and Chihiro-chan had always been a sensitive, delicate girl.
"Eh? Lunch? I already made plans with Shibata," Hachiman replied.
In other words, Ichinose's direct invitation was rejected.
'What's going on? Are all the students in this class like this? They see someone alone, 'worry' about them, and then invite them out?
But in this world, being alone doesn't always mean being lonely. Some people just prefer their own company.
But if this is the original Ichinose, she should still be in her 'Angel' state. It's normal for her to want to unite the class and look after the loners.
This is pure kindness, unlike Hayama's.
But I should still refuse. I'm really not good at dealing with this type of student. And having a school beauty like Ichinose invite me will probably attract a lot of unnecessary attention.
"..."
Ichinose had considered that she might be rejected, but…
'Hachiman-kun, is your inner monologue always this active?
And what is the "true nature" of this school? You clearly know something.
Therefore... we are definitely having this lunch together!'
She could not stand by and let her class "fall" to Class D—that sounded terrifying.
Thus, Ichinose decided to bet her reputation as the Class Representative of Class B!