Chapter 024: Hikigaya Hachiman's Birthday!
The next morning, when Hachiman stepped into the elevator, three people were already inside.
Two boys he didn't recognize were standing toward the back, whispering to each other. A girl stood next to the button panel, her head down as she looked at her phone screen. Hachiman walked to the corner, pressed the button for the first floor, and then leaned against the wall to wait.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hand reached through the gap.
The doors bounced open again. Horikita Suzune walked in.
As usual, her jet-black hair flowed like a waterfall, and she exuded an aura of coldness that made her seem difficult to approach. As she entered, her gaze swept the small space; it lingered on Hachiman in the corner for a brief moment before shifting away.
She pressed the first-floor button and stood in the opposite corner.
Three people stood between them. Neither spoke. The elevator descended slowly, the numbers jumping from 6 to 5, then 4. Hachiman's gaze fell on the elevator door, where the metallic surface reflected Horikita's blurry silhouette. She was also looking at the door; their eyes met briefly in the reflection before they both looked away.
With a "ding," the elevator reached the first floor.
The doors opened. The two boys walked out first, followed by the girl on her phone. Hachiman walked out last, his pace slightly slower than usual. He exited the elevator and didn't look back, simply standing at the corner of the walkway to wait.
Soon.
The sound of footsteps came from behind.
"Hikigaya-kun."
Hachiman turned around. Horikita Suzune stood a few paces away.
He noted that her expression was the same as always—aloof, calm, with her lips slightly pursed. However, Hachiman noticed faint dark circles under her eyes.
'In other words, she didn't sleep well last night, did she?'
"Didn't sleep well last night?" he asked directly.
Horikita's fingers seemed to twitch slightly. She didn't answer immediately, but instead gave him a look, her burgundy eyes pausing on his face for a second.
"I suppose," she said, her tone sounding flat.
Today's Horikita seemed somewhat cold, a complete shift in style compared to the version in his dream. Or rather, who could have imagined that this Horikita also had a side that would become so soft in the future? Hachiman looked at her and said nothing.
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Horikita turned her head slightly. "And you?"
"What?"
"You aren't in great shape either." Horikita's gaze fell on his face, as if trying to confirm something. "You didn't sleep well either?"
Hachiman remained silent for a second, then nodded.
"Yeah. I didn't sleep well."
Horikita's fingers couldn't help but move. Her first reaction was: 'Could it be that he shared that dream last night too?'
It's fair to say that when this thought surfaced, her heart skipped a beat.
But she quickly shook her head. Impossible. A dream is just a dream. Such a thing couldn't happen. She wouldn't be like she was last semester, taking supernatural phenomena for granted. Just because Hikigaya's inner voice had disappeared didn't mean there would be other special, extra-ordinary occurrences; after all, she wasn't some heroine in a novel.
Horikita still had a clear understanding of herself.
Therefore, she felt that the reason he slept poorly now must be for some other reason. And... it had nothing to do with her.
"I stayed up too late reading," Horikita said, looking away as her tone returned to its usual calm. "I missed my bedtime."
Hachiman glanced at her. Horikita Suzune , a person who could study for ten hours a day—would she miss her bedtime because of reading? It was actually quite likely. She was indeed the type to get so absorbed in a book that she forgot the time.
Forget missing her bedtime; if her academic ability wasn't enough, she would study so desperately that she'd probably even forget to eat.
"You really are capable of that," Hachiman said.
Horikita's brow twitched slightly. "What do you mean?"
"A beast who can study for ten hours a day." Hachiman's tone was flat, but the corners of his mouth quirked up slightly. "That's not something just anyone can do."
Horikita stared at him for two seconds. She wasn't sure if he was complimenting or insulting her.
"Hikigaya-kun!" However, at that moment, a voice called out from the other end of the corridor.
Hachiman turned his head.
He found his classmate, Shibata Souta, running toward them with that high-energy, "sunny boy" smile. He was wearing an athletic jacket, and his hair wasn't quite dry—he had likely just showered. He reached Hachiman and stopped, breathing slightly hard.
Since there was no behavioral conduct exam today, the school didn't strictly require students to wear uniforms. In fact, because the Sports Festival was approaching, quite a few people had already started wearing tracksuits.
After all, you couldn't have the girls running in short skirts.
"Good morning!" Shibata said.
However, Shibata had originally only intended to greet Hachiman, but his gaze swept behind him and caught sight of Horikita. He paused for a moment, then nodded to her.
"Horikita-san from Class D? Good morning."
Horikita nodded slightly but didn't speak.
Shibata scratched his head, feeling the atmosphere was a bit subtle. But he wasn't the type to overthink things. He waved at Hachiman. "See you later!" With that, he turned and ran off, the sound of his footsteps fading down the hallway.
Hachiman pulled back his gaze and turned toward where Horikita had just been standing.
He was about to say something, only to find that she was already gone.
It seemed that while Shibata was saying hello, she had taken the opportunity to leave for the Class D classroom ahead of him.
"..."
'I feel like Horikita is acting a bit strange today' Hachiman thought to himself.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, when Horikita Suzune entered the Class D classroom, several people were already seated.
Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were huddled in the back row looking at a phone, laughing hysterically at whatever they were seeing. Sudo Ken sat by the window, looking down as he flipped through a sports magazine. Hirata Yousuke stood by the teacher's podium talking to several girls, a gentle smile on his face.
None of this had anything to do with her, though; she had always lacked interest in the rest of her classmates.
She walked to her seat, placed her bag on the desk, and then looked down at the empty tabletop.
When she encountered Hikigaya just now, her first reaction was—'did he dream it too?'
That question had circled her mind several times and simply wouldn't stop. She knew it was irrational. A dream is just a dream; it's not a prophecy, not the future, and not some parallel world two people can experience together. But her heart still raced. Not because she believed it, but because she was afraid.
She was afraid the dream was real. And she was even more afraid that the dream was fake.
If it were real, it meant Hachiman really did get married in the end—to someone who wasn't Karuizawa. Who would that person be? She didn't know. She only knew that the "self" in the dream looked at Hachiman with eyes more tender than her own.
But that person was her.
She was watching Hachiman in the dream, and outside the dream, she stood at the doorway watching that "self." The feeling was bizarre. It was like looking at another version of life through a layer of glass. That "Horikita Suzune " was more composed than her, gentler than her, and knew better how to talk to Hachiman.
But that wasn't her. At least, not yet.
Horikita took a deep breath, suppressing those chaotic thoughts. She pulled a textbook from her desk and flipped to the first page. The handwriting was clear and the formulas were neat, but she didn't process a single word.
She was just thinking—if that dream was real, should she do something? Or rather, did she need to do nothing, and time would simply carry her to that point?
She didn't know.
She only knew that right now, sitting in the Class D classroom with a math textbook spread before her, her mind was entirely filled with Hachiman's face.
She closed her eyes, then opened them.
'Just read.'
She flipped to the next page and stared at the formulas, reading them word by word. This time, it sank in. Not because the formulas were easy, but because she forced herself not to think about "what-ifs."
Things have come to this; might as well study first. Otherwise, she felt she was going to become "strange" as well.
-
-
-
On the other side, Hachiman had arrived at the Class A classroom.
He pushed open the door.
There was only one person inside. Honami Ichinose sat by the window, her strawberry-blonde hair draped over her shoulders. She held a thermos and was pouring something into the lid. Sunlight poured through the window, falling on her and enveloping her in a faint halo.
It was fair to say that today's Honami Ichinose was the undisputed "flower" of Class A.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up, and when she noticed who it was, the corners of her mouth curved.
"Morning, Hikigaya-kun," Ichinose greeted him proactively.
"Morning." Hachiman walked to his seat, placed his backpack down, and pulled out his math textbook. The corners were a bit curled; he pressed them down with his hand and set it on the corner of the desk. Then, his gaze fell on Ichinose's thermos.
What was being poured into the lid wasn't tea or coffee, but a pale yellow liquid with a few red berries floating inside. Goji berries. Hachiman stared at the berries for two seconds, then looked back at Ichinose.
"Goji berry water?" His tone held a hint of surprise and something subtle.
Ichinose nodded, picked up the lid, blew on it gently, and took a sip. She set it down, the smile on her lips deepening.
"Don't we have training soon? I'm trying to supplement a bit."
Hachiman looked at her, silent for a second. Running every morning and going to the gym for strength training at night. Her physical stamina really wasn't that great, but there was no rule saying she couldn't work hard. And since Ichinose hated holding everyone back, she was likely trying to close the gap this way.
Even if it only gained a few more points for the class, she felt it was necessary.
But Ichinose's athletic ability... Hachiman's gaze couldn't help but shift an inch below her neck.
He quickly pulled it back.
"Having motivation is a good thing," he finally said. "Good luck."
Ichinose smiled but didn't respond. She lowered her head and took another sip of the goji berry water. The classroom stayed quiet for a while, save for the occasional bird chirping outside.
Hachiman flipped open his textbook, preparing to look over the day's material.
A hand reached over from the side.
The fingers were fair and slender, the nails neatly trimmed without any polish. That hand lightly touched his forehead, the fingertips carrying a slight chill. It pressed down on a small tuft of stray hair, smoothed it out, and pressed again.
Hachiman froze entirely.
He saw that tuft of hair in the mirror every morning; it was right at the front and refused to stay down. He'd tried water, hair gel, and repeated combing. It was useless. After a while, it would pop back up on its own, as if something were propping it up from inside. He had given up on it and just came to class with it sticking up every day.
But now, Ichinose's fingers had pressed it down.
"Your hair was sticking up." Ichinose's voice came from the side—very soft, with a hint of a smile.
Her fingers stayed on his forehead for a moment to ensure the tuft wouldn't pop back up before withdrawing. The movement was natural, as if she were doing something very ordinary. She didn't even look at his reaction; she just lowered her head and continued drinking her water.
Hachiman raised his hand to touch his forehead. The hair was indeed pressed flat, sitting obediently against his brow.
"...Thanks," he said, his voice a bit stiff.
Ichinose looked up at him. Her gaze lingered on his face for a second, her bright eyes carrying a hint of concern.
"Hikigaya-kun, you don't look very energetic today," she said. "Didn't sleep well last night?"
Hachiman leaned back in his chair, silent for a moment. He really hadn't slept well. After the "connected dream," he had tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep. Marriage—getting married right after high school—and to whom?
It was indeed quite a shock for Hachiman.
Although he had thought he would definitely get married and become a house-husband, having received a definitive answer made him think about it over and over, until he eventually began to wonder if he was dreaming. But those images were too clear—the "Adult Horikita's" face, the green-covered diary, every word she said.
"Occasionally I can't sleep," he said. "My sleep quality wasn't great last night."
Ichinose looked at him and didn't press further, simply giving a soft "Mhm." She looked down and continued her water.
Hachiman's gaze fell toward the window. On the field, a few students were squeezing in some running time before homeroom; the red track was exceptionally bright in the morning sun. But he was thinking about those things.
Marriage. In this world, he got married after high school. To whom?
First, rule out Karuizawa. She had said it in a message—"You're definitely leaving in the end anyway." There had been a deadline between them from the start. "Adult Horikita" also said he didn't marry Karuizawa. So who could it be?
Could it be that Yukino also crossed over to this world?
When this thought surfaced, Hachiman's heart skipped a beat. But he quickly felt it was unlikely—it was just that for a girl like Yukino, if the world he was in was just a novel world, then Yukino should be able to successfully serve as the heroine.
So Hachiman wasn't entirely sure.
After all, he admitted that even he had once looked up to Yukino, although he had selfishly placed his own expectations upon her.
And speaking of Yukino, one couldn't avoid mentioning Komachi.
In the dream, "Adult Horikita" said she had just seen Komachi that morning. If Komachi could come, why couldn't Yukino? Moreover, if his sister Komachi came to this world, she would definitely come looking for him. There's no way she wouldn't. So the fact that "Adult Horikita" said they met in the morning meant Komachi had already been in this world for a while.
So in the future, perhaps there really would be some unexpected changes.
Hachiman closed his eyes, then opened them.
Ichinose sat beside him, quietly drinking her water, not disturbing him. Sunlight flooded through the window, falling on the floor between the two of them, making that small patch of tile glow.
"Hikigaya-kun," Ichinose suddenly spoke.
Hachiman turned his head. "Yeah?"
"What were you thinking about just now?" Ichinose asked. "Your expression was very serious."
Hachiman was silent for a second.
How was he supposed to answer? Tell Ichinose he was thinking about marriage? Thinking about whether Yukino was in this world? Thinking about the possibility of seeing Komachi again? He couldn't say those words out loud.
"Nothing," he said.
Ichinose looked at him, silent for a moment, and then gave a soft laugh. The smile was faint, but her eyes curved into beautiful crescents.
"That's good, then," she said.
She lowered her head to continue drinking. Hachiman also looked back down at his textbook. The classroom fell silent again, with only the sound of the wind outside and the distant footsteps from the field drifting in intermittently. The sunlight moved slowly, shifting from the desk to the textbook, sliding over his fingertips and falling onto the chair beside him.
The two sat side-by-side, each lost in their own thoughts. Neither spoke again.
Compared to Yui, who possessed the same voice, Hachiman could feel that Ichinose's capacity for tolerance seemed even greater.
Thinking this, Hachiman prepared to speak again.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting