Chapter 027: Hikigaya Hachiman's Birthday!
August 8th, Monday. Morning.
When Hachiman pushed open the classroom door, over a dozen people were already seated inside. It wasn't the usual sparse state, but almost the entire class was present. Forty people—except for him, everyone was there.
He stood at the doorway, stunned for a moment.
"Happy Birthday—!"
Voices exploded from all directions, like something detonating in his ears simultaneously. Hachiman's body leaned back slightly, and he instinctively raised his hand to cover his ears. Shibata Souta stood at the very front, holding a handmade cardboard sign with the words "Happy Birthday" written in large letters with colored markers. Next to it was a crookedly drawn cake with candles, and smoke rising from them—likely flames drawn with some red pen.
Amikura Mako stood beside Shibata, holding a pink balloon with "Happy Birthday" printed in gold letters. Seeing Hachiman's stunned expression, she laughed so hard she doubled over, the balloon wobbling in her hand, nearly flying away.
"Hikigaya-kun, Happy Birthday!" she shouted, her voice even louder than Shibata's.
Hachiman stood at the door, taking in the scene. Forty people, every single one of them looking at him. Some held cardboard signs, some held balloons, and some held nothing at all, simply smiling and clapping. On the blackboard, "Happy Birthday" was written in large chalk letters, surrounded by drawings of balloons, cakes, and some graffiti he couldn't quite decipher. Ichinose Honami stood by the podium, holding a small gift box wrapped in gold paper and tied with a white ribbon. She had her hair tied up today, revealing her fair neck, her pale-pink high ponytail particularly striking in the morning light.
Hachiman looked at her, then at the crowded classroom, and remained silent for two seconds.
"...Thanks," he said.
His voice wasn't very loud, but the words caused a momentary hush in the classroom before the laughter erupted again.
Shibata walked over, patted his shoulder, and pushed him into the classroom. "Come in, come in, don't just stand at the door. You're the protagonist today; standing at the door doesn't look right."
Hachiman was pushed forward, passing rows of desks and chairs until he reached his own seat. On his desk was a bouquet of flowers—white, variety unknown—placed in a transparent glass vase. Beside it sat several small gift boxes of various colors, stacked together like a tiny mountain.
"These are all from everyone," Amikura Mako leaned in from the side, pointing at the pile of gifts. "It's not from everyone individually; they were bought collectively with class funds. Ichinose-san picked them out."
Hachiman glanced toward the podium. Ichinose was looking down, talking to a girl nearby, not looking at him. But the tips of her ears were slightly flushed.
"Ichinose-san spent a long time picking them," Amakura whispered. "Last week, she visited several shops in the shopping district, comparing this and that, unable to decide. In the end, I helped her choose."
Hachiman nodded, saying nothing.
At that moment, the school bell rang.
Hoshinomiya Chie stepped into the classroom right on cue, holding a stack of materials. Seeing the "Happy Birthday" on the blackboard and the pile of gifts on Hachiman's desk, a smile appeared on her face.
"Oh my, someone has a birthday today." She placed the materials on the podium, leaning forward slightly with her hands on the edge of the desk. "Hikigaya-kun, Happy Birthday."
"Thanks," Hachiman said.
Hoshinomiya looked at him, a mischievous glint in her large eyes. "How does it feel, your first birthday after being promoted to Class A? Not bad, right?"
A burst of laughter rang out in the classroom. Hachiman's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't reply.
Fortunately, Hoshinomiya didn't press further; she picked up the materials and began the lesson.
The morning classes passed by just like that.
Math, Literature, English—one after another. The teachers wrote formulas on the blackboard, and the students copied notes below, exactly like any other day. The only difference was that during the breaks, people constantly walked over to say "Happy Birthday" to him. Some left right after saying it, some stayed for a brief chat, and others took a photo before laughing and running off.
Sitting at his desk, Hachiman said "Thanks" over a dozen times throughout the morning. His throat was starting to feel a bit dry.
It could be said that in the past, back at Sobu High, he had seen Hayama's life as a "normie," but looking at it now, the level of passionate attention he was receiving seemed to have already surpassed Hayama's.
After all, Hayama's birthday was only celebrated within a small circle, but now, he felt like his mouth was going to twitch from saying "thanks" all day.
However, during the lunch break, Ichinose walked over, holding that small gold-wrapped gift box.
"Hikigaya-kun." She placed the gift box gently on his desk. "This is a token of the class's feelings."
Hachiman looked down. The box wasn't large—about the size of a palm. The gold wrapping paper shimmered slightly in the sunlight, and the white ribbon was tied into a beautiful bow.
"Can I open it?" he asked.
"Of course," Ichinose smiled. "It was meant for you from the start."
Hachiman picked up the box, untied the ribbon, and tore the wrapping paper. Inside was a small dark-blue box, and upon opening it, he found a fountain pen. A black barrel, a silver nib, and a tiny "A" engraved on the cap. It wasn't an exaggeratedly luxurious style, but the craftsmanship was fine, and it felt heavy in his hand.
"Amikura said boys should use fountain pens," Ichinose said. "So I chose this one."
Hachiman turned the pen in his hand. The nib caught the light with a silver glint.
"Thanks," he said.
Ichinose shook her head and spoke in a relaxed tone, "No need for thanks. Everyone had a part in it; I was just responsible for picking it out."
With that, she turned decisively and walked back to her seat.
"..."
Hachiman watched her back, put the pen back in its box, and tucked it into his schoolbag.
When the last class of the afternoon ended, Hachiman's phone vibrated several times. He pulled it out to see several messages.
The first was from Karuizawa. [Happy Birthday. I'll give you your gift tonight.]
The second was from Kushida. [Happy Birthday. I put something in your bag; look at it when you get back.]
The third was from Matsushita Chiaki. [Hikigaya-kun, Happy Birthday. Do you like the glasses? I spent a long time picking them out. You looked quite good in the pair Chabashira-sensei gave you, so I bought the same model.]
Glasses. Hachiman was stunned for a moment, then remembered that among the pile of gift boxes on his desk this morning, there was indeed a rectangular one. He hadn't opened it at the time, just set it aside. So that was from Matsushita.
But why also send glasses? Chabashira had already given him a pair.
Although Hachiman already knew about the gifts Matsushita and the others would send from the "shared dream" and was mentally prepared, he still felt the urge to complain.
As he was about to reply, he felt his phone vibrate again. This time it was Horikita Suzune.
[Happy Birthday.]
Just two words. No gift, no emoji, no extra fluff. Hachiman stared at those two words for two seconds before typing a line back.
[Thanks.]
After sending it, he put the phone back in his pocket.
After school, Hachiman did not go to the Student Council.
He had an appointment to eat dinner with Karuizawa tonight, but since it was still early, he went back to his dorm first.
Pushing open the door, he set his schoolbag on the desk and opened it. Besides textbooks and notebooks, there was something extra in the bag—a light-pink paper bag with a sticky note on it that read "Kushida."
Hachiman took out the paper bag and opened it.
Inside was a diary.
A green hard-cover, thick paper, with a rough texture to the touch. On the title page, a line was written in neat, elegant handwriting: "Fill this up during your three years of school life. by Kushida."
Hachiman looked at that line and remained silent for a few seconds. He recalled the diary he saw in the shared dream—green, hard-cover, and thick.
In that dream, he had written about the content of Kushida's gift.
"Don't you want to keep a diary? This should be enough for you to write for three years."
But now, he actually had that diary. However, the words Kushida said had changed. It became "Fill this up during your three years of school life."
A dream is indeed just a dream; there are still some deviations from reality. Or perhaps, something happened that influenced Kushida, making her slightly different from the "past" described in the diary.
Hachiman felt this was a piece of information he might be able to grasp. But for now, better to continue opening the gifts.
So.
He placed the diary on the desk and opened his bag again, taking out the gift boxes one by one. Matsushita's glasses—black thin frames, almost identical to the pair he was currently
wearing. Kamuro's pen—wait, Kamuro's pen hadn't arrived. He rummaged through but couldn't find it. Probably hasn't been sent yet.
Sakayanagi's cake—that wasn't there either.
Hachiman leaned back in his chair, staring at the pile of items on the desk. The diary, the glasses, the fountain pen, and a few other small things he hadn't had time to open. A birthday. Back when he was at Sobu High, his birthday was never a particularly special day. Komachi would make him a good meal and then give him a handmade card with crooked little figures drawn on it. Yuigahama would send a message saying "Hikki, Happy Birthday" followed by a cake emoji. Yukinoshita probably wouldn't remember his birthday. And he wouldn't go out of his way to remind her.
It was different now. Forty people were waiting for him in the classroom to say "Happy Birthday." Ichinose picked out a fountain pen. Matsushita sent a pair of glasses. Kushida sent a diary. Karuizawa said she'd give him a gift tonight.
Hachiman picked up the diary and flipped to the first page. The paper was very white, with nothing on it. He picked up the fountain pen, unscrewed the cap, and the nib paused over the paper for a moment before he wrote the first line.
[August 8th, today is my birthday.]
He stared at that line for two seconds, feeling it was a bit too simple. He added another sentence.
[Received many gifts. A fountain pen, glasses, a diary. And one more to receive tonight.]
He paused, thought for a moment, and wrote one more line.
[It will probably be a pretty good birthday.]
After finishing, he closed the diary and placed it beside his pillow.
-
--
-
7:00 PM, Third Floor Cafeteria.
Hachiman pushed open the door to the private room; Karuizawa was already there. Her blonde ponytail was tied high, with a red hair tie forming a small bow at the end. She wore a light-pink knitted cardigan over a white inner layer, paired with a dark pleated skirt. Her entire being looked much softer than usual.
Seeing Hachiman enter, she stood up, picked up a paper bag from the chair next to her, and handed it to him.
"Happy Birthday." Her voice was a bit lower than usual, her cheeks slightly flushed. "The gift."
Hachiman took the bag and opened it. Inside was a small box, dark blue, somewhat similar to the one Ichinose had given him earlier. He opened the box to find a necklace inside. A silver chain with a pendant of a tiny sailboat, and on the hull of the boat, a single character was engraved—"
(Return).
Hachiman stared at that character for several seconds. He didn't know why she chose this character, nor did he know where she had found it. But he could roughly guess her meaning.
"Thanks," he said.
Karuizawa looked at him, silent for a second, then gave a light laugh.
"Try putting it on?"
Hachiman nodded and took the necklace out of the box. The chain was very thin and the pendant was very small, shimmering with silver light under the lamps. He lowered his head and tried to put it on, only managing to fasten the clasp after several attempts. The pendant rested at the level of his collarbone, cool against his skin.
Looking at him, the smile on the corners of Karuizawa's mouth deepened.
"Not bad," she said.
Hachiman raised his hand to touch the tiny sailboat. "Yeah."
The two sat down in the private room and ordered two set meals. They didn't speak while eating, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward. Karuizawa would occasionally look up at him before lowering her head to continue eating. Hachiman ate slowly, thinking about things as he ate.
He was thinking about that diary. The one Kushida gave him—green, hard-cover. She said "Fill it up." He didn't know how long it would take to fill, or what it would look like once it was full. But he felt it would probably be a good process.
After finishing the meal, the two walked out of the cafeteria. The corridor was very quiet, with only the faint hum of the overhead fluorescent lights. Karuizawa walked beside him, their two shadows cast on the floor, quietly side-by-side.
"Hachiman," she suddenly spoke.
"Yeah?"
"Are you happy today?"
Hachiman was silent for a second. He remembered the "Happy Birthday" when he pushed open the classroom door that morning, the fountain pen Ichinose handed him, the diary Kushida put in his bag, Matsushita asking "Do you like the glasses?", the message Horikita sent, and the necklace Karuizawa gave him.
"It's alright," he said.
Karuizawa glanced at him, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
"That's good then."
They reached the crossroads and stopped.
"See you tomorrow," Karuizawa said. "I'm heading back to the dorm first."
Because they hadn't gone public with their relationship, they wouldn't return to the dorms directly together.
"Yeah," Hachiman nodded. "See you tomorrow."
Karuizawa turned and walked toward the dorms first. Her blonde ponytail swayed gently on her shoulders, the red hair tie particularly visible under the streetlights.
Hachiman stood in place, watching her back disappear into the distance before following.
Upon returning to his dorm, he changed his clothes, took a shower, and lay on the bed.
Beside the pillow lay the green diary and the necklace. He picked up the diary, flipped to the first page, and looked at the lines he had written.
He thought for a moment and added another line.
[Karuizawa gave me a necklace. Silver, with a pendant of a tiny sailboat engraved with the character "Return." She probably hopes I find the way back. Or maybe she just picked it randomly. I don't know. But the necklace is very nice.]
At that moment, he suddenly heard a sound from outside the door.
He quickly thought of the information about Kamuro-san and Sakayanagi-san that had been written when he dreamed of the future.
Thus, he got up to open the door.
As expected.
Opening the door, Hachiman looked at Kamuro-san standing outside.
Her long purple hair was draped over her shoulders, her bangs held back by three hair clips of different colors. She was tall and slender, wearing a white shirt with the red first-year blazer over it. The expression on her face was no different from usual—well... carrying a sense of indifference, and then seemingly a hint of disdain, as if she were dissatisfied with everything.
But Hachiman noticed she hadn't come empty-handed. She was holding a paper package.
"Good evening," Hachiman said.
Kamuro looked at him, silent for a second, then handed over the paper bag in her hand. Her movements were somewhat stiff, as if she were completing an unwilling task.
"Happy Birthday," her voice was very low, as if afraid of being heard by someone. "Sakayanagi asked me to deliver this."
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