Even if you're not a fan of class groups, there's always the option to mute or block notifications after joining. Yet, Horikita Suzune had rejected the invitation outright, and more than that, she did so publicly in front of a half-filled classroom.
Did she even consider the fallout from expressing herself like that?
It was clear from the stunned silence and awkward glances exchanged by the others. From now on, Horikita Suzune would carry the label of someone cold, difficult to approach, and uncooperative.
"If you don't have anything else to say, please leave. I still need to focus on my reading," Horikita added, flipping a page with deliberate calm.
The request wasn't aggressive, but the intent was unmistakable.
Kushida Kikyo froze for a moment, an embarrassed smile flickering briefly across her face.
But Horikita didn't even glance at her again. She was back to reading as if Kushida's presence had already become irrelevant.
This girl… she really doesn't understand or care for the subtleties of social interaction.
From his seat, Hikigaya Hachiman watched everything unfold.
He wasn't surprised. In fact, he had sat beside Horikita on the very first day, partly because that seat had remained unoccupied while everyone else instinctively avoided it.
Maybe it was some strange magnetism— two solitary beings gravitating toward each other.
But now that he thought about it, there was nothing magnetic about it at all.
Horikita was a lone wolf, yes, but not the kind that howled at the moon, aching for companionship. No, she was more like a silent predator, completely uninterested in the company of the pack.
And Hachiman?
If Horikita was a wolf, he was a bear— quiet, sluggish, and absolutely unwilling to be leashed.
Lonely souls don't need a place to belong. They just need to be left alone.
---
The curriculum at Advanced Nurturing High School was intense—harder than any regular school.
The textbooks were brand new and difficult. The pace of the lectures didn't allow time to breathe.
And yet the teachers themselves? Totally indifferent.
As soon as the bell rang, they left. No Q&A, no follow-ups. They barely even looked at the students.
Even if someone was reading manga or playing games mid-lecture, the teachers didn't bat an eye.
But the students weren't complaining.
"No homework! This school is heaven!"
"Right? Back in middle school, they'd drag class past the bell. Screw that!"
"And PE got switched out for another math class. But hey, I heard we've got swimming sessions in the curriculum!"
The second day of school, and the class already had its own cliques forming.
Friend groups were beginning to solidify.
At the front, a group of boys had taken over a desk and were drawing up something suspiciously organized.
"What's this?" asked Ike Kanji, peering over the shoulder of a fellow classmate.
"We're doing a vote," said Yamauchi Haruki, proudly puffing out his chest. "Saw the girls ranking hot guys on Hirata's phone, so we're making a beautiful girl ranking to match. Equal rights and all that."
So they were making a list.
"Obviously, we're rating looks. But personality doesn't hurt either. And let's be real—boobs matter."
"I say we need a balance of face and figure," Yamauchi grinned.
"What do you think, Ayanokouji?" he suddenly turned to the quiet, nondescript boy whose desk they were occupying.
"Me?" Ayanokouji blinked. "I think... they all look nice?"
A vague answer.
"You're no fun," Ike muttered.
"I vote for Horikita," said Sudo Ken, joining the fray. The red-haired athlete leaned in, eager to be part of something. "She's hot. Cold, but hot."
Yamauchi scoffed. "She's pretty, but no curves. Now, Hasebe—she's the real deal."
Hasebe Haruka. The blue-haired girl with the mole under her eye. Cute, stylish, and undeniably well-built.
Hachiman listened quietly, disgust growing.
Adolescence was one thing, but airing out your horny thoughts in public? That was a level of shamelessness he couldn't stomach.
Especially when most of the girls were within earshot.
What's worse, Horikita and Hasebe weren't even in the room. They'd gone to the restroom.
So the boys were gossiping behind their backs. Real classy.
This was Class D.
Even with all the information and insights he had, Hachiman knew there was no salvaging this mess of a class—at least not without drastic measures.
United effort? Dream on.
He sighed and turned his gaze away from the loudmouthed boys.
And that's when he saw her.
A girl sitting quietly at the edge of the classroom, lost in her own world.
Pink hair in long twin tails. Thick red-framed glasses. Rustic clothing.
At first glance, she didn't stand out.
But there was something about her.
When she noticed his gaze, she looked over, confused, thinking perhaps he was staring at someone behind her.
When she realized there was no one there, she looked back, locking eyes with him briefly.
And then—
She panicked.
Snapping open her book, she ducked her head behind it, peeking out only slightly. Her cheeks were flushed red.
A timid squirrel hiding in the bushes.
Adorable.
Hachiman smirked inwardly, though he kept his face neutral.
He maintained his slouch, head on folded arms, a sleeping student on the surface. But in truth, he was observing everything.
The so-called camera of Class D.
And right now, the classroom ecosystem was as chaotic as ever.
Suzune had finally stepped out. Probably to refill her thermos, judging by the time.
Then—
"Hikigaya-san~"
That voice.
Sweet and dangerously playful.
Kushida Kikyo.
The angel with a mask.
Hachiman didn't respond immediately.
"You look sleepy," she said, sitting down beside him without hesitation.
Still, he remained still.
Kushida leaned in closer. "Is Sakura-san pretty?" she whispered. "You've been looking her way for a while now."
Hachiman opened one eye.
Caught.
So she had noticed. And not just her—probably Sakura too.
He hadn't meant anything by it. It was just curiosity. But his dead-fish eyes often made people uncomfortable.
"I didn't mean to scare her," he muttered under his breath.
Kushida smiled sweetly, but there was calculation in her tone. "Would you mind striking up a conversation with Horikita-san?"
So this wasn't just about Sakura.
Kushida had her own reasons.
She hadn't forgotten being brushed off earlier that morning by Horikita.
And now, she wanted someone else to make a connection in her place.
A proxy.
A bridge.
And she had chosen Hachiman.
***
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