Chapter 118: Meeting You Wasn't Too Late, Hikigaya Hachiman
Faced with their monster-like stares, Hikigaya felt a bit overwhelmed.
Seriously, it's just a simple pattern. Is this reaction necessary?
He wanted to ask but knew it would only lead to a worse situation.
In the end, Hikigaya could only sigh helplessly. Perhaps because Yukinoshita Yukino's sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, always called him a monster, he was starting to get used to the label.
[Of course, far outside the video, Haruno heard his inner thoughts. With her usual devilish smile, she wasn't surprised by his feats, only teasing, "I wonder if this guy misses his big sister."]
[Hiratsuka Shizuka: "You're teasing my student again. How many times since this video started?"]
[Haruno's playful demeanor left Hiratsuka exasperated. As expected, she retorted, "Hey, Shizu-chan, I'm your student too. Don't be so biased. And… I'm not wrong, am I?"]
[Hiratsuka threw up her hands, clearly helpless.]
[Meanwhile, Satō Asahi, offline for ages, finally showed up. Perhaps bored after eating, he upgraded the chat group to a functional state, meaning everyone's words would now unconsciously stream into it.]
[Forget the collisions between Advanced Nurturing High School and the Service Club; Haruno's comment alone reached Yukinoshita's group.]
[Yukinoshita: "Sister, what do you mean by calling yourself his sister?"]
[In the Service Club, those in the know stayed silent, while the clueless, like Yukinoshita, looked puzzled.]
[Haruno smiled: "Let Yukino figure it out herself. She's so smart, after all."]
[Yukinoshita didn't get it. Dismissing her sister's antics as childish, she pretended to ignore it but kept thinking.]
[Hayama Hayato, eager to change the topic, said, "Hikigaya, how did you figure out that? Just from those two VIP students?"]
[Hikigaya, playing along, answered as best he could: "It wasn't that simple. First, I knew Karuizawa was a VIP student, then Kushida. From there, I pieced it together."]
[In the Service Club, Yukinoshita's attention shifted to his lame joke. The group's monster-like stares matched those in the video.]
[What, is this some kind of monster contagion?]
[Hikigaya's exasperated look spoke volumes, silently rebuking them.]
[At that moment, the four classes of Advanced Nurturing High saw Hikigaya speak outside the video for the first time. Combined with his feat of deducing the exam pattern from two VIP students, the chat exploded.]
[Sakura Airi, trembling with excitement, clutched her hands: "It's… it's really Hikigaya-kun!"]
[Hikigaya: "Yeah, it's really me. Not some virtual character, that'd be too cruel. Not illegal, but definitely immoral."]
[Sudo Ken: "That's my bro! Same in and out of the video."]
[Hikigaya: "What are you talking about? Of course, I'm the same, it's me. It'd be weird if I wasn't. What, some horror story?"]
[Hirata Yosuke, smiling: "Sudo means it's exciting that you're real. Our two worlds are connected through this video."]
[Shinohara Satsuki: "Yeah, we've seen all your feats. They're practically miracles. I've never seen anyone think like that."]
[Sudo: "Bro, I thought it was fake, but it's real. We should totally be sworn brothers outside the video too!"]
[Hikigaya, unsure how to respond without a "stop" gesture in the chat, explained, "Hold on, I just got lucky."]
[He wanted to say he hadn't sworn brotherhood with Sudo in the video either, but that'd be too harsh.]
[Karuizawa: "So, if you were in our world, you'd save me like in the video. I… get it."]
[Sakura: "Hachiman, can I call you that? Thank you so much."]
[Kushida, cold-faced, reread Hikigaya's words multiple times.]
[Horikita, dazed, had once scoffed at relying on videos. Now, chatting with the real Hikigaya, undeniably real, she realized she'd changed.]
[The chat buzzed on, but Yukinoshita, seeing these video faces come to life, felt a real crisis. So did Yuigahama Yui and Isshiki Iroha, a strange unease the Service Club never gave them.]
[Perhaps due to familiarity, the three knew each other's feelings but lacked urgency, even considering sacrifices. But now, seeing these once-video-only faces before them, their world shifted.]
[Their world was crumbling. Their only edge was sitting with Hikigaya, someone they could touch, unlike the chat group. But so what? Could that ease their crisis? If cross-world chats were possible, maybe one day those people could reach Hikigaya. They couldn't imagine the consequences.]
[Could Yukinoshita still stand aloof, nobly handing over her co-dependent partner? Impossible.]
[Looking at Hikigaya's hand on his lap, she felt an impulsive urge but resisted it rationally.]
[The chat continued buzzing about Hikigaya, unsurprising since the video centered on him.]
[Even classmates like Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki had never seen Karuizawa and Sakura so proactive. Since the video made everyone familiar, Hikigaya quickly bonded with them.]
[He didn't resist their sincerity, it felt comforting.]
[Horikita's class wasn't the only one shaken. Ibuki Mio was stunned, while Ryuen couldn't hide his grin, eager to meet the opponent who'd beaten him countless times.]
[Ryuen: "You're a real monster, a total monster!"]
[Hikigaya: "That's a bit rude…"]
[Ryuen, barely containing his laughter, was surprisingly polite: "No, no, Hikigaya, you're a unique monster, not some ugly freak."]
[Thanks for distinguishing me from ugly freaks.]
[Hiyori Shiina: "It's really him… such a pity."]
[Hiyori, never meeting this legendary figure, felt some regret.]
[Meanwhile, enemies like Manabe's group and Ishizaki's trio glared at the chat but didn't dare show hostility. Their own actions led to their downfall, and showing enmity now would clash with the mood, harming their future. They weren't expelled yet, they weren't fools.]
[Ichinose, an outsider, couldn't join the conversation. Oddly, though not strangers in the video, she and Hikigaya weren't friends. She teased him, but he seemed to resist her. Even with a god's-eye view, she couldn't understand why.]
[Crucially, she'd fallen for him through the video, despite him not helping her. Sometimes, youthful emotions are strange, you fixate on someone, swayed by their moods. Ichinose was like that, unable to grasp her feelings or interject.]
[Kanzaki Ryuji and Shirami Chihiro, however, sincerely praised: "Hikigaya-kun, we really admire you."]
[Hikigaya: "Your expectations make me uneasy. It's just a video, don't take it too seriously."]
[Even a simple exchange with Hikigaya felt worthwhile to Ichinose, but she didn't take the leap.]
[Perhaps she'd never understand why Hikigaya resisted gentle girls.]
[Is Sakura gentle? Yes, but her gentleness is for one person.]
[Is Kushida gentle? Perhaps once, but now she's cold, though she'll unconditionally help when needed.]
[Is Karuizawa gentle? Yes, but her intense possessiveness and personality show she's devoted to one person. Her past actions were self-protection.]
[Is Kamuro Masumi gentle? Hikigaya wanted to say no, but she'd helped him often. Initially due to Sakayanagi's orders, later it became instinctive. He owed her thanks, her gentleness was unique.]
[Horikita? Not gentle at all.]
[These were Hikigaya's true thoughts so far.]
[As for Sakayanagi Arisu, her teasing and one-sided "dates" carried a different emotion, not simple affection. Hikigaya couldn't read her, she wasn't ordinary and wouldn't approach him so easily.]
[Hashimoto Masayoshi spoke first: "Oh, finally hearing the man himself. Wonder if you're really that smart."]
[Hikigaya: "Finally, someone reasonable. I don't look as smart as the video, right? It's gotta be exaggerated."]
[Hashimoto felt played like a clown. Saying Hikigaya wasn't smart implied those he beat were dumber. He hadn't lost to Hikigaya, but…]
[This high-risk taunting felt off.]
[Kamuro: "I don't even know what to say about you."]
[Sakayanagi with a sincere smile: "It's been quite anticipated. Kamuro and I feel the same."]
[Kamuro, tsundere-like: "Princess!"]
[Sakayanagi, unfazed: "Little Hikki, I'll keep calling you that outside the video. It shows our close bond, right?"]
[Hikigaya, exasperated: "As long as you don't treat me like a pet."]
[She's as tricky as Haruno.]
[Sakayanagi, amused like a little girl: "No way! Even if you were a pet, you'd be my favorite!"]
[Hikigaya: "I'd need magic to be a fairy's pet, and I'm not signing up."]
[Their banter seemed friendly, just playful teasing.]
[The student council joined the discussion.]
[Horikita Manabu: "This is getting interesting. The video's showing unseen exams, and outside it…"]
[Secretary Tachibana: "This is the boy you've been watching, President? Is he really that great?"]
[Horikita Manabu: "If he's like the video, he's remarkable."]
[Tachibana: "President…"]
[Nagumo Miyabi: "So this is the guy, Horikita-senpai? You think he can break our second-year system? You'll be disappointed, one person can't do it."]
[Horikita Manabu didn't hide his stance. He opposed Nagumo's system but lacked the authority to change it, being a senior nearing retirement. Hikigaya, just starting, was different.]
[Horikita Manabu: "Let's wait and see. The video's best feature is we can't interfere."]
[Nagumo: "I'll show you your choice is wrong, senpai. To challenge me, he'd need to reach Class A as a first-year."]
[Their exchange reached the entire chat, but no one dared interrupt such a high-level conversation.]
[It revealed a key detail: Horikita Manabu was pinning his hopes on Hikigaya, shocking both him and Horikita Suzune.]
[She'd never seen her brother trust someone so much.]
[Amid the chat's chaos, Hikigaya felt overwhelmed. Influenced by the video, he'd unwittingly become a normie, something he never imagined.]
[Most amusingly, his Japanese Sensei, Hiratsuka Shizuka, saw this and boldly typed five words in the chat: "Explode, you filthy normie!"]
[Those words hit Hikigaya hard, but he didn't regret this path. Even without the video, he might've ended up here, earning his beloved Sensei's quip a bit earlier.]
[He no longer buried his thoughts or needed excuses for his actions. He was freer, more interesting. If Komachi saw this, she'd cry tears of joy, Hikigaya mused.]
[She'd say, "Onii-chan, you've finally grown up and felt the world's kindness!"]
[Hikigaya lowered his head, gazing at the buzzing chat, and smiled unconsciously. He was still chasing his true goal, unable to resist authenticity or gentle things, yet he'd changed, maybe not as he wanted, but for the better.]
[Outside the video, many watched him: Subaru Natsuki, Kazuma Satou, Asuna, Kaguya Shinomiya, Miyuki Shirogane, and more. Their stories might come later, but that was fine, those meant to appear would.]
[Hikigaya, meeting you wasn't early, but not too late either. That's enough.]
[Their story would continue, and they'd watch as spectators.]
In Horikita's room, everyone stared at Hikigaya like he was a terrifying monster, making him feel like ants were crawling over him. He fled with various excuses.
Watching him escape, no one chased. Karuizawa, Kushida, Horikita, and Yukimura laughed.
Their worries about the future, under one person's control, seemed so promising. And that powerful orchestrator had just been scared off by them.
It was a strange feeling, sparking their irrepressible smiles.
In this cruise exam's finale, Class C triumphed, overtaking Class D and securing their position.
It was a hard-won victory, a survivor's relief, sudden yet dreamlike.
Neither Kushida nor Karuizawa expected this cruise exam to transform them so completely.
Perhaps the truth was known only to a few in the end, but that was enough.
He was still himself, and they were changing for him.
Class C's journey was still long, but looking at the three-year span, rising to Class A didn't seem so daunting, at least, that's how they felt now.
Because in their class, there was a monstrous existence…
(End of this chapter)