Chapter 5: Self-Introduction
Just as Hikigaya and Sakayanagi were tugging at each other, the aloof beauty with an icy aura finally arrived, fashionably late.
After standing at the doorway and scanning the classroom, she walked over to the empty seat in front of Hikigaya.
She was undeniably a girl of stunning beauty.
With delicate facial features and calm, elegant, navy-blue eyes, although she wore the same uniform as the other girls in class, she looked entirely different.
Her long, silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, partially concealing her slender, fair neck, making it even more alluring.
The exposed skin on her face and hands looked impossibly smooth, like high-grade mutton-fat jade.
Her slim figure swayed gracefully like a willow in the wind, evoking both admiration and protectiveness.
She resembled a refined young lady from a noble family—every movement radiating the grace of a model student. Her noble demeanor came through naturally, and the brilliance she exuded made her impossible to ignore.
Ignoring the amazed gazes of her classmates, she set down her bag and sat down with elegant composure.
The beautiful girl seemed to notice Hikigaya's gaze.
She shot him a sharp look, then quickly averted her eyes as if she had seen something dirty, even pulling her chair forward slightly—apparently to increase the distance between them.
That's just plain mean!
As time passed, more and more students filled the classroom.
Though no more than thirty minutes had gone by, they had already started chatting in groups, forming small cliques.
These good-looking extroverts were like peacocks spreading their feathers—eagerly showcasing their strengths while gathering information on their classmates.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Hikigaya, who was seated in a corner.
At that moment, the bald-headed guy from earlier stood up.
"Everyone, since we'll be spending the next three years studying and living together, I suggest we all introduce ourselves. It'll help us get to know one another."
"I'll go first. I'm Katsuragi Kohei. I suffer from alopecia, so I have no body hair." He casually rubbed his completely hairless head. "I'm pretty confident in my academics. I served as the vice president of the student council both in elementary and junior high. If you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask me. I'll do my best to help. I hope we can all have a fulfilling high school life together. Please take care of me."
Wow, he really sounds like someone amazing! This bald guy is seriously dazzling! (lol)
With someone breaking the ice, the rest of the class began introducing themselves.
"Whoa, Katsuragi is awesome! I'm Totsuka Yahiko. Actually, I've served as class rep six times in the past…"
"My name is Machida Koji. I like playing basketball…"
"My name is Takemoto Shigeru…"
"Self-introductions, huh…" Hikigaya fell into a recollection.
He remembered when he had just entered junior high, and his class was doing self-introductions too.
Wanting to make friends at his new school, Hikigaya had prepared nervously but seriously. However, just as it was his turn and he stood up, a school-wide broadcast interrupted him to attend the opening ceremony.
When he returned to class, no one brought it up again.
And so, he spent the next three years being called "that guy" or getting all sorts of weird nicknames.
Now, as a lone wolf, Hikigaya had no hope of fitting in with the class.
In fact, he considered all those bubbly normie types to be his enemies.
As for how to handle self-introductions, Hikigaya had already come up with his own strategy.
He couldn't act too flashy—doing so would only bring unnecessary trouble.
But he couldn't be too nervous and stammer, either—that would just invite mockery.
Worse, someone might shout, "Hurry up and get to the next person!"—a level of public embarrassment that would make anyone want to die.
The best approach, he decided, was to use a tired-sounding tone and give a bland, unremarkable self-introduction.
That way, he could blame poor performance on fatigue from the long trip and the ceremony, and more importantly, no one would be interested enough to pay further attention to him.
When Hikigaya came back from his thoughts, most of the class had already introduced themselves. The next turn belonged to the girl sitting next to him—Sakayanagi.
"I'm Sakayanagi Arisu. I'm happy to be classmates with all of you. As you can see, my health isn't very good, so I didn't get to spend much time outside in the past. Now that I've entered this school, I hope to enjoy a wonderful school life. Please take care of me."
A gentle smile appeared on Sakayanagi's cute little face. Watching her sweet, mask-like smile, Hikigaya felt a chill run down his back.
After Sakayanagi, the beautiful girl sitting in front of Hikigaya stood up under everyone's expectant gaze.
In a cold, clear voice, she introduced herself: "I'm Yukinoshita Yukino. Please take care of me."
Then, before anyone could react, she calmly sat back down.
The classroom fell into sudden silence.
Wow, this girl's cold-aura skills are almost as good as mine…
"…That's it?" someone finally asked.
Yukinoshita simply nodded.
Everyone looked around awkwardly, and in the end, all eyes turned toward the last person who hadn't introduced himself—Hikigaya Hachiman.
Wait a sec—Sakayanagi, stop looking at me like "the circus is about to begin"!
Alright, let's do this!
Putting on an air of "Looks like I, the great me, have to step in and save the day," Hikigaya slowly stood up, just about to speak—when—
"Ah! It's the drink guy from the bus!" shouted Totsuka Yahiko, who was sitting next to Katsuragi.
Hearing such a rude comment, Sakayanagi and Katsuragi both frowned—well, Katsuragi didn't have eyebrows, but still.
Drink guy on the bus? What do you think I am, some urban legend?! You noisy idiot! With your blond hair and loud mouth, I'll just call you "Yappy Goldie" from now on!
Hikigaya shot him a venomous glare with his dead fish eyes.
Seeing those lifeless eyes, the entire class went quiet. Katsuragi was the first to break the silence.
"Yahiko, we're all classmates. Don't say things that make others uncomfortable. Apologize."
Hearing such stern words from the senpai he respected, Totsuka Yahiko, already feeling regret over his outburst, quickly bowed his head.
"S-sorry… um, classmate."
"…It's fine. Also, my name is Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Oh, sorry, Bitori… Bitoku… Hikitori-kun."
As Yahiko completely butchered Hikigaya's name, Sakayanagi's frown deepened further.
Just as Hikigaya was about to correct him, a man in a suit strode into the classroom, exuding authority. He carried a thick stack of booklets, which he handed to the front-row students to pass back.
"Everyone, quiet down. Please pass the handbooks back. We're starting the homeroom meeting."
The circus performance over, Hikigaya sat down silently.
Come to think of it… was that self-introduction a success or a failure?
All Hikigaya knew was that his pile of dark history had just gotten bigger again.
Damn it. I hate you, Yappy Goldie! I hate self-introductions!