"Ha… Hachiman? How did you end up here?"
Yamauchi and Ike both froze, eyes darting around nervously.
Hmm~ so they're a bit shaken. Must be nervous if they actually got my name right.
"Huh, if it isn't Yamauchi and Ike? Deciding to hit on girls without me? How rude."
Hachiman stepped forward, cutting in between them.
"Wh-What? Are you trying to start something?"
"Idiot! You already have so many pretty girls around you!"
The two were visibly flustered. Nearby, Chihiro Shirai looked up, blinking in confusion. Is this guy some kind of player or something?
"Well, the more cute girls, the better," Hachiman said casually, placing a hand on each of their shoulders—his grip a little too friendly. "Now, you two can go."
"You…!"
Yamauchi and Ike fumed, but under Hachiman's quiet pressure, they could only grit their teeth and retreat, grumbling as they left.
The sight of them leaving left Chihiro Shirai trembling slightly. Now she was even more scared of Hachiman.
"Uh… th-this…"
"Y-Yes! I'm Chihiro Shirai from Class B…"
Her voice quivered. Seeing her so nervous, Hachiman smirked slightly but didn't explain himself. Honestly, it was better this way—less pointless conversation.
"Shirai, right? Let's go. I'll walk you back to your dorm."
"Eh?"
He's… actually walking me to the dorm? Isn't that a bit fast?
So, he's the type to make a move right away!!
Flustered, Chihiro didn't dare refuse. She just lowered her head and followed him quietly, her steps cautious.
When they reached the dorm entrance, they ran into another girl.
Under the streetlight, her long pink hair shimmered softly, and her blue eyes glowed like gemstones. Her face was as beautiful as Horikita's, but her gentle charm rivaled Airi Sakura's.
"So it's her…"
Hachiman's pupils narrowed slightly.
The girl before him was someone he'd met years ago—during a summer part-time job in middle school. She was the girl who, in a desperate attempt to help her younger sister, had made a foolish mistake… and stolen something.
In the two months since entering this school, Hachiman had seen her occasionally but never approached her. After all, they'd only met briefly back then.
At the time, he'd convinced the store manager to let her off, offering to cover the loss with a month's wages. But the girl never knew about that.
The next day, her strong-willed mother had shown up with her daughter, forcing her to kneel and apologize in tears. The incident caused quite a stir, and the girl's reputation had taken a heavy blow.
Perhaps seeking a fresh start, she had enrolled here. Hachiman, unwilling to expose her past, had decided to pretend he didn't know her.
"Shirai, are you alright? You've been gone a while. I was starting to worry."
"Ichinose!"
Relieved, Chihiro immediately ran forward and hugged the girl.
"Wahh~ I was so scared!"
Ichinose Honami gently patted her head, her voice soft and reassuring. "It's okay, it's okay~ I'm here now."
Watching the two, Hachiman said nothing. He was about to turn and leave quietly when—
"Wait a second, you there."
Ichinose turned toward him with a curious look. "Thank you for walking Shirai back."
"Ichinose! You need to be careful!" Chihiro blurted. "This guy's a total player! He followed me all the way here!"
Her attempt to sound serious only made her look… kind of cute.
"Pfft~" Ichinose chuckled softly. "I don't think he's a bad guy. You must've just misunderstood each other."
She studied Hachiman for a moment, tilting her head. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"
Familiar, huh…? Perfect opening line for small talk, Hachiman thought dryly.
Chihiro instantly panicked. No way—don't give him the chance to flirt!
"No," Hachiman replied flatly, killing the moment instantly.
"Eh?"
Chihiro froze. It wasn't about whether they'd met—it was that he just rejected a perfect chance to get closer to Ichinose!
She puffed out her cheeks, clearly irritated.
To her, Ichinose was the most beautiful, kindhearted girl in the world. No guy could meet her and not be interested.
But this guy, Hachiman, stayed stone-faced, not even glancing her way.
Chihiro couldn't believe it. Moments ago, he was acting all cool, scaring off two guys—now he wasn't even trying?
Could it be… he's not interested in Ichinose?
Her face turned bright red at the thought.
"…"
Hachiman watched her expression twist and shift. Jeez, this girl's emotions flip faster than a light switch.
"We didn't know each other before…? Doesn't matter—we do now~"
Ichinose smiled, tapping her lips thoughtfully. She couldn't recall where they might've met, but she didn't dwell on it.
"I'm Ichinose Honami from Year 1, Class B. Nice to meet you!" she said, offering her hand.
"Hachiman Hikigaya, Year 1, Class D."
He shook her hand briefly, keeping it polite and distant.
"This is our classmate, Chihiro Shirai. She's a bit shy, so please go easy on her, Hachiman-kun," Ichinose said warmly.
"Don't tease me, Ichinose…" Chihiro mumbled, embarrassed.
After a few polite exchanges, Hachiman made an excuse to leave, saying he needed to study.
As he walked off, Ichinose smiled faintly. "See? I told you—Hachiman isn't a bad guy."
If he really wanted to flirt, he would've stayed.
"But…" Chihiro hesitated. "About earlier…"
"I see," Ichinose said as Chihiro recounted the incident. "So D-Class guys were bothering you too."
"Too?" Chihiro blinked.
"Yeah. The past few days, D-Class has been causing trouble for us. Kanazaki even got so mad he beat them up—then got reported to the teacher. Both sides lost points."
Ichinose sighed. It was clear this wasn't just a small misunderstanding anymore—it was part of a bigger class rivalry.
"Well, Hachiman…" Chihiro's tone softened.
"Hachiman is a good guy," Ichinose said with conviction. "He stepped in and stopped them from bothering you."
For some reason, she couldn't shake the strange feeling of familiarity when she said it.
***
Well this is it, the rest of the chapters are locked behind a paywall…
Chapter 57 cost 20 yuan which is roughly $2.80
With 63 remaining currently available behind the paywall, it'll come out at roughly $176
That's a bit expensive, not to mention that itll be a hassle to actually purchase said chapters bc of bank issues…it doesnt stop there, these recent chapters have been copy protected and the only way i can bypass that is making a pdf file on my pc…which is why recent chapters have dropped in quality
I feel like my brain is fried and lost alot of motivation to continue…
This story was a bit interesting even though Hachiman feels more like an original character…which is a shame
As of now i dont plan on picking up another fanfic (work has been brutal recently 😵💫)
Plus im trying to finish lotm novel (im at chapter 1,286)
Taking all these factors into account, this is very reasonable development ✍️
Goodbye n thx for reading ✌️