Chapter 001 Hikigaya Enters Advanced Nurturing High School
This is a dream.
"Hachiman."
Other than my mom and sister, where would a woman come from who calls me by my name? This must be a dream!
"Mmm~ Hachiman Hachiman Hachiman~~"
Argh! This damn sweet voice!!
Hikigaya Hachiman woke up abruptly.
What appeared before his eyes were an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar woman. She had long, smooth red hair, a particularly generous bosom, and a pair of clear blue eyes that sparkled with energy.
"W-Who are you?"
Hikigaya Hachiman's brain was in a state of confusion.
Where did this great beauty come from, and one of national idol caliber, no less!
"Hmm?"
Honestly, Hachiman."
Are you still half-asleep?"
The energetic beauty puffed out her cheeks and urged him again: "Hurry up and get up~ You promised me you'd go street-snapping with me today."
"Taking photos?"
"I'm not bragging, but with my level of photography, I can turn the world's cutest little sister into just a normally cute passerby girl."
"You're so beautiful, letting me take your photos would be such a waste..."
Hikigaya Hachiman spoke the honest truth with a deadpan expression.
"But I only want Hachiman to take my photos~"
The energetic beauty tilted her head, watching him with a wide smile in her eyes.
This, this is too unfair!
Hikigaya's heart raced.
"Ah~ I almost forgot..."
The energetic beauty seemed to remember something and suddenly leaned close to him.
An exquisite and peerless face magnified infinitely in Hikigaya Hachiman's field of vision.
"Wait?!
What are you doing!!"
Hikigaya Hachiman hastily pressed his hands against her shoulders. His dead fish eyes tried to look away, but they were uncontrollably drawn to focus forward.
The terrifying force of gravity!
"What am I doing?"
Isn't this the daily morning kiss?"
The energetic beauty blinked her eyes, her innocent face displaying a look of course.
M-M-Morning kiss?!
For a Lone Ranger like him who hadn't even held a girl's hand, this was simply too high-level!
'I see, I understand...
This dream a teenage boy would have, so this is a 'wet dream'!'
Hikigaya Hachiman quickly regained his composure.
Judging from the dream's setting, this energetic beauty with the generous bosom seemed to be his wife... Pfft! You sure are bold, Hikigaya Hachiman!
However, since he was in a dream...
Being a little more daring wouldn't hurt, right?
Hikigaya Hachiman glanced up and down at his "wife," who was stunning in both looks and figure, and couldn't help but swallow.
No!
I must not show a pervert's face!
What if I scare her away?
Hikigaya Hachiman took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and sincerely murmured: Amitabha Buddha, Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, God, Komachi...
Wards! Off! Evil!
"Hehe~
You don't have to hold back either~~"
The energetic beauty leaned in again, whispering an enticing, playful secret: "Because today is a safe day~~~"
Snap!
The string of rationality in Hikigaya Hachiman's heart snapped.
Sorry, Komachi.
Big brother can't take it anymore.
.
.
.
"Ding-a-ling~"
"Bang!"
Hikigaya Hachiman used a reverse "Grasp of the Undying" move, firmly clamping down on the alarm clock.
This was the first time in his life he felt the urge to destroy this damn alarm clock!
"Good morning, Onii-chan!"
Hikigaya Komachi kicked open the door, whose lock had long been broken.
"Ew~ Onii-chan's face is weird. Did you have a dirty dream last night?"
Hikigaya Komachi leaned on the edge of the bed, poking Hachiman's lingering, slightly flushed cheek with a finger and a mischievous grin.
"N-None of your business!"
Hikigaya Hachiman instinctively clutched the blanket, his expression unnatural, predicting his sister's usual move of pulling it off.
"Hurry up and get up, Onii-chan!"
"oday is your important day for enrolling at Advanced Nurturing High School!"
Hikigaya Komachi frowned, a hint of moisture in her eyes: "I really don't know what Mom and Dad were thinking, letting you go to Tokyo for school alone, and a fully enclosed school at that..."
According to the original plan, Hikigaya Hachiman should have enrolled in the nearby Chiba Municipal Sobu High School.
A month ago, he suddenly received an invitation letter from Advanced Nurturing High School in Tokyo.
This school was a high-level educational institution resulting from a government-enterprise collaboration, and it was rumored to be conducting some kind of social experiment project, with rules and academic curricula different from ordinary high schools...
But that wasn't the main point.
What was most appealing was that Advanced Nurturing High School not only waived all three years of tuition and fees but also promised that graduates would be guaranteed admission to any university or job you want!
With such tempting conditions, Hikigaya Hachiman's first reaction was "scam"!
However, Hikigaya's parents were firmly convinced and decisively filled out the admission consent form for him.
The excuse being: Boys need to learn to be independent early!
Hikigaya Hachiman felt like crying, wondering if he was adopted.
If so... then, then wouldn't that be better?
"Wow! Onii-chan's eyes suddenly look disgusting!"
Hikigaya Komachi frowned, a look of disgust on her face.
"But..."
The thought of not seeing my disgusting Onii-chan starting tomorrow makes Komachi lonely.
Oh my~ Komachi's points were really high just now!"
Hikigaya Komachi tapped her head with a little fist, sticking out her tongue and winking playfully.
"Komachi..."
Hikigaya Hachiman's heart stirred. After more than a decade of being siblings, how could he not see that his sister was trying hard to control her emotions?
"In any case, Onii-chan, hurry up and wash up."
Hikigaya Komachi did a hopping tactical retreat, and after stepping out of the room, she couldn't resist peeking back with a playful smile: "Oh right, Komachi will wash Onii-chan's blanket later~"
"Get out!!!"
Hikigaya Hachiman was exasperated and embarrassed.
It was all because of that realistic dream.
.
.
.
After taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo, there was a dedicated bus transfer service to the school.
Hikigaya Hachiman sat in the middle-to-back section of the bus.
The few students who boarded seemed to have reached some sort of unspoken agreement, as they all chose to walk past him and take seats further back.
When the seats in both the front and back of the bus were filled, only the seat next to Hikigaya Hachiman remained empty.
This reminded him of the painful memories from elementary and middle school field trips, where he always sat alone, and was nicknamed "Hikigaya- germ", as if sitting next to him would bring bad luck.
Just then, a girl boarded. She strode through the bus and, without hesitation, sat down next to Hikigaya Hachiman.
Stay calm.
Don't entertain any fantasies.
She just happened to sit in the only available seat.
Hikigaya Hachiman remained unperturbed.
The bus started and drove, stopping and starting along the way.
Bored, Hikigaya Hachiman habitually switched on his "Human Observation" mode.
First, his seatmate: waist-length black straight hair, a bow and a slender braid on the right side, paired with pinkish-purple, fox-like eyes—a cold beauty radiating an "don't talk to me" aura.
She was holding a book with a dark blue cover, a seemingly serious piece of literature.
Nietzsche's The Anti-Christ?
Hikigaya Hachiman had actually read it.
That was back in his second year of middle school when he wanted to be different.
He had specifically sought out foreign literature that most middle school students wouldn't be interested in, found in a dusty corner of the school library.
As a result, his classmates mistakenly thought he was reading some kind of Chūnibyō (eighth-grade syndrome) dark magic book...
Nonsense!
Divine Realm Diaries or World Government Reports—he had sealed those long ago!
To cover his embarrassment, Hikigaya Hachiman had no choice but to force himself to read the entire The Anti-Christ.
To be fair, the book's criticism of human nature and analysis of good and evil were quite interesting.
Suddenly, the compartment began to get noisy.
The cause was the arrival of a "suspicious old woman." Why suspicious?
Hikigaya Hachiman figured that this bus was an exclusive shuttle to Advanced Nurturing High School, so most passengers should be students, plus a few adults who were likely school staff.
The sudden appearance of an old woman with mobility issues didn't seem logical...
"Um, could you please give up your seat?"
A girl with short, brownish-blonde hair and a rather busty figure was negotiating with a boy sitting in a priority seat: "This is a priority seat, and I think it should be given to the elderly first."
"Well, my Pretty girl~
While this is a priority seat, legally, there is no obligation to yield one's seat."
The tall, blonde boy crossed his arms, propped one leg over the other, and put his school bag on the empty seat, dominantly occupying two priority seats.
Where did this arrogant young master come from?
"Just because I'm young, I should give up my seat?
Hehe~ That's simply absurd.
Even though I'm young, standing uses more energy than sitting.
Why should I do something that brings neither benefit nor meaning?"
The blonde young master spoke recklessly, looking at the old woman with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
So, he noticed it too?
Hikigaya Hachiman was already suspicious of the old woman.
Her body seemed to have mobility issues, but upon closer inspection, one would find that the old woman had a rosy complexion—the type of "energetic elderly person with a generous pension."
"But I think this can be a contribution to society.
And the old woman looks like she's in distress."
The busty short-haired girl blinked her watery eyes, her expression full of concern.
This act of kindness naturally earned the goodwill of the other passengers.
Helping the old woman and establishing a persona of being beautiful and kind... wait, is this my petty thought process? Hikigaya Hachiman's dead fish eyes narrowed slightly.
Two boys who didn't look very bright almost stood up to support the busty short-haired girl. But when they faced the tall, muscular blonde young master—who was about six feet tall—they instantly chickened out.
"I'm not interested in contributing to society.
Besides me, what about those sitting in the regular seats?"
The blonde young master raised a hand in a hair-gel-flicking motion, sweeping his bangs up, and scanned the rest of the passengers in the bus with a scrutinizing gaze.
On the surface, he was deflecting responsibility, but in reality, he was testing if anyone else had seen through the old woman's disguise.
Most people in the bus chose to avoid eye contact, wearing an expression of "it's none of my business."
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't want to be targeted by strange people, so he also turned his head away.
He unexpectedly noticed that across the aisle, a stone-faced boy was doing the same "Human Observation" as he was.
Huh, is he a kindred spirit?
Hikigaya Hachiman instantly felt the urge to strike up a friendship with him.
The stone-faced boy keenly sensed someone looking at him, and a pair of cold, emotionless eyes turned in his direction.
"!!!"
Hikigaya Hachiman suddenly felt the shock of an "evil spirit turning back" and immediately twisted his head away, avoiding eye contact with the other person.
How, how dangerous!
What was that thing?
A pseudo-human wearing the skin of a high school student?
His intuition told him that the person was extremely dangerous, and he absolutely must not have any contact with him!!
The stone-faced boy stared at Hikigaya Hachiman for a few seconds, seemingly unsure if the latter was paying attention to him, and opened his mouth to test the waters: "Excuse me, student..."
"Would anyone be willing to give up their seat for this old woman?"
The busty short-haired girl asked for help.
"I will!"
Hikigaya Hachiman leapt up from his seat.