1. Hikigaya on His Way to ANHS
My name is Hikigaya Hachiman. This spring, I graduated from Sobu Middle School, and today is my first day of high school. Unlike my first day in middle school—when I got into a traffic accident after being hit by a car while trying to save a dog—today has been calm so far.
I walked with heavy steps toward the bus stop, drowning in sadness. Today is my last day in Chiba, and that also means being away from my little sister, Komachi. Every time I think of her, I feel like crying, but this morning I tried to hold back my tears so I wouldn't burden her useless older brother.
Komachi, I love you so much.
As I tried to say goodbye to Chiba and Komachi in my heart, I felt a cold breeze approaching me. I lifted my head and saw a girl with long black hair reaching down to her waist, decorated with two red ribbons. She had large blue eyes and snow-white skin. She was walking toward me, wearing the brand-new red official uniform of ANHS High School.
This was Yukino Yukinoshita. We became friends in our second year of middle school, yet I still get nervous every time she gets close to me. This is honestly hard on both my heart and my mind.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun. You look very tired. Didn't you sleep?"
She asked, tilting her head slightly, her beautiful eyes staring straight at me.
I quickly averted my gaze and looked to the side.
"No, it's just that the thought of leaving Chiba for three years is exhausting for me."
Thanks to the Yukinoshita family, I received a recommendation to the best school in Japan—so they say. A school that is every student's dream:
Advanced Nurturing High School.
It's a government-run elite school located in Tokyo. Once you enroll, you don't have to pay tuition or dormitory fees. That fact alone was enough for my good-for-nothing father to agree without hesitation to send me there.
But if you think about it for a moment, nothing in this world is truly free. After graduation, will they force us to work for them for ten years? No, worse—what if they enslave us? That's terrifying. I want to go back home.
I sighed, trying to drive these thoughts out of my head, because they might actually make me turn back. I could write an entire book about the reasons not to go. First of all, if I leave, who will protect Chiba from villains? Chiba needs me. Long live Chiba!
As I imagined myself riding in a classic car, holding a can of MAX COFFEE, waiting for a call to go eliminate villains, I suddenly heard a muffled laugh.
I turned around to see Yukinoshita staring at me with her hand over her mouth.
"Are you thinking about something stupid again?"
Yukinoshita-san, this is really scary. Did you develop the ability to read minds? No, seriously—this is terrifying.
"…How did you know?"
She puffed out her modest chest proudly as she replied,
"It's simple. The more rotten your eyes look, the more rotten and stupid your thoughts are."
No, this is scary. How did she get to know me so well just by looking into my eyes? I'll wear glasses. Yes, that's the solution.
While I was thinking about that, the bus that would take us to school arrived. It was full of students wearing the same uniform as us, with only a few adults mixed in. Are they all from Chiba? If so, there might be people who know me. I quickly erased that horrifying thought from my mind—I don't want to meet anyone who knows my past.
"Hikigaya-kun, sit here."
Yukinoshita's voice interrupted my thoughts as she lightly patted the seat next to her. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, probably from the heat. I sat beside her, and a faint scent of flowers drifted toward me. It must be her perfume. Oh no, this is just making me even more nervous.
I decided to use one of my 108 special skills: spacing out with an empty stare on my face.
Before I knew it, the bus had arrived at the school. Looks like my ability is quite effective. Amazing, Hachiman.
Yukinoshita and I got off the bus and stood before the enormous school gate. From the outside, it looked like a school for nobles. What is this place? Do children of the aristocracy study here?
"I wonder what kind of adventures await us here,"
Yukinoshita said, her eyes fixed on the massive gate.
"What adventures? We're here to study and graduate," I replied sarcastically.
"That's true," she said, stepping forward confidently toward the entrance.
The school was ridiculously large—vast green spaces, countless buildings. I even saw on the direction signs that there was a mall, a swimming pool, and other facilities. But what caught my attention the most was the sheer number of cameras. Seriously? Are they trying to observe our behavior? Is this some kind of experiment?
My thoughts were interrupted by a voice from the loudspeakers.
"All students, please proceed to the covered hall for the opening ceremony. I repeat…"
Yukinoshita stopped and started looking left and right. It seemed she didn't know which direction to go.
"This way. I saw the direction on the sign."
"…Oh, okay."
She said as she quickened her pace to match mine.
When we entered, there were four groups of students, each with about forty people. They all seemed to be first-year students. Each group was lined up in two rows—one for girls and one for boys.
At the front of the first two rows stood a girl with white hair, wearing a hat and leaning on a cane. She looked like a small child. I don't know why, but I felt an unsettling sense of danger from her. Beside her stood a bald boy with his eyes closed.
After them was a girl with pink hair and a well-proportioned figure, with a full chest—though I was clearly looking at her butterfly-shaped ribbon, not her chest. Was that obvious? Next to her stood a boy with hair tinted slightly purple, giving off a calm impression.
As for the remaining groups, they stood without any real order. I really hope I'm not in their class.
Yukinoshita and I checked our class assignment. It was D-1. Unfortunately, we were in the same class—and unfortunately, it was filled with troublemakers.
"It looks like our new class is going to be noisy."
"I see, Hikigaya-kun. It's not good to say things like that about your new classmates if you don't want to end up alone,"
Yukinoshita said with a smile that could only be described as devilish. How annoying.
I decided to ignore her mockery and take a look at my new classmates, but the moment I turned my eyes toward them, the loudspeakers sounded again. I looked toward the stage and saw a student wearing his uniform neatly, with black-framed glasses and sharp eyes.
"My name is Horikita Manabu, and as the Student Council President, I welcome all first-year students."