"What a coincidence, Hikigaya and I are both in Class 3-B."
"Yes, I'm... fortunate to be in the same class as Kato-san."
As the two walked toward the Class 3-B classroom, Hikigaya sighed with what might generously be called emotion, yet his face wore the unmistakable expression of a man gazing into the abyss of his own despair.
"Please take care of me from now on, Hikigaya."
"Ah, uhm... please take care of me too."
Hikigaya sighed inwardly, a long and weary exhalation that carried the weight of a thousand defeated hopes. After entering the school gate, he had been continuously praying to every deity he could name—and even some he couldn't—that he wouldn't end up in the same class as Kato-san. But unfortunately, as with most things in his life, things didn't go as he wished. The universe seemed to have a personal vendetta against his desire for peaceful obscurity.
What kind of terrible luck do I possess?
To force me to spend an entire third year of high school in close proximity to a monster like Kato-san?
Yukinoshita, help me! I desperately need your assistance right now! Although I know it's a lot to ask, can you somehow use your family's connections to arrange Kato-san's transfer to another class?
My professional loner intuition is screaming at me—this woman is genuinely dangerous!
After only a brief understanding of the situation, Hikigaya had already mentally classified Kato Megumi as a terrifying Dragon-level threat. The kind that lurked in the shadows, unnoticed until it was far too late.
Oh, for reference, Haruno Yukinoshita occupied a similar Dragon-level classification in Hikigaya's personal threat assessment hierarchy. This should indicate just how highly he regarded Kato-san's potential for causing chaos in his carefully constructed loner existence.
The two quickly arrived at Class 3-B.
Fortunately, the back door of the classroom stood invitingly open. Hikigaya and Kato-san cautiously slipped inside like ninjas attempting an infiltration mission. Since it was the beginning of the school year with new class assignments, there were no fixed seats. Students could claim whatever territory they desired.
Hikigaya immediately scanned the room with the focus of a battlefield commander and strategically chose a seat as far away from Kato-san as physically possible while remaining in the same classroom. A respectable distance. A safe distance. A distance that communicated "we are acquaintances at best, please do not approach."
After securing his position, Hikigaya slumped onto his desk in his signature dried-fish posture, his dead fish eyes stealthily observing his classmates after the reassignment.
Most of them were unfamiliar faces. Good. Excellent, even.
Familiar people like Yuigahama, Hayama, and the angelic Totsuka were conspicuously absent. A small victory.
The only person he seemed to recognize was... Miura's mom? Wait, no—that was just Miura herself, sitting with her usual intimidating aura.
Oh, and Kawasaki was also sitting over there, looking as perpetually exhausted as usual.
Huh. Kawasaki seems to be secretly glancing in my direction?
No, definitely my imagination. Wishful thinking born of loner delusion.
Wait—she's definitely looking at me!
Hikigaya quickly averted his gaze and stopped surveying the classroom inhabitants. He had gathered sufficient intelligence: this class reassignment seemed quite favorable overall. He barely knew anyone. If it weren't for Kato-san's unexpected appearance, he could honestly give this newly assigned class a pretty high score on his personal satisfaction scale.
Hikigaya instinctively preferred environments where no one knew him. This way, he could maintain his prized invisibility, quietly studying without being disturbed by the exhausting social rituals of normal high school students.
The reason Hikigaya wanted to study hard and avoid slacking off was twofold. First, this semester marked his third and final year of high school—university entrance exams loomed on the horizon like an unavoidable boss battle. Second, Yukinoshita had expressed her hope that they could attend the same university, thereby avoiding the dreaded long-distance relationship scenario that plagued so many young couples.
Of course, beyond these two stated reasons, there existed a most fundamental and critically important factor driving Hikigaya's academic motivation.
That was the need to defeat the ultimate Archdemon he currently faced—a being that far surpassed mere Dragon-level threats like Kato-san or even Haruno. A God-level monster of terrifying proportions.
Yukinoshita's mother.
That's right. That smiling, outwardly kind elder who regarded Hikigaya with the same warmth a cat reserves for a particularly interesting mouse—she was his true super nemesis at this moment.
During their last fateful encounter at the hotel, Hikigaya had clearly sensed her intention: she wanted to control him, to absorb him into the Yukinoshita family structure as what could only be described as a well-trained male accessory.
"Hmm, sounds great on paper, right?"
"But... Hikigaya Hachiman still possesses his pride!"
"As the only male heir of the Hikigaya family line, I don't care about much else, but I absolutely must ensure that at least one child bears the Hikigaya name in the future. Otherwise, I'll never be able to face my traditional, old-fashioned parents!"
Of course, Hikigaya understood perfectly well that even if he and Yukinoshita gained admission to the same prestigious university, it might still prove insufficient to change Yukinoshita's mother's ironclad expectations. However, this achievement could at least demonstrate to her that he and Yukinoshita stood as equals—that he wasn't simply an inferior presence clinging to her daughter's coattails.
In any case, excellent grades were absolutely necessary. Non-negotiable.
Hikigaya thought silently, his resolve hardening like cooling steel.
Outside the classroom, the bell for first period rang leisurely through the corridors.
Hikigaya's thoughts were pulled back to the present by the familiar sound.
"Huh, I suppose I'll be meeting the new homeroom teacher now?"
"Sigh... I really hope Hiratsuka Sensei somehow remained as our homeroom teacher."
Unfortunately, Hiratsuka Sensei had indeed moved on, as expected.
"But this is probably for the best. If Hiratsuka Sensei continued as my homeroom teacher, I'd genuinely be afraid of accidentally revealing something that would create complications with Yukinoshita. She notices everything."
While he was inwardly sighing with mixed emotions, a striking figure entered Class 3-B's classroom.
A pink-haired woman with an impossibly cold gaze, dressed in a sharp dark business suit paired with a form-fitting skirt that commanded immediate attention. She carried a teaching lesson plan with the casual authority of someone who had long ago mastered the art of commanding respect.
The moment this young teacher stepped across the threshold, the already lively classroom erupted into even greater commotion among the students.
Business suit. Form-fitting skirt.
"Oh, and black stockings?!"
"Good heavens above!"
"This woman is practically dancing on the specific preferences of countless veteran otaku!"
Hikigaya blinked and discreetly observed her for a few moments—purely for analytical purposes, of course.
Beyond her striking attire, her delicate facial features and undeniably curvaceous figure marked his new homeroom teacher as what could objectively be called an exceptionally stunning beauty of an educator.
Even Hikigaya, dedicated loner and professional cynic, couldn't help but steal a few extra glances. The other students were far less subtle. Some bold individuals even audibly inquired whether the young teacher currently had a boyfriend, as if this were somehow appropriate first-day behavior.
However.
The laughter and chatter didn't last long.
As the pink-haired woman swept her gaze—filled with what could only be described as a death stare—across the entire classroom, the boisterous atmosphere seemed to be physically suppressed by an apex predator asserting dominance. In an instant, the previously noisy classroom fell into complete, utter silence.
A heavy sense of oppression suddenly enveloped the entire room like a suffocating blanket.
The cold gaze emanating from the pink-haired woman... made one genuinely feel that she was about to go on an absolute killing spree!
At this moment, every student in the classroom—regardless of gender, regardless of previous bravado—felt cold sweat break out on their backs after experiencing that deathly stare. Those with weaker psychological fortitude were so thoroughly intimidated they dared not even lift their eyes from their desks.
"Tch!"
"As if she'd actually kill someone in a classroom!"
"A bunch of cowards... Huh?!"
Hikigaya was grumbling his usual cynical internal commentary when he suddenly noticed the young teacher staring directly at him. Not just glancing—staring with the focused intensity of a hunter who had just locked onto its preferred prey, about to launch a cruel and decisive attack.
"!"
A danger alarm blared loudly in his consciousness. Hikigaya, caught in that predatory gaze, immediately felt every hair on his body stand on end. He, who had been sprawled on his desk like a dried fish left too long in the sun, no longer dared maintain his lax posture. He instantly sat bolt upright, back straight as a board, not daring to even breathe until the young teacher finally retracted her gaze. Only then did he risk taking a few careful, shallow breaths.
"That was close! Too close!"
"I almost literally suffocated just from being looked at!"
"This pink-haired woman couldn't have actually 'killed' someone before, could she? That stare had battle-hardened experience written all over it.!"
While Hikigaya was still nursing his lingering fear, the young, pink-haired teacher walked calmly to the podium. She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her name on the blackboard with precise, economical movements before introducing herself.
"My name is Kirisu Mafuyu. Starting today, I will be your World History teacher for Class 3-B, as well as your homeroom teacher. If you have any questions regarding your studies or other school-related problems, you may bring them to me during appropriate hours."
As she spoke, Kirisu-sensei once again swept her completely expressionless gaze across the entire classroom. Everyone was startled anew by those unmistakable 'killing' eyes and quickly chorused, "Yes, Kirisu-sensei!" with remarkable synchronization.
"Sigh. First Kato, and now Kirisu-sensei. Why are all the women entering my life lately so genuinely terrifying?"
"Yukinoshita, I really need—"
Just as Hikigaya was mentally lamenting his fate, his phone, strategically hidden under his desk, suddenly vibrated against his thigh.
"Hmm?"
Hikigaya hesitated for a few crucial seconds, then—taking advantage of Kirisu-sensei's attention being focused elsewhere as she continued her orientation speech—he secretly glanced at the fresh, hot text message now displayed on his phone screen.
"Huh?"
"It's from Yukinoshita?"
"Wait, Yukinoshita... you didn't somehow acquire a clairvoyance cheat ability, did you?"
"You actually knew to message me at exactly this moment? Are you monitoring my suffering?"
Hikigaya was surprised inwardly and secretly opened the message to check its contents with growing curiosity.
[Yukinoshita: Hikigaya-kun. Who exactly was that female student you walked to school with this morning? I observed you two chatting quite happily at the school gate. You're not thinking of cheating on me, are you?]
"Eh?"
"What's with this sudden interrogative tone?"
"Kato?"
"...Cheating?"
"What an absurd joke!"
"How could Kato and I possibly have that kind of relationship?!"
"We only met for the first time today!"