The next day at noon.
Hikigaya got out of bed and went to the cafeteria. He really didn't want to eat those leftovers anymore; it was better to dine with the other students—at least the portions were larger.
As for what Horikita Manabu would do, that was none of his business.
Seeing the crowded cafeteria, Hikigaya took his tray and found a random seat to sit down.
"Eh? Isn't this Hikigaya?"
"That..."
Hikigaya looked up. Opposite him was a girl with waist-length orange hair and a sunflower hair ornament, who was currently talking to someone next to her.
To be honest, Hikigaya had absolutely no impression of her. Wait, did they know each other?
"Hmm? What's with that expression?"
Asahina Nazuna knitted her brows and puffed out her cheeks, saying a bit angrily: "I'm Asahina Nazuna from the second year. Didn't I help you go to the student council to submit a report last time?"
"Oh..."
I don't remember... Hikigaya then realized: "Um, is there something you need, Senior Asahina?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Can't I just talk to you if there's nothing wrong?"
Asahina Nazuna drew circles in the air with her slender finger, saying with a full smile: "To be able to meet in this vast crowd is also a kind of fate, isn't it?"
"Oh..."
I see. In short, she's a very enthusiastic senior.
Hikigaya was truly bad at dealing with this. He gave a light response and buried his head in his food, though he did manage to recall this senior.
She was the senior who wasn't even a student council member, yet she helped deliver reports and even tried to drag him into the student council. Right, I remember.
"I've heard about it, you know."
A trace of a smile appeared on Asahina's face: "Hikigaya, singing in the dorm in the middle of the night without any regard for those around you—that's just the worst."
As soon as these words came out, the eyes of several girls nearby immediately turned disdainful. They had probably already heard of Hikigaya's "fame."
"Oh..." Hikigaya responded indifferently.
It was likely spread by the Class A people, but then again, it was a fact that he sang to cause a disturbance, so there was nothing to refute.
"However," Asahina said in a teasing tone, "both Senior Horikita and Miyabi have very high evaluations of you. It's the first time I've seen the two of them share the same opinion. You must have some kind of goal, right?"
"Eh? Is that so?" The gazes of the girls nearby instantly changed again.
Are you guys performing a Sichuan opera?
Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi are amazing, so a guy acknowledged by those two must also be amazing. Girls are truly something; they change their faces faster than flipping a book.
"Hmm..." There was nothing to hide, so Hikigaya continued eating his meal unbothered.
"What goal?" Asahina continued to press, and the girls nearby also cast curious glances.
Seriously. Don't you guys have any sense of personal space? Are we even that close?
"I don't want to participate in the exam, and I'm dragging others down along the way."
Hikigaya sipped his miso soup. There was indeed nothing to hide, as he really did want to slack off.
"Dragging down other classes, huh? Your way of thinking is quite similar to Miyabi's."
Asahina rested her hands on the table, the smile at the corners of her mouth deepening: "Except you aren't as popular as Miyabi."
"Oh." Hikigaya glanced at her somewhat helplessly.
Even though he didn't feel much, this person was doing it on purpose, right? Why even point that out?
"The fundamental reason is..." Asahina looked him up and down and commented: "Insufficient social skills. As for looks, if you tidied yourself up, I feel you'd be about the same as Miyabi, but your taste is way worse."
"..."
As expected. Do these girls just find joy in belittling others?
Hikigaya wordlessly sped up his eating. His luck was truly terrible; if there hadn't been no other seats, he wouldn't have sat here.
"The most important thing is..." Asahina sighed slightly: "You aren't as hypocritical as Miyabi."
"Hmm?" Hikigaya was slightly confused and looked up at her.
Was that supposed to be a compliment? Or was she lamenting? Why did it feel like this girl was somewhat disgusted by Nagumo Miyabi?
Weren't the second-years already completely under Nagumo Miyabi's control?
By the way, which class was this person even from?
"Eh? Nazuna-chan, that's too much."
"Did Miyabi do something to you?"
The two women next to her obviously didn't believe it.
"No, nothing." Asahina Nazuna toyed with her hair nonchalantly. "I'm a childhood friend who grew up with that guy; how could I not know what kind of character Miyabi has? He's only acting like a gentleman in front of you all."
"You're so mean, I'm going to tell Miyabi!" the girls around her teased jokingly.
"Whatever~" Asahina didn't take it to heart.
Among the second-years, she might be the only one who dared to talk to Nagumo Miyabi like that. It was probably only because of her status as a childhood friend.
Otherwise, given Nagumo Miyabi's personality, this person would probably have been expelled long ago.
"By the way, Hikigaya." Asahina turned back to Hikigaya and teased: "Right now, everyone is talking about you behind your back. How does it feel?"
"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have felt anything." Hikigaya was somewhat helpless.
If Asahina hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't even have known about it. What feelings could he have?
"Well, now that you know, how does it feel?" Asahina was momentarily stunned. This guy's attitude toward his surroundings was truly indifferent.
"No feeling at all." Hikigaya continued eating.
Whether in elementary school or middle school, he had always been mocked. His heart had long since turned into a gemstone; to him, this was a trivial, everyday occurrence.
"Uh." Asahina was momentarily stunned, then said wordlessly: "You're really something. You can even feel indifferent about this?"
"If you hadn't been chatting about this, I probably would have forgotten it soon." Hikigaya retorted bluntly.
What was with this person? Specifically picking people's dark history to talk about.
"Oh, sorry, sorry." Asahina Nazuna pressed her hands together and changed the subject: "I heard on the boys' side, Miyabi is having a duel with Horikita Manabu. Who do you think will win?"
"Probably President Nagumo," Hikigaya said indifferently.
Afterward, Asahina chattered about many more topics. Hikigaya truly admired people who could talk nonstop like this.
He only managed to turn and leave quickly after finishing lunch.
It was just inexplicable.
One night.
Hikigaya walked into the large public bath wrapped in a white towel. Sudou from Class D was currently bickering incessantly with Kaneda and several others.
The steam in the bathroom obscured their vision.
Hikigaya didn't pay them any mind and bypassed them directly, finding an empty showerhead to wash his body.
"Did they do anything to you?"
Just then, the person next to him suddenly spoke. Hikigaya then realized it was actually Kanzaki. What a relief—he thought he had been approached by some strange person again.
He was likely talking about their Group A.
"No." Hikigaya nonchalantly turned on the faucet. The water temperature was just right as it drenched his body, and he squeezed out some shampoo to rub onto his head.
"Is that so? That's good then." Kanzaki nodded, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
To even be in the mood to wash up peacefully—at least Hikigaya looked like he really didn't have any problems and hadn't taken those things to heart at all.
"No matter who the opponent is, it's the same. The King is Sudou-sama of First Year Class D!"
Just then, several cheers startled him.
Hikigaya quickly looked over.
He saw Sudou and the others raising their hands and beating their chests.
They didn't look like kings; they looked like a few chimpanzees.
What are they doing?
Can you guys please go out if you're going to be this loud? This is a place for bathing.
"Why? Interested?" Kanzaki hesitated slightly, then pointed to the white towel around his waist and said: "They want to heat up the atmosphere and are having a competition. You can try participating too."
"Not interested." Hikigaya looked away and focused on washing his hair.
He really didn't like these noisy types.
Furthermore, what was the point of "heating up the atmosphere"? To prove they were happy?
From the perspective of someone who likes to quietly read books alone or stay at home playing video games—and understands where the fun in those things lies—the kind of happiness and atmosphere that people constantly emphasize always feels a bit hollow.
The standard for measuring the degree of happiness doesn't lie in how loud a noise one can make or how many people are gathered together. Hikigaya detested people who got this concept wrong.
Not only that, they seem more energetic in crowded places or during activities, as if they've found the perfect opportunity to show off.
He couldn't stand those who put on an act and deceived themselves.
Furthermore, what was there to compare with this kind of thing? It was just boring.
Their competition seemed to be continuing, with words like Katsuragi, Albert, Ace, and Final Boss constantly popping up.
It was incredibly noisy.
"Oh-my-God!"
"It's a Tyrannosaurus!"
"It's simply a duel between Tyrannosaurs!"
"The final winners are Ayanokouji and Kouenji."
Just then, an unprecedented cheer erupted in the bathroom.
Not just Hikigaya, but even Kanzaki's attention was drawn this time. Even from a distance, they could notice it.
One on the left and one on the right.
Like giant swords covered by golden manes and black forests.
No wonder someone shouted "Oh-my-God."
"Then the winners are decided to be Ayanokouji and Kouenji."
"Wait! Our Class B Ace hasn't competed yet!"
"Oh?" Kouenji stood with his back straight, wiping his long golden hair with a full smile. "Could it be that there's someone in Class B who can match me and Ayanokouji?"
"Exactly! Your Class B has already been defeated. Just admit it!"
"Wait a moment." Just then, Shibata ran over here, and for some reason, even Kouenji, Ryuuen, and the others gathered around.
So you guys also participated? Are you idiots?
"Kanzaki." Shibata half-knelt beside Kanzaki and said solemnly: "This concerns the honor of our Class B. Show everyone your 'holy sword.' I believe in you!"
"Forget it." Kanzaki gave a wordless sigh, but feeling the mocking gazes of so many people, as a man, it still felt a bit uncomfortable.
But the Tyrannosaurs of Ayanokouji and Kouenji were simply too much. He was definitely no match.
"For this kind of thing, you should look for Hikigaya." Kanzaki continued washing his hair, choosing to shift the trouble.
"What?" The people around were momentarily stunned and quickly looked at Hikigaya. Shibata was also surprised.
"What? Come to think of it, I don't even know what Hikigaya's looks like. Hurry up and take it out for a look! Hikigaya, the honor of us Class B boys rests on you!"
"No. Aren't you guys bored?" Hikigaya was truly speechless. He didn't expect the pure-hearted Shibata to be so immature as to fool around with this bunch.
Furthermore, you aren't even in the same class. Are you all that close?
"What's there to be afraid of? Let us see—the hidden final Ace of Class B!"
Just then, without getting permission, Yamauchi Haruki grabbed Hikigaya's towel and pulled it away.
"You..." Hikigaya's face turned dark. This was exactly why he detested these noisy idiots.
As the white towel slowly fell, the surroundings instantly fell into silence. Sudou and the others also widened their eyes and were speechless for a long time.
Finally.
"Even so, a pitch-black holy sword that has never seen blood is still just trash."
Kouenji's tone was flat as he wrapped his towel and left the bathroom. The people around couldn't help but gulp.
"The winner is Hikigaya's pitch-black holy sword!"
"I lost..." Shibata was even more tearful and dejected, kneeling on the ground with his eyes fixed forward as if he had suffered a huge blow.
Seeing that Yamauchi Haruki was still in a daze, Hikigaya's face was dark as he snatched back the towel and wrapped it around himself, continuing to wash his hair.
I told you so. A bunch of idiots.
What do you mean "pitch-black holy sword that has never seen blood"?
As expected, they are still just boys.
Hearing Kouenji's mockery, Hikigaya felt a bit uncomfortable.
Just you wait. The holy sword will eventually have its day to see blood.