Ayanokoji's study group usually held their sessions at the campus café, "Palette." However, with the approaching final exams, more and more students had begun gathering there.
Although most people tried to keep their voices down, the sheer number of students inevitably made the environment noisy.
To study more efficiently, Ayanokoji's group decided to move their sessions to the café in Keyaki Mall. There would be fewer customers there—though the price of drinks would be higher.
"Sigh, at this rate, I'll be back to living off scraps again…"
The girl sighing was Hasebe Haruka. Due to her beauty, she was often the topic of conversation among male students, but she didn't seem too interested in such attention. She rarely interacted with boys.
That said, she wasn't particularly close to other girls either, which led to her declining her class's study sessions. In the end, Horikita had shoved her into Ayanokoji's care.
But after getting to know her better, Ayanokoji found that she wasn't a bad person—just a little too familiar too quickly. She had a knack for bringing up topics that left others unsure of how to respond.
And then there was—
"Kipyon, how do you usually manage your finances?"
That's right. Whether it was the "Ayanokoji Group" or the embarrassing nickname "Kipyon," they were all her doing.
At the very least, she could stop calling him that in public.
"I mostly eat the school's free meals, and they provide free daily necessities too. Also, I got lucky during the sports festival this time and placed third in a few events, so I earned some pocket money."
Since some students consistently relied on the free vegetable set meal, the school had started adding pork to the miso soup in the second semester, presumably to prevent malnutrition. Some meal prices have also been slightly reduced.
That had been a huge help.
"Is that so?" Hasebe looked skeptical. "But I heard you run as fast as the former student council president. Taking first place in other events shouldn't have been a problem for you, right?"
"That was just a fluke. A fluke."
As usual, Ayanokoji brushed off the comment, but that tactic didn't seem to work on Hasebe.
Was it that she couldn't read the atmosphere? Or did she just refuse to back down until she got an answer?
"No way that was a fluke! You could go head-to-head with that monster student council president! If it were Yukimura running, even if he ran ten thousand times, that kind of 'fluke' would never happen."
"Hey, could you not use me as an example?"
The one she called "Yukimura" was Yukimura Teruhiko. He had protested against the strange nickname before, but his complaints had been ignored.
"I know my athletic ability is a drag on the class, so I want to make up for it in other areas. For this exam, you and Akito have to pass—no, you must score high. Don't let my tutoring go to waste."
"Whoa, the demon instructor has appeared!"
Hasebe exaggeratedly cried out while clinging to her study partner, Sakura.
"Airi-chan, you heard what Yukimura just said, right? We're counting on you this time, okay?"
"O-okay! I'll do my best!"
Sakura replied nervously.
Her grades weren't bad enough to need tutoring, but Hasebe had forcibly dragged her into this study group under the pretext of being partners.
At first, Sakura had been as timid as a rabbit, barely speaking at all. But after spending time together, she had gradually gotten used to Yukimura, Miyake, and Ayanokoji.
Maybe it was because they were all "herbivore types."
"Haruka, could you stop using that delinquent tone?" Miyake sighed. "Also, speaking of study partners, one of ours is worrying."
"Hm? Do you mean your partner, Satou? Her grades aren't great, right?" Hasebe tried to recall the rankings.
"That's not the issue. Yeah, Satou's grades are a bit risky, but I believe she's trying her best."
Saying that Miyake looked toward Ayanokoji.
"I was talking about Kiyotaka's partner, Hikigaya. That guy's been acting weird lately. He didn't even show up for class this afternoon."
"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case."
"You don't pay attention to your classmates at all, do you?"
"No, it's just that Hikigaya isn't very noticeable… No, actually, rather than being 'unnoticeable,' it's more like he stands out too much in a way that makes people subconsciously ignore him. He and Kipyon are opposites in that regard."
Ayanokoji silently nodded in agreement with Hasebe's observation.
Was this a girl's intuition at play?
That assessment was oddly accurate.
If one had to pick the most unique student in Class D, most people would probably name Kouenji right away. But looking back over the past six months, the real answer was undoubtedly Hikigaya.
"Also, I heard Hikigaya is the scariest student in our grade—more fearsome than even Ryuuen." Hasebe brought up some rumor she had heard.
"Scary? I never got that impression at all." Miyake dismissed the claim but then added, "Though, I did hear from my club seniors that Hikigaya was highly regarded by the former student council president. The current one values him too. But that's got nothing to do with being scary."
"No, no, it's not just that… how do I put it…? He's just really terrifying!"
"What kind of explanation is that?"
Hasebe's statement was completely baseless, yet Ayanokoji shared the same sentiment.
The current situation among the first-years was likely tied to Hikigaya in some way.
At that moment, Yukimura spoke up.
"If you're all so curious, why not just ask him directly?"
"Huh?"
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the café. Hikigaya was sitting in a corner by the window, holding a novel, though he didn't seem very focused on reading.
"He's ditching class to slack off here." Hasebe stroked her chin. "Didn't expect Hikigaya-kun to do something like this. Guess he is a bad kid."
Miyake shook his head. "Stop saying that. It's obvious something's up… Haruka, why don't you go ask him?"
"Huh? Why me? I've never talked to him before."
"Because none of us have the social skills for this. Plus, when we first met, weren't you the one who approached me in the library?"
"Even so… If people find out, it might cause me some trouble."
The others had no idea what kind of trouble she meant, but Ayanokoji had a guess.
Girls could sometimes have an inexplicable radar for these things.
Hasebe didn't get along with most of the girls in their class, except for Kushida, whom she called "Kogorou"… yet another strange nickname.
"Sorry, Haruka, but I have to ask you too," Ayanokoji said sincerely. "Hikigaya's my partner, but I feel like he dislikes me. He probably won't talk to me."
"Even you, Kipyon… Fine, I'll give it a shot. But you guys are coming with me."
The five of them marched over in a grand procession, making such a commotion that Hikigaya naturally noticed.
He lifted his head slightly, a confused expression on his face.
"Sorry to bother you. You're Hikigaya-kun, right? We're all your classmates—you should know our names."
"…What do you want?"
"If you don't mind, can we sit with you?"
If it were any other boy, he would have eagerly accepted the invitation from a beauty like Hasebe.
But Hikigaya blatantly looked annoyed. He glanced around the café before closing his novel.
"Fine. I'll give you my seat."
"No, no, we wanted to talk to you." Hasebe quickly stopped him.
"…Tch."
"Did… did he just click his tongue at me?!"
This was probably the first time Hasebe had encountered someone like this.
It was a bit nostalgic… reminded Ayanokoji of the first time he had spoken to Hikigaya.
Come to think of it, his friend request had been rejected back then too.
Didn't expect to be disliked at the first meeting... Why?
At the time, Ayanokoji didn't think much of it, assuming it was just Hikigaya's personality. But looking back now, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Under Hasebe's persistent approach, the other party reluctantly agreed to sit with them.
"So, what do you want to say?"
"At first, I thought Hikigaya-kun was a scary person, but turns out, you're quite interesting."
"…If you have nothing else to say, then just leave."
Hikigaya looked utterly dumbfounded at that opening line.
But this was probably just Hasebe's way of quickly closing the distance between them.
"You don't usually talk much in class, do you? And whenever you do, it causes a commotion. Honestly, when I first spoke to you, I was worried you'd just tell us to get lost."
"Huh? That's how you guys see me?"
Seeing Hasebe and the others nod, Hikigaya looked as if he couldn't accept this at all.
Then, he suddenly muttered, "Whatever… It doesn't matter anymore."
That remark was a little concerning.
Hasebe must have thought so too, as she immediately asked, "Hiki, what are you talking about?"
"Uh…"
"Hey, Haruka, don't just say whatever," Miyake quickly chimed in.
Hasebe had a habit of giving people nicknames to get closer to them—like Yukki, San-san, or Kipyon.
Although they sounded a bit odd, they were still acceptable.
But "Hiki"—which sounded like "hikikomori" (shut-in)—could easily be taken as an insult, given their current level of familiarity.
However, Hikigaya didn't seem angry. His expression was just… complicated.
He spoke slowly, "Tell me, Hasebe, when you greet people, do you say 'Yahallo' or something like that?"
"What? No way! I'm not an idiot," Hasebe immediately denied.
"Considering your nickname skills, it wouldn't be surprising if you did."
"What do you mean by that?! I don't get it, but that pisses me off!"
"Just give it a try. It might suit you unexpectedly well."
"Enough! Cut it out already!"
Originally, the plan was for Hasebe to get information from Hikigaya, but in the end, he completely took control of the conversation.
What a troublesome guy.
Just as Ayanokoji was wondering if he should step in, Hikigaya suddenly spoke up.
"Alright, that's enough jokes. What is it you guys want to ask? If I can answer, I will."
"We just wanted to check on you and ask why you've been skipping class!" Hasebe huffed. "And also, why has Chabashira-sensei been calling you out so often lately? Could it be… a student-teacher romance?!"
"…I can't believe you even thought of that."
Hikigaya let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"It's just a personal matter. It won't affect the class… it won't affect you guys… so just don't worry about it."
"No, no, no! The more you say that, the more it makes us worry!" Hasebe shot back.
Indeed, those two self-corrections hinted at something more.
What also struck Ayanokoji as odd was that Hikigaya kept glancing at him—whether intentionally or unintentionally.
And it wasn't just a wary look; his eyes carried a mix of emotions.
What exactly was going on?
"Honestly, I don't know how to put it into words… so please just don't ask."
Hikigaya rarely showed unease—Ayanokoji had never seen it before.
"But your face is clearly saying you want to talk to someone," Hasebe pressed on. "It's probably hard to talk about with someone you're close to, right? But on the other hand, it's easier to open up to strangers, isn't it?"
"…Am I making that kind of face?" Hikigaya touched his face in confusion.
"Yeah, yeah! Everyone, don't you agree?"
There was no such expression, of course. But under Hasebe's strong insistence, everyone else nodded along.
"Besides, none of us have many friends, so even if you tell us, we've got no one to leak it to. You can feel safe, Hiki!"
"It's not a secret… Fine, you guys will find out sooner or later anyway."
Saying this, Hikigaya once again looked at Ayanokoji.
This time, he didn't try to hide it.
Something felt off.
"The truth is… last month, my grandfather, who lives in the countryside, was hospitalized with a serious illness. Chabashira-sensei called me out to take phone calls from my family. That's all."
So that was it.
Ayanokoji's doubts were immediately cleared up.
The school strictly limited contact with the outside world, but in special circumstances, students were informed.
For cases like bereavement, students were even allowed to leave temporarily.
"Sorry, if I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have pushed you to talk about it," Hasebe apologized, looking uneasy. "I didn't know it was about your family… You must be worried about your grandfather."
"Oh, not at all."
Hikigaya's expression changed in an instant.
"I haven't seen him in almost ten years. I don't even remember what he looks like. But whatever, he never gave me any New Year's money anyway… Hmph, Komachi always got double, though."
"Eh? I-Is that so…"
Hasebe was so shocked she forgot to ask who Komachi was.
"Then why… are you so troubled by it?"
"Because my parents have to go take care of him."
Saying this, Hikigaya covered his face in frustration.
"My parents both work full time and now they'll be even busier. My little sister is still in middle school, and I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone."
"That is a real concern," Hasebe nodded in understanding.
"But there's nothing you can do about it, right?" Yukimura reasoned. "You might as well focus on the current exam. At the very least, don't make your family worry about you."
"Wait, Yukki, that's a bit too cold!"
"Then what's the point of worrying about something you can't change?"
Yukimura wasn't wrong.
But humans weren't purely rational beings.
If he were in Hikigaya's situation, could he stay so calm?
Besides, Ayanokoji felt like Hikigaya still had more to say.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have made that face.
"No, there is something I can do," Hikigaya shook his head. "And that's dropping out of school to go home… I plan to fail this exam on purpose."
[T/N: Hahahahaha. Can you get what Hikigaya is trying to do? This guy is shameless beyond the norm.]
"…Huh?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment before shouting in unison.
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you serious?!"
"Yeah, I've already decided."
"That's way too extreme!" Hasebe exclaimed. "I get that you're worried about your sister, but you don't have to go this far! Dropping out isn't a joke!"
"It's fine. To me, my sister is everything."
Under normal circumstances, someone would've immediately called him a siscon.
But right now, no one was in the mood for jokes.
Then, Ayanokoji suddenly spoke.
"Hikigaya, I understand your feelings. But if you're determined to drop out, you could just apply for it—why deliberately fail the exam?"
"Y-Yeah!"
Hasebe also realized the oddity.
"I get it now," she declared. "Hiki, you're just messing with us, aren't you? Trying to scare Kipyon, right?"
"…Let me ask you something. Why did you all choose this school?"
Without waiting for an answer, Hikigaya continued.
"As for me, it was because there were no tuition or living expenses. The moment my parents heard that, they signed me up without my consent… If I try to leave on my own, they'd kick me out of the house."
"That's ridiculous…"
Hasebe trailed off, realizing some families were just like that.
Hikigaya slightly lifted his right arm and spoke.
"But if I fail because my injured hand hasn't healed yet, even my parents can't say anything. At least… they won't throw me out."
Lowering his head, he murmured:
"So… I'm sorry, Ayanokoji."
[T/N: Lol. Ayanokoji is cooked.]