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As time flows, the uneasiness people feel in unfamiliar environments gradually fades.
The students of Class B, now settled into their new lives, have made friends and are enjoying campus life. The only oddity is that this class is...
too
harmonious.
Typically, a class would divide into several social groups—active ones, semi-active ones waiting to take over, and the otaku group that avoids all interaction. Some people have close friends, others form casual alliances, and a handful remain complete loners.
Yet, Class B appears
too
friendly.
Regardless of their social standing, everyone gets along. Conversations flow naturally between groups, with no visible cliques or divisions. The reason? Ichinose. Her presence single-handedly keeps the class united.
But something about it seems
off
.
Hikigaya Hachiman, an expert in human behavior (self-proclaimed, at least), found the whole situation utterly baffling.
It was... impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
There was no way an entire class could be this cooperative without some underlying manipulation. Surely someone had to be faking it?
Unless...
Oh.
It turned out that
he
was the only one left out.
While Ichinose made an effort to greet him, the rest of Class B had seemingly categorized him as "the guy who prefers to be alone" and left him to his own devices. He didn’t mind. His daily routine consisted of only a few key locations—school, dormitory, and, on occasion, the library or club room.
A Trivial Concern: MAX Coffee
The school’s efficiency, or rather its
lack
of efficiency, was becoming a problem.
With the exception of fresh ingredients, the school seemed to operate on a strict once-a-month supply system. This meant that anything not stocked in bulk was unavailable for long stretches.
Case in point: MAX Coffee.
Today marked the sixteenth day without it.
How did he know this with such precise accuracy?
Simple.
When he submitted his club application, he took the opportunity to ask
Commander
Horikita about the school’s procurement schedule. She told him, rather bluntly, that club-related equipment wouldn’t be available until all clubs had been officially established—sometime after April ended.
Running a school, it seemed, was not a simple task.
Wool Club: A Sanctuary of Solitude
On the fifth floor of the special teaching building, a sign on a classroom door read:
"Wool Club."
Hikigaya sat inside, flipping through a book with one hand while munching on a slice of toast with the other. On the table before him were three neatly arranged nutritious meal packs—one for breakfast, one for dinner, and another for tomorrow’s lunch.
The food wasn’t great, and the portions were meager, but with free toast and eggs available, it was just enough to get by. If he stretched his savings wisely, he could afford to treat himself on weekends.
Life was all about balance.
Just as he was about to turn a page—
"Wow."
The classroom door burst open, and a voice filled with exaggerated curiosity broke the silence.
Hikigaya looked up, unimpressed.
"...What are you doing?"
Standing in the doorway was Juke.
She stepped inside, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Disappointing," she muttered as she took a seat across from him. "I expected you to be doing something shady in an empty classroom, but this? Boring."
"...Heh."
Hikigaya took another bite of his toast. "And what exactly are
you
doing here?"
The unspoken message was clear:
Get lost.
Juke let out a dramatic sigh, slumping over the table. Her arms folded under her head, pushing her chest against the surface in a way that
some
people might find distracting.
"I’m
so
done with Ichinose’s endless parties," she grumbled. "They make me go every day. I’m exhausted."
To an outsider, it might have sounded like bragging.
But Hikigaya knew better.
She was here to escape.
He glanced at her lazily. "If they invite you so often, doesn’t that mean they like having you around? Just go along with it."
Juke shot him a glare. "You don’t get it. One party is fine.
Two
is tolerable. But every night until
nine p.m.
? Where’s my personal time?"
Nine o’clock, huh.
No wonder she looked fed up.
If it were him, he’d have declined after the first event.
Actually, scratch that. If
he
attended a party, it would probably kill the mood so fast that a second invitation wouldn’t even exist.
Wait.
That meant—
He was a
natural
party deterrent?
A
weapon
against excessive socialization?
Amazing.
Juke rolled her eyes. "I
wish
I could just refuse."
"Then just do it."
"You
know
it’s not that simple."
Hikigaya smirked. "And yet, you still asked. Your personality is awful."
"Ugh, whatever."
She sat up, stretching lazily. "Club’s almost over. Walk back with me."
"...Huh?"
Hikigaya raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because if someone finds me alone, they’ll drag me back. If
you’re
there, they’ll assume I was in the club the whole time."
Ah.
So she was using him as a shield.
How
convenient
.
Fine.
If all he had to do was
walk
, he could tolerate it.
Besides, he was heading back to the dorms anyway.
Nutritional Choices and the Pasta Dilemma
Juke eyed his meal packs, unimpressed. "You eat this
every day
?"
"Pretty much," he replied nonchalantly. "I splurge on weekends."
She frowned. "That can’t be healthy."
"It’s fine," Hikigaya shrugged. "Jiro Ramen is
divine
, but it’s gonna take a while before the school finishes setting up the shop. Probably not until the second semester."
Juke rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Eventually, she just pulled out her phone and scrolled through it absentmindedly.
Neither of them felt the need to fill the silence.
It was... oddly comfortable.
Post-Club Walk
As the club session wrapped up, Juke stretched dramatically.
"Ugh, I’m
so
tired."
Hikigaya scoffed. "From what, exactly? You were just playing on your phone."
She ignored the remark.
The two walked side by side, making their way back toward the dorms.
"Want to grab something to eat before heading back?" Juke suggested.
Hikigaya gave her a blank look. "I
just
ate."
"Oh. Right. That
barely
qualifies as a meal, though."
"It’s enough."
"Ugh, you
really
need to eat something normal."
He sighed. "I
could
just have instant noodles later."
Juke clicked her tongue. "At this rate, Ichinose’s gonna find out and
force-feed
you proper meals."
"...Please don’t involve her."
Juke smirked. "Oh? Are you
scared
of her kindness?"
"I
fear
for my independence."
She laughed.
"Fine. Then let’s just grab a pasta set. I haven’t eaten yet."
Hikigaya glanced at the café she pointed at.
Pasta wasn’t exactly
healthy
, but it also wasn’t the worst option.
Whatever.
He had no real objections.
At least it wasn’t a party.
[Word Count: ~1800]
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