“Doma-san, you go in first.”
“Okay.” Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman say this, Doma Umaru replied and headed toward the school building.
Hikigaya Hachiman, however, deliberately slowed his pace, secretly glancing behind him.
A lonely person’s perception of gazes is seven times that of an average person.
Since nearing the school, he had felt someone watching him, but every time he turned around, the feeling of being watched vanished.
It wasn’t until Doma Umaru left that Hikigaya Hachiman realized the target of that gaze was himself.
After attempting to locate it several times, Hikigaya Hachiman failed to find the source of the gaze and gave up on the idea of finding the person.
After all, the spirit-detecting watch hadn’t reacted, so there shouldn’t be any danger.
Giving the crowds of people walking in pairs one last look, Hikigaya Hachiman stepped into the atrium.
Classes are always tedious, but when you immerse your mind completely in knowledge, you can also gain the pleasure of harvesting results.
Amidst this joy of seeking knowledge, in the blink of an eye, it was time for the afternoon club activities.
Compared to students who feel regret at the end of learning, many more students just want to release the emotions that have been trapped in the classroom all day.
The moment the final bell rang, the entire school was filled with an almost manic excitement.
The cheers coming from the playground, the sounds of boys and girls talking in his ears, and the gentle breeze blowing in from the window—it made one’s mood pleasant, until…
“Hikigaya Hachiman.”
“Hikigaya Hachiman?
Oh, you mean you’re looking for someone.
Sorry, I haven’t heard of the name Hikigaya Hachiman.”
“…”
“Hahaha, just kidding, I’ll go call him for you.”
It would have been fine if he hadn’t heard this conversation; having heard it, it was hard to keep smiling.
Hikigaya Hachiman climbed up from his desk and glared toward the doorway.
The blonde guy who was about to leave the classroom turned back and stopped at Hikigaya Hachiman’s desk.
“Hikigaya, there’s a really cute girl outside looking for you.
You really have talent, kid.” Like a close friend, the blonde guy draped his arm over Hikigaya Hachiman’s shoulder.
‘Who was this guy again?
Tobe Kakeru?
No, he should be called ‘the yes-man’.’ After cursing inwardly, Hikigaya Hachiman stood up.
“Got it.
As for a girl looking for me, it’s probably not a good thing.
By the way, aren’t you going to find Hayama?”
“Oh crap!
Let’s chat on the phone!” With a loud shout, the blonde guy seemed to remember something important and rushed out of the classroom.
‘Seriously.
That means you do remember my name.
And we never exchanged email addresses.’
“Right.”
After responding to the figure that had already disappeared, Hikigaya Hachiman packed his school bag and walked out of the classroom.
However, he didn’t find the person looking for him.
‘Is this some new type of prank?’ It was only as Hikigaya Hachiman was about to leave that he noticed a girl out of the corner of his eye, standing with her head down, leaning tightly against the wall by the classroom.
‘Her presence is so low; I almost overlooked her.’
He walked over and asked, “Is there something you need?”
“Ah, it’s just, just, this…” The girl seemed startled by this sudden remark; she shivered violently, then stuttered something.
Suddenly remembering something, she tremblingly took a wallet out of her pocket and held it out.
It was the wallet Hikigaya Hachiman had lost yesterday.
Because it contained his student ID, Gotoh Hitori had found her way here based on it.
In truth, she didn’t really want to come.
But she came anyway.
She didn’t speak, just kept her head down and held the wallet up with both hands.
Before Hikigaya Hachiman could feel any joy, he fell into deep thought watching the girl’s behavior.
‘Was she scared?
No, she isn’t afraid of me; she’s just bad at interacting.’
In fact, from the moment he saw her, Hikigaya Hachiman had detected the thick aura of loneliness radiating from her.
Long, straight pink hair, a guitar case on her back, and a cute hair accessory on her head made of a blue and yellow piece that looked like ice cubes.
In terms of looks alone…
As Yukino would put it, she was nothing but cute.
But her style was quite casual.
Her top was a simple pink sweatshirt, and her bottom was paired with a standard grey pleated skirt.
When she wasn’t talking, she had a cold, aloof temperament, but the moment she spoke, she was soft and doughy, looking very easy to bully.
Hikigaya Hachiman didn’t speak either; he silently took the wallet.
He understood deeply that those well-versed in the way of loneliness avoid interaction as much as possible, so to make the other person feel more comfortable, Hikigaya Hachiman didn’t say anything.
It should have been that way.
However, I, Hikigaya Hachiman, have already met four other lonely people like you.
Lonely people and people who like being alone are two different things.
People who like being alone are those with naturally cool personalities; they enjoy solitude, and they can live well even if they are by themselves.
Like Yukinoshita Yukino.
But lonely people are quite different.
People who become lonely before they know it will continue to be lonely.
They don’t seem much different from the former, but in terms of mentality, being in the midst of loneliness, they only feel pain.
Tsurumi Rumi is this type; she feels uneasy unless she is blending into a group.
People who like being alone hate crowds, and they hate people even more.
They wouldn’t carry a guitar on their backs, and they certainly wouldn’t wear such eye-catching hair accessories.
Therefore, this girl actually longs to interact with others and hopes to make friends.
‘Consider it a thank you.’
“What should I call you?”
“Ah, Gotoh, Gotoh Hitori.” Suddenly asked, the girl turned her head away and answered disjointedly.
“Are you going to participate in club activities?
After all, you have a guitar.” Hikigaya Hachiman pointed to the guitar on Gotoh Hitori’s back.
“N-no, I haven’t joined a club yet…” Gotoh Hitori answered, looking very dejected as if remembering something sad.
“That’s great.
I mean, Gotoh-san could just happen to come to my club to visit.”
Gotoh Hitori didn’t agree, but she didn’t refuse either.
She followed closely behind Hikigaya Hachiman and then asked, “Did, did Hikigaya-kun join a music club?”
“Not really, the Service Club.
The club name is the Service Club.”
“Then, you, I…” Gotoh Hitori asked in surprise while reaching out to touch the guitar on her back.
“Oh, if you want to discuss music, that’s fine too.
Our club president knows a little bit about it.
You should know, she has assembled the best band at Sobu High.”
“B-band?
You mean, Yukinoshita!” Gotoh Hitori gulped inwardly.
Yukinoshita Yukino’s performance at the school festival was her dream.
What Gotoh Hitori, who aspired to be a band girl, didn’t know was that her choice not to refuse this time would shatter her dreams into pieces.